Smart Eats- Skinny Snickerdoodles

Just because you are eating smart doesn't mean you can't enjoy a delicious cookie every once in a while. I was in a super snacking mood but I didn't want to ruin the good eating I've been striving for this month. On Pinterest I found this recipe for Skinny Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles from Skinnytaste.com (my new favorite site!). These cookies are so amazingly delicious and chewy plus they're only 1 point each. Here's the recipe:

Recipe:

1 3/4 C Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 C sugar

1/4 C butter, softened

1 Tbl light agave

1 tsp vanilla

1 Egg

3 Tbl sugar

1 Tbl cinnamon

Preheat over to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar together. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Add the agave, vanilla and egg.

Slowly add the flour mixture and mix. The dough will seem kinda dry which is okay. Throw the dough into the refrigerator for ten minutes.

With moist hands roll the dough into 1" balls. Toss in the cinnamon/ sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes. The cookies will be soft which is perfect.

Let the cookie cool on the pan after you take them out from the oven.

You know I'm a HUGE snickerdoodle fan and it almost seemed crazy that I was making them healthier but it worked. These are really good! I can't get over how much I love them. I will always be a sucker for the original recipe but when eating healthy, you will always find these in our cookie jar:-)

Enjoy!

National Pie Day

National Pie Day is coming up on January 23rd. I know our focus this month is Smart Eats but who can pass up on pie? Let us know your favorite pie and even recipe. On the 23rd we will pick our favorite and post it on our blog, with credit to you of course! :-)

Smart Eats- Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

 This morning I was online thinking about what to make for dinner. I didn't want to go to the grocery store yet my cupboards lacked a sufficient amount of food. I jumped onto my new favorite food blog, Skinny Taste, and perused recipes until this one caught my eye. I was so excited when I had everything needed to make this recipe. At 8:23am I loaded up our crock pot wither everything needed, set it on low and walked away knowing that in 10 hours I was going to be eating a feast! This has definitely become my favorite chili recipe and with only 5 points a serving I can be happy that the taste is there as well as the healthy:-)

Here's the recipe (as found on skinnytaste.com:

1 Onion, chopped

1 16-oz can black beans

1 16-oz can kidney beans

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

10 oz package frozen corn kernels

2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies

1 packet taco seasoning, preferably low sodium

2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

24 oz (2-3) boneless skinless chicken breasts

How is this for easy. Load everything into the crockpot and set on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours. I didn't even drain the beans. Just pour everything in, stir and set the chicken breasts on top. We used frozen chicken breasts, placed them in the crockpot still frozen and it worked out perfectly.

After 5 hours, I pulled the chicken out and used a hand mixer to shred the chicken. I then placed the shredded chicken back into the crockpot and stirred.

The hardest part about slow cooked meals is smelling it all day long! The aroma is incredibly mouthwatering. Once you're ready to eat, feel free to top your chili with low-fat cheese and fat-free sour cream.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Ready for an amazingly delicious meal that the entire family will LOVE and it's only 385 calories a serving? Then you will love this recipe! It combines the fresh flavors of Italy with healthy ingredients no one will even know are there. This is another recipe from Rocco Dispirito's Now Eat This! cookbook that I have totally fallen in love with. I've made a few changes and here's the recipe:

Recipe:

8 oz whole wheat pasta (we used rotelle)

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 fat-free sour cream

1 C packed fresh basil leaves

2 Tbl chopped fresh flat- leaf or Italian parsley

1/2 C grated parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 Tbl chopped toasted pine nuts

Salt

Pepper

1 frozen or fresh chicken breast, cooked and sliced

1 roma tomato, chopped

In a skillet, toast the pine nuts until they are golden. Set aside. Cook the chicken seasoning both sides with salt and pepper. Once cooked all the way through, slice and put aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the whole wheat pasta and cook until al dente and drain.

Using a food processor (or magic bullet), add the sour cream and chopped garlic together. Mix. Add the basil, parsley, cheese, and pine nuts and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pesto mix to the pasta and mix together. Add the chicken and tomatoes. You are now ready to devour the awesomeness we call Smart Eats! :-) The creamy pesto mixed with the seasoned chicken is incredible. You don't even realize you're eating whole wheat noodles. Trust me, I'm a stickler for taste and I give this dish 5 stars.

Enjoy!

