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Delicious Recipe for Homemade Applesauce in the Slow Cooker

by Dana Zeliff on
in Apples Recipes, Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Recipe for Homemade Applesauce in the Slow Cooker

 

Apples are plentiful this time of year, so take advantage of picking at your local farms and shopping grocery store sales.  Check out this easy recipe for Homemade Applesauce in the Slow Cooker for a healthy and budget friendly treat.  I love recipes that I can set and walk away!

Bonus – your house will smell amazing all day 🙂

Recipe for Homemade Applesauce in the Slow Cooker

 

Ingredients:

15 – 25 Apples Peeled, Cored and Sliced*
3/4 Cup Water
1 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Cinnamon Stick (optional)**
1/4 – 1/2 Cup Sugar (optional)

*Number of apples will be dependent on size of apples.
**You could substitute 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon for the Cinnamon Stick or eliminate

Core Apples

 

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into slow cooker except for the sugar.  I like to wait until after cooking to see if the applesauce needs added sugar.  If you purchase sweeter apples, you may not even need to add sugar as it will be naturally sweet.  If you have tart apples such as Granny Smith, you will likely need to add a bit of sugar.

2. Slow Cooker should be about 3/4 full.

crock pot apple sauce

 3. Cook on low about 6 hours.  If you’re not using an Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer, you will need to increase your cooking time to accomidate chunky apple pieces.

4.  Remove and discard cinnamon stick.

5. Mash with a potato masher for chunkier applesauce or blend for a smoother applesauce.

This will last in the refrigerator for about a week.

I love that I can tweak the recipe for whatever I have on hand.    This recipe also freezes well.  I’ve placed cooled jars into the freezer without a problem.  To thaw, I just let it sit in the fridge for about a day.  Then it’s ready for the kids to chow down on homemade applesauce in December.

Note:  If you have a small slow cooker, use 6 -10 apples and reduce water to about 1/2 cup.

Homemade Applesauce Recipe

What is your Recipe for Homemade Applesauce in the Slow Cooker?  Do you add other ingredients?

Make sure to also see my Apple Pie Recipe with homemade pie crust!

Slow Cooker Applesauce

6 comments

Low Fat Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

by Dana Zeliff on
in Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Low Fat Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
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One of my all time favorite foods is fettuccine alfredo, but it definitely doesn’t fit with my healthy eating plan. That’s why this low fat fettuccine alfredo recipe is perfect. Get the same great taste with less fat than traditional fettuccine alfredo recipes.

This skinny version has 400 calories per serving and 14.2g of fat. The average fettuccine Alfredo has about 800 calories and Olive Garden’s dish will have you on the treadmill even longer with about 1,220 calories!

If you’re using Weight Watchers this recipe comes in at 8 PointsPlus per serving.  However, if you find a low fat, low carb pasta or alternative, it would really lower the points.

Low Fat Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe:

Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:

  1. 8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
  2. 1 head fresh or 1 package frozen broccoli florets
  3. 16 oz box of fettuccine
  1. 4 oz. 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese or neufatchel cheese (next to cream cheese)
  2. 2 cups skim milk
  3. 1 cup reduced fat grated parmesan cheese, grated
  4. 1 tsp salt
  5. 1 TBS butter
  6. 2 TBS flour
  7. Non stick pan spray
  8. 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
  9. black or white pepper (to taste) 

 

Directions:

[Read more…]

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Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffins

by Dana Zeliff on
in Pumpkin, Recipes, Weight Watchers Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffins
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I love the flavor of pumpkin, and I really like that it is so good for you – those two things don’t always go hand in hand.

Pumpkin has fiber, antioxidants, beta carotene, iron, Vitamins A,C,K, and E. It makes for a great ingredient in many recipes, and it also keeps goodies moist instead of dry like many “healthy” recipes.  These Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffins come in at right about 4 PointsPlus per muffin.

Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffins:

Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients

Ingredients:

1 cup canned Pumpkin
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup skim or 2% milk
1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Salt
2 eggs

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Line muffin tin with cupcake wrappers.
  3. Beat applesauce, brown sugar, milk and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined.
  4. In a separate bowl stir together; flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
  5. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients a little at a time until fully incorporated.
  6. Fill wrappers 2/3 of the way full.
  7. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center.

Serving size = 12 muffins

Weight Watchers Points:

  • Total recipe = 71 SmartPoints and 48 PointsPlus
  • 6 SmartPoints per muffin
  • 4 PointsPlus per muffin
  • 4 WW points per muffin (old system)

3.0 from 1 reviews
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Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffins
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup canned Pumpkin
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ⅔ cup applesauce
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • ⅔ cup skim or 2% milk
  • 1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • 2 eggs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Line muffin tin with cupcake wrappers.
  3. Beat applesauce, brown sugar, milk and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined.
  4. In a separate bowl stir together; flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
  5. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients a little at a time until fully incorporated.
  6. Fill wrappers ⅔ of the way full.
  7. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center.

 

These muffins also freeze well, so they are great for double and triple batches.   Toss into zippered freezer bags for grab and go breakfast or snacks.

Share your thoughts on these Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffins.  Did you make any changes?

Looking for more weight watchers recipes? Try this Weight Watchers Banana Bread Recipe

5 comments

Green Beans with Bacon Recipe

by Dana Zeliff on
in Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Green Beans with Bacon Recipe

Everything tastes better with bacon, right?!? If you are trying to get your kiddos to eat more veggies, give this green beans with bacon recipe a try.  I’m sure there won’t be any green beans left on the plate!

