Super Yummy and Extra Cute Pumpkin Parfaits!

I've been trying to find unique ways to use the pumpkin butter I made when I was making my skinnytaste pumpkin spice latte.

If you missed that one check out my "The Pumpkin Spice Latte Showdown!!!" post.

So I had made homemade pumpkin butter and was trying to decide what to do with it other than stand there and eat it out of the jar... which I could totally do because it's really good!

As I surfed the internet I found this recipe for Pumpkin Vanilla Yogurt Parfaits With Pumpkin Pecan Granola.

This was sooo good!

And I found those cute little parfait glasses at the antique store to put them in and I was really excited to use those!

I bought the Dannon Light & Fit 80 calorie vanilla Greek yogurt to layer these with.  This is 2 pts per container.

I made the skinnytaste pumpkin butter for another layer.  This is 3 pts per 2 Tablespoons.

Finally I made the not-so-low-point pumpkin granola.   This is 4 pts per 2 Tablespoons but it's crazy good!!!

Using the skinnytaste pumpkin butter in lieu of the store bought lowers the bad-for-you factor.

In addition I also used the a little less than 1/4 cup of Truvia Nectar instead of the 1/3 cup of regular honey.

The grand total is 9 pts per parfait which isn't too bad for a seasonal splurge.

If you've already made your pumpkin butter so you could enjoy all those pumpkin spice lattes then you already have much of the work done.

The granola is really easy to make.

This is definitely a keeper!

It's delicious and cute and yummy!!!

And, it's a really fun thing to serve other people.

I made one for my mom and my son shared with both of us.

Happy Cooking!

Fall Jazz

Just a short post today with some soft, fall jazz.

I love this time of year, the color on the leaves, the chill in the air, the glow of the fireplace or a candle and the cherry on the top, for me, is beautiful, soft jazz.

Today I woke up with Louie Armstrong crooning La Vie en Rose in my head.

When I turned on my Pandora Fall Jazz station this was synchronously the very first song that played.

This was followed by the exquisite sounds of Mary Louise Knutson and I'm hoping for some Ella Fitzgerald, Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra,  Etta James, Billie Holiday, Chris Botti and Diana Krall.

Did you know, I LOVE cooking to these songs?  I sing and dance around my kitchen as I cook and it's just the most delicious experience.

Today my husband surprised me by asking me to dance.  We danced around our living room to Diana Krall and, yes, I was totally swooning.

Did I mention I love my man? ;)

If you have the time today light a fragrant candle, grab your morning coffee or tea, sit back, listen, sing and dance with me.

And, have yourself a marvelous day.

Communication in the 21st Century

This past summer my husband and I broke down and bought smart phones for the very first time.

I had experienced a lot of razzing at work and with friends and family.  

I knew once I made the switch it would be hard to ever go back.

I knew that, like TV, it would be addictive but the real reason I made the switch is because I realize that communication is not what it used to be.  

Many of my friends and family would now sooner reply to a text message than a phone call.

Of course I much prefer seeing someone in person in lieu of the call when possible but when forced to choose between texting and calling I prefer the latter.  

I have one friend who routinely doesn't say "good bye" at the end of the call which drives me absolutely insane with wanting to yell "I NEED CLOSURE!  Are you hanging up now?  Where is the "good bye"?!!!

I know it's childish but sometimes we just can't help the way we feel.  

I recall one day my family and I went out to eat.  There was a young couple who appeared to be on a date but the entire time they were on their phones texting.  

My husband, after noticing them, leaned over to me and said "Do you think they're texting their conversation to each other instead of talking?".  

Now I get that texting is perfect for situations in which you truly cannot pick up the phone and talk.

I also get the irony here as I use an electronic medium to connect with you.

I understand and appreciate the fact that we now have the ability to connect with the rest of the world and that there are other innumerable bonuses that technology has made possible.

But I'm talking more about interpersonal communication.

In some ways it feels like, as a society, we've become, as my brother would say, emotionally lazy.  

Maybe that's too harsh a phrase.  

I guess it's neither good or bad.  

Maybe it just is what it is.

But what do you do when what it is is exactly what you're not?

I love watching 18th century movies like Pride & Prejudice.  I think in some ways that's where my heart is.

You see I love long letters and the art of composing them.  

I love sitting down to tea, quiet and uninterrupted.  

I love those still moments when you connect with another human being or with nature.

