Curves Cereal Fruit & Nut Bars Recipe

Thanks to Mary Andrew for this yummy contribution to the blog!

CURVES CEREAL FRUIT AND NUT BARS

 

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Start to finish:  50 minutes

 

4 cups Curves Honey Crunch cereal - or use the Fiber One

1 cup chopped mixed dried fruit or dried fruit bits (from 7-oz bag)

½ cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds

½ cup dry-roasted peanuts

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup corn syrup

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

 

1.  Coat a 9” x 9” pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, mix cereal, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, and peanuts.

2.  In a 2-qt. saucepan, mix sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter.  Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

3.  Pour syrup over snack mix and toss to coat.  Press firmly in pan.  Cool completely, about 30 minutes.  For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

 

Per Bar:  150 calories, 3 g. protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 4.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 95mg sodium.

 

Substitution:  Get creative and replace the dried fruit and seeds with different flavors.  Try dried cranberries with pistachios or dried apricots with almonds.

 

Health Twist:  Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats from nuts and seeds is good for your heart.  But, fats are high in calories so keep portions small.

Pumpkin Recipes!!

Tis the season for pumpkins! Check out these awesome fall pumpkin recipes that Cindy found and wanted to share with our girlfriends! Thanks for passing them along. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1 1/3 c. Bisquick
1 tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix all ingredients well, and cook on hot griddle until golden brown.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 c. rolled oats

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars. Add pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla. Beat. Mix in flour, baking soda, and spices. Then stir in oats. Drop rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

Mustard Chicken - 5 weight watchers points!

Take a look at this incredibly easy recipe submitted by Simone Martin. Healthy, delicious, and simple... can't wait to give it a try!

4 Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Tbls. Plain Yogurt
2 Tbls. Dijon Mustard
1 Tsp. of Dried Oregeno
1/2 Tsp. of Dried Thyme
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange chicken in a dish. Mix the rest of ingredients in a bowl and then spread over both sides of chicken breasts. Place into oven for 45-50 minutes or until center is cooked through. You can microwave on high for about 8-10 minutes (or cooked through).

Serve with steamed vegetables and bread like we did tonight and you have a tasty, low fat meal in rather a short time.

Thanks, Simone. Anyone else have a great one to share?

Easy Chicken Recipe

Times are tough. When we're spending $4.50 or more on a gallon of gas, it's hard to justify eating out. Even a meal at McDonald's can really add up! If you find time to cook every night, there's a point when we get tired of the same dishes week after week! I thought I'd share one of my favorite, easy recipes with my girlfriends and ask you to do the same. Send me your quick and easy recipe to ragamuffin_kids@yahoo.com and I'll post it for others to try. Until then, here's one of my families favorites and it's so simple!

1 - 1.5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 box of stove top stuffing - chicken flavor
4 Tbsp butter/margarine
1 cup water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cover chicken breast with water on stove top and bring to a boil for 15 minutes. While boiling, prepare Stove Top stuffing in the microwave, following directions on the box (add water and butter to the mix and microwave for 5 minutes). Cut chicken into 1" cubes and put in the bottom of casserole dish. Stir in cream of chicken and cream of celery soups directly from the can; do not add water. Top with the prepared stuffing and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

ENJOY!!