Smart Eats- Chicken Tenders with Ranch dressing

Remember these? We shared them on a recipe swap with Cali Kitchen Couple a few days ago. I know, you're probably thinking how on earth are chicken tenders with ranch healthy? You'd be surprised, we sure were. These baked chicken tenders are better than the fried. With wheat flour instead of white and other healthy substitutions this recipe is becoming a new staple in our household! It's seriously SOO good!!

Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dressing (Originated from Rocco Dispirito- Now Eat This!)


Recipe:
1 C Whole wheat Flour

2 1/2 C panko bread crumbs (preferably whole wheat but if you can't find it don't sweat it)

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

4 Large egg whites

8 oz (about 8) chicken tenders

Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

Nonstick Cooking Spray (I used Pam- Organic Olive Oil)

3 tsp ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix

6 Tbl reduced-fat sour cream

6 Tbl low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Start by pulling out two shallow dishes and a medium bowl. In the first shallow dish, place the flour and in the second mix the panko bread crumbs with the poultry seasoning. Place the egg whites in the medium bowl. Using a whisk, whisk until the egg whites are foamy but not to where they hold stiff peaks.

 Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Season your chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Here's where the fun part begins. K would be very proud of my since I'm not a huge fan of touching raw meat haha. Place the chicken tenders in the flour and shake off any excess. Now place the floured chicken tenders into eggs. Coat them until they are completely covered. Once at a time, place the chicken tenders into the panko bread crumbs and coat each one completely. Place on the wire rack.

Salt and pepper the chicken tenders again as well as spray a little bit of cooking spay on each one (both sides). This will help give them a golden look. Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden & cooked all the way through. 

While the chicken is baking whip together your ranch dressing by mixing the seasoning, sour cream and buttermilk together. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The chicken tenders were delicious, especially paired with the ranch dressing. The dish is so good and pretty healthy too with only 198 calories a serving. Happy New Year everyone!

Smart Eats!

We have a few great dishes to share with you within the next two weeks that are not only delicious but healthy too. Stay tuned!

Recipe Swap- Chicken Tenders with Ranch

Check out Cali Cooking Couple for our tasty Chicken Tender with Ranch dressing recipe. Only 198 calories per serving and soo delicious!!

Recipe Swap- Grandma's Lemon Cookies from Cali Cooking Couple

Today we are linking up with our dear friends at Cali Cooking Couple- Alix & Kevin! Alix and I have been friends for over 15 years and I've been loving all the recipes she and her hubby have been posting on their incredible food blog. Alix suggested doing a recipe swap this month and I was more than excited to do it. Here's the recipe Alix shared with us:
(P.S  Also check out Alix's adorable etsy page for very chic baby gear: Designs by Alix)


Hi we are Alix and Kevin and we are the Cali Cooking Couple. We are just two crazy married people who love to cook. We found love in the kitchen on our first date and now we are sharing our love of food with you. Wow thats a lot of love. :) We hope our recipes bring your family together like it has ours. 

GRANDMA'S LEMON COOKIES 

Now I know that you are thinking seriously more lemons. I am in love with lemons right now. My name sake grandmother would cook me these cookies every time I went to her house and they are my favorite. 

Lemon Cookies 

1 cup butter 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

2/3 cup corn starch 

1 cup flour 

Lemon Frosting 

1/4 cup butter 

2+ Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice 

rine of a Lemon 

-Powdered sugar to spread 

1. Mix butter and powdered sugar 

2. Add corn starch 

3. Add flour and mix 

4. Drop teaspoons onto cookie sheet and indent and cook 325* for 15 minutes - 

5. Cool 

6. Mix frosting butter 

7. Add  fresh squeezed lemon for  juice 

8. Grate lemon 

9. Add powdered sugar to spreadable constancy. 

10. ENJOY !!!!! and then say "this is the best cookie ever"

11. Hid them because you will eat the whole batch. 

Cali Cooking Couple

Alix and Kevin Wilcox

www.calicookingcouple.blogspot.com/

calicookingcouple@gmail.com

Happy New Year 2012!

Happy New Year everyone! If you're like me, losing some unwanted pounds has topped your resolution's list. If you're not like me (lucky!) eating healthy is still a desirable trait... as long as it's delicious. Well, this month we want to merge losing weight, eating healthy and eating well together all into a few great recipes. We already have some in mind and can't wait to share. We'll keep you posted! :-)