Delightfully Diet Ginger Ale Lemon Cake

May 13, 2013 by

Ginger Ale Lemon Cake

Sometimes I dread going to birthday celebrations. I always know there are going to be really delicious but entirely too calorie laden foods, drinks galore and – of course – birthday cake.

So whenever I can, I try and take control. I am the one hosting the party and I have control of the menu. So when we celebrated my dad’s birthday last week I made sure that everyone came over to my house and I served all of the foods I felt good about eating.

Including cake!

That’s right… a cake that I can enjoy without guilt. Plus it’s super easy to make and very, very tasty! The guests had no idea and kept talking about how moist it was. How? By using a few simple ingredients…

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Filed Under: Party Ideas, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

The Ultimate First Street Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich Recipe

May 11, 2013 by

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Smart & Final.

First Street Ultimate Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich #ChooseSmart

Mother’s Day is all about mom’s favorite things, right? And I know that my mom – and mother in law – loves sweets. Since it’s been so warm lately I knew she’d appreciate something cool if she were down here (don’t worry mom, we can make these again!).

So when I headed out to Smart & Final to pick up some ingredients for an awesome dessert to serve on Mother’s Day, I knew that First Street ice cream would be the perfect base for any dish.

I thought bringing my husband along with me as we shopped would be a bad idea but he inspired this dish when he asked if he could pick up some chocolate chip cookies too. Genius!! Why not make ice cream sandwiches?

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Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Nutrisystem Recipe Ideas: Baked French Toast Casserole

May 9, 2013 by

While on Nutrisystem I learned to really experiment and explore new possibilities when it comes to Nutrisystem food and started to really search for great Nutrisystem recipe ideas. Sometimes the food the way it’s packaged doesn’t taste the best to me or isn’t the most filling portion size for me. So I did a little doctoring up (within the plan!) and create new dishes from Nutrisystem foods.

One of my favorite recipes that I make at least once a week is this Baked French Toast Casserole. Not only is it very filling, it also reminds me of my favorite Overnight French Toast Casserole recipe that definitely isn’t Nutrisystem friendly. And I love that I can sub other Nutrisystem items like the blueberry muffin, cinnamon bun or cinnamon streusel muffin if I don’t have any frozen french toast on hand.

Now, you do not need to prepare this overnight if you don’t have the time. There have been many mornings where I wake up and realize I didn’t prep this the night before. But sometimes it tastes a bit better when all of the flavors can meld together before baking. Either way, it’s still going to be delicious and very filling.

Nutrisystem Recipe Ideas: Baked French Toast Casserole

Nutrisystem Recipe Ideas Baked French Toast Casserole

Nutrisystem Baked French Toast Casserole

  • Nutrisystem frozen french toast
  • 1/2 cup egg beaters or egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 turkey sausage link (cut small)
  1. Cut the frozen french toast into pieces and put it into a small baking dish sprayed with butter flavored PAM. I’ve found a small ramekin to be perfect.
  2. Mix 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and turkey sausage link together.
  3. Pour the mixture over the french toast pieces and squish it down until all pieces are covered. Place it, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator overnight.
  4. In the morning, take the dish from the fridge, remove cover, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes until cooked through. This bakes up REALLY high, and then it collapses a bit when it’s out of the oven – totally normal.

I love to serve this with a couple sprays of light spray butter, or Walden Farms (or equivalent) syrup. It counts as one Nutrisystem breakfast and a PowerFuel. I can even add a strawberry or two for a limted extra too!

What healthy dishes do you love to make?

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Nutrisystem, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Frozen Fruit Skewers – The Perfect Summer Cookout Dessert

May 7, 2013 by

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Fruti #cbias #SocialFabric #FreshNFruti

Fruti Frozen Fruit Skewers

This past week has been HOT! Like in the 90s one day hot and 80s the rest. So we needed a snack that would cool us down and satisfy our sweet tooth without being too bad.

Well, we found an amazingly cool and refreshing treat that’s low-fat and quite good. Fruti frozen fruit bars have become my new obsession and boy are they tasty! Plus they’re low in calories and the strawberry bars have zero fat. Talk about a great find!

They’re conveniently located at Sam’s Club so  I can pick up a box to keep in our freezer so we can enjoy them any time we need a delicious frozen fruit pop. And they come in a convenient 4 pack inside the large box that I can break out to make more room in my freezer. Or so I can keep one box in my inside freezer and the others in the freezer in the garage. Easy access!

