Tag Archives: low calorie

Sweet & Simple: 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Rice Pudding

Contrary to what some people may think, having a food website does not mean you cook and bake elaborate eats every single day. In fact, with life constantly forging ahead at full-speed, I usually wind up eating quick and simple things more than I do the fancy and indulgent. This is especially the case when it comes to dessert. I rarely have time to make a fancy dessert, so I find myself getting creative. If you want a delicious dessert to curb your craving for something sweet at the end of your day but don’t have time to bake, then you’ll have to work with the time you’ve got.

That, my little cookies, is where this 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Rice Pudding comes in. You need only 2 things to whip it up: pumpkin butter & a rice pudding snack pack. Stir it up and eat up! And, if you’re feeling extra indulgent, you can add a dollop of whipped cream.

Continue reading →

Sweet & Simple: Easiest Ever Chocolate Mousse

Light. Fluffy. Rich. Decadent.

These are the things that chocolate dreams are made of. What dessert give us all of this in one complete chocolate-infused package? Chocolate mousse. Unfortunately, this dessert has been forgotten over the past couple of years. You used to be able to find chocolate mousse on any dessert menu. Now, it has taken a step out of the spotlight, and I hardly ever see its name in lights. Well, who decided chocolate mousse wasn’t worthy of playing the all-important role of dessert? Is it not “cool” anymore? I’m sorry but, for me, food never goes out of style. It’s like creme brulee or the shadow soon to fall on cupcakes; they may no longer be a “trend,” but they are no less delicious than before.

I remember Chocolate Mousse. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I still love it.

So what do you do when you find yourself craving chocolate mousse at 8 o’clock at night with little desire to actually make some?  (8 o’clock for me is like midnight for normal people). I’ll tell you what you do: you make the Easiest Chocolate Mousse on the face of the Earth. There’s only 2 ingredients. Two. That’s it!

A rock could make this mousse.

Continue reading →

Sweet & Simple: Caramel Macchiato Pudding

For me, the day has got to end with dessert. I need that something sweet to finish off a long day of hard work. As much as I love indulgent, decadent desserts like PB & J Tiramisu or Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes, sometimes I just don’t have time or the ingredients to whip some up. Furthermore, one shouldn’t eat that indulgently every day. Luckily, I’ve got a few quick, easy, and guilt-free go-to desserts that are just as delicious as they are simple. They satisfy my sweet tooth with minimal effort & minimal guilt.

This yummy Caramel Macchiato Pudding is one of those desserts. It sounds a lot fancier than it actually is. In fact, it’s so simple it’s ridiculous. You start with Jello sugar-free pudding. This is one of my secret weapons. I always have a flavor or two in the fridge. It’s awesome for several reasons, the most obvious being that it’s 60 CALORIES. What’s also great is how you can dress it up. I spread it on CocoPop, top it with Cool Whip, or mix in some fruit.

Continue reading →

Healthy Cookie: Breakfast Incredi-bowl!

People argue that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, their logic being that it gives you the energy you need to get through your day.

I disagree.

If that were the reason for breakfast’s importance, then all meals would be equally as imperative. Is it not also the purpose of both lunch and dinner to fuel us with energy in order to complete our day? No offense to breakfast, but it does no better a job in completing said task than the day’s other essential meals do.

Now, I do agree on one thing: breakfast is the most important meal of the day; not because of the fuel it provides (although that is essential), but because it gives us a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Did you ever find yourself lying in bed on a Sunday morning as a child, with no desire to rise from your slumber, only to experiences the smell of maple syrup or frying eggs wafting from the kitchen and twirling through your nostrils? The second you experience that rush, you catapult out of bed and into the kitchen. In a split-second, you go from “I never want to get out of bed” to “Hello morning, how are you today?”

Now, said motivation is harder to muster if you know you have a low-cal, low-fat breakfast waiting for you. That usually means something like plain oatmeal, fruit, a bland cereal, or some naked egg whites. I don’t know about you, but when there are treats such as sweet cinnamon rolls or fluffy pancakes to entice you out of bed, why would you ever want to wake up to any of that low-fat crap?

