Tempt your tastebuds with a chocolaty cheesecake that’s easier on the waistline. A perfect sweet treat for Valentine’s Day, from our friends over at eatbetteramerica.

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:2 hr 25 min
makes:12 servings

Cheesecakes
12 foil baking cups
12 thin chocolate wafer cookies (from 9-oz package), crushed (2/3 cup)
12 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 oz bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate, melted

Topping
1/3 cup fat-free hot fudge topping
Fresh raspberries, if desired

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Place foil baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. With back of spoon, firmly press slightly less than 1 tablespoon cookie crumbs in bottom of each foil cup.
2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in cocoa. Beat in whole egg and egg white until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Divide cheese mixture evenly among crumb-lined foil cups.
3. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on cooling rack 15 minutes. Remove cheesecakes from pan; cool 15 minutes longer. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled.
4. To serve, carefully remove foil baking cups. Spread fudge topping on cheesecakes. Garnish with raspberries. Store cheesecakes covered in refrigerator.

[Reprinted with permission]

Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 200 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 180mg; Total Carbohydrate 25g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 18g); Protein 4g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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Add a little staying power to your gingerbread cookies with some fiber and whole grain goodness this year. Thanks to Laurel Hudson, culinary instructor at Wellspring Academies, for sharing her healthy twist on this traditional holiday treat.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup Fiber One original bran cereal
1 package whole wheat gingerbread cake or cookie mix
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ginger
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ cup granulated Splenda
Pinch of salt
½ cup canned pure pumpkin
¼ cup warm water
3 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
6 packets of Truvia no calorie sweetener
Pam spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with Pam.
3. In a food processor, grind the cereal until it looks like flour, then pour into a bowl.
4. Add the gingerbread mix, all the spices, the baking powder, Splenda, and salt and mix well.
5. In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin with the warm water, molasses, and vanilla and mix well.
6. Add the pumpkin mixture to the other bowl and stir until blended.
7. Knead the dough to combine.
8. Roll the dough into 1/2” balls, making 36 cookies dough balls total, and place them on the cookie sheet.
9. Flatten balls or scoops with the back of a spoon dipped in the Truvia, so the dough doesn’t stick to the spoon.
10. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes, or until the edges are firm.
11. Let cool for 5 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
12. Remove from the pan and enjoy!

Approximate Nutritional Information:
54 calories/0.1g per cookie

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For a lighter alternative to traditional pumpkin pie, try this deliciously easy mousse. From The Kitchens of The Food Channel.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 5

Ingredients
1 package (4-serving size) sugar free fat free instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon McCormick Cinnamon, Ground
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ginger, Ground
1 cup cold milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups thawed reduced fat whipped topping, divided
5 toasted pecan halves (optional)

Preparation
1. Mix pudding mix, cinnamon and ginger in large bowl. Add milk and pumpkin; beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spoon mousse into serving bowl or 5 dessert glasses.

2. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors. Just before serving, garnish with remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping. Garnish with pecan halves, if desired.

Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 104, Fat: 4 g, Carbohydrates: 15 g, Cholesterol: 4 mg, Sodium: 233 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 2 g.

Recipe courtesy of McCormick

[Reprinted with permission]

[Photo Credit: David Nehmer, FoodChannel.com]

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Check these out!

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This yummy dessert recipe is from Fitness Magazine where I just found out October is National Dessert Month. Who knew there was such a thing?

You don’t have to look farther than your kitchen cabinets to make this sweet and simple dessert. It’s perfect in the fall after a day of apple picking.

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
12  ounce caramel ice cream topping
1/2  cup peanut butter
1/2  cup water
2 1/2  pounds cooking apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
Vanilla ice cream

Directions
Coat the inside of a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add caramel, peanut butter, and water; whisk until smooth. Add apples; stir to coat. Cover. Cook on low heat for 3 to 4 hours. Serve topped with ice cream, if desired.

Makes: 8-10 servings

Nutrition facts per serving:
297 calories
4g protein
53g carbohydrate
8g fat (2g saturated)
5g fiber

[Re-printed with permission]

See more healthy recipes from Fitness Magazine here.

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These “Healthified” Strawberry Shortcake Squares from eatbetteramerica have 60% less fat, 30% fewer calories, and 75% less sat fat than the original recipe (see the comparison here).  They’re short on fat and berry delicious!

Prep Time: 30 min
Start to Finish: 1 hr 30 min
Makes: 15 servings

Cake
3 cups Bisquick Heart Smart® mix
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 whole egg
1 egg white

Topping
6 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 container (8 oz) frozen reduced-fat or fat-free whipped topping, thawed

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
2. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. In medium bowl, mix strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, the water and lemon juice. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. To serve, cut cake into squares; place on individual dessert plates. Top each serving with strawberries and whipped topping.

Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 230 (Calories from Fat 50); Total Fat 6g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 230mg; Total Carbohydrate 41g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 24g); Protein 4g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 35%; Calcium 15%; Iron 6% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2 Fruit; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 3 MyPyramid Servings: 1/2 c Fruits
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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Don’t these look divine? And can you believe they only have 54 calories each? I am practically drooling just from this picture of Devin Alexander’s Chocolate Chocolate Brownie Cups from her cookbook, The Most Decadent Diet EVER!

