Notes:
 Mmmm…..creamy!

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 reduced-fat graham cracker pie crust
2 cups skim milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (1 ounce size) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 container (8 ounce size) fat-free or lite whipped topping, thawed, divided

Directions:
Combine milk, pumpkin, pudding mix and spice in a mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Fold in one half of the whipped topping. Spoon evenly into pie crust. Top with remaining whipped topping.

**Freeze or refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Submitted by:
melissa

Notes:
Tastes like the Caribbean! This is soooo easy and soooo yummy! My kids (picky eaters) LOVE this one. I recommend using fresh (not frozen) chicken breasts. Frozen tend to be a little tough and chewy, but fresh chicken will almost melt in your mouth.

Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts (preferably not frozen)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 can frozen limeade concentrate
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 fresh lime, sliced into rounds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350o. Heat oil on stove top on med-high in a large frying pan or frying skillet. In a gallon-size baggie or large bowl, combine flour, paprika, salt, and pepper. Coat each chicken breast with flour mixture, then fry in olive oil until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to 9×13 baking pan or stoneware. Add can of limeade, mushrooms (optional) and sprinkle garlic over chicken. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes until fully cooked. Serve with fresh lime slices on top of each breast over Rice-a-Roni Chicken Rice or Couscous.

Submitted by:
Elsie

Notes:
The perfect recipe for baked chicken… Guaranteed to make your family drool!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
(Can be doubled, etc depending on your family's needs)

1 whole frier chicken (We prefer the organic ones from Whole Foods) Pre cut chicken works great as well!
Extra virgin olive oil (If desired)
Spices as desired (Our favorites for this recpie are: Rosemary, Thyme, Sea Salt, Pepper, Cayanne, Paprika, Cumin, Garlic Powder, a dash of Nutmeg and a dash of Cinnamon)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Cut up chicken into quarters if working with whole chicken (You should end up with 2 breasts and two legs/thighs)
If using Olive Oil, spread thin layer over each chicken, already placed in baking pan
Sprinkle on desired spices
Cook about 1 hour, putting oven on Low Broil for the last 5-10 minutes to get a crispy skin! (Watch to prevent burning)

Submitted by:
Chelsea

Notes:
I absolutely love this recipe.. For those of you who have never eaten buffalo, what are you waiting for? We get our ground buffalo from the local Whole Foods and the flavor is amazing, not to mention it’s lower in fat than beef!  We make these burgers the same way we do our beef ones, but we use sesame seeds instead of breadcrumbs with the egg to get a perfect consistency and great flavor without the carbs of the breadcrumbs.

Servings: ~4

Ingredients:
(adjust to your family needs)

1lb ground buffalo (We prefer the grass fed variety from Whole Foods)
1 egg
Sesame seeds
Spices as desired (Sea Salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika are our favorites)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Mix buffalo, egg and breadcrumbs until desired consistency is reached
Seperate into chunks of preferred size and form into burgers
Sprinkle on spices
Cook for about 20 minutes or until desired preference

Submitted by:
Chelsea

Notes:
Chocolate Banana Muffins (Low Fat Recipe)
Yield: 12 Servings (or you can make 24 mini’s!)

Servings: 12

Ingredients:
1 c flour
2 ts baking powder
Sprinkle of salt
2 tb cocoa powder
1/3 c sugar
1 1/2 c cereal; Kellogs All Bran
3/4 c skim milk
2 egg whites
2 tb oil
1 banana- mashed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line 12 muffinpans with paper
liners ( or spray with Pam or low fat cooking spray, but remember this means more fat is going into your muffins!) 2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour,
baking powder,salt,
cocoa powder and sugar. 3. Combine cereal and milk in large bowl
and let stand 2 minutes,
or until cereal softens. 4. Add egg or egg white and oil to
cereal.Beat well. 5. Stir in banana. 6. Add flourmix, stirring only
once until combined and evenly moist. 7. Spoon batter in muffin cups.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned.

