Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo

Per Serving (entire recipe): 2 Points+
81 calories, 3g fat, 242mg sodium, 9g carbs, 4g fiber, <1g sugars, 4g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl Recipes and Survival Strategies...", page 257
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1398

This recipe is the first recipe I ever tried long ago with the Tofu Shirataki Noodles, and was also the first recipe where I decided that I disliked those noodles with a passion (sorry for any of you fans out there).  I really like fettuccine alfredo, though, so I thought I'd try the recipe with regular noodles.  I figured it is still WAY better than if I were to order this dish at a restaurant, right?

I thought this was actually pretty good, and was still a good points value even with using regular noodles.  I used the Smart Taste noodles that have extra fiber, which saved me 2 points for a serving.  The recipe calls for a whole bag of the shirataki noodles, which is 6 - 8 points plus of regular noodles, or 3 dry ounces, or 1 1/2 cups cooked.  I then added some shrimp seasoned with a little bit of garlic salt and italian seasoning for an extra 2 points. 

In all, for the recipe made with 3 ounces of high fiber noodles and a serving of shrimp, my meal came out to be 9 points plus.  Not too bad for the serving size, but it was so good that I found myself wanting more afterward.  I made a 2 point salad instead and called it a day. 

The recipe itself was nice and creamy, and pretty tasty.  I can see why this is a super-popular recipe for Hungry Girl, especially if you like the shirataki noodles.  I mean, where can you get creamy, tasty fettuccine alfredo for only 2 points?  And if you use the shirataki noodles, you get to eat a whole bag of them and the recipe is still only 81 calories!!! Or 99 calories if you use a whole wedge of laughing cow cheese like she recommends.  My husband liked the recipe as well, and even took a serving with him for lunch the next day (I had made four servings on purpose so we would both have lunches the next day).  If I am ever in the mood for creamy pasta, I would definitely make this again.  I will never go back to fattening alfredo sauce again!

Slurpable Split Shake

Per Serving (entire shake): 6 Points+
220 calories, 2g fat, 100mg sodium, 47g carbs, 4g fiber, 22g sugars, 5.5g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 206 - 207
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1320

In honor of summer, I figured a yummy milkshake was in order.  The fact that this one is supposed to taste like a banana split made it even more tempting for me to make. 

As milkshakes go, this one had a pretty good calorie count at only 220 calories.  However, at 6 Points+, this is definitely not something I will be making on a regular basis.  It did taste pretty good, though, and I almost felt as though I was cheating by drinking a milkshake.  The milkshake was actually a little larger than the one in the picture - I shared mine with my two-year-old, so it actually filled up another half a glass or so.

Instead of soy milk, I made mine with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze, so I may have saved a few more calories that way.  The milkshake had just the right amount of banana in it, and I loved the occasional chunk of strawberry that would make its way through the straw.  The Reddi-wip and chocolate sauce on top made it truly taste like a banana split.  The way that Hungry Girl keeps this low in calories is by only using 1/4 cup of fat free vanilla ice cream in it.  Ice is added to the blender to still get the feel of ice cream without all the calories.

My two-year-old isn't very fond of Almond Breeze, so he actually didn't like this.  He took one sip and handed it back for me to drink, saying, "Mommy, I don't like this".  All the more for me, hee, hee!  If you are not fond of soy milk or Almond Breeze, you could probably use nonfat milk and just add the extra calories to the total.  It would still be better than a milk shake from a restaraunt or ice cream parlor.  According to HG, the milkshake she was copying for this recipe normally has 750 calories and 21 Points+!  Yikes!!!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Per Serving (¼ of casserole): 6 Points+
260 calories, 4g fat, 1,166mg sodium, 27g carbs, 4g fiber, 3g sugars, 27.5g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 66 - 67

I usually make at least one Mexican dish every week, so I am always looking for something different from the usual taco or burrito.  This recipe sounded easy and delicious - and it was!  It had a nice blend of chicken, cheese, veggies, salsa, corn tortillas, and the surprising ingredient - cream of celery soup.  I did not think cream of celery soup would work in a Mexican dish at all, but I was proven wrong with this recipe.  Usually I think of cream of anything as an ingredient for a comfort food dish.  It worked really well in this enchilada dish, however. 

The best part of this recipe was the portion size.  You get 1/4 of the casserole!  Nice!  I made mine in an 8x8 pan, and was very happy with the large dinner I got to eat for only 6 points+.  I added a salad for a complete meal.

