Cooking with Christy #1

If you have known me for any period of time you would know that I am in love with Lisa Lillian aka Hungry Girl.

I first fell in love with her when I randomly bought her cookbook at a Bed Bath & Beyond.  I made her pumpkin caramel cupcake/muffin and was like 'WHERE HAS SHE BEEN ALL MY LIFE?"  and then I tried her Lettuce Cups - they were 10 times better than PF Changs.   

Everything she makes is low fat/calorie - and almost everything I've made from her cookbooks has been amazing!

So needless to say when I heard she was coming out with yet another cookbook - you know I HAD to buy it!  I have been trying different recipes the last 2 weeks and I thought I would share one with you :)

PUMPKIN PIE OATMEAL PARFAIT -
from Hungry Girl's 300 under 300 by Lisa Lillian
"The invention of oatmeal parfaits was a stroke of genius. This pumpkin pie version will leave you speechless" 


Per serving (entire recipe=1 serving)
292 Calories
7.25g fat
542mg sodium,
51g carbs,
7g fiber
7.5g sugars
7g protein

**(I made 4 servings at one time - so the pictures will show MUCH more than one serving)**

INGREDIENTS:
Oatmeal:
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze milk
1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 no-calorie sweetener packets (I used sugar)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup water
dash of salt

Parfait:
1 - 60 calorie sugar free vanilla pudding snack
1 sheet (4 crackers) low-fat honey graham crackers, roughly crushed (I used cinnamon grahams - and they were yummy!)
Optional Topping: fat free reddi-wip

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients for oatmeal in a small nonstick pot on the stove.

 

Mix Well.

Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.

Stir often to prevent burning:

Cook for 9 minutes, stirring often, until somewhat thick and creamy (it will thicken more upon chilling) Allow to cool slightly. (Think Cake Mix - not Oatmeal at this point)
 Transfer to a bowl,

cover

and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 1/2 hours.

To Make the Parfait:

Stir oatmeal throughly until uniform in texture.
Spoon half of the oatmeal into a tall glass, (I put it in a zip-lock bag so I wouldn't get the glass messed up - same for the pudding)

 

and top with half of the pudding snack

 and half of the crushed graham crackers.

 

Repeat with remaining oatmeal, pudding and crushed cracker.  

Top with reddi-wip, if you like and dig in!

My notes:

This recipe was REALLY good, and I got my hubby to eat oatmeal ;)  Like I said above I used sugar instead of sweetener.   I also made 4 servings at once - and stuck it in the freezer for 2 hours to chill it - if you were planning on putting it in the fridge and making multiple servings plan for more "chill" time.  My husband would have liked a more flavorful oatmeal - so I'm thinking next time adding more cinnamon, maybe some nutmeg.  Over all - VERY YUMMY!

Does anyone elses cookbooks look like this when you are done with a recipe? All of mine do!

(this was also the recipe/shopping trip that got me thinking about making all these things home-made, like pudding, whip cream etc...) 

Out with the Pre-Made in with the Home-Made

I am always striving to make meals from scratch - which I always thought that from "scratch" meant throwing a bunch of stuff in a bowl/pan and making it yourself instead of using a boxed item. This included a can of soup, or taco mix etc... I don't know why it took me SO long to realize that why you are making it at home - it's not really "From Scratch" know what I mean?  Now please don't take this as I don't EVER use boxed items - because if you looked in my pantry right now you'll find some - they are nice to have on hand when I don't have time or energy to do all the prep-work ;)

So I've been searching for recipes to make my own mixes instead of buying them pre-made. Here are a few that I've found:

Alton Brown's Hot Chocolate Mix: This is simply amazing - SOOO much better than the little packets you buy in the store! And very simple to make!  I did find it was actually too rich for me - so I use about 1/2 of the mix that he suggests.

Taco Seasoning: I haven't tried this one yet since I have a few packets still in my cupboard - but I'm excited about trying it!

Macaroni & Cheese: This is FABULOUS!! SOO yummy!  Much better than the boxed version! (next I'll need to start making my own pasta!)

Fruit Snacks : Can I tell you I'm addicted to fruit snacks - 100% addicted. I LOVE them. But I know they aren't the best thing for me - so I went searching for a recipe and low and behold they look SO simple to make! I'm excited to try these at some point!

Crackers: Here is a basic cracker recipe - I haven't tried it yet. I've heard good and bad things about making your own crackers so I'm a little scared ;)

Cream of Chicken Soup: Another recipe I haven't tried yet. I am wondering if I were to make a HUGE batch of this - do you think I could can it, and use as needed?

Condensed Cream of ________ Soups: I am so excited to try this recipe - because I have been trying to get away from buying canned soups - the sodium content is SO high - plus I know EXACTLY what I'm putting in the soup!

Yogurt & Pudding: I Never even THOUGHT to make these by myself - crazy, they both look pretty easy!

Ranch Dressing : This one will be a hard switch since my husband and I ADORE Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing - anyone have a recipe that tastes the same as Hidden Valley?

Mustard, Ketchup & Mayonnaise (I wonder if I could exchange the safflower oil for coconut oil in the mayo??) 

Hamburger or Hot dog buns - anyone have a recipe that is light & fluffy like the store bought ones?

Evaporated Milk  & Sweetend Condensed milk : - I didn't know I COULD make my own!

I know I could go on and on with this list - but I'll stop here. I'd love to hear what types of things you have stopped buying pre-made! Please share your recipes!!