It’s still 80 degrees where I live and I’m already jonesing for fall. Fall decorations, fall food, fall clothing and mostly NEW BOOTS. But I digress …. this is the first fall recipe I think I’ll make this year.

Pumpkin Pie is awesome..but it’s even more awesome when it’s fat free, low cal, low carb and high protein. This recipe makes it ok to eat desert for breakfast. And don’t think I won’t.

You Need:
2 1/2 packages of fat free cream cheese (8 oz. each)
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
4 egg whites
1 cup Splenda granular
1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t vanilla powder or 1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t nutmeg
dash of ground ginger
dash of ground cloves

*** you could skip all the spices and just use Pumpkin Pie spice…which honestly is what I plan to do. I don’t have time for cloves in my house.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, Splenda, and vanilla from low to high until smooth, about 1 minute.

Add pumpkin, egg whites, and spices. Beat from low to high for another minute.

Spray a 9” cake pan with cooking spray. Pour in the batter, pick up the pan, and tap on the counter to release air bubbles and smooth the top.

Bake for 60-70 minutes, until the top of the cake browns a little. Let the cake cool to room temperature, and then cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Serve with fat free whipped cream!

8 servings…Each slice has
103 calories
0g fat
6g net carbs
1.5g fiber
and 14g protein

Last night I started off making a giant cheese pizza with refrigerated pizza dough for the entire family for dinner. But I had a dough malfunction as I tried to open the second can of dough I needed..so I improvised and came up with a fab version of something I would normally never eat.

The calorie and fat count in a real BBQ Chicken Pizza just isn’t worth it to me. But this one is so low carb/low cal and completely balanced that I might be eating it every day for lunch until I just can’t look at BBQ sauce anymore. There is nothing better than eating something that tastes GOOD and knowing it’s good for you too!

I imagine that’s how the food will be in heaven.

You need:

1 large size La Tortilla low carb tortilla

1 tbsp BBQ sauce

4 oz canned chicken

1-2 cups chopped or torn fresh spinach

1/4 cup low fat shredded mozzerella

1/4 cup low fat cheddar

I’ve made pizza on a tortilla before..but this time I “toasted” the tortilla on both sides in the oven before I loaded on the toppings and that gave me a yummy, thin crispy crust.

Spread the chopped spinach on the toasted tortilla, top with mozzarella cheese

Mix the chicken with the BBQ Sauce and spread on the cheese

Top with cheddar

Bake at 425 degrees for about then minutes

For a little over 300 calories you get to eat the ENTIRE PIZZA!!! When was the last time you got to eat an entire pizza??? Well…and not feel guilty for two days about it after????

Today for lunch I made the hubs and the boys a yummy cheese pizza, but I had something even better. This is one of the little tricks that keep me from going off the rails and eating a whole pan of brownies. When I start feeling deprived in any way…I start fantasizing about cake. Seriously. Like wishing the family would go somewhere for a few hours and I could sit alone on the couch with an entire chocolate coconut layer cake with cherries on top and eat every single bite myself with no interruptions. And I would eat it with a spoon because that way I won’t miss any crumbs or icing. I know. It’s sick.

So to keep that from happening I make healthy versions of the comfort food that my family loves. This is great one. Instead of wasting 350 calories on just one piece of pizza, this entire recipe is only 245 calories!!!!!

:random trivia: Did you know that California Pizza Kitchen claims to have invented the BBQ Chicken Pizza? And also Ben and Jerry’s was the first ice cream company to make Cookie Dough Ice Cream?

Moving on. While their pizza was baking I whipped this up for myself in about 6 minutes. This would be completely fine for Southbeach Diet Phase 2. If you are still Phase 1 you can make a BBQ Chicken Salad with these exact same ingredients and then serve over a bed or lettuce or cole slaw mix.

Here’s What You Need:

1 La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Tortilla (50 calories)

1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese (35 calories)

2 oz canned chicken (60 calories)

1 tbsp BBQ sauce (40 calories)

1 low fat string cheese shredded (60 calories)

And then you:

Toast the tortilla in the oven at 400 degrees until crispy

Spread Laughing Cow cheese on tortilla then BBQ sauce

Add chicken and then shred cheese stick over the chicken

Put back in the oven for about 5 minutes

I say this every time but this is definitely my favorite low cal dieting recipe. It’s not really South Beach friendly because of the sugary Hoisin sauce..but I only add 2 tbsp in the entire recipe and I think the 80 calories is totally worth it.

By using pre-packaged chopped cabbage (coleslaw mix) you save valuable time and MAJOR carbs and calories.

Tip: Make the same recipe for your family but steam them some brown or white rice. Easy way to stay on plan and enjoy dinner with your family. Also…add more Hoisin sauce to the family dish if your crew needs a bit more sweetness.