What made this even better was that I was able to put the casserole together quickly and throw it in the oven to bake, making my two-year-old happy that I didn't have to spend much time in the kitchen.  It is made with canned chicken, which is what makes it so quick to put together.  I'm sure you could always use fresh shredded chicken if you wanted to, but it tastes great with the canned chicken, so I was perfectly happy to use that.  Everyone in the family liked this dish - I only wish I had doubled the recipe so we would have had leftovers for lunch the next day.  Next time I will definitely make more.  Yum!

Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels

Per Serving (1/8th of recipe, 1 pinwheel): 3 Points+
125 calories, 6.25g fat, 405mg sodium, 13g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 5g protein
The recipe: "300 under 300", pages 248 - 249

As I said once before, I will probably end up making all of the recipes in the pizza chapter of "300 under 300" since my family loves pizza so much.  The more alternatives I can give them to the actual thing, the less likely they are to want it (that's my theory, anyway!).

I was a little bit disappointed in how these ended up turning out.  These pizza pinwheels reminded me more of a seasoned bread stick than they did pizza.  They were a little dry for my taste.  Even with dipping them in seasoned crushed tomatoes, I still didn't really feel like I was eating pizza.  They were not necessarily bad - just not what I was expecting. 

One of the problems I had while making these was spreading the laughing cow cheese/sundried tomato mixture out evenly enough.  There is a fairly large rectangle of dough that you have to spread the cheese mixture over, and hardly any cheese at all.  I just ended up strategically placing the cheesy sundried tomato pieces over the dough, and spreading what I could around.  Once made, it seemed to be fine, however.  I didn't have any bites that seemed to be lacking in flavor any more than the others.

So, if you are looking for an appetizer that is a creative alternative to seasoned bread sticks, then I would  recommend these.  Just make sure you have some marinara or crushed tomatoes to dip them in.  And also be careful how many of these you eat - they are not exactly very filling for 3 points+ each.

So-Good Sausage Gravy 'n Bisquits

Per Serving (entire recipe): 6 Points+
235 calories, 5.5g fat, 752mg sodium, 34g carbs, 9g fiber, 1g sugars, 17g protein

The recipe: http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1022

I stumbled upon the link for this recipe in a fairly recent Hungry Girl email about southern-style dishes.  I've always been a fan of biscuits and gravy for breakfast, and it is something I order occasionally when we go out to breakfast (which is pretty rare in itself!).  I happened to have all of the ingredients at home already, so it was very easy for me to whip this up Saturday morning for my husband and I.

This recipe was very easy to make, and consists of a pretty standard white sauce made with seasonings, flour, and milk (for which Almond Breeze was substituted for, of course).  All you do is add a heated and chopped up veggie sausage patty to the gravy, and pour the gravy on a toasted light english muffin.  Super easy, and one of those recipes where I was thinking, "why didn't I think of that?!". 

I did add more than just a dash of salt and pepper to add more flavor, but other than that, this was pretty good as is.  There was definitely plenty of gravy to cover the english muffin nicely.  And although I am used to eating biscuits and gravy, an english muffin was a better-tasting substitution than I was expecting.  If you are looking for a hearty breakfast that doesn't taste at all like "diet food", then this is a great choice.  It's super quick and easy to make, and one that I will keep in my regular breakfast rotation.

Easy Oven-Baked S'mores-Stuffed Bananas

Per Serving (1 stuffed banana): 4 Points+
152 calories, 2.5g fat, 29mg sodium, 33g carbs, 3g fiber, 19g sugars, 1.5g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 166 - 167

This recipe was mentioned in a Hungry Girl email a little while back, so I hunted it down in the "1-2-3" cookbook and just had to make it.  Such a simple concept, but so delicious!!!  All you have to do is cut a slit in a banana peel and stuff the banana with graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows.  Wrap it in foil, bake, and voila!  A yummy, rich dessert.  So good! 

The only problem is the recipe is for some reason set up to make four of these at a time.  I made all four, but ended up eating two of them as a result, since my husband and my son only wanted one each.  I would suggest just making one banana at a time.

Three-Cheese Bacon-Apple-Bella Frittata

Per Serving (¼ of frittata): 4 Points+
157 calories, 3.25g fat, 506mg sodium, 12.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 6.5g sugars, 18.5g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 42 - 43
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1176

This breakfast dish consisted of a combination of flavors that I never would have thought of on my own.  There have been a couple of HG meals that I've made that had apple in them, like the Grilled Fuji-n-Chick 'Wich, or the Sweet Apple & Chicken Stir-Fry.  Both of those recipes were delicious, so I thought I'd try a savory breakfast dish with apple in it.  This recipe was also pretty tasty.  The combination of cheese, bacon, and mushrooms went really well with the sweetness of the apple.  And check out the portion size below!