While this isn’t the healthiest way to cook green beans, it sure is delicious!

Green Beans with Bacon Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 4 Handfuls of Fresh Green Beans, steamed – I cut my ends, do you?!?
  • ½ onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated (less or more depending on your love of garlic)
  • 4-6 pieces of bacon, chopped
  • bacon grease, reserved for cooking green beans

Directions:

  1. Cook bacon strips and make sure they have a bite and not chewy…you want a bite to your bacon!
  2. While your bacon is cooking, in a microwave safe bowl place your cleaned green beans in the bowl.  *You could also cook in the pan by covering with water and steaming until tender.
  3. Ensure there is water remaining on the green beans and cover the bowl with saran wrap. The water in the bowl helps to steam the green beans. Place the bowl of green beans in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and let the beans steam. *Be careful when you remove the saran wrap…the steam will be super hot!
  4. Now let’s use the bacon grease! Place the bacon grease in a skillet (if it’s not already in one) and cook the onions until transparent, then add the green beans. Place the grated garlic and stir the green beans together. Let the bacon grease, onion, garlic and green beans come together for a delicious flavor! {My mouth is watering as I’m writing this recipe up!
  5. Plate up your green beans with your main dish and enjoy!

I challenge you not to eat a green bean before it makes it’s way to a plate 🙂

*Serves 4

Make sure to view these 15 Easy Side Dishes for more side ideas!!

1 Comment

Protein, Kale & Berry Smoothie – Whey Protein Smoothie Recipes

by Dana Zeliff on
in Fitness, Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

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Protein smoothies are a great post-workout meal.  They fill you up and provide your body with the nutrition it needs to repair muscles and recover from a workout.  I like to make my own smoothies at home since purchasing a pre-made smoothie can be expensive.

Kale is always in my smoothies. It’s a powerhouse of nutrition.  If you don’t have kale or want to switch things up a bit, use spinach.  I purchase kale in bulk and freeze.  The same goes for berries and bananas.  They freeze well and can save you a ton of money overtime.

Whey Protein Smoothie Recipes:

Ingredients:

1 Scoop Whey protein
1 Cup fat free milk (or water)
1 Cup fruit (I always do 1 banana plus a little bit of berries or peaches, depending on the season)
A few cubes of ice
Kale (to taste*)

Directions:

I start my blender with milk and kale since the kale needs to be pulverized more due to it’s tough cell walls.  Then add all your remaining ingredients to the blender.  Serve immediately.

Green Smoothie Recipe

*Add more kale gradually to your smoothies as you get used to the taste.  Adding just a few strawberries or blueberries helps mask the taste and allows me to add even more kale.

Kale Banana Peach Smoothie

In the image above, you can see the kale mixed with the milk at the bottom of the blender then the protein powder and topped with fruit.  You will also notice a bit of froth from blending the milk and kale.  Try not to add much more than a cup of fruit.  You don’t want too much sugar!

This is actually a double batch for hubby and myself 🙂

-2

**Kid Tip:  Blend the smoothie without the protein powder.  Fill a cup for your child, then add protein powder and blend your smoothie.  Kids won’t even know you snuk green goodness into their drink 🙂 If you’re trying to hide the green, the top image is made with more blueberries so it hides the green color.

Want more smoothie recipes?  You might like Smoothie Recipes for Weight Loss – 30 Delicious Detox, Cleanse and Green Smoothie Diet Book by Troy Adashun.

What are your favorite Whey Protein Smoothie Recipes?

Try these Home Workout Routines Without Weights to save on a gym membership and get fit at home.

2 comments

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Recipe

by Dana Zeliff on
in Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Recipe
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If you are looking for a quick breakfast, boxed lunch treat, or afternoon pick-me-up, this Oatmeal Breakfast Bars recipe is the perfect solution. Sweet and tender, with just the right amount of crunch, they will be a family favorite as soon as the first batch comes out of the oven.

Fill the bars with jam, preserves, apple butter, or pie filling–whichever flavors are your family favorites. You can also sprinkle the bars with a little brown sugar and wheat bran before baking to add a sweet streusel-like topping. Enjoy them warm or cold, and don’t forget to freeze some to toss in lunches!

A food processor is used for this recipe, but if you prefer to mix the dough by hand, make sure to grind the oatmeal first. A blender or coffee grinder will work well for this.

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Recipe Collage

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Recipe:

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Star Wars Kylo Ren Red Velvet Hot Cocoa Recipe

by Dana Zeliff on
in Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Red Velvet Hot Cocoa Recipes

Warm up with this tasty Star Wars Kylo Ren Red Velvet Hot Cocoa Recipe.  You can also add a bit of black sprinkles on the top for some extra pop of color.  These would be perfect for a sleepover or movie night with the kids.

Red Velvet Hot Cocoa Recipe:

Serving size – 1 8oz cup

Cocoa ingredients: 
1 cup of sim whole milk
1/2 cup of Chocolate syrup
1 – 1 1/2 tsp red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla

Whipped cream ingredients:
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Red Velvet Hot Cocoa Recipe

Directions – Cocoa: 

  1. Heat the milk in a small pot on medium heat
  2. Add in the chocolate, and stir until well mixed
  3. Add in red food coloring and vanilla

Directions –  Whipped Cream: 

  1. Using a paddle of a tend mixer or a hand mixer whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla
  2. Add the whip cream to a pastry bag with a round tip
  3. Top the cocoa with the whip cream

What is your favorite hot cocoa recipe?

Don’t miss our Blueberry Pound Cake & Root Beer Icing Recipe to pair with our yummy drink.

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