FUDGE

FUDGE!  Did you ever know it was so easy to make??  Well, it is – HURRAY! (or not hurray for those of us trying to stay on track with our eating this holiday season) This fudge is the BOMB!  It is so simply, and can be cut into little squares for great portion (control)? It is rich so you don’t need a lot to satisfy your holiday craving.  This recipe was given to me by a dear friend – one who I send all my ridiculous food questions to. And she is always kind enough to answer my ridiculous food questions, and since she gives me amazing recipes such as this one, I always listen to her suggestions J.  She confessed that she found this recipe here. I added a bit of kosher salt (sea salt of flakes would work too) on top of this and I think it really was a tasty addition.  Also – I used a candy thermometer for this – but the timing came out almost exact.  After the sugar mixture is boiling, let it boil for 4 minutes and it is done. 

Servings: 48

Serving Size: 1 small piece*

Points Plus: 4pp

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Rating: 5 – Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter or margarine

1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup) (Do not use sweetened condensed milk.)

3 pkg.  (4 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

1 jar  (7 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallow Crème

1 tsp.  vanilla

Sea or Kosher Salt (optional)

Instructions

Line a 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will grow so be sure you use a large enough pan. Cook about 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Add vanilla and mix well.

Pour into prepared pan; spread to cover bottom of pan. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan before cutting into squares.

Tip

You could top this fudge with a ton of different things. I love the sea salt + chocolate combo but you could use nuts, crushed candy canes or coconut. Adjust pp accordingly if adding additional toppings.

*If anyone would like me to figure out the PP on a larger piece – 1/36 of the pan, please let me know!

GRINCH Fruit Cabobs

Alright people!  Are you ready to see the cutest thing ever as we wrap up ‘Holiday Appetizer Week’ here on EAT ME??? Check out these totally adorable ‘GRINCH’ fruit kabobs!  I saw them on Pinterest and knew I had to try them.  I mean, they are so easy, so healthy, so cute, and perfect for your holiday get together!

Servings: As many as you want

Serving Size: 2 kabobs

Points Plus: 0pp

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Rating: 4 stars – Very Good (if using good quality fruit)

Ingredients

Green Grapes - SEEDLESS

Strawberries

Bananas

Bag of mini marshmallows

Toothpicks

**NOTE: The amount of fruit you need depends on how many kabobs you want to make.  Figure 1 banana will equal about 10 kabobs.**

Instructions

Clean your grapes and remove them from their stems. Rinse your strawberries and cut off their green tops. Slice each banana into 10 slices, about ¼ inch thick.  Open your bag of marshmallows and try to not eat any J.

To assemble: Using a toothpick. Layer on the fruit in this order; grape, banana, strawberry and finally mini marshmallow.  Put them on a pretty plate and serve!

Tip

My sister Jessica brought up a n excellent point.  Grapes and strawberries aren’t really in season during the winter holidays.  My suggestions are to 1. Buy your fruit from a higher quality grocery store with higher quality produce and/or 2. Make ‘GRINCH’ kabobs all year round! I also would like to try these with a mini white chocolate chip as the hat tassel and see what the flavor is like.

Baked Potato Soup Cups

Have you walked into a friend’s party on a cold night and wondered how the heck you were going to warm up?  And then the hostess directs you to a table with those Asian soup spoons filledwith delicious warm soup as an appetizer as soon as you walk in the door? And then you sip it down and immediately feel warm, cozy and at home????

Well that has never happened to me, mainly because I don’t own ANY of those cool little spoons (and I guess my friends don’t either)! But I love the idea, and think that tiny portions of soup would be super fun at a holiday cocktail party! (and they are cute) I have a ton of glass votive candle holders leftover from my wedding, and thought these would work perfectly for a soup appetizer that can easily be eaten while mingling.  Disposable short clear cocktail glasses would work super well too. This recipe is inspired by Skinnytaste, and is a lighter version of creamy potato soup. It has the secret ingredient of cauliflower which lightens it up, and you know what guys? You can’t even taste the difference! Have this soup simmering on your stove and when your guests arrive hand them a tiny cup of soup instead of a drink!

Servings: 25

Serving Size: ¼ c.

Points Plus: 1pp

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Medium
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredients 

4 small potatoes

1 head of cauliflower, cut into chunks, stems removed

2 cups chicken stock (I use water with bullion cubes)

1 cup fat free milk

1/2 cup light sour cream

2/3 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

4 slices turkey bacon, sliced into small pieces

1/8 cup chopped chives (I used parsley for color because I didn't have chives, but chives would be ideal!)