That’s where the Incredi-bowl comes in. Filled up with fluffy scrambled eggs, melted cheddar cheese AND a cheesy sauce, crisp broccoli, golden hashbrown potatoes, sweet onions, and colorful peppers (and juicy bacon if you’re a meat eater), this dish gives you a flavorful kick in the butt for under 300 calories (even less if you go the no-bacon vegetarian route)! Better yet, this bowl is packing 31 grams of protein!

Continue reading →

Healthy Cookie: Classic Creme Brulee (104 calories!)

Creme brulee is a sultry, sophisticated dessert. It frequents fancy restaurant menus and romantic dinners for two. It’s creamy and luscious in the middle with a crisp, golden brown sugar topping that offers a satisfying crackle to each bite. Its flavor is not complex, just classic, indulgent vanilla. With that caramelized sugar top, creme brulee is an impressive and divine dessert.

The funny thing about creme brulee is that it’s actually insanely simple to make. You whip up the custard (super easy), bake it until it sets (cake), then top it with the sugar and caramelize it (simple). The best part is, you can make the custards ahead of time then refrigerate until you’re ready to serve! You can choose to wait until serving to top them with the sugar or do it before refrigeration; it doesn’t matter.

Oh wait…I forgot. There’s a major downside to creme brulee: it’s not calorie-friendly.

Or at least, it wasn’t. Thanks to that genius Hungry Girl, we can now enjoy all the creamy, heavenly indulgence of a creme brulee without the guilt. These creme brulees are only 104 calories each! Yes, 104 calories! Try and tell me that’s not insanely awesome. And they’re SO GOOD. They have a perfect creamy texture plus a beautiful crackling sugar topping. If no one told you it was low-cal, you’d never know. It’s as good as any other creme brulee out there. You need this in your life.

Continue reading →

Healthy Cookie: Ricotta & Basil Stuffed Omelet (125 Calories!)

Today, we must discuss these two words: cheese-stuffed. You can never go wrong with a cheese-stuffed food. Um, hello: Stuffed shells, calzones, grilled cheese sandwiches, ravioli & tortellini, mozzarella sticks, and need I say, stuffed crust pizza? When you stuff something with cheese, you essentially stuff it with awesomeness. The addition of cheese elevates almost any dish.

This omelet is no exception. Let’s just take a moment to appreciate the amount of cheese oozing out of the center of this egg:

Yeah. And that omelet, my little cookies, is one-hundred-and-twenty-five-freakin-calories. It’s so substantial and full of creamy cheesy goodness that you’re not going to believe it. Well, feel free to calculate the cals yourself if you don’t believe me. As I told you before when discussing my 205-calorie Cheesy Breakfast Pizza, I don’t joke around about this stuff!

So if you’re looking for a satisfying breakfast/dinner/brunch that will fill you up with happiness rather than guilt, this omelet’s for you. With a fresh basil flavor complimented by a nice saltiness and a kick from the red pepper flakes, this cheese-stuffed egg is not only good for you; it’s just plain good.

A few tips before you get cooking:

  1. If you want, you can make a full-fat, full-calories version of this and not only would it be AMAZING, but it would still be pretty good for you and relatively low-cal. Replace the fat-free ricotta with regular ricotta, add a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella to the filling, and use regular eggs if you want. It’s that simple.
  2. Pesky must-have-meat eaters in your life? Serve with sausage, prosciutto, or chicken.
  3. Yeah…I was a bad girl again. I used basil paste instead of fresh. DON’T DO THAT. Fresh tastes so much better. See, I thought we had fresh basil, but my sneaky mother throws things out when I’m not looking…(hence why it’s garnished with fresh parsley instead of basil).

Ricotta & Basil Stuffed Omelet

Recipe by Colleen Bierstine

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
  • 1/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 2 tsp. fresh grated parmesan cheese
  • dash of onion powder
  • red pepper flakes, to taste (a little goes a LONG way)
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Bring a small round pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to medium-low heat. Pour egg substitute into pan and allow eggs to form to the shape of pan. When the edges start to firm up and the bottom is browned to your liking, carefully flip the egg.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, basil, garlic, parmesan, onion powder, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and pepper with a spoon or rubber spatula until well-combined.
  3. Once you’ve flipped the egg and both sides are cooked, evenly spread the ricotta mixture directly onto the cooked egg in the pan. The mixture will become easier to spread as it heats.
  4. Turn off the heat but keep pan on warm burner. With a spatula, carefully fold the omelet in half, sandwiching the cheese in between (like a taco). When the cheese is melted to your liking and the egg is fully cooked, use a spatula to transfer the omelet to a plate.
  5. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper and garnish with more fresh basil or parsley if desired.

