Chewy Choconana Cookies

It's Pumpkin Festival time in our little town. So, in honor of that, I decided to NOT do something pumpkin......just because!  Instead I've made these delicious chewy cookies.

CHEWY CHOCONANA COOKIES

Makes 30 Cookies

1 Cookie = 2 PointsPlus™

1/2 cup (1 stick) light butter, room temp

1 cup Splenda granulated
1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
1 cup mashed bananas
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mace OR nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º.

Cream butter and Splenda. Add egg substitute until blended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes.

Mix banana mixture into the butter mixture.

Whisk together the flour, salt and spices. Mix into the butter and banana mixture. Mix until just combined.

 

 

 

 

Fold in the chocolate chips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drop in dollops onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 15 – 18 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

Cool on wire racks.

Ready to go to my WW meeting!

MY SPIN: Another great use for old bananas! You can substitute the chocolate chips for 1 cup of chopped pecans or nuts and it wouldn't change the PointsPlus™ value.

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!
Jan

Choco-Pumpkin Bars

<singing> These are a few of my favorite things!!!  Chocolate and pumpkin!!! Oh yea!!!  Nothing else needs to be said except....Make these!!!!

CHOCO-PUMPKIN BARS

Makes 24 Servings

1 Serving = 4 PointsPlus™

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 cup Splenda granulated, divided
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
3/4 cup light butter
1 (8 oz.) package fat-free cream cheese
3/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup mini chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350º. Line 13 x 9 inch baking pan with foil and spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, Splenda brown sugar blend, 1/3 cup Splenda granulated, oats & nuts. Cut in butter with a fork until mixture is crumbly.

Press all but about 1 cup of the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

Beat cream cheese, egg substitute, remaining 1/2 cup Splenda granulated, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice until well blended.

 

Pour over crust. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture and chocolate chips over filling.

 

Bake 30 minutes or until set. Lift from pan to rack to cool.

Cut into 24 bars.

MY SPIN: The next time I make this I'm going to use 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 cup of the mini chocolate chips. And I think I'll refrigerate it before I eat some......think it will be better chilled. And I'll make sure I have enough chopped walnuts.

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!
Jan

Taco Salad

Part of my birthday prezzie from my friend, Susan B, was the Perfect Tortilla™ Pans.

I'm going to say this comes out to @3 PointsPlus™ only because I didn't measure any of the ingredients. I think 3P+ is erring on the high side......works for me!

 

TACO  SALAD

Makes 1 Serving

1 Serving = a guestimated 3 PointsPlus™

 

 

1 small whole wheat tortilla

Crumbles (or lean ground beef or turkey)

Chopped red bell pepper

1/2 roma tomato, chopped

Few slices of cucumbers, cut up

Lettuce, shredded

Shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

Black bean & corn salsa

Salsa verde

 

Bake the tortilla in your cute little pan (or turn a muffin tin upside down) for 8ish minutes at 400º (up to 10 minutes if you want it crunchier).  Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan.  You can keep these warm or let them cool completely before serving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put some crumbles in the bottom of the shell.

 

 

Add some black bean & corn salsa.

 

 

Add some red bell bepper, cucumber & tomato.

 

 

Add some lettuce.



 

 

 

Add a bit more black bean & corn salsa as well as some salsa verde.

 

 

 

Top with some shredded fat-free cheddar cheese (or whatever kind you want).....

 

......and ENJOY!!









Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!

Jan



Pumpkin Brownies

More pumpkin stuff!  I really feel sad for those who don't like pumpkin.  I made this bright and early this morning. It sounded like a good recipe. It smelled really good while it was baking. But I wasn't so sure about the texture of the finished product. I mean, pumpkin (to me) either has the texture of pie filling or like a cake or bread. I know that brownies are supposed to be ooey/gooey/chewy. Well, the verdict is in.....thanks to my Tuesday night Weight Watchers crew.....and since it's here, it's good! Very pumpkin-y. Very good!

PUMPKIN BROWNIES

Makes 24 Servings

1 Serving = 2 PointsPlus™

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup fat-free egg substitute
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Splenda granulated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray 9 x 13” baking pan.