You notice every little nuance about the room, the ticking of the clock on the wall, the smell of the roses wafting in from outside, the soothing feel of the warm cup of tea in your hand and every magical shift in expression on the face of the person you're sharing it with.  

Some of the people in my life have altogether stopped answering calls, texts or e-mails so at some point I guess you have to realize that no message at all is the message.

I understand we live in a have-it-now society where we value endless work days and feel so spent by our many obligations that by the end of the day there's nothing left to give.  

But, it's sad.  

I think somewhere along the line we've lost something precious, a part of ourselves, of our story and of who we are.

It feels like we've become desensitized or numbed to this loss of connection.

It's become replaced by virtual reality and artificial connection.    

Maybe someday amidst all the noise of technology we'll find balance.  

I remember when I was in my early twenties, before I met my husband, and I was going through a difficult breakup.

My friend Julie sent me a letter in the mail with soft words of encouragement and a newspaper clipping of a poem that has stayed with me forever.    

Given my deep and abiding love of poetry I'll leave you with that this morning.  

After A While, by Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
and company doesn’t always mean security.
And you begin to learn
that kisses aren’t contracts and
presents aren’t promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of a woman
not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow’s ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
that even sunshines burns if you get too much
so you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
 instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
that you really are strong
that you really do have worth
and you learn and you learn
with every goodbye you learn.

Vegetable & Shrimp Couscous with Red Pepper Sauce

I made this recipe years ago.

I got it out of my Cooking Light magazine.

Given the popularity of this dish among my family I've made it many a time.

Since I started WW I did have to change it up a bit to make it more plan friendly but it really wasn't hard to do.

That's the beauty of healthy living, it's really not that hard to slim down most recipes.

Here's what I changed~

I substituted 1 lb shrimp for sirloin as it's lower in points.

My cilantro already went to seed so I used 1 Tbsp of dried cilantro.

I used only 1 cup uncooked couscous instead of 2 cups.

I also added in 8 oz of baby portabella mushrooms sliced and 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes.

When making the red pepper sauce I changed the 1/4 cup(equivalent to 4 Tbsp) of olive oil to 2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt.

With the above changes being made this comes out to 8 pts per serving.  This is based on the whole meal as being 4 servings instead of 6 servings as indicated in the recipe.  

You have less couscous in my version but I think the portions look bigger as I used more veggies.

TIP:  I typically make the red pepper sauce a day ahead of time.  It saves time later and it gives the flavors in the sauce time to blend.  This recipe is a lot to take on in one day if you don't like to cook.

I'm admittedly a novice at grilling so I cooked the veggies in a roasting pan in the oven at 425 degrees for 60 minutes or until done.  I didn't even add any oil because I was using so many naturally wet veggies like the zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms.

I also used a tri-color couscous I found at the grocery store and substituted that since it was the same points as the regular.

The tri-color couscous has sundried tomato and spinach.  Doesn't that sound good?!  I bought this at Wal-Mart.

This is what the peppers look like before broiling~

And after broiling~

Okay, so really these went a little longer than I had planned.  What is my deal with broiling?

You peel off the skin so it's not a big deal and I did use these but they were a little desiccated, a little thin and dried out.  

Next time I won't let them go that long.  

Here is the red pepper sauce~

Keep in mind that this sauce is really spicy.  If you don't like hot spicy you may want to cut down or cut out the crushed red pepper flakes.

I love some heat so I really like this.  I also really love the unusual and unique flavor this has from the caraway seed.  

My mom and husband said they like it well enough to drink it!!!!!!  Last time I made it they asked me to double the recipe for the sauce.  

My husband was putting that leftover sauce on everything he ate.  It really cracked me up :)

Here is a peak at the veggies after roasting~

Couscous and shrimp

Putting it all together...

PRO's:  This is insanely delicious and really healthy.  There are so many different textures and flavors.  There are gobs of veggies and the portions are huge.  You will feel full after eating this. 

CON's:  This takes time to make and a lot of dirty dishes to clean up after, or during if you're as OCD as I am.  

For me and my family it's worth the time investment.  I only make this a couple times a year or so but my husband always thanks me.  

Tonight his comment was "the really irritating thing about this stuff is that you can't stop eating it". 

I'd encourage you to give this a try.  This is a great way to bulk up the veggies, make them taste amazing and for you to feel full.  

LARGE plate = LARGE portion

Happy Cooking!

Moments That Put You On The Universal Map

Each morning before my son goes to school he likes to get up extra early because he would never think of missing even one precious sunrise.