From Devin:

I showed up to my pitch meeting for this book with brownie batter on my jeans. I have had so much success with these brownies and another variety that I’ve been making for years that I rarely go anywhere without taking them. I truly believe that in the case of my cooking, tasting is believing.

They’re so moist and chocolaty, they often end up on me or even on my publicist’s cell phone as we scurry to wrap up pretty platters of them. But we don’t mind because they’ve landed me tons of TV spots and even made this book possible.

I hope you’ll enjoy baking them as much as I do and that you’ll consider creating your own platters of them to give to people you care about. They’re sure to love them and you’ll be doing them a huge favor by saving them tons of fat and calories.

Note that they freeze extremely well if you want to keep them on hand for your children’s after-school cravings or your midnight sweet tooth. With only 54 calories and less than 1 gram of fat each, you really can’t go wrong!

Ingredients:
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 large egg whites
2 cups raw sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly mist two 12-cup nonstick mini-muffin tins with spray.

Use a sturdy whisk or spatula to mix the applesauce, vanilla, egg whites, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined and no lumps remain. Working in batches, fill each cup until just barely full. Sprinkle about one-fourth of the chips evenly over the brownies in each of the tins. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry (a few crumbs are okay).

Transfer the tins to a cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to gently lift the brownies from the muffin tins (if they stick, carefully run the knife around the edge of each cup). Cool on the rack for another 10 minutes. Repeat with the second half of the batter and the remaining chips.

MAKES 48 BROWNIE CUPS; 24 SERVINGS
Each 1-Decadent-Disk serving (2 brownies) has: 109 calories, 2 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, <1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 139 mg sodium

You save: 151 calories, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat

Traditional serving: 260 calories, 3 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 165 mg sodium

[Reprinted with permission]

[Photo Credit: Lisa Cohen]

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Don’t these look festive? I spotted them – thanks to Eat Better America – and had to share. At 20 calories each, they’re perfect for your next holiday get-together. Enjoy!

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:2 hr 20 min
Makes:3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
Red or pink paste food color

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 200°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil. In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Beat in peppermint extract.

2. Fit large decorating bag with 1/2-inch star tip. With small brush, paint 3 to 4 evenly spaced stripes of food color on inside of bag from tip to upper edge. Carefully spoon all meringue into bag. Pipe 1 1/2-inch diameter stars about 1 1/2 inches apart onto paper-lined cookie sheets.

3. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until crisp and dry, but not brown. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Nutritional Information

1 Cookie: Calories 20 (Calories from Fat 0); Total Fat 0g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Total Carbohydrate 4g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 4g); Protein 0g

[Photo Credit: EatBetterAmerica]

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Earlier this week, we gave you the scoop on calories in popular pies and shared a healthy recipe for pumpkin pie. Turns out, the gals over at Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat? have also had their eye on pie this week. They even had their own pumpkin pie tasting before T-day – using a new zero-calorie sweetener!

There’s a new zero calorie sugar substitute on the market called Truvia. It’s made from rebiana which is a part of the stevia leaf. Manufacturers say it’s 200 times sweeter than sugar. Truvia aims to offer a natural alternative to other sugar subsitutes on the market. Truvia sent us a sample since we’re always interested in ZERO CALORIES!

In honor of the Thanksgiving holidayI have a pumpkin pie recipe that works nicely with sugar substitutes. I made one pie with Splenda and the other with Truvia and then unscientifically taste tested them.

Want the results? And the recipe? Get both right here!

This looks so yummy, I want to eat the picture!

I want to try it! Problem is – I’m not much of a baker, so maybe KiKi can send me a slice? Please?! We usually go for some yummy store-bought pumpkin pie at our holiday gatherings. So, I’m wondering – do you bake your own pies or buy them for Thanksgiving? And do you go for the low-cal… or the real deal?

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Thinking pie for dessert this Thanksgiving? Consumer Reports shows us how some of the best sellers stack up when it comes to fat and calories. The “X” is next to the pies with the fewest calories per ounce.

And if you’re looking for fewer calories and less fat in your holiday dessert, check out this recipe for HG’s Too-Good-To-Deny Pumpkin Pie. Yum!

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Just because you have a slice of pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you have to load up on fat and calories. Not with this recipe from Hungry Girl – a FatFighterTV favorite. Oh, and next week, we’ll have a behind the scenes look at Hungry Girl in action – just how many new low-fat, lower-in-calories, light, etc. foods does she taste a week, anyway? Just thinking about it makes me hungry.

HG’s Too-Good-To-Deny Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

For Crust
2 cups Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1/4 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown); melted & mixed with 1 oz. water
3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated
1 tsp. cinnamon

For Filling
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
Optional Topping: Fat Free Reddi-wip

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Combine crumbs with all other crust ingredients. Stir until mixed well. In an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray, evenly distribute mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust. (Filling may be taller than the crust — trust us, this is okay!) Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes, and then remove it and allow to cool. Chill in the fridge for several hours (for best results, chill overnight). Cut into 8 slices, and if you like, top with Reddi-wip before serving!

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 133
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 236mg
Carbs: 28g
Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 8g
Protein: 6g

POINTS® value 2*

Want more Hungry Girl? Here’s her recipe for Save-the-Day Stuffing… plus check out what it’s like behind the scenes at the HG headquarters – so much research and tasting to do!

[Photo Credit: Hungry Girl]

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