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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• White Bean Enchiladas
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One of the most popular posts here at FatfighterTV is an interview I did with fitness model, Jamie Eason, about her diet – foods she avoids, her splurges, and her grocery list. Now, check out this video she sent of her making her “Oh Baby” Carrot Cake Protein Bars – you can also read the recipe below. And make sure you stop by Jamie’s new website for more recipes, exercise tips, and modeling pics!

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Oh Baby!” Carrot Cake Protein Bars

Ingredients:
Non-fat no-stick spray
1 cup oat flour (ground oatmeal found in the health section of your grocery store)
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice (optional – more like spice cake)
3 egg whites
¾ cup Splenda
½ cup fat free Ricotta cheese
2  4 oz. jars or packs of baby carrots (instead of shredded carrots)
2 scoops vanilla whey protein (look for a low sugar, low fat and low carb variety)
1 cup quick cooking oats (optional for added carbs and energy)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an  8 x 8 pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.
In a medium bowl, mix egg whites, Splenda, ricotta and baby food until well combined.  Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix well.  Finally, fold in the quick cooking oats (optional) and stir until just combined.
Pour batter into the pyrex dish and spread evenly.  Bake 28 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool and cut into 16 pieces – 4 x 4.

Nutrition per serving:  2 small squares
94 calories  (132 cal with oats folded in)
1.25 g fat  (2 g fat with oats folded in)
10 g carbs (17 g carbs with oats folded in)
10 g protein (11 g protein with oats folded in)

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• Healthy Recipe: Easy Beef Stroganoff
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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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Hungry Girl is at it again! She’s got a new hit book – Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 – with more delicious recipes all under 200 calories, like this one for H-O-T Hot Boneless Buffalo Wings. Oh, and next week, we’ll be giving away a copy of HG’s new book, so stay tuned. Until then, check out my interview with Hungry Girl – Behind the scenes and enjoy the wings! Thanks, HG!

Per serving (5 wings): 175 calories, 1.5g fat, 1,153mg sodium, 14g carbs, 4g fiber, <1g sugars, 27g protein

Ingredients
8 ounces raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, cut into 10 nuggets
¼ cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1 ounce (about 14 crisps) Pringles Light Fat Free Barbeque Potato Crisps (or another fat-free BBQ-flavored potato chip)
3 tablespoons Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Dash onion powder
Dash garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash black pepper
Dash salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency.

Crush potato crisps completely. In a small dish, mix crushed crisps with cereal crumbs. Add onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper, and salt, and mix well.

Place chicken pieces in a separate dish. Cover with Frank’s RedHot and toss to coat.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Give each chicken piece a shake so it’s not dripping with sauce, and then coat evenly with crumb mixture. Lay crumb-covered nuggets on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Flip nuggets over and bake for 10 more minutes, or until outsides are crispy and chicken is cooked throughout.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

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• One Dish Chicken & Rice Bake
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Chicken breasts go uptown with a brush of balsamic, a sprinkle of herbs and a warmed feta finish. Simply sensational! (And ready in less than 30 minutes!)

Recipe courtesty: eatbetteramerica

Prep Time: 10 min
Start to Finish: 25 min
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper blend
1 large plum (Roma) tomato, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (1 oz)

Directions
1. Set oven control to broil. Brush both sides of chicken breasts with dressing. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning and seasoned pepper. Place on rack in broiler pan.
2. Broil with tops 4 inches from heat about 10 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Broil chicken about 15 minutes. Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 220 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 8g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 90mg; Sodium 260mg; Total Carbohydrate 3g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 3g); Protein 33g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 6%; Iron 8% Exchanges: 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Very Lean Meat; 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 0 MyPyramid Servings: 4 oz-equivalents Meat & Beans, 1/4 c Vegetables
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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I first saw these awesome looking pancakes when Lori from Finding Radiance posted a picture of them here during the Food Photo Contest. I haven’t stopped thinking about them since, so I’m thrilled that she’s letting me share her recipe with all of you now. Lori tells me she has these pancakes with her favorite topping (blueberries) three times a week – Can’t wait to try them!

Protein Pancakes:
1/3 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup egg substitute *or* 1 whole egg
15 grams (about 1 tbsp) protein powder.
dash of cinnamon
dash of vanilla
sweetener if desired.
Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Then cook as you would normal pancakes.

Blueberry Topping
1 cup of frozen blueberries (I like Wymans wild blueberries)
1 tsp of cornstarch
1 tbsp of cold water.
Heat the frozen blueberries in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot and just simmering. There will be juice in the bottom of the pan. Don’t boil them! In a small bowl mix the cold water and cornstarch. Add to the pan and stir until the mixture thickens up – about 30 seconds. This is a great topping over pancakes, or use as the base of a crumble.