Missing a sunrise would be soul-crushing for him.

He cherishes every nuance and every color and sits in true appreciation of it.

We usually play before he goes to school but today was a little different.

I had woken up unusually early, at 4:30 am.

Instead of groaning about it I realized it gave me extra cuddle time with my sweet husband.

After we were all awake, and my husband off to work, it was time for our morning constitutional, as we call it.

Today we decided to go outside to watch the sunrise.

We're both enjoying the fall weather right now so we were excited to get outside.

We went outside and danced around on our driveway while the sun gently rose above the horizon.

Then we went on a walk about our yard.

We swung on the swing and slid down the slide.

We played in my son's fort and sang our silly made up songs, the ones only we know.

We finished up the morning with hot tea on the front porch and loads of snuggles.

All in all it was the best part of my day.  It really started my day out right to be sure but nothing else quite measured up to that experience.

I'm so happy I was able to wake open and receptive to the possibility of joy today instead of grouching about the hour on the clock.

I'm so thankful for this moment.

So often we can physically be in close proximity to each other but we're not always really connecting and that's what we all crave I think.

On the days you have that connection you know it's there because you feel it.

It's in those instances that time seems, for one blessed moment, to stand still.

It's like out of all the stars in the vast Universe God's holding up a sign that says "You Are Here" because it puts everything else into perspective.

I call those times moments that put you on the Universal Map.

WW calls them Glow Moments.

But no matter what you call it, it's love and it's the most fantastic feeling in the world.

Here's to waking with an open heart and an open mind because you never know where love may take you.

The Weight of Change

You know how I said before that I was having an inordinate amount of fun shopping for new single dishes to use in this blog?

Today I had the day off and shopping I went.

"What does Carrie do on a day off when not on vacation?" you may ask.

Well, I first visited with my mother and grandmother.

Then I headed to one of our best local libraries but alas it was closed for Columbus Day. :(

We have the BEST public libraries.  The one I intended to go to has a wonderful coffee shop inside and lots of cushy chairs and couches to sit and read in.

So since I couldn't get my book fix at the library I went to Barnes & Noble instead.

The employees are starting to know me by name now which may be kind of telling.  ;)

Lastly I decided to look for a parfait glass, for a recipe I want to try, in an antique store.

I haven't been to an antique store in ages so it was really fun!

I went to Hobby Lobby too.

I found all sorts of cute new glasses and plates.

Just look!

I found these cute plates at Hobby Lobby for 40% off and, yes, there's actually color!

This is so bold for me considering my propensity for neutrals.  I was rather proud of myself for purchasing this.

The thing that hit me while I was shopping today was the size and shape of the antique glasses.

When I got home, just for kicks, I used a measuring cup and poured water into each of them.

This one held 1/4 cup.

This was only $1.00!

This one held approximately 3/4 cup.

This one was $1.50! 

When I saw the first one, the sherbet cup, I thought it looked more like a cute little taste testing cup because it was so incredibly small.

But this is what portions used to look like, nothing at all like what they look like now.

That begs the question, when did our tableware get so big?

Who decided it should get bigger?

Did anybody ask us first?

Who decided bigger is better?

I don't really have the answers but it's clear there have been some big(pun intended) changes over the last several years.

Sadly, as our tableware and portions grew so did our waistlines along with all obesity's co-morbidities.

What's worse is that we've gotten so used to eating this much that it has now become hard not to eat in this quantity.

It may be my skewed perception but it seems more pronounced here in the States.

However, I don't always have the need for huge portions.

It seems to me that when food is really good and really pretty that I tend to go slower and savor it more.

It becomes an organic experience, a sensual dance of flavors across my palate.

Of course it also seems that there would likely be many people who would buck going back to old portion sizes because everyone wants more for their money and we seem to have pushed past our biological feedback mechanism to stop eating when we're full.

I don't have the cure-all for this but I think for me it's about mindfulness.

It's also about loving and respecting my body temple and listening to my body's wisdom.

The noise created by such loud chemicals as high fructose corn syrup has drowned out our own still small voice that says "Please give me something real" and "Please stop now, I'm full and I've had all that I require to keep this beautiful and amazing biological masterpiece at optimal operation".

The next time you sit down to eat remember that your body, no matter what you think of it, is a gift, an astoundingly complex and exquisite gift.

It is something to cherish, something to honor.

Your own wisdom is still there underneath all that noise.  You can still hear it if you listen.

