Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Yummy pumpkin bread and chocolate chips, the perfect fall treat. When I hear that there may be a canned pumpkin shortage this season, I stocked up, hence all the pumpkin recipes. Now there is canned pumpkin everywhere, but I'm still enjoying all the pumpkin foods. The pumpkin bread recipe comes from Gina at Skinny Taste. I added the chocolate chips because I think the combination goes well together. This recipe is perfect for an afternoon snack or as nice breakfast with a cup of tea.

Making lightened up versions of baked goods is not something I am not too familiar with. I find cooking to be a lot easier because the measurements can be very imprecise and adding something or taking something away doesn't necessarily detract from the dish. Baking is more like a chemistry experiment - everything combines in some way to make the final product and deviating too much can cause problems. Even so, I am excited to begin experimenting with making baked goods lighter.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

All the delicious flavors found in pumpkin pie, just frozen! This is another recipe that I made for Thanksgiving dinner and was a big hit. If you can't indulge a bit during the holidays, when can you? This recipe certainly fits the bill. Once again I had the difficulties of making ice cream light. I got the inspiration for this recipe from Christie's Corner. I made a few alterations in an attempt to make it lighter. The result tastes just like real ice cream so my mission was accomplished.

I added crushed graham crackers to act like the crust. The ice cream tastes perfectly fine without them, so you can leave them out if you wish.

Making ice cream can sometimes be a long process, but I promise the results are worth it.

Cranberry Squares

Tart cranberries with a sweet frosting. What says holidays better than this dessert? I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a big hit. They are fairly simple to make, but look like you put a lot of time and effort into them. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is not too sweet. There is no extra sugar in the frosting and it serves as the perfect accompaniment to the both sweet and tart filling. This recipe makes a lot, so it is great to serve at your next holiday party.

I got this recipe from the same Land 'O Lakes cookbook that I adapted my Snickerdoodle Ice Cream recipe from. I lightened it up a bit of course, but I doubt that any of the taste was sacrificed. Also, I'm sure frozen cranberries would work fine instead of fresh.

Leftover Turkey Picadillo

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover turkey, and if you are like me, you have plenty of it. Picadillo is a traditional dish in Latin American countries. Don't be put off by the strange ingredient list, this dish tastes really good and smells amazing as it is cooking. Picadillo is traditionally cooked with olives, but since I detest them, I left them out. You can vary this recipe by adding almonds or other herbs or spices. I served this with tortillas and topped with lettuce and onions like tacos one night and then served with rice another night. Both ways tasted delicious.

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers

Beef, spinach feta and tomatoes combined into a delicious, light meal. I found these peppers to be quite filling. With a side salad, this makes a complete dinner. Next time I make them, I might add a few red pepper flakes to spice them up a bit, but they were fine just how they are. I got the inspiration for this dish from the Weight Watchers PointsPlus Cookbook. I made only a few modifications and look forward to trying out more recipes.

Cinnamon Pear Frozen Yogurt

All the delicious smells and tastes of fall combined into a tasty sweet treat. Just because it is cold outside doesn't mean that it is time to retire the ice cream maker. There are plenty of delicious frozen treats with a fall flavor. Pears and cinnamon always remind me of fall. This makes the perfect ending to a nice hearty cold weather meal.

This is another recipe that I had discrepancies between the nutritional information and the Points+ calculator. The Point+ calculator says this is only two points, which is what I am going with, while the nutrition information says it is 3 Points+. You can decide how you want to count them.