Yay cheese!

Healthy Cookie: Zesty Black Bean Tacos (240 Calories!)

240 calories? This calls for a fiesta!

Living the low-cal life can be tough. There’s so much temptation out there! Tacos, for example. Those things clock in at hundreds and hundreds of calories. Plus, the existence of tacos is made even more cruel when you make the decision to become a vegetarian. I was never big on meat, even back in my omnivore days. Tacos were the exception. They were one of my favorite foods. Crunchy, cheesy, zesty…they’re basically a hand-held party. You ever been to a Taco Bell? ‘Nuff said.

After 3 taco-less years, I knew I needed them back in my life. I created the perfect vegetarian version using beans as the protein and incorporating all the proper flavors and fixings a taco requires. I even added some zesty potatoes to really bulk it up. These tacos, I have to say, were possibly better than any ground-beef tacos I’ve had (expect a recipe soon). However, there was still one problem with these tacos, and that was the amount of calories they were packing. They weren’t exactly guilt-free.

Naturally, I whipped up a guilt-free, meat-free way to enjoy tacos. If you’re a meat-eater, DON’T FREAK OUT. You will not miss the meat. And if you’re like my father who just needs to know there’s meat in a dish SOMEWHERE, then you can go half-ground beef, half-black beans. Make sure you use a low-fat ground beef. Or try ground turkey or crumbled turkey bacon. These tacos are flexible.

My black bean tacos are fiesta-worthy. It’s a dish that’s PACKED with flavor. They’re zesty, cheesy, and they clock in at around 240 calories. That’s too good to be true. But it IS true, my friends. They’re also super quick and easy to make, as well as customizable. You may not be able to eat whatever you want 24/7, but that doesn’t change the fact that sometimes, you just need a freakin’ taco. That’s what these babies are for. Eat & bask in the guilt-free glory.

A few tips before you get cooking:

  1. Like a little spice in your life? Add diced jalapenos to your tacos! You can actually buy black beans with diced jalapenos already in them. I bought them by accident and basically melted my face off because I am a huge baby when it comes to spiciness. But if you like heat, they’re totally for you.
  2. Add diced tomatoes, onions, or a dollop of fat-free sour cream. Make these tacos your way!
  3. If you can’t find the pitas I used, you can also use a 60 calorie (or less) whole wheat tortilla like the low-cal high fiber ones by La Tortilla.
  4. THESE ARE IDEAL FOR VEGETARIANS. They’re hearty, satisfying, and packing around 20 grams of protein!
  5. Using the pitas is GENIUS. It tastes like a soft tortilla, but there are no open ends, so you can keep all the good stuff inside without worry of it falling out the other end!
  6. Do you draining, rinsing, chopping, measuring, etc. beforehand.

Guilt-Free Zesty Black Bean Tacos

Recipe by Colleen Bierstine

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tsp. taco seasoning
  • dash onion powder
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 whole wheat pita for about 60 cal (like Joseph’s)
  • 2 tbsp. fat-free cheddar cheese
  • 2 tbsp. sliced black olives
  • shredded lettuce
  • optional: fat-free sour cream, diced tomatoes, diced onions, jalapenos

Directions:

  1. Bring a small skillet to medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Add the beans. Stir in taco seasoning, adding water to loosen. You might not use all the water. It should form a sauce-like consistency. If it becomes too pasty for your liking, add more water.
  3. Add the onion powder and a generous amount of salt. Stir to combine.
  4. Meanwhile, slice pita in half. Spread open each “pocket.”
  5. When the beans are hot, remove from heat and turn off stove. Evenly distribute the beans into each pita pocket. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese into each.
  6. Heat in microwave for 15 sec. or until pita is hot and cheese is melted. Sprinkle in lettuce, olives, and any other toppings.
  7. Eat and Enjoy!

Now, go have a guilt-free Taco Night!