And today, is the perfect day to start.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

I remember a few months back seeing a recipe for spaghetti squash lasagna but I didn't get it printed out and forgot to save the page.  

I went in search for it and found gobs of similar recipes.  Many of them were served in the spaghetti squash shell but I wanted something different.

Finally I found one of Rachel Ray's.  Her's is the recipe that inspired this one but I changed it up.

Let's just say when you measure your cheese by the pound you're in trouble point wise.  

So this is my lower point version of her recipe.  

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash

1 lb lean ground turkey

4 mini sweet bell peppers or one regular red bell pepper diced

1 yellow onion diced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

8 oz baby portabella mushrooms sliced

2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning 

2 tsp oregano

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil(1 tsp dried)

1 cup part skim ricotta

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 lb frozen spinach

1/4 cup liquid egg whites

1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Cut the spaghetti squash in half, seed this and place on a foil lined, olive oil sprayed baking sheet.  Cook for one hour or until done.

Saute one diced yellow onion with chicken broth until well done, around 12-15 minutes.

Add 1 lb of lean ground turkey and cook until browned.  Then add 4 mini sweet peppers(orange, red and yellow) diced, two cloves of minced garlic.  

Truth time- I forgot to buy extra regular bell peppers and had to get into my husband's stash of mini peppers he puts in his morning eggs.  You could use a regular bell pepper diced.  

Next add 2 Tbsp of tomato paste and two 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes, 8 oz of sliced baby portabella mushrooms, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil and 2 tsp oregano.  You can definitely change up the seasonings to suit your tastes.    

Simmer for at least 20 minutes until it reduces down and much of the liquid is evaporated.

While that is simmering, thaw 1/2 lb of frozen spinach and then wring out as much of the liquid as you can with your hands.

To the spinach add 1/4 cup of liquid egg whites, 1 cup of part skim ricotta and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan.

Mix together and set aside.

Pull the squash out of the oven and pull out 3 1/2 cups of the squash and mix it in with the spinach mix.  

Layer this in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with olive oil.  

Now add all the meat mixture over the top of this.  

And finally 1 cup of part skim mozzarella.

Bake this in the oven at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.  

This yields 6 generous servings that are 6 pts a piece.  

This was oh so yummy and cheesy!

My husband's unsolicited comment?  "Wow Honey!  This is really good!  I want to just keep eating more and more but I know I shouldn't".  That's like a 10 on the Mark scale of food rating.  ;)

Let's think about it....  

Olive Garden Lasagna Classico dinner portion is 32 pts vs this version which is 6 pts.  

Hmmm.....  Yep!  It's a WIN!  

Happy Cooking! 

Cake Batter Protein Shake

Okay, so this is another example of a recipe I initially said I'd never try but did anyway.

Why?

Because in life we have to push ourselves to try new things.

Often we find out we're glad we did as is today's case.

The reason I initially didn't want to even try this recipe is that it has cottage cheese in it.

I will eat cottage cheese cooked in things but the idea of eating it in a protein drink grossed me out big time.

This is another recipe from the Dashing Dish Cookbook by Katie Farrell.

I originally checked this out from the library but I am definitely going to buy this now.

I've really loved every recipe I've tried.

In a blender mix together 1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese, 1/2 tsp almond extract, 1/2 cup water, 6 ice cubes, 2 Tbsp Truvia, and 1/4 cup of vanilla protein powder.

I used Jay Robb stevia sweetened protein powder for 1 pt.  The total points for this drink is 6.

I added a few sprinkles on top as she did in the picture.  It ups the "pretty" factor. ;)

What I would change...

I thought this was really sweet, dare I say a little too sweet?

Next time I'm going to cut the Truvia in half which would also lower the points to 4 pts total.

This was DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's to the value of trying something new!

Turkey Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash

Tonight was one of those nights.  I worked all day and left late.  On the way home I started thinking about what my dinner options were, or more accurately weren't, and realized I would need to come up with some quick fix for dinner.  

I went to the grocery store on the way home and bought ground turkey.  

Before I share this really quick and easy recipe I have to tell you about my "Bravo!" moment in the grocery store.  

As I said I had worked all day, left late, and did I mention I was starving???!!!!

It was one of those days where you're hungry even when you shouldn't be.  

One of my favorite things to eat is croutons.  

My mom will say I spent one whole year of my life eating croutons alone, much to her chagrin.  

Sadly, croutons aren't the most nutritious, low point or filling option.  

And, they're something I can usually just binge on.

