Whole Wheat Waffles

I used applesauce (70 calories) instead of oil (960 calories) and that is a 890 calorie per recipe of savings.  I made Belguim waffles and this recipe made 9 squares so this recipe is roughly 132calories per square as compared to 231.

1 3/4 cup wheat flour
1 tablespoon flaxseed, ground
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce or oil
2 eggs

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Mix all wet ingredients together and stir into dry ingredients.  The batter will be slightly lumpy.  Pour into a preheated, lightly greased waffle iron and bake for approximately 5 minutes.

Lucky Leprechaun Cookie Bark

This recipe is from Your Homebased Mom with my own alterations.  I started out with her suggestion of buying a bag of multi-colored M&Ms and picking out the green and brown ones but I only ended up with 1/2 cup so I opted for the Andes baking chips.  I was also thinking of using mint chips, like a chocolate chip but mint, but there were not any at the store and I wasn't in the mood to check every store in town.

1/2 package mint Oreos
1 1/2 cups stick pretzels, broken into pieces
1 pound chocolate almond bark
1/2 package Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips
green and white sprinkles

Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper. Spread broken cookes, pretzels and 1/2 of the Andes baking chips onto the waxed paper. Place chocolate in a container and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Do not overcook.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with spatula if needed to coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining Andes chips and colored sprinkles over the chocolate while it is still wet. Do not let it harden. Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm. Remove and gently break bark into small pieces. Store in air tight container.

Chocolate Decadence

From Cooking Light  This is their description of the recipe - Antioxidant-rich chocolate makes three appearances here―as cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, and semisweet morsels. If you don't have ramekins, use muffin pans. The best part about this dessert: utter indulgence for a perfectly reasonable 315 calories. (Before we lightened it, this recipe contained 546.) 

The recipe says to invert the dessert and there was no way it was coming out so we ate them out of the ramekins sprinkled with powdered sugar.  The comments around the dinner table were that it tasted great but would also be good with nuts and/or vanilla ice cream.

Cooking spray
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
8 teaspoons semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly coat 4 (2-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray, and sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon sugar into each of the ramekins, shaking and turning to coat.  Set prepared ramekins aside.

Combine 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, milk, and cocoa in a small saucepan, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 30 seconds or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; add the butter and 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.  Cool chocolate mixture 10 minutes.

Add flour, vanilla, salt, and egg white to chocolate mixture, stirring with a whisk just until blended.  Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate mixture into each prepared ramekin, and top each with 2 teaspoons chocolate chips.  Divide the remaining chocolate mixture evenly among ramekins, spreading to cover the chocolate chips.  Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until barely set.  Cool for 10 minutes.  Invert onto dessert plates.  Serve warm.

Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti

Adapted from Eat Better America.  I placed the chicken in a ziploc bag with the milk and egg and allowed it to soak while we were at church.  I also prepared the breading in another ziploc bag so that when we got home it would be easy to assemble.  I found that the cereal was hard to crush so I put it into my Magic Bullet and it was done in no time.

1/2 cup Fiber One® original bran cereal
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 egg white
2 teaspoons fat-free milk
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-thick strips
6 oz uncooked whole grain spaghetti
2 cups favorite pasta sauce
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Heat oven to 400°F. Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and finely crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or finely crush in food processor).

In shallow bowl, mix cereal, cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. In another shallow bowl, mix egg white and milk until blended. Dip chicken pieces in egg white mixture, then coat well with cereal mixture; place in pan.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and chicken is no longer pink in center.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as directed on package; drain. In 2-quart saucepan, heat pasta sauce over medium heat until hot.

Place drained spaghetti on serving platter; top with pasta sauce and chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.