Sweet Cheese Ball

Do you have a traditional cheese ball during your family holidays?  If so, try making this healthier recipe to save on calories, fat, and sodium! Trust me, your family won't be able to tell the difference!

Nutrition Facts:
Servings: 32
Serving Size: 2 Tbsp
Calories: 80
Fat: 5 g
Sodium: 70 mg

Ingredients:
16 oz. package fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 tsp seasoned salt
2 Tbsp finely chopped onions
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, seasoned salt, and onion.  Stir in the cheddar cheese, dates, cranberries, and pecans, mixing well.
Mold into a ball and refrigerate until serving.

Complete the meal by serving it with whole-wheat crackers or a snowman veggie tray!

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 290
Sodium: 379 mg

Ingredients:
cooking spray
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers crumbs
1 Tbsp light butter, softened
8 oz package fat-free cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
6 oz. fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt
2 large egg whites
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp All-Purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar-free strawberry jam

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat an 8 inch square baking pan with non-stick spray.
Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter with a fork until evenly moistened. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
Gently beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer.  Gradually beat in fat-free Greek yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, and flour.  Do not over beat. Pour over graham cracker crust.
Stir jam until smooth.  Drop by small spoonfuls over surface of filling.  Using a knife, swirl jam gently through filling to create a marble effect.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is almost set.  Cool to room temperature.  Chill in the refrigerator.

Miss Indiana works for others' health - IllinoisHomePage.net

Miss Indiana works for others' health - IllinoisHomePage.net

Mexican Fiesta Bites

Nutrition:
Servings: 24
Calories: 80 kcals
Fat: 3 grams
Sodium: 150 mg

Ingredients:
24 won ton wraps
1 cup cooked turkey sausage
1/2 cup thick and chunky salsa
3/4 cup low-fat shredded Mexican Blend cheese
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F
Place 1 won ton wrapper in each 24 mini muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray, with edges of wrappers extending over tops of cups; bake 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine sausage and salsa.
Spoon sausage mixture into won top cups.  Bake 10 minutes or until filling is heated through and edges of cups are golden brown.  Top with cheese; bake 2 minutes or until melted.
Top with plain Greek yogurt.

Granola Balls

Nutrition:
Servings: 6
Calories: 200 kcal
Sodium: 50 mg

Ingredients:
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 pinch of salt

Directions:
Combine oats, sunflower seeds, raisins, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together peanut butter and honey until smooth.
Pour peanut butter-honey mixture into oat mixture.  Mix until combined and sticky.
Roll into balls and place in a lightly oiled pan to desired thickness.
Refrigerate for several hours to set balls.

The Skinny On Fat

     Fat.  The dreaded word we all hate to hear. After years of being told to limit fat in your diet, choose low-fat or fat-free options, and burn off additional fat on the treadmill, it is no wonder we are so afraid of it!  Rather we are talking about the fat in our food or the fat on our bodies it is easy to wish fat didn't exist at all. But the truth is you need some fat in your diet for good health. 

    Fat supplies energy to fuel your body and carries vitamins A, D, E, and K.  Compared to carbohydrates and protein, fat is digested more slowly and may help you feel full longer after eating.   The amount of fat you should eat depends on the amount of calories you consume, usually 20-35% of your total calorie intake.  Sound confusing?  Try choosing low-fat foods more often and if you occasionally have a day when you eat more fat than you should, you can make up for it by eating less fat in the days the follow.

Tips for cooking with less fat:

  Trim the extra fat from meats.  
  Choose lean or extra lean meats and drain the fat when cooking.
 Go skinless.  
  Cutting the skin off of poultry can cut your calories from fat in half!
 Enjoy vegetables without the extra toppings.  
  Simmer, steam, or microwave fresh and frozen  vegetables.  When stir-frying use fat-free      broth,wine, or vegetable oil spray instead of oil. 
 Use a light hand when scooping dips, dressings, sauces, and spreads.  
  Go easy on these high-fat  extras. 
 Stretch higher-fat ingredients.  
  Grate cheese so less looks like more.  In homemade muffins and  cakes, use fewer nuts and chocolate chips or replace them with dried fruits. 
 Lose fat, not flavor.  
  As you reduce fat, give your food a boost of flavor by using herbs, salsas, or  seasonings. 

Portion Size Guide:

One easy way to eat less fat is cutting your portion sizes.

A portion of 1 cup of milk is about the size of a baseball

A portion 2 ounces of cheese is about the size of a 4 dominoes

A portion of 2 to 3 ounces of meat is about the size of a deck of cards

A portion of 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is about the size of a ping-pong ball

A portion of ½ cup of tofu is about the size of a bar of soap

A portion of ½ cup nuts is about the size of a large egg

A portion of 1 tablespoon regular salad dressing or light mayo is about the size of 2 casino chips

A portion of 1 teaspoon butter or margarine is about the size of the tip of a thumb

A portion of 2 tablespoons light salad dressing is about the size of a ping-pong ball

Cranberry Nut Bread Mix

Nutrition:
Servings: 10
Calories: 208 kcal
Sodium: 20 mg

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 egg
2 Tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup orange juice
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9 X 5'' loaf pan.
Whisk together in a large bowl, 1 egg, 2 Tbsp canola oil, and 3/4 cup orange juice.
Stir in ingredients from bag until just blended.  Spoon in the batter.
Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove and cool completely.