So here I am at the grocery store tonight and I just so wanted those croutons.  

I went to the crouton aisle.  

I stood in front of them and stared.

The desire to buy them was sooooo strong!  

"It would feel so good to eat them and the taste, ugg, sooo good!"  I thought.  

And then, I walked away.  

Yup.  

I knew if I bought them I'd eat the whole bag in a blink.  

I mean come on, salty, crunchy, snaky.... is there anything better?

I'm so happy I was able to say no and, as Judith Beck would say, strengthen my resistance muscle.  

Victories are won one moment at a time.  ;)

So I came home and browned 1 lb of 99% fat free ground turkey.

Then I added taco spice(I buy this in bulk from SAM's).  I would add this to your taste preference.  I use a LOT.  

Then I added one whole can of diced tomatoes.  

I cooked up jasmine rice(1 cup cooked) in my steamer and then added it in to the turkey mix.  

I cut the acorn squash in half and microwaved each half with 1/2 cup water in a Saran covered microwave safe bowl for 10 min.  

Then I stuffed the squash with the turkey mix.

This tastes insanely good as is.

But....

Isn't everything better with cheese?!  I added just 1 Tbsp part skim mozzarella.  

The grand total is 4 pts for half of an acorn squash, 1/4 of the turkey mix and 1 Tbsp part skim mozzarella.  

Not bad for something that tastes this good and is unbelievably filling!

It takes a lot to fill me up but this really did.  

Even my husband said "Wow Honey, I usually want to snack while we watch TV but that stuff is so filling I didn't want anything else".  

Thank God for small gifts!  Feeling full, happy and satisfied with dinner definitely is one!

Happy Cooking!

Vegan Oil-Free Zucchini & Carrot Fritters

My vegan friend, Mary, sent me a link to this recipe for Vegan Oil-Free Zucchini & Carrot Fritters.

These come out to 2 Smart Points each for a serving of 12.

Here is a peek at the some of the pre-baked mix~

This is definitely messy but it's always fun to get a little messy in the kitchen.  

My son took this picture of my hands after making patties.  Yes, I'm totally giggling while I'm making these.  

Before baking~

And after~

A very important note here:  There is a major typo on the webpage.  In the instructions it says to add two TABLESPOONS of salt to the uncooked zucchini and carrots and let them sit.  

If you'll look in the ingredient list it says two TEASPOONS.  Fortunately I double checked this before I added any salt as I thought 2 Tbps sounded like a lot even for a salt lover like me.  

What I changed:  I don't have fresh sage on hand and I'm not a huge sage fan so I used fresh basil and parsley instead.  

Also, I totally forgot to add the lemon juice!  Geesh!  You'd think I were human or something ;)

What would I change next time?  I think next time I'll cut out a lot of the flour.  I just don't think they need it and it would cut points as well.  

I also think I'll add garlic powder and maybe some nutritional yeast.  

Overall this was really yummy and healthy!  Win-win!

My husband and I both thought the flavor was great and they looked so pretty!  

You know I love it when my food looks pretty!

 Happy Cooking!

Brownie For One

I have been craving brownies like crazy lately.

Nearly every day I've been calling our little local coffee shop and bakery and asking if they had any brownies.

They've had all sorts of other good things but not brownies.

It may be that I'm now becoming known as "that lady that always calls asking for brownies".  :)

Of course I know better than to just make a whole batch at home because I'll overeat them.

Fortunately I found this recipe for Brownie for One in Minutes in the Dashing Dish cookbook by Katie Farrell.

This comes out to 8 Smart Points in the recipe builder.  I added 1 tsp of mini chocolate chips which added 1 pt for a total of 9 pts.  If you add 1/4 cup Halo Top vanilla ice cream it adds another 1 pt....which was totally worth it for me.

A word about the oats used in this recipe- she says to grind them to make an oat flour.  I had oat flour on hand and used that.  I used 5 1/2 Tbsp of oat flour.  I couldn't find an exact conversion on this so I guesstimated it.

Spray a microwave safe mug with olive oil.

Mix together 6 Tbsp oats(pre-ground, less if already ground), 3 Tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk, 1 1/2 Tbps unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/2 Tbsp sweetener that measures like sugar(I used Truvia), 1/2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.

Place this in the prepared mug and microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

It's kind of fun to watch this thing puff up over the mug.  Then it deflates before you pull it out.

This is on the high side point wise but it was worth it for me today.

   IT WAS REALLY GOOD!!!!