Salt + Pepper

Instructions

Poke potatoes with a fork and microwave them on high for 8 minutes, turning half way through. Prepare your cauliflower, and steam it on the stove for about 6 minutes. When potatoes are done let them cool (important!!) and remove skins.  It is OK to keep some skin on, skins are good! 

Add potatoes, steamed cauliflower, stock and milk. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Let soup simmer for about 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to mix. Then add sour cream and stir to combine. Remove soup from heat and set out your 25 (or however many you have) soup cups.  Top each cup with a pinch of cheese and a few crumbles of bacon.  Because the portions are 1/4 cup, a pinch and a crumble were plenty of toppings for me! Finally, top with a sprinkle of chives.  Put all of your tiny cups on a serving tray and VOILA! You can use normal sized spoons or invest in some tiny spoons, which I want to do!!

Tip

After you add the sour cream be sure to remove the soup from heat or it will start to curdle. You could do tiny soup appetizers with any soup you like!  And with the small appetizer portions it is a low point way to get your party started! Have FUN!

XOXO - Katie

Polenta Pepperoni Pizza

Hello everyone!  As you know it is that busy time of year, where food and drinks are the focus and you are too busy to do anything, let alone meal planning!  I don’t know about you but I ate way too many holiday goodies this past weekend (including more pieces of homemade fudge than I care to admit – recipe coming next week)! Are you hosting any holiday get-togethers?  Megan and I thought it would be fun to feature some easy and healthy holiday inspired appetizer ideas this week to make your party planning a breeze.  One of the most popular posts on EAT ME is for our mini polenta pizzas.  I thought I would do a twist on these by making them Christmas colored (red, green and white!) and adding meat.  They turned out really tasty – enjoy!  Also they are extremely easy.  Make these for your holiday party – people will be impressed people!

Servings: 12

Serving Size: 2 polenta pizzas

Points Plus: 3pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Rating: 5 stars - Excellent

Ingredient List

1 log of polenta

12 pieces turkey pepperoni

1 cup marinara sauce

¼ cup fat free feta

1 cup arugula, chopped

Italian seasoning

Cooking spray

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut polenta log into 12 equal rounds. Lay the rounds on a baking tray and spray them with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove tray from oven, flip rounds, and layer with toppings, starting with about 1 T. of sauce, then 1 turkey pepperoni, about 1 T. of raw arugula, about 1 t. of feta and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.  Return the tray to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Tip

Of course you could make these polenta rounds into any type of pizza your little heart desires! I chose these toppings because they were holiday-esk, but experiment! (and let us know what you do)

XOXO - Katie

21 Cray Cray TURKEY Leftovers Ideas!

Happy Day AFTER Thanksgiving!  You survived?  How did you do?  Now it is time to deal with Thanksgiving leftovers while getting back on track!  Please check out the pp friendly leftover TURKEY recipes below. Most are Eat Me favs, just sub the meat for TURKEY! Let us know if you have any questions!!

Crock Pot TURKEY Stock
TURKEY Dumpling Soup
No Bean TURKEY & Sweet Potato Chili
Asian Lettuce Wraps with TURKEY
Good Earth TURKEY Sandwiches
TURKEY Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches LT's
TURKEY Cranberry Quesadilla
TURKEY Cuban Sandwich
Brie TURKEY Wrap 
TURKEY, Apple & Blue Cheese Wrap
TURKEY & Feta Stuffed Peppers
Buffalo TURKEY Salad
Salsa Verde TURKEY Enchiladas 
Mini Pepper TURKEY Nachos
BBQ'ed TURKEY Pizza
Jerk TURKEY Salad w. Grilled Pineapple
Buffalo TURKEY Salad
TURKEY Pot Pie
TURKEY & Egg Frittata
TURKEY Eggs Benny
Sweet & Sour TURKEY Meatballs

Xoxo - Katie

Maple-Pumpkin Pie with Salted-Pecan Brittle

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We hope that you had a wonderful day of family, and that you were able to follow at least a FEW of the suggestions from yesterday's post! Here is a pie I made today that was hard, really really hard! I like a challenge but jeez is making candy hard. I had to redo the brittle at least twice, yikes! Anyways, the end result was great, once I actually read the direction. I am having some technical issues to follow this link from Better Homes & Gardens for this delish twist on pumpkin! Enjoy this indulgent sweet treat, because remember, staying on track with eating healthy means you can and should indulge sometime! Xoxo - Katie