Nutritional Info:
The pancakes are 290 for the whole batch, using an egg and low-fat cottage cheese.  So there is room to reduce for those that want to use egg whites and FF cottage cheese.

The blueberry sauce is 70 calories.

Check out more from Lori at her blog here.

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This recipe for Easy Beef Stroganoff is courtesy of Jen at Skinny Habits for a Skinny Life. Jen says, “This recipe is one of my favorites – it doesn’t taste low calorie/fat at all! And it is sooo easy.” Enjoy!

4 (HUGE) Servings/5 pts ea. – (More info on Weight Watchers’ Points here)

4 T Onion Soup Mix
2 sm. onions, chopped
2 10 oz. packages sliced mushrooms
1 lb. sirloin steak, trimmed and chopped
1 1/2 C fat-free sour cream
2 t. cornstarch

Spray medium/large skillet with nonstick spray. Brown steak and remove from pan. Spray pan again with nonstick spray. Saute onions and mushrooms until soft.
Add meat to vegetables, and stir in the onion soup mix. Heat till bubbly, then add sour cream a little at a time, until meat is done.
If sauce is too thin, add corn starch and stir till it reaches your desired consistancy.

Serve over whole wheat/high fiber pasta. (Will need to add points)

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BRRRRRRR! It’s cold out there (5-degrees right now, actually). So, to warm things up at your holiday get-togethers, how about a new twist on a popular hot drink? It’s an apple cider and cranberry juice combo you make in your slow cooker. Not only will it taste delish, your house will smell warm and cinnamony-spicy-good!

From Eat Better America
Prep Time: 5 min
Start to Finish: 4 hr 5 min
makes: 24 servings (1/2 cup each)

Ingredients:
1/3    cup packed brown sugar
2    teaspoons whole allspice
4    sticks cinnamon (3 inch)
1    bottle (48 oz) apple cider (6 cups)
1    bottle (48 oz) cranberry juice cocktail (6 cups)
1.    In 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients.
2.    Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours. Before serving, remove allspice and cinnamon.

Nutritional Information:
1 Serving: Calories 80 (Calories from Fat 0); Total Fat 0g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Total Carbohydrate 19g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 17g); Protein 0g

Yum! Must try this one!

What’s your favorite warm beverage during these cold, cold, cold months?

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When the cooler temperatures hit, I hit the soup – one of my favorite meals in the fall and winter. This recipe – first seen on Belief.net – comes to us from Janice Taylor, author of the fantasticly funny, offbeat, and unique book, All is Forgiven, Move On – Our Lady of Weight Loss’s 101 Fat-Burning Steps on Your Journey to Sveltsville.

Leeky Chicken Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 medium leeks, trimmed, sliced, and well-washed (approx. 2 cups)
2 large baking potatoes, grated
2 medium carrots, grated
1 bunch parsley, chopped
8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (There are some great brands now that are organic and low-sodium.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a 6-quart pot over medium heat.
2. Add the leeks, potatoes and carrots.
3. Sauté until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. (If you feel that you need more oil, try adding a bit of water instead.)
4. Add the parsley, broth, salt, and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for about 40 minutes or until tender.

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When MizFit featured my healthy hummus recipe a couple of weeks ago I realized I didn’t have it posted on FatFighterTV! Silly me. So here it is… First, a little background:

This is a recipe for hummus that I got from my dad who is from Egypt. It’s already typically a healthy dip with its good fats and all, but I decided to make my own version just a little lighter anyway since I’m always looking to save a few calories and fat when I can. So, mine has less olive oil (*see optional) and sesame paste than my dad’s original version. The garlic and spices give this fabulous dip a bit of a tasty kick.

FatFighterTV’s Healthy Hummus Recipe

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
1 Tbs. tahini (sesame paste)
1 lemon – squeezed for juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. salt

In food processor, puree garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, and as much garbanzo bean liquid as needed to form a coarse paste. Add seasonings. Blend thoroughly. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with a little paprika. Serve with pita bread.

*Optional – you can also garnish hummus with olive oil and kalamata olives.

Totals in entire recipe, not including the garnish (Because breaking it down by tablespoons gave me a headache… 480 calories, 17g fat, 2g saturated fat, 22g protein, 15.5g fiber

###

Oh, and if you’re looking for creative ways to use this fabulous dip, check out all the ideas on the lovely and talented MizFit’s site.

Enjoy!

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