WEDNESDAY MORNING SMOOTHIE

Every morning I enjoy a smoothie and I truly love coming up with new versions of my favorite morning drink. This morning I went through my refrigerator and freezer to see what new concoction I could come up with. After careful inspection I decided on 1/2 cup Chobani fat-free vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup diet orange Sunkist, 1/2 of a large frozen banana and 1 cup of frozen strawberry slices. 

The end result~Deliciousness! Be sure and try this combination, I guarantee it to please your taste buds and your belly.

"I never met a smoothie I didn't love."~Adele Forbes

SPICED RUM CAKE with BUTTER RUM GLAZE

“You've got this life and while you've got it, you'd better kiss like you only have one moment, try to hold someone's hand like you will never get another chance to, look into people's eyes like they're the last you'll ever see, watch someone sleeping like there's no time left, jump if you feel like jumping, run if you feel like running, play music in your head when there is none, and eat cake like it's the only one left in the world!”
― C. Joybell C.

Now here is a cake that will actually make you kiss your Granny. And Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue and cousin Leroy and your dogs and cats. This wonderful recipe comes my new found friend, Libby Murphy, who authors the food blog 'twirlandtaste'. http://www.twirlandtaste.com/2013/02/spiced-rum-cake-with-butter-rum-glaze.html. You'll for sure want to slip on over to this wonderful blog where every food item in it flips my trigger. Just trust me, you will not be disappointed. And please tell her that Adele sent you.

Here is what you will need for the cake:
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup water
4 big eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted and soaked in more spiced rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Liberally spray a Bundt pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Using an electric mixer at low speed, blend the cake mix, pudding mix, rum, oil and 1/2 cup water. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Evenly distribute the prepared pecans in the bottom of prepared Bundt pan. Pour the batter in. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Do not remove the cake from the pan. Allow it to cool almost completely on the counter before removing it.

BUTTER RUM GLAZE
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/3 cup spiced rum
1/4 cup water
 In small saucepan, bring the sugar, butter and water to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Add rum. With a fork, make holes in the top of the cake. Drizzle over cooled cake. Let glaze drip down the sides of the cake. Allow glaze to cool and then add more of the cooled glaze which will be a little thicker.

NOTE: I took this to my girlfriend Bev yesterday for her birthday which is actually today. She loves rum so I just knew that this would be the perfect cake for her. We all had a slice and my husband replied that it was richer than Stuart Dickson who is my boss man. I agreed! So if you know anyone that this cake would mean anything to you just might want to make one yourself and share the love....

SKINNY NO-BAKE COOKIES

These awesome 'lower in fat' no-bake cookies comes from one of my most favorite food blogs at http://www.skinnytaste.com/no-bake cookies and the beauty of this recipe is that they weigh in at only 1 point per cookie. Oh Yeah....bring um on down the line!
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons Brummel & Brown Yogurt spread
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 1/2 cups quick oats
3/4 cup Better-n-Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar, cocoa powder
 Combine first 4 ingredients and boil in a small pan for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in oatmeal, peanut butter and vanilla. Drop by tablespoons onto wax paper or roll into balls with slightly moist hands and refrigerate overnight. The next day you can roll them in powdered sugar or cocoa if desired. Keep refrigerated if storing for several days.
20 servings at 2 cookies each for only 2 points +

"I never met a No-Bake cookie that I didn't love!"~Adele Forbes

STUFFED POTATOES WHICH BECOME POTATO CHOWDER TO FOLLOW

I cruise food blogs to the point that if I were getting paid for it I would be rich. It's an incurable addiction for me. This recipe comes from a very funny lady and I always enjoy reading her posts. You can check her out at www.alilcountrysugar.blogspot.com  I modified it only a very little.