A nice-size slice for only 4 points+!  Definitely a calorie bargain, and one I will be making again in the future.  I added a piece of fruit for a very filling breakfast.  Perhaps the most exciting part of making this recipe is that I got to do the ole switcheroo from stove top to oven with my pan for the first time.  I always see professional chefs use this technique on those cooking shows, but have never put a pan in the oven before.  I honestly wasn't sure if my pans could go in the oven, but they don't have any plastic parts to them, so I gave it a shot.  It seemed to work out just fine, so maybe I'll use this technique again when I want to get a nice brown crust on something I am cooking over the stove.  Pretty cool!

Lasagna Cupcakes

Per Serving (1/12th of recipe, 1 cupcake): 4 Points+
165 calories, 4.75g fat, 390mg sodium, 14g carbs, 1.25g fiber, 3g sugars, 15g protein

The recipe: "300 under 300", pages 188 - 189
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/weighin/show/1625

Lasagna is one of my family's favorite meals, and unfortunately, it is something we haven't had for quite some time.  I know how high in points it is when I make it the traditional way, so I would probably get into trouble if I were to make a whole lasagna.  The other option is to go through all the trouble of making a whole lasagna for my husband and two-year-old, but not eat any myself.  A nice thought, but I know myself, and my craving for lasagna will eventually win out.

This recipe seemed like a fun alternative to lasagna, so I figured I'd give it a shot.  Instead of noodles, the recipe calls for wonton wrappers.  A pretty creative substitution, but I wasn't sure if it would actually keep the dish tasting like lasagna.  It also calls for ground turkey, as well as some veggies to keep it fairly low points.

I thought all of the substitutions really worked here.  I was happily surprised that the wonton wrappers passed for lasagna noodles - maybe a little thinner than usual, but still quite tasty.  You also really couldn't tell that the ricotta cheese was fat-free, or that the mozzarella was low-fat.  I was definitely able to satisfy my lasagna cravings with this recipe.  I ate two of the lasagna cupcakes along with a salad and was pretty full.

The only thing that I will warn everyone about is you do have to be careful taking the lasagna cupcakes out of the muffin pan.  I used a spoon to scoop them out a little, as well as my hand to keep them stable.  Once they cooled, they were a bit more sturdy and I was able to get the leftovers into a tupperware container just fine.  The other thing I would suggest is to make sure you eat any leftovers within a day or so of making these.  We ate these for lunches for two days after cooking them, and by the second day the wonton wrappers were getting pretty soggy.  We managed to finish all of them before they became gross, though.

Overall, this was a pretty good substitution for a more traditional lasagna.  I loved the portion control idea of the lasagna cupcakes, which works much better than just haphazardly taking a chunk out of a lasagna pan.  If you love lasagna, then this is a good recipe for you.

Yumbo Gumbo

Per Serving (1 cup): 3 Points+
133 calories, 1.25g fat, 710mg sodium, 14g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 7g sugars, 17g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 254 - 255
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1174

Since shrimp is one of my favorite types of seafood, I usually make about one shrimp recipe each week at home.  This one was very low in points, so I hoped it was also very good.  I wanted to make it a little more filling, so I followed Hungry Girl's suggestion of adding 3/4 cup of brown rice to the dish.  It only added one point per serving, so I thought it was worth it. 

The flavors in the gumbo were pretty good.  It had a nice spice to it, thanks to the spicy V8 and Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  Both my husband and I went back for seconds, which was still only an 8 point dinner.  Nice!    I liked that there wasn't just shrimp in this recipe, and that it also had crabmeat.  It added an extra seafood taste that really added to the gumbo.

The one thing that I did omit was the okra.  I just couldn't get myself to add the okra into the dish.  I have tried multiple times to make okra edible, and have never been successful.  I knew if I added the okra, I would just have to pick it out later anyway.  Instead, I added a little extra bell pepper to make up for it.  So, although my gumbo wasn't as traditional without the okra, it was still pretty tasty.

