This turned out sooo good - and I forgot to get a picture! It truly is lighter and fluffier than the average cheesecake. I topped mine with chopped strawberries and fat free Cool Whip - delicious!
Crust:
15 reduced-fat creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups crumbs)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Filling:
3 packages (8 ounces each) light cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup fat free egg substitute
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with no-stick cooking spray.
To make crust: Combine cookie crumbs and margarine in medium bowl; mix well. Press mixture firmly into bottom of springform pan. Chill while making filling.
To make filling: Place cream cheese, sugar and flour in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds longer. Stop and scrape bowl. Stop and scrape bowl.
Add egg substitute, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to speed 2 and mix 15 to 30 seconds longer, just until blended. Do not over beat. Pour filling into crust.
Place top oven rack in center of oven. Place pan of hot water on bottom rack of oven. Place cheesecake on rack in center of oven. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until cheesecake is set when pan is jiggled slightly. Do not over bake.
Turn off oven; open oven door. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool completely on wire rack away from drafts. Cover and refrigerate six to eight hours before serving.
Yield: 16 servings
Per serving: About 205 calories, 6g protein, 26g carbohydrates, 10g fat, 15mg cholesterol, 356mg sodium
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October 7th, 2008
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fitnfree |
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Delicious! And a type of jam I just cannot find locally…so, have to make my own! 
Ingredients:
4-3/4 cup prepared fruit (about 2 quarts fully ripe strawberries and 3 fully ripe medium bananas)
3 tablespoons freesh lemon juice
6-3/4 cup sugar
1 box fruit pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter
Directions:
Stem and thoroughly crush strawberries, 1 layer at a time. Measure 3-1/4 cup into six or eight quart saucepot. Mash bananas thoroughly. Measure 1-1/2 cups; add to saucepot. Stir in lemon juice.
Measure sugar into separate bowl. Stir fruit pectin into fruit in saucepot. Add butter. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. uickly stir in all sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
Ladle quickly into hot sterilized jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads.
Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Invert just five minutes, then turn upright. * After jars are cool, check seals.
*Or follow water bath method recommended by USDA (this is what I usually do -and did!).
Recipe makes about 8 (1-cup) jars of nummy Strawberry-Banana Jam! And it does taste very good. 
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September 9th, 2008
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Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups macaroni, uncooked
2 6-ounce cans canned tuna, water-pack
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, sliced
1/3 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup salad dressing, mayonnaise type
Directions:
- Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.
- Drain tuna.
- Wash vegetables. Chop zucchini; slice carrots into thin slices; dice onions.
- Mix macaroni, tuna, and vegetables together in mixing bowl. Stir in salad dressing.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
4 Servings, about 1-1⁄2 cups each
Per serving:
- Calories 405
- Total fat 13 grams
- Saturated fat 2 grams
- Cholesterol 25 milligrams
- Sodium 360 milligrams
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August 27th, 2008
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Light, delicious and easy on the waistline!
Triple Layer Banana Cream Pie Bars
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup ground peanuts
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 bananas, sliced
3 cups cold skim, 1% or 2% milk
2 packages (4 serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
2-1/2 cups light or fat free Cool Whip topping
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix graham crumbs, ground peanuts and butter in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish; press firmly onto bottom of dish. Bake eight minutes. Cool ten minutes.
Top crust with banana slices. Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk two minutes or until well blended. Spoon 2 cups of the pudding over banana layer.
Gently stir 1 cup of the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spoon over pie. Top with remaining 1-1/2 cups whipped topping. Refrigerate 3 hours. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Makes 16 servings.
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August 6th, 2008
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This is easy, quick to prepare, low in fat, sodium and calories! We recently had a cool, windy summer day and this was a perfect comfort food without sacrificing diet! Use only white chicken breast meat and pack a protein punch. The herb-seasoned croutons add flavor without adding too much salt/sodium.
Chicken Stuffing Bake Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix
2 cups chopped, cooked white chicken breast meat
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup reduced fat Velveeta, cubed
2 cups hot water
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 2-quart casserole with lid, mix stuffing, hot water and butter. Add chicken and Velveeta, stir carefully until ingredients are evenly mixed.
Bake, covered, 45 minutes. Remove lid. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more.
Note: Freezable - re-heats nicely in microwave.