Submitted by:
Lisa

Notes:
I call this the compromise burger because it is not completely meatless, but not a greasy patty of beef, either. Equal portions of tofu and lean ground beef are used to create satisfying volume for half the caloric cost. I recommend eating this burger without the traditional bun–it’s very soft and fluffy, prone to fall apart easily, but is also chock full of flavor on its own. Great for when you want the satisfaction of a hamburger without giving in to your diet! It does require some Asian ingredients, but they can all be obtained at Wegmans (in the Asian aisle).

Servings: 4-5 patties

Ingredients:
300 grams lean ground beef
1 pack (about 300 grams) of soft tofu (you know, those big tubs of tofu you see?)
200 mL of Panko (bread crumbs, usually available in the Asian section)
1/2 a medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 a bouillon cube (preferable vegetable, but any is fine)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
1. Place the tofu in a large mixing bowl and begin mashing it up with a whisk. Continue until it's as close to a paste as you can get it.

2. Add the panko (bread crumbs) to the tofu and mix it up. Let the panko soak up the tofu's moisture. To give the panko time, start crushing the bouillon cube to a powdery state.

3. Add the ground beef, egg, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and bouillon powder to the tofu mix, and begin mixing it with your hand until well blended.

4. Finally, throw the onions in and mix it around lightly.

5. Split the mixture into about 4 or 5 patties. Rather than creating the traditional flat-squashed burger, make them more round and voluminous, so they don't break apart as easily.

6. Spread a small amount of your favorite oil (salad, olive) in a frypan and cook the burgers on high until both sides have a nice brown color. Don't worry about cooking them all the way through yet.

7. Once both sides are browned, add enough water to cover the bottom of the frypan (about 100mL for my pan), cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium.

8. After letting it steam for a couple minutes, take the cover off and check by breaking a small piece off of one of the hamburgers. If the whitish-pinkish color is consistent all the way through, then it is done. If not, then steam it longer.

9. Turn the heat back on high one last time and evaporate most of the water. You can put the hamburgers on a plate now~!

Submitted by:
Aisha

Notes:
yummy cream cheese veggie spread, great on celery and carrots

Servings: 1 tbsp/veg.

Ingredients:
1 8oz. block cream cheese softened
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix

Directions:
In med. size mixing bowl, mix ingredients well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Spread on veggies of choice. My favorite is celery and carrots. Also, good on brocolli. You could also add 1 more 8 oz. cream cheese, form into a ball, and cover it by rolling in topping nuts or crushed pecans. Serve with crackers.

Submitted by:
Rachel

Notes:
This is a delicious salad you can have as a side dish or entire meal plus the ingredients are always easy to find.

Servings: 4=6

Ingredients:
1 jar of Nopales (this is just sliced cactus in spanish find the jar with the least amount of ingredients)
1 bunch cilantro
lemon juice
salt
1 small white onion

Directions:
Empty jar of nopales in a strainer and rinse in cold water. Clean until the cactus has no more sludge and brine is washed away. Chop half of the cilantro and white onion into small pieces. In a bowl add nopales, cilantro, onion and toss. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. To make this recipe stretch give the nopales a few rough chops. Chill before serving at least an hour.

Submitted by:
Stefanie

Notes:
Rich, fudge-like brownies that are full of protein and fiber. They’re incredibly simple to make and you won’t feel guilty licking the spoon.

Servings: 20

Ingredients:
1 box of powdered brownie mix (any kind)
1 can (15 oz.) of black beans

Directions:
1. Open the can of black beans and dump all of the contents from the can into a blender or a food processor and puree.
2. Add puree to the powdered brownie mix and mix well.
3. Bake according to the brownie mix box directions.

DO NOT add the eggs, oil, or whatever else the brownie mix box may call for. You literally only mix the puree and the powdered brownie mix.

Enjoy!

Submitted by:
HealthyHappyMe

Notes:
Breakfast Burrito with black beans and salsa.

Servings: 1

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1 small low-fat whole-wheat tortilla
1 whole egg
1/4 cup black beans
2 tbsp salsa

Directions:
Scramble the egg whites and whole egg in a non-stick skillet. Add beans and salsa and mix. Pile onto warmed tortilla and enjoy!

Submitted by:
Stephanie