Strawberry Short Stack

Per Serving (entire recipe, 2 pancakes with filling): 8 Points+
289 calories, 1.75g fat, 471mg sodium, 60.5g carbs, 7.5g fiber, 7g sugars, 14g protein

The recipe: "300 under 300", pages 74 - 75

or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1455

Since strawberries are in season, I've been looking for Hungry Girl recipes with strawberries in them.  I found this one for breakfast, and made it over the weekend.  Very good!  There is something satisfying about making a recipe for pancakes that has exactly enough pancake batter for two pancakes.  No temptation to go back for seconds, and you get a delicious breakfast all for yourself. 

These pancakes had strawberry preserves in the batter itself, as well as fresh strawberries in between the two pancakes.  The strawberries between the pancakes were mixed with Cool Whip - mmm!  I thought the pancakes could have had a little more of a strawberry flavor to them, but with the fresh strawberries, that made up for it.  They were nice and large, though, making for a pretty satisfying breakfast.  I added the optional Reddi-wip along with a drizzle of sugar-free syrup to mine.  Very good, and I was thankful that I didn't have a whole batch of pancakes to tempt me to eat more.

On the same weblink for the strawberry recipe is a recipe for smores pancakes.  Guess I know what I'll be making for breakfast next weekend!

Caramel Swirl Cream Puffs

Per Serving (1 "puff"): 3 Points+
121 calories, 3.5g fat, 266mg sodium, 22g carbs, 0g fiber, 6.5g sugars, 1.5g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 224 - 225

WARNING!  If you have any problem whatsoever with self control, it will be impossible for you to eat just one of these!  OMG, these are one of the best desserts I have made - ever.  They taste just like a chocolate caramel eclair.  So good!  The pastry part was perfectly fluffy and reminded me exactly of the pastry part of an eclair.  The chocolate part was the texture of the cream in an eclair, and for an added bonus, there was caramel drizzled on top and then swirled into the cream.

The only problem is, they are a little too good, and not diety (is that a word?) enough.  I completely blew my calorie intake for two days because of these little cream puffs.  My husband and my son do not have a big enough sweet tooth, and ate just two of these.  That means that I ate 10 - yes, 10 - in the span of only two days.  That's 600 calories extra each day!  Part of the problem was that I made these on Saturday, so I had all weekend to graze on these cream puffs.  The other problem was that I knew they wouldn't stay good for very long, and that the puff part would eventually get soggy.  I should have just frozen them.  I don't know what I was thinking!

Anyway, these are delicious, but do NOT make these unless you can freeze them and have extremely strong willpower not to eat more than one or two a day.  Or, make them for a party where everyone will gobble them up for you. 

Mom-Style Creamy Chicken 'n Veggies

Per Serving (entire recipe): 7 Points+
307 calories, 4g fat, 881mg sodium, 26g carbs, 5.25g fiber, 10.5g sugars, 40g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 146 - 147

I've been eyeballing this recipe for a while, but was hesitant to make it after the disaster I had with the Hungry Chick Shepherd's Pie.  Mainly because the veggies used are frozen, and I still have nightmares about the frozen veggies used in that gross shepherd's pie (rereading the post, I was way nicer about the recipe than I should have been!).  Finally, I made this recipe, and I was glad I did.  It was so creamy and delicious!

Because the chicken and veggies were baked in a foil pack, it made the veggies come out soft and tender - even the cauliflower.  Often when I use frozen veggies they turn out kind of gross and you can tell they were previously frozen, but these didn't taste frozen at all.

Everything was very creamy, and definitely reminded me of comfort food.  And the serving size was HUGE!  Believe it or not, there is a nice-size chicken cutlet underneath all of those veggies in the photo.  I was very happy with the meal, and was glad I had made four of these foil-packs.  My husband and I both had the extra servings for lunch the next day.  For the points, this was a very filling and delicious meal. 

PB & J Oatmeal Heaven

Per Serving (entire recipe): 7 Points+
285 calories, 10.25g fat, 417mg sodium, 42g carbs, 6.75g fiber, 5g sugars, 9g protein

The recipe: "300 under 300", page 52

Well, this was the first "growing oatmeal" bowl that I was truly disappointed with.  I was hoping that this one would be a better peanut butter option than the PB & Chocolate Oatmeal Blitz I recently reviewed (which was good, just not very peanut buttery).  It even smelled delicious while I was cooking the oatmeal, and reminded me of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.  I had high hopes for this recipe, but was left disappointed when I went to eat it.

