Apple Oat Cupcakes

Apple Oat Cupcakes: yield 16
246 calories
4 g protein
2 g fiber

Here's the recipe:
All purpose flour - 2 Cups
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Kosher salt - 1 tsp
Ground cinnamon - 1 TBSP
Nutmeg - 1 tsp
Oats - 1/2 Cup
Light butter (I used Blue bonnet light) - 1 1/2 sticks
Splenda baking sugar - 3/4 Cup
Granulated sugar - 3/4 Cup
Light cream cheese - 3/4 Cup
Eggs - 3
Fat free milk - 1/2 Cup
Vanilla - 2 tsp
Granny Smith apple - 1 medium chopped small

Topping (included in calorie count):
Brown sugar - 1/2 Cup packed
Butter - 1/2 stick
Flour - 1/4 Cup plus 1 TBSP
Cinnamon - 2 tsp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer add butter and both splenda and regular sugar and mix on low speed. Add vanilla, milk and eggs one at a time. Turn off mixer and add cream cheese. Turn back on low. Grab another bowl and add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, oats, nutmeg, and salt. Blend together. Slowly add into the wet ingredients in the mixer. Blend until just combined and turn off. Chop one medium Granny Smith apple into small pieces and fold into the batter. Evenly distribute the dough into 16 cupcake liners. I baked in two batches. In same bowl used for dry ingredients blend together the toppings. Evenly sprinkle it over each cupcake. Bake for 23 minutes rotating halfway through. These are delicious warm and are hard to resist!! Enjoy!!

Home Again

Well I am home from a wonderful vacation by the beach! That means it is time to get back in the saddle and create some more yummy healthy food. There was some very good food down south and I found inspiration. Look forward to some new recipes this week!

A Little Maintenance

So I finally got this blog a little more user friendly! Just look to the left side column and select link you desire! Main Dishes, go to Side City or look at the basics, Soups and Stocks. More assistance is on the way!

Kickin' Cheddar Skillet Cornbread

Another delicious classic: Only 96 calories per serving. Makes 8 servings

Here's the recipe:
All Purpose flour - 1/2 Cup
Cornmeal - 1/2 Cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Kosher salt - 1/2 tsp
Egg beaters - 1/2 Cup
Splenda sugar - 1 TBSP
Brummel and Brown butter - 2 TBSP melted
Vegetable oil - 1 TBSP
Fat free milk - 1/2 Cup
Fat free shredded cheddar - 1/2 Cup
Jalapenos - 1/2 TBSP

Start an iron skillet over medium high heat with the vegetable oil. Make sure your smear the oil all around the skillet. Mix together flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and baking powder in one bowl. In a separate bowl mix egg beaters, milk, and melted butter. Mix the dry ingredients slowly into the wet. You want to stir gently. Do not beat the batter. Add cheese and jalapenos, blend gently with your spoon. When skillet is good and hot pour in batter and quickly spread evenly over bottom of skillet. When the batter begins to separate from the sides of the skillet use your spatula to kind of lift even around the perimeter. After about 4 minutes flip the bread over and cook for another two to three minutes. Then remove from skillet and cut into eight pieces. Enjoy!

Smokin' Chicken and Pepper Soup

This is my variation on an all around favorite...Chicken Tortilla soup
This is 242 Calories per serving, an additional 72 for the yummy topper for a total of 314 calories for an incredible meal! Serves 6

Here's the recipe:
Boneless, skinless chicken breast - 1 lb Cubed
Red Pepper - .5 Cup diced
Green Pepper - .5 Cup diced
Orange Pepper - .25 Cup diced
Yellow Pepper - .25 Cup diced
Red onion - .25 Cup diced
Garlic - 2 cloves minced
Cream of Corn - 1 can ( feel free to use frozen corn with sauce, but know the sauce adds to the texture)
Homemade chicken stock - 3 Cups
Crushed tomatoes - 2 Cups
Jalapenos - 1 TBSP minced
Ground cumin - 1 TBSP
Chili powder - 1/2 TBSP
Oregano - 1/2 TBSP
Ground red pepper - 1/2 - 1 tsp (your taste)
Parsely (fresh) - 1 TBSP chopped
Extra virgin olive oil - 1 TBSP
Salt and pepper to taste

Topper for one serving:
Fat free plain yogurt - 1 TBSP
Fat Free shredded Cheddar - 1/8 Cup
Tortilla chips - 1/4 Cup crushed

Add half the EVOO to a dutch oven over medium heat. Add in chicken and salt and pepper. Just lightly brown the chicken then remove onto paper towel. Next add the remaining oil and all the peppers and onions. Let cook for a minute then add garlic. Cook for another minute or so and add all other ingredients (including chicken) except parsley. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer. I let it simmer for about half an hour stirring frequently. Add parsley and topper before serving. We enjoyed the jalapeno and cheddar skillet corn bread with this soup!