Green Bean Casserole

THANKSGIVING WEEK CONTINUES! And it is finally time for the old holiday fav. Green Bean Casserole - Yum!  I could have chosen to make the unprocessed healthy version by making the mushroom cream sauce myself or even forgoing it all together and just serving blanched green beans in its place.  But THIS is the food that I love to indulge in, let's face it, just once a year!  I cut out fat and calories by using 98% fat free Campbell's cream of mushroom soup and only using 1/2 can of french fried green beans sprinkled over the top.  I think it came out great and really, I didn't miss the normal heavy sauce and soggy french fried beans mixed in! Be on the lookout tomorrow for a totally delish holiday-esqu twist on the traditional pumpkin pie!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 3pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10  minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredients
4 cups canned french style green beans, rinsed
1 t. sugar
12/ oz can of Campbells low fat condensed cream of mushroom soup, not mixed
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 cup uncooked french fried onions

Instructions 
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Pour rinsed beans into a mixing bowl.

On your stovetop mix remaining ingredients until hot.  Pour mushroom mixture over beans.

Scoop bean mixture into a square pan and sprinkle the french fried onions over them. Throw em in the oven for about 25 minutes, until warm and bubbly!

Tip AKA SIX steps to waking up on Friday morning with no regrets ;)

1. Start your day with a work out!  Find a group workout class at a local community center in your hood and drag your family for a hard core Thanksgiving am workout.  Not only is this a great way to bond with the peeps you don't see every day, but it is a way to get mentally focused for the food challenges you will encounter throughout the day.
2. If you just have one stop on Thanksgiving (meaning you are not traveling to multiple dinners) plan to eat the other two meals of the day like normal.  Perhaps a lower pp breakfast (my fav is 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 cup baby tomatos and salsa for 4pp) and a salad for lunch.  Actually being HUNGRY (and not stuffed) when you sit down to Thanksgiving will help you to enjoy it more.
3. If you ARE making multiple stops, I fell bad for you. I joke, I joke.  If you are making multiple stops try eating JUST dinner at one or JUST dessert at the next.  What you want to try to avoid is eating 6 full plates of Thanksgiving foods.
4. Remember you have 49 extra points if you follow the Weight Watchers plan! I would say using them all on Thanksgiving is a pretty dang good way to use them!
5. Focus on the foods you only get on special occasions, just like green bean casserole.  Skip the foods you can eat all the time such as rolls and mashed potatoes.  Also, skip the foods you don't really like (sweet potatoes anyone?) and have more of the ones you love.
6. MOST IMPORTANT!!!  If you wake up on Friday morning still full from the day before and regretful, let it go and move on!  Think of the great weight loss things you have overcome, one bump in the road isn't the end.  Use Friday to get back on track before the weekend.

XOXO - Katie

Stuffing Cups

STUFFING! Cake isn't the only food that can be easily portioned by putting them into cup form.  Check out these delicious stuffing cups, originally inspired by Emily Bites with a few modifications.  With only 2pp each you can have as many as your heart desires, or save room for dessert!

Servings: 12 cups
Serving Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 2pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredients
8 slices light whole wheat bread
1 T. light butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1/2 cup celery, minced
3 oz. Craisins
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. rubbed sage
1/2 t. dried thyme leaves, chopped
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 275.  Cut bread into small cubes. Spread them onto a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Spritz with cooking spray and bake for 45 minutes.

Place 1 T. of butter into a skillet and melt over medium heat.  When melted add garlic, onion and celery and cook for about 5 minutes until tender.

In a large bowl mix bread crumbs, veggie mix, 2 eggs, broth, salt, pepper, sage and thyme.  Stir together until combined.

Spritz 12 muffin tins with cooking spray. Split the ingredients evenly between the 12 tins, a little more than 1/4 c. per tin.  Raise your oven temp to 375 and bake for about 25 minutes.  Watch them closely, mine gone a little brown :)

Tip:
I can't WAIT to try these again with a bit of variation!  You could try cornbread, sausage, apples, turkey, additional or substituted spices OR top with a tad of gravy.  Remember to adjust your points plus accordingly!