Baked Oatmeal - Recipe

I tried baked oatmeal for the first time! It was awesome. Oatmeal is something I usually tolerate, but this stuff was really good.

2 c old fashioned or rolled oats
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 large egg
2 tbs canola oil
1 1/2 c skim milk
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Pour the oat mixture into the liquid and stir.

3. Pour mixture into an 8x8 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

4. Serve warm with chopped apples, nuts, raisins, etc.

Makes 6 servings.

I didn't run the numbers for it (though it's about 6 points+) but it gives one serving of healthy oil and a quarter dairy serving. I can see myself overeating this, that's how good it is.

Easy Vegetarian Chili - Recipe

Since going to a second meatless day this week, I decided to start out with something easy and just tweak it a bit. It calls for textured vegetable protein, a soy product used in place of meat.

1/2 c dried black beans

1/2 c dried pinto beans

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves roasted garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, diced 

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup vegetable broth

2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

dash cayenne pepper

dash red pepper flakes 

1/2 cup TVP + 1/2 cup water

1. Cook the dried beans according to the directions on the package.

2. In a medium to large soup pot, sautee the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the olive oil. Add tomatoes, vegetable broth and chili powder and stir.

3. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans. Stir occasionally and cook for at least 20 minutes. Add TVP and water 10 minutes before done cooking. Of course, the longer you cook chili the better, but if you're pressed for time, 20 minutes is fine.

4. For a spicier chili, add extra cayenne and red pepper flakes. Makes 6 servings.

Per Living Cookbook, each serving has 289 calories, 7 g fat, 50 g carbs (15 g fiber), 14 g protein. 5.5 WW points/Core friendly.

I cannot tell you how delicious this dish is!!! My husband raved about it and didn't even notice that the "stuff" in it was not hamburger! 

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars - Recipe

I found this one on the Weight Watchers Filling Foods board, posted by FREE BEE.


2 cups uncooked oatmeal (quick or old fashioned)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fat-free skim milk
1/2 cup Egg Beaters or 2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


2. Combine wet ingredients and add dry ingredients. 


3. Bake in sprayed 8" square pan for 35-45 minutes. 


4. Cut into 12 squares.


I used whole eggs and got, per serving: 127 calories, 2.67 g fat, 20 g carbs (3.17 g fiber), 6.25 g protein. 2 WW points/Core friendly.


I ate half a square when they came out of the oven and cooled just a bit. They are really good, not too sweet. Very moist.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers - Recipe

15 oz can black beans (250 g cooked from dry)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 T taco or chili seasoning
4 T salsa

1.  Mash beans. Add remaining ingredients. 


2. Let sit in fridge for 30 minutes (sometimes over night to firm up). 


3. Form into 8 patties. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes a side.


Makes 4 (2 patty) servings, each with 159.7 calories, 0.8 g fat, 29.7 g carbs (6.8 g fiber), 8.6 g protein - 2 WW/Core friendly


OMG, these are so freaking awesome! I let them sit in the refrigerator overnight. They fall apart a bit, but they aren't super dry like other recipes I've tried. Definitely a keeper!!!

Mexican Chicken Casserole - Recipe

I'm sure there's a recipe out there somewhere for this, but this is what I threw together in honor of Cinco De Mayo!

10-12 oz cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces (I used the dark meat from a whole chicken I roasted)
1 15-oz can black beans,drained & rinsed
1 15-oz can whole kernel corn, drained
2 oz onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
16 oz salsa
4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil.

3. Mix all ingredients, except for cheese, in a casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

This makes 8 servings, each with 213.6 calories, 6.2 g fat, 22.5 g carbs (3.9 g fiber), 16.3 g protein - 4 WW/Core+1

Diet Soda Cake with Pudding Frosting - Recipe

Today is my husband's birthday and our son insisted that Daddy has cupcakes for his birthday. He wanted me to go to the store and buy pre-made cupcakes and I just was not having any of that! Then I remembered the diet soda cake that has been around forever. It's super simple.

1 box cake mix
12 oz diet soda
2 c skim milk
1 box (1 oz) sugar free fat free instant pudding

Decide what kind of cake you're doing (rectangular, rounds, cupcakes) and read the baking instructions on the box of cake mix. Don't worry about all the other ingredients and prep - you don't need them. All you do is empty your mix into a large bowl and fluff out the lumps. Slowly pour in your soda and mix well. Pour the mix into your pan(s) and bake according to the directions.

While the cake is in the oven, mix your pudding and milk and refrigerate. When the cake is done, let it cool. When it's completely cooled, spread the pudding over it. You'll need to refrigerate the cake.

I used a white cake mix with orange soda. I got 12 good sized cupcakes out of this, but if you're doing a larger cake, like a 9x13, you can probably get more servings. It's about 45 points for the whole thing. If you do 12 cupcakes with the pudding frosting, it's 3.8 points apiece.

Pumpkin Nuggets - Recipe

I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers Filling Foods board and figured I'd give it a shot.

1 1/2 c pumpkin
1 1/2 c oats
2 eggs
2-3 tbs Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tspt ground ginger
1 tbs canola oil (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.


2. Mix the ingredients well. Spoon into muffin cups.


3. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Each 2-muffin serving has 141 calories, 5.5 g fat, 18.9 g carbs (4.6 g fiber), 5.6 g protein - 2 WW points/Core friendly.


I love these! My kid loves these. They are quick and easy to make, and kind of a cross between a muffin and cheesecake? I just loved them!

Veggie Burger - Recipe

I stumbled across a recipe for homemade veggie burgers and figured I'd give it a shot for Meatless Monday.