You start out making the STUFFED POTATOES.....
2 large baking potatoes, baked until done
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 of a large onion, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped fine
1 cup carrots, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese + more for sprinkling
 In a medium skillet, heat oil. Saute onion about 5 minutes. Add broccoli, carrot and garlic, stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, cover and cook 4 minutes longer. Halve potatoes and scoop out pulp. In a large bowl combine potato pulp, sauteed veggies, sour cream, parsley, parm cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Mash everything with a potato masher. Spoon mixture into potato skins, place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little more Parm cheese and baked until through, around 15 minutes.
One potato half = 3 WW Points

POTATO CHOWDER
Chop up leftover stuffed potatoes. (I just had one half for dinner last night so that left me with 3 for chopping-if you're sharing ;>) say for instance with your mate then you can just chop the two remaining, but I think you need at least two).
1/4 cup of an onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced ( I use bottled)
32 oz. low sodium low fat chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
1 cup fat-free skim milk
2 handfuls of baby spinach (no chopping necessary)
 In a Dutch oven over medium heat combine chopped potatoes through spinach.. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
1 1/2 cups has only 4 WW points
*Cheesy-It's Provolone flavored crackers make a nice accompaniment...just be sure to calculate the points for them.

"Imagine, if you can, what the rest of the evening was like. How they crouched by the fire which blazed and leaped and made much of itself in the little grate. How they removed the covers of the dishes, and found rich, hot savory soup, which was a meal in itself, and sandwiches and toast and muffins enough for both of them."~Frances Hodgson Burnett

BROCCOLI & CHEESE SOUP~4 WW Points+

I have lost 4 lbs. in 6 days following Weight Watchers Points + system. I am faithfully keeping a journal, logging in every morsel of food that has entered my mouth. It is working. I am also lifting weights, doing set-ups and push-ups, leg lifts and walking the dogs each day. It is a journey that I do not intend to fail at. By the time that I get back to work this Spring, I will be well on my way to a new me. A stronger more confident me.

1 (24 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli with 3 cheese sauce
3/4 cup low-fat chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1  (12 oz.) can evaporated fat-free milk
1/3 cup reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Combine broccoli, broth, pepper and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender and cheese is melted. Place half of the mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape, place lid on blender. Place a towel over opening in blender lid, blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Repeat with remaining mixture. Ladle into bowls, top with cheese.

5 servings-1 cup soup-1 Tbsp. cheese-4 Points +

"Everyone's just laughing at me. I hate it. Big breasts, big ass, big deal, Can't I be anything else ? Gee, how long can you be sexy?"~Marilyn Monroe

THAI TURKEY LETTUCE WRAPS with DIPPING SAUCE

Thai food flips my trigger! The tastes, the smells, the visual aspects.....all of these rolled into one makes me a very happy camper. One of my best friends has a new girlfriend and she is part American, part Thai. When he told me this and that she cooked the best spring rolls like EVER, I was down on my knees begging him to sign me up for that class. No other food does this for me the way that Thai food does. I can simply just see a picture of it and my taste buds immediately awaken.

1 lb. ground turkey
1 lg green onion or 3 small green onions, chopped
1 apple, chopped-I used a Golden Delicious simply because that was what I had-use what you like
1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (I love this stuff)
1 tablespoon freshly ground ginger-I buy this in the jars already ground in the grocery store
1 to 2 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil ( I simply adore this oil)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 hydroponic head of leafy butter lettuce, washed and individual leaves dried

In large nonstick saute pan, brown the meat over medium heat, breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon as you go. When it is browned and in small crumbles pour it into a colander and drain all of the fat off. Return to the pan and add onions, apple, red bell pepper, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, water, sesame oil and garlic. Cook until the onions and red pepper softens. Set aside and keep warm. (I just sat it on the back of the stove and covered it with a lid.)

DIPPING SAUCE:
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon agave syrup or sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
Combine all the sauce ingredients, stirring with a spoon.

Assembly: Spoon 1/4 cup of the filling onto each lettuce leaf. Use a small kitchen spoon to dip the sauce over the filling. Enjoy.

From a Weight Watchers standpoint, 16 servings = 2 point + each

"NASA asked me to create meals for the space shuttle. Thai chicken was the favorite. I flew in a fake space shuttle, but I have no desire to go into space after seeing the toilet."~Rachael Ray