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Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Budget Friendly Oven Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe

April 9, 2013 by

oven roasted whole chicken

While on Nutrisystem I’ve started to adapt easily to this lifestyle change. And that doesn’t mean I’m the only one eating healthy! I’ve also continued to prepare delicious, healthy meals for my family as well.

One of my favorite budget friendly recipes has to be this oven roasted whole chicken. Not only is it an amazingly delicious meal (and comes with the sides all on one roasting tray) it also provides a good amount of left overs to use in other meals throughout the week.

Plus I can use some of the breast meat as my Power Fuel option for lunch on top of a delicious spinach salad with veggies. Score!

While roasting a whole chicken may seem like a daunting task, once you tackle it the first time, the next few times after that are even easier. You could even throw the whole thing in a crock pot like I sometimes do. But the taste of the roasted version is always something I turn back to!

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Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe

April 6, 2013 by

One of my favorite all time lunch (or dinner) option is a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of creamy tomato soup. My favorite menu item on Nordstrom Cafe’s menu is, of course, the grilled cheese & tomato soup and it’s my kids favorite too (the sandwich, not the soup).

So when I heard that national Grilled Cheese day was coming up this week I knew I had to share my favorite way to prepare grilled cheese at home. Yup… I’m sharing the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich recipe with you!

Now the components of a grilled cheese are simple, a spread on teh outer layers of bread to brown, some yummy cheese and a pair of bread slices to hold the cheese in.

You can change up the type of cheese and type of bread to reflect what you love the most but I always go with at least one cheese that’ll melt well. And I usually use two different types of cheese.

Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Lunch, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , ,

What To Do With Hard Boiled Eggs After Easter

April 4, 2013 by

what to do with hard boiled eggs

It’s a few days after Easter and you’re still staring at the colored hard boiled eggs you made this weekend every time you open the fridge. Now what are you going to do with them??

This year we used some delicious, free-range eggs from the Happy Egg Co to dye up the day before Easter. Using a few of my Easter egg tips we ended up with some beautiful eggs that were quite a hit at our Easter brunch. However we still have a few lying around.

While it may seem like there just isn’t enough things to do with these delicious eggs, there are! Here are a few great ideas of what to do with hard boiled eggs after Easter.

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Filed Under: Holidays, Recipes, Uncategorized

Light Deviled Eggs {Nutrisystem Recipe}

April 3, 2013 by

With an overabundance of hard-boiled eggs in our home left over from Easter I’ve tried to come up with some creative ways of incorporating these little eggies into my new lifestyle.

While I could technically eat a whole egg while on the Nutrisystem program, I’d much rather get the most bang out of my buck. And these light deviled eggs hit the spot perfectly and only count as a limited extra on Nutrisystem.

Or you could choose to eat more (not all) as a power fuel! How filling is that? No guilt, great taste, and easy to prepare. Now that’s my kind of snack!

Light Deviled Eggs

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Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole with Sausage from Hillshire Farm

March 29, 2013 by

Hashbrown Casserole with Sausage 1

With Easter on Sunday I knew I needed to figure out an easy brunch solution that was not only something I could make ahead but something that was quick and easy. I’ve already used all of the other brunch ideas I’ve posted in the past for other events so I went in search of a new recipe!

Luckily I had just received an email from Hillshire Farm with a delicious cheesy potato casserole recipe featuring their Hillshire Farm Angus Italian Style Beef Smoked Sausage. Yum! My kids and husband would love that. Plus, my husband isn’t too fond of egg dishes so this would be the perfect selection for him Easter Sunday.

This casserole is simple, easy and downright delicious! While I’m on Nutrisystem and couldn’t have a full serving, I did try one bite to make sure it met my standards for Easter. Well… it did! And my kids gave it an A+!

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10 Easter Brunch Recipes

March 27, 2013 by

10 Easter Brunch Recipes

Planning an Easter egg hunt followed by a delicious brunch? Or simply looking for a recipe to serve after church on Easter Sunday? Well look no further! These Easter brunch recipes are the perfect way to celebrate this holy holiday!

From simple ideas to creative dishes, each of these recipes have one thing in common: they’re all deliciously perfect! Read ahead to find some great ideas on what to serve for brunch this Easter.

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Filed Under: Holidays, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,


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