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July 30th, 2008
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This is a great summer time salad!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup canned kidney beans, red, drained
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 medium tomato, diced
2 cups lettuce
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
Directions:
- Cook ground beef and onions in a large skillet until the beef no longer remains pink. Drain.
- Stir chili powder, oregano, and cumin into beef mixture; cook for 1 minute.
- Add beans, chickpeas, and tomatoes. Mix gently to combine.
- Combine lettuce and cheese in large serving bowl. Portion lettuce and cheese onto 4 plates. Add 1 cup of beef mixture on top of lettuce and cheese.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes
Note: Garbanzo bean is another name for chickpea.
4 Servings, about 1⁄2 cup beef mixture, 1⁄2 cup lettuce and cheese mixture each
Per serving:
- Calories 485
- Total fat 22 grams
- Saturated fat 9 grams
- Cholesterol 98 milligrams
- Sodium 411 milligrams
Source: Low Cost Dieting Recipes
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July 16th, 2008
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fitnfree |
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If you enjoy cool and creamy desserts, this is a winner! Don’t judge it by my poor picture! I tell you, I sure have a renewed appreciation for food photographers; sometimes getting an image of food that does it justice is really a challenge (as you can see here!) In any event, this dessert tastes far better than my amateur photo says, so give this a try.
Berried Delight
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
3-1/2 cup Cool Whip
2 pints strawberries, hulled and halved
2 packages (4 serving size) Jell-O vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
3 cups cold milk
Directions:
Combine crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Chill.
Beat cream cheese with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons milk. Fold in half of the whipped cream. Spread over crust. Arrange strawberries in an even layer over the whipped cream/cream cheese mixture.
Using 3 cups cold milk, prepare pudding as directed. Pour over berries. Chill several hours or overnight.
Shortly before serving spread remaining whipped topping over pudding. Chill.
Notes: To de-fat this, I use skim (fat-free) milk, Lite or fat free Cool Whip and if you wish, you can also use the sugar free instant pudding mix. I didn’t use that this time around, but have in the past. Also, if you find yourself sensitive to lactose, just use lactose free milk, which can also be purchased in a fat -free version.
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July 2nd, 2008
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fitnfree |
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I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t enjoy this pie! I made it for Father’s Day and all but one piece was gobbled up and that is only because no one wanted to take that last piece from Dad as it’s one of his favorites. Being that I made this one for an occasion, the Oreo crust was used (and is delicious with this), but when preparing this for non-occasions, I usually reduce more fat and calories with my “mock” crust. See notes below.
Do let me know by posting if you try this and tell me how you liked it. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup cold 2-percent or fat free milk
1 package (4 serving size) chocolate INSTANT pudding and pie filling
1 graham or Oreo pie crust
2 cups thawed reduced-fat whipped topping
Directions:
Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk two minutes or until well blended. Spoon half of the pudding into the crust.
Gently stir 1 cup of the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spoon over pudding layer in crust.
Top with the remaining 1 cup whipped topping. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. Store in refrigerator.
Recipe makes 10 servings, 1 slice each.
Notes:
- Of course you can use “regular” ingredients as oppose to the lower fat if desired. ;) You would add 40 calories and 2 grams of fat to each serving by doing so.
- You can save even more calories and fat by eliminating the crust completely and instead, using about 1/8 teaspoon graham crumbs. Spray your pie plate with non-stick cooking spray; sprinkle graham crumbs over until pie plate is covered with crumbs. This is what I call a “mock” crust.
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June 17th, 2008
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fitnfree |
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I was disappointed in the way these turned out; perhaps I did something wrong, but this is a recipe I will NOT be making again. If anyone tries it and has better luck with it, I’d sincerely love to hear about it, as I honestly don’t know where I went wrong.
This is a quick, simple dessert dish that should turn out creamy, cool and tasty for anyone who loves coffee.
Coffee Lover’s Dessert
Ingredients:
10 to 12 large marshmallows
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup whipping cream
Directions:
In a heavy saucepan, combine marshmallows and coffee; cook and stir over low heat until melted. (This image didn’t turn out too well, either! lol)
Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into individual dessert dishes. Chill. Yield: 2 servings
Mine came out runny and tasted like nothing more than coffee with whipped cream dumped into it. :( I bombed this one.
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June 9th, 2008
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fitnfree |
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