It was again not very peanut buttery, and tasted mostly like strawberry-flavored oatmeal.  As a matter of fact, the only peanut butter in the recipe was two teaspoons that were mixed with Almond Breeze and drizzled on top of the oatmeal.  As a result, only some bites had any peanut butter taste at all, while the majority tasted like strawberries.  Even the strawberry taste seemed a little diluted for some reason - even though the strawberries I used were nice and sweet.

So, I am left still looking for a yummy peanut buttery Hungry Girl dish that is low in fat and calories.   I will keep trying, because I am sure it is out there somewhere!

Oh well.  Fortunately, there are plenty of other oatmeal recipes of hers that I did enjoy, so I will just be sticking to those instead.

Pizza-fied Chicken

Per Serving (entire recipe): 6 Points+
282 calories, 5.75g fat, 868mg sodium, 10g carbs, 2g fiber, 4.5g sugars, 44g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 30 - 31
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/you-wanna-pizza-me-pizza-fied-chicken-recipe

An interesting concept - chicken topped like a pizza.  I figured it would just taste like chicken with sauce and veggies, but it actually did remind me of pizza.  Before I even told my husband what it was, he said, "It tastes like the chicken is topped with pizza.  Cool!".  

I really liked how the chicken was seasoned in this recipe.  Just a little garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper - simple, but very delicious.  The same seasonings were added to the crushed tomatoes for the sauce, so they went well together. 

I also liked how the veggies really bulked up the chicken and made it into a nice, filling meal.  And for only six points+ this meal was a calorie bargain.  Pair it with a salad and you will definitely be nice and full.  If you like pizza and you like chicken, you will definitely like this recipe.

 

PB & Chocolate Oatmeal Blitz

Per Serving (entire recipe): 8 Points+
295 calories, 10.5g fat, 515mg sodium, 41g carbs, 6g fiber, 9g sugars, 11g protein

The recipe: "300 Under 300", page 43

I love peanut butter, so any time I see something that is low in calories and has peanut butter in it then I am all for it.  While this recipe is still fairly high in calories and fat, it is obviously better than it would be if you used regular peanut butter instead of the reduced fat kind.

Although this oatmeal did taste pretty good, and was also a fairly nice portion size since it was another "growing oatmeal" recipe, I was a little disappointed in the peanut butter part of it.  I could definitely taste the chocolate in the oatmeal, but could hardly taste the peanut butter at all.  I'm not sure if this is worth the extra calories and fat of the peanut butter in the recipe since you really can't taste it.  I would much rather make the Major Mocha Cappuccino Oatmeal(6 Points+) or the Smores Oatmeal (8 Points+) recipe instead.

So, although this was a tasty recipe and I happily ate it, it did not taste as peanut buttery as I had hoped.  I will have to find another recipe that will satisfy my peanut butter and chocolate cravings better.

Takes-The-Cake Ziti Bake

Per Serving (1/4th of ziti bake): 7 Points+
286 calories, 7g fat, 455mg sodium, 41g carbs, 5g fiber, 7g sugars, 16.5g protein

The recipe: "300 under 300", pages 230 - 231
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1615

Since Italian food is a favorite of my family, I am always looking for healthier versions of the dishes I used to make pre-healthy eating.  Baked ziti is one of my husband's favorite meals.  The entree he gets from the little Italian restaurant down the street is LOADED with fatty sausage, tons of cheese, and oily sauce.  I figured I should attempt a lower calorie substitution to see if he would like it.

This dish ended up passing the test for everyone in my family, even my two-year-old.  Neither of them even noticed that I used high fiber pasta, and they both asked for seconds.  Definitely a winner!  Good flavors, and nice and cheesy.  I really liked that there were plenty of veggies in the dish - it had spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes.  The best part was the veggies were kind of hidden amongst the cheese and pasta, so I didn't have any complaints about there being too many veggies, or it not having any meat.  Actually, I don't think it even registered with my husband that this was technically a vegetarian dish.

The only thing I would recommend would be to double the recipe if you are making it for more than just yourself.  The recipe makes four servings, but if you have a husband like mine who usually eats two or more servings on his own, you will definitely not have any leftovers.  I prefer to have a little extra left for lunch the next day or even another dinner, so I will be doubling the recipe next time.  And yes, there probably will be a next time, since it was such a hit with the family.