You Need:

At least one pound ( I usually make extra) or ground turkey or you can sub chopped chicken breast or even lean steak

At least three bushles of green / spring onions – chopped

1 jar hoisin sauce (found next to soy sauce on Oriental isle at grocery store)

Spray oil

I bag cabbage / cole slaw mix

And Then You:

In one pan spray with cooking oil and brown your meat of choice…add onions and cook until soft. For Family -  When near done add hoisin sauce to taste and cook for about 5 min on LOW heat. The sugar in this will burn so be careful. I usually take out an good size amount for me before I add the hoisin sauce and then add to my cabbage with only the 2 tbsp of hoisin.

In another pan spray with cooking oil and wilt the cabbage/ cole slaw mix. Can add soy sauce if you like. Add one or two tablespoons of hoisin sauce and then mix in your meat and onions.

A few crushed almonds on top of this meal and you are in Chinese heaven without the MSG hangover!!!! And you can eat the entire bag of cabbage for under 80 calories!!!!! Can you say Volumetrics??????

This is probably one of my favorite South Beach Diet Phase One recipes. I generally make lots of extra seasoned ground turkey and eat it for lunch/snacks the next few days. It’s even yum added in your scrambled eggs/egg whites if you are feeling spicy that early in the AM.

Tip: This is great to make on your family’s normal Taco Night. You won’t feel deprived because it’s so good and your hubs and kids won’t feel weird eating something good in front of you….like they should!

You Need:

2-3 servings of ground lean turkey (I make extra for left overs)

3-4 cups shredded or chopped lettuce (skip the iceburg it’s way too bloating)

1/4 cup shredded low fat cheddar

few black olives

chopped cucumbers

salsa

chopped onions (optional)

chili powder and cumin

And Then You:

Brown the ground turkey breast and season WELL with chili powder and cumin (salt if you don’t worry about the bloat) and jalepeno if you like some fire

Mix lettuce, olives, onions and cukes in a ginormous salad bowl..pour warm turkey on top then sprinkle on cheese.

The cheese will be melty and yummy. If you do this right you won’t need to waste your calories or fat for the day on salad dressing.

If you are in Phase Two (or you are a Phase One rebel) toast a LaTortilla Factory 50 calorie low carb tortilla in the oven and make a few chips to dip and/or crumble on top of your masterpiece!

I hate to admit this because so many other moms I know have had so much trouble losing baby weight, but when I really get serious about it … it happens.

Admittedly, it’s harder this time around because Kid #1 is almost 5 now and takes up all the free time I have when Kid #2 is sleeping. So that means getting in workouts is dang near impossible but I’m working on it. Add Thanksgiving, Christmas, snow days stuck at home and a big family trip to Disney World in the mix and my progress is just not acceptable to me at this point.

When I got home from the hospital with Kid #2 I weighed in a whopping 190 pounds, which is NOT cute on a 5’6″ medium frame chick. Flash forward five months to the day forward and I am now clocking in at a respectable, yet slightly chubby 155. S0 35 pounds gone and 20 more to go to get back to my fighting weight.

With Kid #1 I weighed less than I did when I got pregnant when he turned 6 months old..not gonna happen this time but hoping to be back in my skinny jeans by Spring time.

The Easy Way to me means simply this. Just Do It. Nike is right. There is nothing else to do it but JUST DO IT.

So stocking up my fridge this week with boiled eggs, celery sticks and lots of veggie burgers and low carb tortillas. Getting rid of all the junk Kid #1 is not going to eat and might find it’s way into my belly and pulling the “I have the kids all day you can watch them one hour a day” card on the hubs to make sure I get my workouts in.

So..need to lose a few? Join me…leave me some comments on your get back on track tips and I’ll post. Drop some knowledge on your fellow moms!

This is one of my favorite mom on the go recipes.

Our family schedule is set up that I have exactly two mornings a week that we don’t have to be up and accounted for at a certain time of morning. Usually way too early. I swear, my four-year old has a busier social life than I ever had even in my party-girl days.

Anyhoo…I like to make the take once a week to make up a batch of these easy and fast quiche muffin cups and then heat them up in the microwave on the mornings we are running out the door.

Ingredients:

4 Servings Egg Beaters

1/2 Cup Low Fat Cheddar Cheese

1 -2 Servings of crumbled turkey sausage (cooked)

And ThenYou:

Spray 8 muffin tins with cooking spray

Mix all ingredients in a bowl..add salt and pepper to taste

Pour in muffin cups and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until middle is firm

Notes on this recipe: You can use turkey bacon, spinach, mushrooms, onions..it’s such a flexible recipe.

I’ve also made a pizza flavored version with sundried tomatos and turkey pepperoni