1 (15 oz) can beans
1/2 c dry oats
1/2 oz minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs seasoning mix of your choice (I used 1 tsp each of cumin, salt, and chili powder)
2 1/2 oz water

1. Rinse the beans and mash them with a fork, desired consistency.

2. Add add the oats, onion, garlic, and seasoning.

3. Add the water a little bit at a time and mix to desired consistency.

4. Form 4 patties and fry in pan sprayed with nonstick spray.

The exact nutritional information will vary depending on what beans you use, but I used pinto beans to calculate, because that is what the original recipe calls for. Each patty has 131.8 calories, 1.2 g fat, 24.3 g carbs (6.9 g fiber), 6.8 g protein. 2 WW points/Core friendly.

Almond Joy Pudding Cookies - Recipe

I modified this recipe and used what I had on hand.

1 (1 oz) box sugar free fat free chocolate pudding
2 cups skim milk
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp coconut extract

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until it sets up. Spoon by tablespoons onto a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze until well set. Keep them in the freezer until you are ready to eat them.

I only had two single-serving packets of pudding, so I made half a batch, and I used flavor drops from Capella. Actually, I used almond because I didn't have the recipe in front of me. Maybe next time (because there will be one), I will use both. I have some vanilla pudding mix that I want to play around with - maybe a banana nut flavored cookie.

This makes 12 2-cookie servings, each with 44.6 calories, 0.5 g fat, 7. g carbs (0.7 g fiber), 2.3 g protein - 1 WW/Core friendly.

Protein Granola Bar - Recipe

2 1/2 cups (200 g) rolled oats
3 scoops (100 g) vanilla protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (122 g) unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbs (20 g) ground flax
1/4 cup (84 g) honey
1/3 cup (80 g) brown sugar

1/2 cup (56 g) almonds (chopped)
1/2 cup (80 g) dried fruit (chopped)
1/2 cup (68 g) shredded coconut

Mix the oats, protein powder, baking soda, extract, applesauce, flax, honey, and brown sugar in a bowl. Stir in almonds, dried fruit, and coconut. Spray a 9x13 inch cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Press mixture over cookie sheet evenly to the edges. Bake 18-20 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Let cool and cut into 12 bars. Store in air-tight container in refrigerator.

Calories - 216.8
Fat - 6.4 g
Carbs - 33.2 g (3.9 fiber)
Protein - 10.7 g



If you make this and are a member of SparkPeople.com, please rate my recipe there! Thanks!

Homemade Protein Bar - Cookies N Cream

I totally made this crap up. I haven't tasted it yet but I wanted to get it up somewhere before I forgot what I did.

Mix well:

15 oz ricotta cheese (I used the light stuff)
4 oz cream cheese (again, I used the lower fat stuff)
3 scoops Cookies N Cream protein powder (or any flavor you want)

Stir in 2 cups rolled oats.

Spread on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and put in freezer until semi-firm. Cut into 16 bars and put back in the freezer until completely firm. You can wrap each bar individually, or keep them together, in an air tight container in the freezer. Take one out to thaw before eating.

108 calories
4.5 g fat
9.3 carbs (1.2 g fiber)
8.9 protein

Homemade Granola Bars - Attempt #2

A tweak of this recipe:

Pumpkin Granola Bars II
Serving Size : 16

3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup butter -- at room temperature
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted
2 tablespoons shredded coconut flakes
1/4 cup wheat germ - Bob's Red Mill
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Blend the pumpkin, egg, butter, honey, and molasses in a mixing bowl or food processor.

Add the oats, sunflower seeds, coconut, wheat germ, and cinnamon, mix well.

Spread this mixture into a lightly greased 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan.

Bake in a 350*F oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, cut into 3-by-1 1/2-inch bars.

For very crisp bars, remove from pan to wire rack and cool completely.


Per Serving:
138 Calories
17g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber
4g Protein
7g Fat




First, a note about the last attempt - they dried out after a few days and weren't as good. If I make them again, I'm going to cut them into 16 bars instead of 32, because I was always eating 2 at a time.

Now for these. I am using a smaller cookie sheet, and only cooked them for 30 minutes. They are on the drier side, and crumbly. They would probably make good granola, but not good bars. I may crumble one up and add it to yogurt or something. They pumpkin taste is rather strong. But not horrible.

Cinnamon Roll Protein Shake

I finally got around to making this recipe I found at Lowcarbfriends.

2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp sugar-free instant vanilla pudding
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp imitation vanilla (or 1/4 tsp extract)
1 packet artificial sweetener (about 1 tsp Splenda)
a few dashes butter flavor sprinkles or butter-flavor extract
8 oz. water (or low-fat milk)
3 ice cubes

For the whole thing, I calculated:

338 calories
4.5 g fat
24 g carbs
54 g protein

It's pretty good. I added some sugar free Davinci syrup, and it was almost too sweet. I might leave out the sweetener altogether next time, because the pudding mix is pre-sweetened. This will be great for those days I don't want to eat "real" food.

Simple Turkey Chili Recipe

I just made this extremely easy and filling chili - 3 ingredients, that's it!!! Well, aside from spices.

20 oz (raw) ground turkey
8 oz can tomato sauce
4 servings dry pinto beans (144 grams/about 5 oz - I don't know the non-dry equivalent)

Quick soak the pinto beans according to the directions, then cook them until just soft. Drain the beans. Brown the turkey and drain it. Mix beans and turkey together. Add spices (I just used salt, pepper, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder) to taste. Add tomato sauce. Simmer until warm to hot, depending on how you like it. Eat!!!!!

That easy, folks!!

Makes 4 servings:

353 calories
21 g fat (yeah, a little high for the low cal dieters, but worth it!!!)
26 g carbs (15 fiber!!!!)
29 g protein