Mmmmm Moo Shu Chicken

Per Serving (about 2/3 cup): 2 Points+ (excluding tortilla)
76 calories, 0.5g fat, 522mg sodium, 9.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 4g sugars, 8g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 272 - 273
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1177

Every once in a while, I find myself getting very strong cravings for Chinese food.  This past week I have really been craving moo shu chicken, so I figured I should make this Hungry Girl version of it.  Although it did a pretty good job of satisfying my cravings, I was still left wanting the moo shu chicken from my favorite Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles.  The recipe itself was a pretty good replica of moo shu chicken - I think it was the tortilla that didn't quite do it for me.  Normally, moo shu chicken is eaten on a very thin flour pancake, so a high fiber tortilla just wasn't quite the same for me.

I was kind of on the fence about this recipe.  It could have used a little more flavor, but the hoisin sauce did help make up for that.  When you are buying the hoisin sauce, make sure you pay attention to the nutritional information.  There were two different brands at the grocery store I was at - one had 22g carbs, while the other (the one I bought) had only 9g carbs.  That is a difference of a whole point or so per serving if you are doing Weight Watchers!  I'm not sure about the calorie difference, but the lower carb one had only 50 calories per serving.  My point is, there is a wide range of hoisin sauces out there, so make sure you get the brand that has the better nutritional information.

My main complaint about this recipe is the small amount of chicken in it.  It only calls for 6 ounces of chicken - not very much considering it also calls for a large 12 ounce bag of broccoli slaw.  The chicken pretty much disappears into the meal, so it could definitely use a little more.  Considering each serving is only two points+, I'm not sure why there isn't more chicken in it.  Even if having more chicken ends up adding a point per serving, it would still only be three points+ instead of two - still a good points bargain.

I'm not sure if I would make this recipe again.  It just wasn't very exciting, and didn't do a very good job of satisfying my Chinese food cravings.  If you are looking for a low points meal, it is an okay option, though.

Super-sized Berry-nana Oatmeal Parfait

Per Serving (entire recipe): 7 Points+
285 calories, 4.5g fat, 359mg sodium, 54g carbs, 6.5g fiber, 21.5g sugars, 9g protein

The recipe: "300 under 300", pages 48 - 49
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1606

Mmmm!  Another sweet oatmeal breakfast/dessert recipe!  The flavor of the oatmeal when cooked with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze is very tasty and goes well with the various Hungry Girl "growing oatmeal" recipes.  This one has layers of oatmeal, vanilla yogurt, strawberries, and bananas.  Yum! 

I learned from my previous experience with the Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Parfait to make the oatmeal the night before so it can chill in the refrigerator overnight.  I then made the parfait for breakfast the next morning.  The recipe calls for nonfat vanilla yogurt, but I really like how thick and filling greek yogurt is.  I had some plain nonfat greek yogurt in the fridge that I added a touch of vanilla and a packet of Splenda to as a substitute for the nonfat vanilla yogurt.  It tasted great, and was probably even less calories than nonfat vanilla yogurt would have been. 

This parfait had a fresh and healthy feel to it because of the strawberries and bananas, but it still managed to satisfy my sweet cravings that I always have, so I was happy about that.  It was also very satisfying - there was actually more oatmeal than is shown in the picture.  I ran out of room in my glass to put all the oatmeal!  As you can see, I had to pile on the strawberries and bananas on top, since there was hardly any room left for them.

Although this parfait was pretty filling, it was more points than I usually like to have for breakfast.  I just ended up having fruit for my morning snack instead of the crackers I usually eat, so it didn't mess up my daily points routine too bad.  Overall, a tasty breakfast that is quick and easy to make as long as you prepare the oatmeal the night before. 

Rockin' Creamy Broc 'N Chicken

Per Serving (1/2 of recipe): 6 Points+
277 calories, 5.5g fat, 722mg sodium, 21.5g carbs, 7g fiber, 6.5g sugars, 34.5g protein

The recipe: "300 under 300", pages 334 - 335

This recipe reminded me more of a chicken pasta primavera dish since it had not only broccoli, but also bell pepper and mushrooms in it.  It was definitely nice and creamy, and I did not feel like I was eating a low-fat dish at all.  This was another dish that used House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodles, which I cannot stand.  Here is my post explaining all about why, and the substitution ratio for regular noodles, if you choose to substitute.

I doubled the recipe so there would be four servings instead of just two.  Good thing I did - my husband liked it so much that he ate more than two servings all on his own!  I would definitely make this again.  I have been looking for a recipe to replace the fattier version of a similar one I used to make.  I used alfredo sauce with my chicken/veggie/pasta mix, though, which is MUCH more fattening than this version.  This recipe was just as creamy and delicious, and much healthier as well.