Heating Up the Kitchen

Yesterday was a great day. I finished up with my summer courses, got to bake, and spent the evening with my best friend. Plus, I ate a TON! Haha...but I counted...everything! I was really proud of myself.

We went to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse for lunch and a had a steak and fried rice. Since I weigh on Wednesdays, I had plenty of Weeklies left. It was delish. As far as my other choices througought the day went, they weren't necessarily "healthy," but it's my TOM, so I am just proud of even counting PTS. Haha.

I wanted to share with you some of my "tips" and also two recipes.

First "tip," I LOVE Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta. It's not whole wheat, but it has tons of fiber and is really yummy. I use it for all of my pasta recipes. I think a serving comes out to be 3 pt.

Second tip: I like to take my favorite recipes and great ideas that I find in magazines and organize them into a binder. Basically what I have created is my own personal cookbook, only filled with the recipes I want...it's really handy to know that all of my favorite recipes are in the same place. Plus, it was very inexpensive. I just reused an old binder and bought some clear sheet protectors. Now my recipes are all in a somewhat organized manner.

Now for my recipes. I tried on Hungry Girl's pumpkin bread. I have made a similar recipe before, but this one is a little different. Here is the recipe, and here is a picture.

I won't lie and say that they are amazing, but they are decent. *I added 1/2 cup water the recipe before placing into the lined muffin pan. It really easily made 12 muffins, rather than the 8 HG says it will make. They are 2 Pt. each.

Now for one of my favorite recipes, one I found a LONG time ago in an old WW magazine. It's for macaroni and cheese and it's very yummy. I would not keep making it just because it's low PTS, it actually is very tasty. I have altered the recipe to my liking, but you can use real butter or regular milk if you like. Also, RF cheese rather than fat free will give it a much better texture. I also use Smart Taste rotini with this recipe, since they don't have macaroni noodles, at least not at my store.


Weight Watcher's Macaroni and Cheese


1/2 pound(s) uncooked whole-wheat pasta, macaroni or rotini
3 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cup(s) fat-free soy milk
2 cup(s) shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/3 cup(s) reduced fat parmesan cheese
1/4 cup(s) dried bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste.


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta until it is done, then drain. Pour the cooked noodles into a casserole dish. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tpsb. of the margarine over medium heat. Add the flour to the margarine and stir constantly for about one minute. Add the milk to the margarine/flour mixture, then increase the heat to high. Stir this mixture constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Once this mixture is a little bit thicker, add the different cheeses to the milk mixture and stir as they melt. Remove from heat and pour the cheese mixture over the cooked pasta. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining tablespoon of margarine over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs to the margarine and stir until combined. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over the casserole. Cook in oven for about 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Makes 8 servings.


About 4-5 PT each, depending on your choice of ingredients.

Sorry, I didn't get a pic after it was done, but here is what it looks like in the oven. 


Hope you enjoy these guys! Have a great weekend!