I am always grateful when my mother and mother-in-law keep me in supply of lots of delicious recipes! This wonderful apple salad recipe from my mother-in-law has been slightly altered to make it even more low calorie. It has the same wonderful taste with fewer calories (and fat) for those of us counting our points. If you would like a reminder of how to calculate how many points your body should be consuming on a daily basis, feel free to revisit one of my earlier blogs, What Are Food Points and How Do I Use Them. This apple salad is perfect for a gathering (although you might want to double the recipe for a larger group) or for your own family. Either way, I know you'll enjoy this great-tasting light apple salad.
Low-Point Apple Salad 2 Tbs. Fat Free Mayonnaise 2 Tbs. Reduced Fat Sour Cream 1 Tbs. Splenda granulated sugar 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Mix ingredients together, then add: 1 chopped apple 1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes (cut in half) 1 cup Fat Free Cool Whip 1/4 cup chopped pecans Mix and enjoy! Refrigerate leftovers. If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
You know a recipe turned out great when your kids love it! It's not often you find low-point muffins that taste this good! That's why I was so excited when I came across this easy recipe for pineapple muffins. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.
Low-Point Pineapple Muffins Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp. ground ginger 1/2 cup Splenda granulated sugar 1 egg 2 Tbs. vegetable oil 1/4 cup raisins 1/2 cup lowfat milk 1 can crushed pineapple - (8 oz.) 1/4 cup brown sugar Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to blend. Spoon into muffin tins or paper muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 17 to 20 minutes. Total Servings =12 Serving Size = 1 Total points per serving = 1.8 For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
The only problem with making a delicious low-point baked good, is that counting the points becomes "pointless" if you eat the entire pan. That's just how good these Low-Point Fruit Bars are! These are wonderful with a cup of coffee! They're also wonderful to share with family and friends... if you have any left to share, that is. Enjoy!
Low-Point Fruit Bars Ingredients: 3/4 cup Quick Oats 1 cup Bisquick reduced fat baking mix 1/2 cup Splenda granulated sugar substitute 1/4 cup reduced calorie margarine 1/4 cup fat free milk 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional) 1/2 cup spreadable fruit spread Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with butter-flavored cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine oats, baking mix, and Splenda. Add margarine. Mix with fork until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup crumb mixture. Stir milk into reserved mixture. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips to the large bowl of mixture. Pat mixture into prepared baking dish. Carefully spread fruit spread over crust. Evenly sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over fruit spread. Lightly spray top with butter-flavored cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and cut into bars. If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here. Total Servings = 16 Serving size = 1 Total points per serving = 2.6 Tip: Fruit bars made without walnuts and chocolate and made with sugar free jelly = 1.6 points per bar
Sometimes you need to take a break from posting low-point food items and recipes and just...buy a puppy? Huh?? My husband and I purchased our first puppy. We had no plans to buy a puppy... until I saw THIS puppy, a girl, just what I wanted. Well, we had thought about getting a dog, but we both agreed we'd wait awhile (whatever that means since we have been married almost 20 years already.) Our neighbor breeds Maltese and Pomeranians; and the result is the most adorable little "Maltipoms" you've ever seen. Still, we had no intention of buying one at this time. We did have fun picking out the perfect little girl names for our "pretend" puppy. Since our family has always been beach and snorkel lovers, our daughter came up with the name Coral. We loved it; and so then it was settled, we now had the perfect name for our pretend puppy! When a friend asked if I'd like to go see our neighbor's newborn Maltipoms one day, I surprised myself by saying, "No." I knew I would just be torturing myself seeing these precious puppies, knowing we weren't going to get one right now. However, I did ask if any of the puppies were "girls". One, out of three, was a girl. Shoot... maybe someday. Then it happened one day, when I returned home from the grocery store; my neighbor walked over and said "Come over for a minute, the puppies are in my garage." Hesitantly, I went over for just a second, which was just about how long it took for me to see her and fall in love. "My Coral". She NEEDED to be mine. Asking if I could borrow her for a minute, I took her home to show my husband. Looking at me, then at the puppy, then back at me, it was obvious he didn't know which one of us was being most successful in giving him those pitiful puppy dog eyes. Needless to say, MY puppy dog eyes won him over (well maybe that and him thinking it over for about a week) for him to give in and say, "Yes, we can have her." :) Coral is now "home" with us! Not ever having a puppy before, I am amazed at how quickly you tune in to their needs and schedule. She is such an adorable sweet puppy and the perfect addition to our family. It has also been fun going into our local pet stores; and I'm in disbelief at how many precious pink puppy accessories they have that I "need". We love our new puppy and know our love for her will grow as she becomes more a part of our family...and finally finishes potty training. - xo
