Mock Pumpkin Pie

I made up this concoction and I'm really enjoying it.

First I pureed a cup of lowfat cottage cheese in my magic bullet. I added 4 packs of Splenda and about 1/2 t of pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

Then, cook a package of sugar free vanilla cook n serve pudding. Next time I'm going to reduce the milk by 1/2 cup so the end product will be firmer. Once the pudding is cooked, stir about 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin into the pudding. Mix both mixtures together. I ended up adding a little extra pumpkin pie spice. Just add it to your own liking.

I serve this with a little whipped light cream on top. Very yummy. You can eat it warm or cold, but this tastes almost exactly like pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Cream of Wheat

I've been loving this lately. I make Cream of Wheat and when it's pretty much done cooking, I stir in a couple scoops of canned pumpkin--just enough to make it a nice orange color. I sprinkle in some pumpkin pie spice, sweeten it with brown sugar and use a little fat free half and half on it. Yummy.

Simple, yummy and healthy

I've had this a couple of times recently for lunch:

1/2 a can of canned chicken breast. I prefer the Swanson brand.
1/2 an avacado
1/2 a tomato

Put in a bowl, salt and pepper to taste. Yummy.

Hot Tamale Pie

Edited: I missed a couple of ingredients the first time I typed this, so double check if you've already printed it or even made it.

I love this dish I have learned to make from my friend. It has some carbs from the corn meal, but no flour, so I feel like it's a good choice. It's delicious, cheap and so yummy.

1 lb hamburger, browned and rinsed.
Saute in a little olive oil with 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1/4 cup each of diced green and red bell peppers. Add chili seasoning packet (I use Williams) about 1/3 cup of water and simmer until thickened. Stir in a can of Rotel-type tomatoes with chiles and a small can of tomato sauce. (All these amounts are approximate, tailor to your own likes.)

Meanwhile, mix together 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup corn meal and 1 teaspoon salt. This will be very watery and will keep separating. This is okay. Stir together and then pour immediately into a casserole dish. (2 quart, I think.) Scoop the beef mixture into the middle of the corn meal mixture. It will spread a little, but keep putting the beef right into the middle. You will think there's no way this will turn out because it looks so weird. But don't worry it will.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. You can put a lid on if it's getting too dry. Serve immediately. It will be very hot, so be careful.

This would be a good dish for the soft-food stage after surgery.

*I have recently changed the can of Rotel tomatoes to a can of Mexican style stewed tomatoes. It is much milder this way and the kids will eat it without complaining. I find Rotel too spicy, even for my tastes. (Even the mild kind.)

Melissa's Mandarin Chicken Salad

Iceberg Lettuce
1/2 can of Swanson's Chicken breast in water, drained
1/2 can (small) of mandarin oranges, drained
1 green onion, sliced
small palmful of toasted whole or sliced almonds
Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing from Kraft

Assemble into a salad. Very good.

High Protein Snack

I've really been enjoying this lately. Hormel's Turkey Pepperoni slices and cheddar cheese. Mozzarella would be a healthier choice, but I've been using cheddar. I just cut little strips of cheese, wrap them in a slice of pepperoni and eat it. It's yummy. The turkey pepperoni took a little getting used to, but it's very good and has so much less fat than traditional.

Tuna salad

Today I had some tuna with Ak-mak crackers. Instead of stirring mayo into the tuna, I stirred in a few tablespoons of ricotta cheese. It moistened it right up and was really yummy. I didn't miss the mayo at all and the ricotta added some protein as well. A little pickle relish in there and I was good to go. Yum.