Don't forget to spray the pan on the inside of your dishwasher door!

Beat together pumpkin, applesauce, egg substitute, brown sugar and Splenda.

 

Stir in remaining ingredients until well mixed.

Pour into pan.

Bake 35 minutes or until the center springs back when touched.

 

MY SPIN: The only thing I would do differently the next time I make this is to make sure the batter is spread level in the pan so the center isn't higher than the corners.  But it was so good that this is what will happen:

 

Gone!

 

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!
Jan

Pumpkin Pie Cuppies

Remember the Pumpkin Puree I made the other day (see previous post)? Well, I finally decided to do something with it and found this wonderful little bit of pumpkin goodness to tweak. Not only does it taste good, but it's kind of a fun dessert. It was a great day to make this......cool and breezy and very fall-like......and only 1 PointsPlus™!!!  Hope you try this!

PUMPKIN PIE CUPPIES

Makes 16 Cupcakes

1 Cupcake – 1 PointsPlus™

 

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup Splenda granulated
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup fat-free half & half (or fat-free evaporated milk)

Preheat oven to 350º. Line muffin pan(s) with papers.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, Splenda, brown sugar, egg substitute, vanilla extract and half & half (or evaporated milk) until well combined. Add dry ingredients to this and whisk until no streaks of flour remain and the batter is smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fill each paper @2/3 full.

Bake 20 minutes. Cool completely in the pan. They will 'sink' as they cool.

Chill before serving. Top with fat-free whipped topping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!
Jan

It's MY great pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Ok....maybe not! Have you ever done something just so you can say you did it? This is one of 'those' situations. This is my adventure in puree'd pumpkin and if it's economical.  Sit back and relax because I think part of this might be a tad amusing.

 

PUREE'D   PUMPKIN

1 Pumpkin

Zero PointsPlus™

 

 

 

Cut off the stem from the top of the pumpkin.  (In reality, dig out the chain saw because this bad boy is hard as a rock! See that big, sharp knife? It was a struggle!)

 

 

 

Cut the pumpkin in half. (Again, keep that chain saw handy!)  Scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff. (I used a spoon to scoop it out because it felt 'creepy' in my hand.)  If you're a fan of pepitas (ok, pumpkin seeds), save them to bake/roast. At this point, I was not friends with this pumpkin so I didn't save them.

 

 

 

Cover a baking sheet with foil and lay the pumpkin halves face down on the pan.  Cover with another layer of foil.  Bake, covered, at 350º for 1 1/2 hours.

 

 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Once cooled, peel the skin off. Find an air pocket in the skin for an easy start.  Ok.....mine didn't have any 'air pockets' and the pumpkin is NOT easy to peel! I used a spoon and scooped the the pumpkin out.

 





Put the pumpkin in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

 

 

 

If you decide to do this, may I recommend using a food processor instead of a blender.  The final product will be the same, BUT after putting all the pumpkin in the blender, I had to take some out in order to get the blender to cooperate with me, puree some of it and then add more.

 

At this point you can either spoon into freezer bags/containers or put into a container to use within a week.  I chose to put it in a container because I'm going to use it later to make something....maybe pumpkin cupcakes.

 

 

 

Now for the comparison. 

 

 

The above whole pumpkin cost $3.20 (tax included) and yielded 24 ounces of pureed pumpkin which comes out to about 13 cents an ounce. A 15 ounce can of Libby's 100% Pure pumpkin cost $1.88 (tax included) which also comes out to about 13 cents an ounce.  The whole pumpkin took over 2 hours from start to finish and used 1 1/2 hours of electricity (my electric oven) as well as @10 minutes of electricity for the blender. Not to mention ALOT of 'elbow grease' and talking to myself!  A can of Libby's takes mere seconds of electicity to open the can using an electric can opener OR none using a (fe)manual opener.  Both have ZERO PointsPlus™.  You make the choice. I've already made mine. Will I do this again? NO!!!!  I'm all about convenience as well as taste and Libby's has my vote! But at least I can say I did it. Can you?

 

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

 

Later!

Loving Life(time)!

Jan