Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins {Low Fat, Low Calorie!}

We've been behaving ourselves when it comes to food at our house, which means finding creative ways to skinny down the foods we love and beat cravings without demolishing our good efforts. I can promise you that you will never, ever miss the high fat and calories in these muffins. The breakdown per muffin is only 95 calories and 3 grams of fat. {3 weight watchers points} They turn out super moist, gooey chocolatey, plus 4 grams fiber and 5 grams of protein. And the best part: THEY TASTE GOOD! So I don't see a single reason NOT to try them!

What You Need:
1 3/4 cup oats
3 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup plain greek nonfat yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 2 teaspoons vinegar)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup sugar substitute OR 1 cup sweetener that measures like sugar*
{I used Splenda for baking so it is 1/2 the amount you would use for regular sugar}
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Here is where they get really easy. I was skeptical about not mixing dry/wet ingredients separately and all that, but it worked out fine. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners. In a blender or food processor mix all of the ingredients together except the chocolate chips. Pour mixture into the prepared muffin pan filling each cup 2/3 full.

Take half the chocolate chips and sprinkle a few in each cup. Bake for 10 minutes, then take out of the oven and sprinkle the other half of the chocolate chips on top. Place the muffins back into the oven for another 5 minutes or until they are done. {The best way is to lightly touch the tops and see if they spring back}.

Enjoy!

7-Up Biscuits

I'm sure almost everyone has seen this recipe floating around because it is very popular, but have you tried them? If you make these, I can pretty much guarantee you will never use another biscuit recipe ever again. Unless of course you  don't like easy and delicious. These are unbelievable. First of all, they take maybe five minutes to put together because there is no rolling and cutting. Yay! Second of all, I've never tasted better. They are super moist, probably more dense than a truly from-scratch variety but really, for an at home quick version you can not go wrong. Trust me, I am terrible at bread so if I can do these, so can you. No need to use 7-UP. Sprite or a generic will work just fine. I have also turned these into cheddar garlic biscuits (like Red Lobster) by just throwing shredded sharp cheddar and garlic powder into the mix. Yum! The only downside is that they are so addicting!

What You Need:
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup 7-Up {or other}
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together sour cream and Bisquick. Add 7-Up and mix. Makes a very soft dough. Put the melted butter in the bottom of a square 9x9 baking pan.  Sprinkle some Bisquick onto your counter surface and shape your dough into a rough square, then place on top of the butter in the baking pan. Bake 13-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Carmelitas

This is a recipe I found on Pinterest, the most addicting yet useful place in the world. Maybe this is a common recipe that many are familiar with, as I found many results on a Google search. However I had never heard of them or tried them. I was surprised how quickly and easily these come together. In the end you will have a rich, gooey bar full of caramel, chocolate and crunchy oat crust. The best part are all of the edges, where the caramel is hardened. Yum! These would be perfect to take to get-togethers, new moms, etc, as they are perfect at room temperature. Delicious and come together in about 10 minutes! Can't ask for more than that!

What You Need:
32 caramels, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces chocolate chips (around 3/4 cup)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8x8 baking pan. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, flour, oats and baking soda. Press one half of the oat mixture into the bottom of your baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes. While this is baking, melt the caramels and heavy cream together. In an oven safe bowl, microwave in one minute increments and stir until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. Or, use a double boiler and stir continuously. Once your oat mixture has baked 10 minutes, remove from the oven. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crust. Pour the caramel mixture over the chocolate. Sprinkle the second half of the oat mixture over the top of the caramel. Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes. Let cool completely and serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

NOTE: Do NOT click on the words that show up as links. I did not link them and do not know if they are safe or how to prevent this from happening. Sorry!


Its taken me awhile to find a from-scratch recipe for this that I thought was really worth it. You can always find good versions of it in restaurants, but I really prefer to make soup at home. I finally combined enough recipes and tweaked enough to find a version I wanted to share!  So simple and such a great cold weather meal!

What You Need:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup red wine or cooking sherry
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 quarts beef stock
• 1 baguette, sliced
• 1/2 pound grated Gruyere {swiss would also work}

Directions:

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized. Use a good amount of salt to season and sweat the onions.  I let mine cook very low and slow, probably for a good hour.  Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry.  Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef stock and bring the soup back to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Or, ladle soup into oven safe bowls or ramekins and float the baguette slices right in the soup, top with cheese, and place under the broiler.

Enjoy!