HG Blueberry Scone recipe

When blueberries are plentiful, this is a great use for some of them! I adjusted it a little (there's always a reason to use a Pampered Chef seasoning!)

2/3 cup uncooked oatmeal (not instant)

1/3 cup Bisquick Heart Smart Baking Mix

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. PC Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend

1 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. Smart Balance 37% Light Buttery Spread

1/3 cup unsweetened Vanilla Blue Diamond Almond Breeze (or light soymilk)

3/4 cup blueberries

Directions:

Set oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients but blueberries. Fold in berries. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and form 4 mounds of batter on sheet (leave room in between 'em -- they expand!). Bake for 10 minutes. Makes 4 large scones.

Serving Size: 1 scone

Calories: 130

Fat: 3g

Sodium: 195mg

Carbs: 24g

Fiber: 2.25g

Sugars: 7g

Protein: 3.5g

* 2 Points

"Stuffed" Green Peppers

I'm too impatient to bake stuffed peppers, so here's my take on it - stovetop style.

3 large green peppers, chopped
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
1 cup brown rice (uncooked)
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp PC Italian Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions (1 c rice:1.5 c water, bring to boil, cover and simmer over low 25 mins, then let sit at least 10 more).

In large skillet, brown ground beef, onions and green peppers. Drain. Add in tomato sauce and Italian Seasoning. Stir in rice when it's done cooking, and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Amish Friendship Zucchini Muffins

I had a starter for Amish Friendship Bread in my freezer that I finally decided to revive. Today was Day 10, and I had some shredded zucchini that needed to get used, so I figured I should be able to combine the two! I'm posting this as I made it and although they were light, soft, moist and oh-so yummy, they're definitely hi-cal (coming in at close to 300 cals/muffin!). Next time (10 days from now?) I'm going to try to lighten up the mix. I did use white wheat flour, though.

2 cups Amish bread mix
2 cups shredded zucchini (patted dry with paper towels)
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups white wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend
Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, spray regular muffin tins with Baking Spray w/Flour (will yield 2 dozen regular-size muffins).

In stand mixer, beat eggs together. Add in oil, sugar and bread mix until combined. Switch to paddle attachment and slowly add zucchini.

In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients, then slowly add dry into wet mixture. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops are golden brown and springy.

Aluminum pan took 25 minutes, silicone pan took 30.

Food in moderation...

Since I can't seem to stick to any sort of "diet" for more than 4 days, I'm trying just a new basic philosophy. Eating a piece of fruit or a vegetable before every meal, or whenever I'm hungry for a snack. So far, this means averaging about 3 pieces of fruit and 2 veggies a day - which is good for what they recommend anyway!

In the morning, I'm usually eating a nectarine, having a cup of coffee, then a VitaTop - my new favorite splurge, because they're great!

Then an apple and more coffee mid-morning, and a big salad for lunch. This week it's been either a big greek salad or a big Satay Peanut salad with chicken. Then veggies mid-afternoon, sometimes with hummus, and dinner's whatever. With veggies - lots of roasted veggies these days!

BBQ Ribs in the oven

I found this recipe and tried it out tonight. I made a few alterations, baked it in my Stoneware Rectangle Baker at 375 for almost 2 hours, then Broiler on Lo while corn was cooking, so an additional 5-7 minutes.

3 lbs pork back ribs
4 oz honey
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 small onion, grated or chopped
12 ounces barbecue sauce (I used Famous Dave's Sweet & Zesty)

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl. Put the ribs in the baker (or roasting pan) and cover with sauce, making sure they're completely coated. Loosely cover w/foil and bake at 375 for 1-2 hours or until they get tender.

These were good. Really good. As in - I made just under 3 lbs, which was about 16 individual ribs and there were TWO left.

Notes for next time: I think before broiling them at the end, I'll pull them out of the sauce and put them on a separate tray to crisp them up a little. Run the sauce through a separator to pull the fat off, and put in a small sauce pan and boil for a few minutes to reduce to a thicker sauce.