Category Archives: 5P+

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Post-Marathon, January 2008

Let’s talk about this girl for a sec, shall we?

She lost 68 pounds between May of 2003 and August of 2007. Then, she started training for a marathon.

Well, she started training for a half marathon, but someone dared her to do the full. She decided she would, on the spot. After all, this girl was both a runner and a Weight Watcher….surely, it was the way to goal.

But, this same girl had no idea how to eat as a long-distance runner. Sure, she knew how to eat, but somehow, she turned to 100 calorie packs as a treat on long run days. PACKS. Plural. She poorly balanced her carbs, fruit, and veggies. Oh, but she ran. And she got fast.

And then, in a completely unrelated twist-of-fate, she got injured. By the time she ran the marathon, she packed 10 pounds back on. But, she finished the marathon and raised a lot of money for a good cause.

She’s er, I’m telling you this story because the lovely girl in the picture sacrificed a lot of things for artificially sweetened products. These products made her reach for more….and more….and more….and- well, you get the picture.

So this time around I’m (ok, it’s me, I’m sure you figured that out) not sacrificing real sugar for artificial. I really enjoy baking, and I think it’s more important that I learn portion control than just eat something because it’s P+ friendly friendlier.

I like my sweets, so I renovated something I had a deliciously festive sample of the other day. I halved the recipe and removed some of the garnish to keep the P+ down. Eats like a small-ish decadent cookie. Little brother says they’re delicious. (So do I, but I’m biased.)

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Recipe adapted from Food.com

  • 1 cup flour
  • ¾  teaspoons baking powder
  • ½  teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½  cup butter (1 stick, very soft)
  • ½  cup brown sugar
  • 1/8 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, 1 egg white
  • 1/4 tsp lemon extract
  • 1/3 cup (dried cranberries)
  • 1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Frosting

  • 1  ounces neufchatel cheese, softened
  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/4 tsp lemon extract
  • 1/8 – 1/4 c nonfat milk

Directions:

Bars:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8×8 inch pan with cooking spray.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, and ginger together in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and well blended. Mix in egg, egg white, and lemon extract.

4. Add dry ingredients and mix until the texture reminds you of chocolate chip cookie dough. Add cranberries and chips, and stir until just incorporated.

5. Spread the thick batter in the prepared 8×8 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20-24 minutes, or until light brown at edges and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Frosting:

1. Beat together neufchatel, confectioner’s sugar, and lemon extract.

2. Add milk gradually until the texture of the frosting is spreadable, but NOT a liquid. I used about 1/8 cup.

3. Frost when completely cooled. Slice into 16 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (5P+ for a 1 cookie bar, makes 16 servings):
Calories:
Carbs:
Fat:
Protein:
Fiber:
Sodium:
**NI will be added after posting. Thanks for your patience!**

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla Frosting

If you follow me on Twitter @kellysstellar or have recently “liked” my facebook page, you’re probably wondering about that adorable sexy little cupcake picture that keeps cropping up. Here’s where I tell you about it.

Where you from, you sexy thing?

I can’t REALLY take any of the credit for this particular food. Both the recipe for the cupcakes, and the recipe for the whipped frosting come from some of my favorite food blogs. I am NOT ashamed of this.

I’m very proud of the look of this cupcake. I can attribute that to the Wilton Cake Decorating class I took over the summer. I love my piping bags and tips. If you don’t have them, you can easily just plop some pretty frosting on top, or cut a small hole in a zip lock and use it like  piping bag.

So, while I will not be posting the FULL recipe for these, I will be providing you with two links. Add them to your reader if they’re not already there, because they are fabulous.

Skinnytaste.com’s Pumpkin Cupcakes  I left off the frosting. I’m not big on cream cheese frosting.

Can You Stay for Dinner’s Whipped Vanilla Frosting I halved the recipe, and used a piping bag and 2 tips to fill & frost these bad boys.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (5P+ for one cupcake and approximately 1/24 of frosting*):
Calories: 139
Carbs: 23
Fat: 5
Protein: 1
Fiber: 1
Sodium: 170
Nutritional Information from myfitnesspal.com

*I added a P+ after calculating the nutrition facts. The frosting measurements are an approximation, and I would rather be safe than sorry!

Crispy Baked Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

For years, I have been saying that I need to make a shirt that says “Google is my….” ummm…how do I put this politely for the interwebs?

“Beeotch,” I guess. You get the idea. Please don’t be offended. I know it’s early on in my blogging career for profanity.

Recently, the always-awesome-and-entertaining WW.com 20′s Board introduced me to Pinterest. I feel compelled to mention that I might need to make a different shirt now.

I “pin” all of my hopes and dreams to my “boards.” Truth is, they  are usually hopes and dreams I have pilfered from the boards of others.

It’s a guilty pleasure.

The most guilt and the most pleasure come from the food boards. Oh, food, glorious food. (Name that tune! I sang it in 4th Grade Chorus. Nothing in that song sounds appetizing to me though, but I was never a British orphan. I digress.)

I spend a LOT of time “pinning” food, most of which are things I plan to make someday. I pinned this recipe on Wednesday afternoon, and made it Wednesday evening. I served it alongside a microwaved acorn squash, drizzled with a teaspoon of olive oil, creamy mushroom sauce, and some black pepper.

The chicken was crispy and flavorful. The sauce was creamy and comforting.

Good news is, if you don’t like mushrooms, Campbell’s has a few other options: Healthy Request Cheddar Cheese Soup, Healthy Request Cream of Chicken, and  Healthy Request Cream of Celery. This may change the P+, but I haven’t investigated yet.

Overall, this dish was easy, quick, and delicious. I promise.

I left 7 of these bad boys at home when I went to Grad class. They had all been devoured when I returned.

Will you like it? You’ll never know until you try…..

Crispy Baked Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Recipe adapted from www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com 

Chicken:

  • Cooking spray
  • 3 chicken breasts, sliced into thirds to make 9 thin “mini breasts”
  • 1 ½ c plain panko (Japanese Style Bread Crumbs. I used Progresso.)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½  tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ¼  c nonfat milk
  • 1/3 c shredded reduced fat cheddar
  • 1 tsp dried parsley

Sauce:

  • 1   10 ¾  ounce can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup
  • 2 tbsp light sour cream
  • ½ c nonfat milk
  • spices to taste (I added some generous dashes of garlic power. I heart garlic.)

 

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
  2. Pour the milk into a shallow dish and panko on to a plate. Mix the paprika, pepper, and garlic into the panko. It will make the panko colorful and fragrant.
  3. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk to coat. Sprinkle 1 scant tablespoon of cheese on one side of chicken. Immediately dredge both sides of chicken in panko to coat. Place chicken on prepared pan. Repeat for all pieces of chicken.
  4.  Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.
  5. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.
  6. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk, and sour cream with a with a whisk. Continue whisking until well combined. Stir for a few moments until sauce is hot. Serve over chicken.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (5P+ for one breast and approximately 1/4 cup sauce):
Calories: 206
Carbs: 17
Fat: 5
Protein: 22
Fiber: 0
Sodium: 242
Nutritional Information from myfitnesspal.com