greek yogurt

Pumpkin Spice Greek Yogurt Pancakes

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I am crazy about pumpkin pie, but I pretty much only have it two times a year – at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It’s not at all at a hard pie to make, but it just seems like a holiday pie to me! That said, I LOVE making other pumpkin recipes all year long, but since I ate pretty much whatever I wanted from the time the plane took off for our girls’ trip in Nashville in mid-October until Thanksgiving, I was wanting something I could eat that seemed indulgent – but would allow my pants to continue to fit by Christmas. 

I decided to see if Tracy’s Greek Yogurt Pancakes could become pumpkin-spiced, and I SO happy with the result.  Paired with your favorite syrup, these have just the right amount of pumpkin and not-at-all-secret spices to make you feel like you’re having a serious dessert.  These are definitely going on our Christmas morning menu – and a few other days in between, I’m sure, since my 5 year old has requested them several times, even though the recipe has only existed for about a week!  Hope you and yours enjoy them as much as we do.  ~Robin

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Ingredients:

  • 2 c. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 c. pumpkin puree
  • 1 c. all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ tsp. (or very slightly more) ground nutmeg
  • ¼ c. plus 1 T. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 4 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

  1. Pour Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree into a medium sized mixing bowl or the bowl of electric stand mixer. Combine all dry ingredients and add to yogurt/pumpkin mixture. Mix just until dry ingredients are incorporated well.
  2. Combine eggs and vanilla. Add to yogurt mixture and mix until well combined.
  3. Cook in sprayed skillet or griddle pan until each side is golden brown (on medium or a little cooler). You can gauge when to flip each pancake when bubbles begin to form on the uncooked side.

WW Freestyle Info.: Makes 24 pancakes at approximately 5-inch diameter each. Each pancake is 1 point. 

Lighter Blueberry Muffins

8 Comments

As the Mom of two boys who would rather eat donuts for breakfast (or a restaurant style plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes), finding healthy breakfast options is a struggle!  Don’t get me wrong, they will eat cereal. One of them ate two bowls of Chocolate Frosted Flakes just today. My point is, that unless I can fake them them into a healthy breakfast option, they are looking for their morning sugar rush!  They are not into fruit topped quinoa for breakfast. Who would be!?

These Lighter Blueberry Muffins are at least a step in the right direction.  With only a small amount of sugar, and no oil or butter, maybe these muffins can help us all avoid the dreaded “muffin top.” ~Tracy

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Ingredients:
  • 1 c. low fat milk (1%)
  • ¼ c. non-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ c. sugar
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (rinsed and dried)
  • 2 T. brown sugar
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. In medium bowl, combine other dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. Beat milk, yogurt, and egg in a large bowl.
  5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixing just until combined. It’s fine for the batter to have a few lumps.
  6. Gently fold in the blueberries.
  7. Generously spray cups of muffin pan with baking spray. Even if using paper liners it is important to generously spray them with baking spray. With no oil in this recipe, muffins will stick without spraying the pan or liners.
  8. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about ⅔ full.
  9. Sprinkle a small amount of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top of each muffin.
  10. Bake at 400 for about 22 minutes or until golden brown.

WW Freestyle Info.: Makes 12 muffins, 4 points each.

Life Changing Chicken and Dumplings

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I don’t know about y’all, but when I’m trying to eat healthier, it’s the comfort foods that I really crave. What is it about trying to eat well, that makes us crave all of the things that are so bad for us?  One of my favorite comfort foods is chicken and dumplings.  Tonight, I decided to try the current two-ingredient dough craze that’s gone viral in the Weight Watchers world to see if I can make a chicken and dumpling recipe that would satisfy my craving without crashing my diet.  I’m here to tell you folks, that this recipe is light done right.  Try this recipe and think of your grandma in her kitchen as you’re cooking!  ~Tracy

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Ingredients:

½ c. yellow onion, finely chopped

5 c. fat free chicken broth

3 c. cooked white meat chicken (I like to use shredded chicken breasts from rotisserie chickens)

1 ½ c. self-rising flour

1 ½ c. plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

1 t. kosher salt

Instructions:

In a large soup pot (approx. 3 qt.), sauté the onions in 3 or 4 T. of your chicken broth, just until the onion begins to become translucent.   Add in the remaining chicken broth and cooked chicken.  Bring to a heavy simmer (no need for a full boil, you want the mixture to be lightly bubbling).

While the chicken and broth are heating, mix together the flour, salt, and yogurt until they form a sticky dough.

Once the chicken broth is simmering heavily, spray two small spoons with cooking spray.  Drop dumplings by spoonsful into the simmering broth mixture until all of the dough is used.

Allow dumplings to cook in the broth for approximately 5 minutes.  Remove a large dumpling and cut open to test doneness.  When the middle of the larger dumplings appear cooked through, remove the pot from heat.    Allow the pot to sit for approximately 5 minutes before serving so that all dumplings finish cooking within the hot broth.

Weight Watchers info.:  Makes approximately 8, 1 cup servings at 2 Weight Watchers Freestyle points each.