Low Fat Chocolate Pudding Cake

This cake is surprisingly really good. It is very light and full of flavor. I would almost prefer this cake to regular cake with thick heavy frosting. I guess less guilt has something to do with that.

Low Fat Chocolate Pudding Cake

16 Servings 

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix 

1 package (2.1 ounces) sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix 

1-3/4 cups water 

3 egg whites 

Frosting: 

1-1/4 cups cold fat-free milk 

1/4 teaspoon almond extract 

1 package (2.1 ounces) sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix 

1 carton (8 ounces) frozen fat free whipped topping, thawed 

Crushed Reduced-Fat Oreo's or 100 calorie Oreo crisps, optional

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, water and egg whites. Beat on low speed for 1 minute; beat on medium for 2 minutes. 

Pour into a 9-in x -13-in baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for suggested time on box or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. 

For frosting, place milk and extract in a large bowl. Sprinkle with a third of the pudding mix; let stand for 1 minute. Whisk pudding into milk. Repeat twice with remaining pudding mix. Whisk pudding 2 minutes longer. Let stand for 15 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Frost cake. Refrigerate any leftovers

Nutrition Facts: 1 piece (calculated without chocolate Oreo) equals 197 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 409 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1/2 fat.

Baked Chimichangas

Any time I ask my husband for suggestions on what to make for dinner, these chimichangas are usually the first or second thing he says.So I like to keep some on hand. I will make a bunch of them and keep them in the freezer for those days where I just don't feel like cooking, which is often recently. 

Baked Chimichangas
8 oz. cooked chicken, turkey, pork or beef (1 1/2 cups)
1 (8 oz.) jar salsa
1 (16 oz.) can fat free refried beans
1 (4 1/2 oz.) can diced green chili peppers, drained
3 Tbsp. thinly sliced green onions
4 oz. reduced fat Monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
8 (8 to 9 inch) flour tortillas
Topping suggestions:
Fat free sour cream
Salsa
Guacamole
Green onions

Using 2 forks, shred cooked meat. In a large skillet combine meat, salsa, beans, chili peppers, and the green onions. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Stir in cheese (I don't really notice the cheese in there, so I ususally leave it out or serve on the side as a topping).

Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil; warm in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. For each chimichanga, spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture on tortialla, near 1 edge. Fold in sides; roll up.

Place in a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until heated through and tortillas are crisp and brown. Serve with suggested toppings. Makes 8 servings.

*Freezing directions: To prepare, wrap the unbaked chimichangas individually in foil. Place in freezer containers. Seal, label, and freeze for up to 6 months.

*To bake: Place frozen chimichangas in a baking dish, still in foil. Bake on 350 for 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until brown and crispy. You can also thaw them in the refridgerator overnight. If thawed, bake 30 minutes still in foil. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Nutritional Info per serving: 258 calories, 9 g fat, 37 g cholesterol, 28 g carbohydrates

Oatmeal Cake with Caramel Icing

This cake is so good you won't be able to stop at one piece. You would never know it was a lighter recipe just by tasting it. The frosting is amazing.

Oatmeal Cake with Caramel Icing

1 1/4 c. boiling water
1 c. quick-cooking oats
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Icing:
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1/4 c. fat-free milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar

In a small bowl, pour boiling water over oats; let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in applesauce and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the oats. Pour into a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For icing, in a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Return to a boil. Cook and stir 1 minute longer. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in vanilla and salt. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Immediately spread icing over cake. Let stand until set. It will only take a few minutes to set, so frost the cake immediately after it cools.

Makes 20 servings

Nutritional info: 1 piece equals 216 calories, 5 g fat, 33mg cholesterol, 193mg sodium, 41g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 2g protein.

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

I love this recipe. I make it often enough that I keep any left over flour mixture and panko mixture on hand to make this a quick meal. Also, to save time you can substitute 2 cups of your favorite plain tomato sauce for the Simple Tomato Sauce but the tomato sauce is so good I would highly recommend making time for it. You could even make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it.

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon water
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups tomato sauce , warmed (see recipe below)
3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced

Simple Tomato Sauce

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (*or crushed tomatoes)
4 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.

2. In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.

3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg whites, and finally coat with the bread crumbs, Press on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.

4. Spray the tops of the chicken with vegetable oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.

5. Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce onto the center of each cutlet and top the sauce with 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve, passing the remaining sauce and Parmesan separately.

*I like to make a little spaghetti or angel hair pasta as a side and top it with the remaining tomato sauce. I used whole wheat thin spaghetti in the picture.

For Simple Tomato Sauce:
Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until mostly smooth, about ten 1-second pulses; set aside. (*You could also just use a can of crushed tomatoes if you don't have a food processor). Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil, and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened and measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.

Nutritional info per serving:
Cal 310; Fat 8 g; Sat fat 2.5 g; Chol 75 mg; Carb 20 g; Protein 38 g; Fiber 1 g; Sodium 790 mg

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

"3 for 100" Pumpkin Mini Muffins

With only 100 calories for 3 muffins how can you go wrong. Not to mention one of my favorite flavors....pumpkin. I love pumpkin anything. I am counting down the days until fall when I can make everything pumpkin. I am trying to keep my pumpkin obsession under control until then since it is a seasonal flavor but sometimes I just can't resist!

I tried a few different toppings on my muffins. I did semi-sweet chocolate chips, toasted pecans, low-fat granola, oats, brown sugar and just plain. My favorite was the toasted pecans or the brown sugar. These are great to have around for a quick low-calorie snack when you need a little something to get you through the day. Of course the toppings I did probably alter the calorie count slightly.

"3 for 100" Mini Pumpkin Muffins
Recipe source: Verybestbaking.com


1 cup whole-wheat or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can (15 oz.) 100% Pure Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups low-fat granola cereal, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350º F. Paper-line or grease mini-muffin pans.

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Beat sugar and oil in medium mixer bowl until blended. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat well. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Sprinkle each with about a 1/2 teaspoon of crumbled granola. Press granola lightly into batter.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store muffins in covered containers or resealable plastic bags.

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving (3 muffins)
Calories 100
Calories from Fat 30
% Daily Value
Total Fat 3.5g	5%
Saturated Fat 0.5g	3%
Cholesterol 20mg	7%
Sodium 85mg	15%
Carbohydrates 17g	6%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Sugars 12g
Protein 2g

Frosted Banana Bars

I was a little skeptical of these bars at first since it is a light recipe but they are really good! This is a great recipe if you need to use up a couple of bananas before they go bad.

Frosted Banana Bars

2/3 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Sour Cream
2 T. Butter, softened
2 egg whites
3/4 C. mashed banana (about 2)
1 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 T. Finely chopped walnuts(optional)
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 375. Spray 9x9" pan. Beat sugar, sour cream, butter, and egg whites in large bowl 1 minute on low speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in bananas and vanilla on low speed 30 seconds. Beat in flour, salt, and baking soda 1 min. Spread in pan. Bake 20-25 minutes til light brown. Cool completely.

Frosting
1 1/4 C. powdered sugar
1 T. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 T. milk 

Makes 9 servings
Nutritional info per serving: 257 calories, total fat 6.8g, cholesterol 16mg, sodium 182mg, potassium 117mg, carbohydrates 47.1g, dietary fiber .9g, sugars 33g, protein 2.9g

Recipe source: thesisterscafe.blogspot.com who got it from Lion House Lite Cookbook