AmyCremen.com

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 whole wheat pita (150 calories or less per WHOLE pita)

1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese - 120 calories

1/2 cup Contadina Pizza Squeeze - 70 calories

1/4 cup low-fat mozarella cheese - 80 calories

oregano, basil, and garlic powder to taste.

*add whatever “toppings” you would like on a pizza!

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake on a baking sheet covered in foil and sprayed with non-stick Pam. for 10-12 minutes or until edges are brown and some of the filling may be coming out.

Mix ricotta cheese, pizza sauce, and mozarella cheese together in a bowl (also, add your “toppings” at this time).  Scoop mixture inside the 1/2 pita and use water to close up the pita.  Spray Pam on top and add sprinkles of low-fat parmesan cheese.

Squeeze a little bit of pizza sauce on top and enjoy!!

I just made some amazingly yummy crepes for my mom and I for dinner.  They were SO good, I had to share the recipe right away…here it is!!

Amy’s Crepes:

Crepe:

1 Package Melissa’s Ready-To-Use Crepes (http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/crepes.aspx)

Filling:

15oz Low-Fat Ricotta Cheese

1/2 Cup Sugar Substitute (Granulated)

Dash of Vanilla

Directions:

Beat the above 3 ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth.  Cut each crepe shell in half and scoop a tablespoon of the filling into the middle of the crepe.  Add any extras you wish (I added 3 dark chocolate chips to some and some blackberries/blueberries/strawberries mix as well).

Use a non-stick pan on low, spray w/Pam, and add 2 crepes at a time, and leave them on for literally 5 seconds on each side.  Any longer will make them burn, as the crepe shells are fragile.

ENJOY!!!

Makes 20 mini-crepes…Approx. 52 calories per mini crepe, depending on any extra goodies inside

I wanted to make a pita pizza today, but I am kind of over it…so, I thought, how can I spice it up?  So, I thought….PIZZA ROLLS!   Here is my “lightened up” version of those amazing little pockets of fun!

(I am giving you the basics of the pizza, but you can add any ingredients you want…just add the calories…wee!)

Pizza Rolls:

8 Nasoya Wonton Wraps (170 calories)

1 Sargento 50-calorie Mozarella Cheese Stick (Cut up into little round circles and add 2 circles to each Wonton) (50 calories)

1/4 cup Contadina Pizza Squeeze (30 calories)

1 Clove Garlic

2 basil leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to broil on LOW.  Separate all 8 Wonton Wraps and add all ingredients evenly to each wrap.  Use water to moisten edges and fold into little envelopes.  Keep an eye on them and they are ready when they start to brown.

ENJOY!!!

So, I LOVEEEEEE Hungry Girl and I always, always, always am making something from her website or cookbook.  I have even had the PLEASURE of exchanging a PERSONAL e-mail with Lisa Lillian!!!

I was craving a sweet dessert tonight, but as you know after watching a little known TV show, I have given up fattening, bad for me foods forever!!  That’s when I decided to dig in the HG archives and find a bread pudding recipe!

I decided to put a little twist on the recipe and exchange the peanut butter with Chocolate PB2 (www.bellplantation.com)!!

So, here it is!:

3 slices 35-40 calorie bread (Aunt Millies Whole Wheat Light or D’dtaliamo Light Itallian Bread) (35-40 calories)

2 tbsp. Hersheys Dark Chocolate Chips (70 calories)

1 cup fat-free milk (80 calories)

2 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (48 calories)

1/3 cup Eggbeaters (45 calories)

2 tbsp Chocolate PB2 (go to www.bellplantation.com to order) (54 calories)

2 tbsp. Cool Whip Free (for topping) (15 calories)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place bread cubes in a 1-quart baking dish coated w/ nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Combine fat-free milk, brown sugar, Eggbeaters, and Chocolate PB2 in a bowl and whisk until smooth.  Pour mixture over bread cubes (make sure all bread is covered); let stand 5 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until pudding is firm.  Add 2 tbsp. Cool Whip Free to each serving; serves 4. Approximately 140 calories per serving.

ENJOY!!!

I experimented with a recipe I found online today.  I wanted to make my boyfriend oatmeal cookies, but of course, we didn’t want all of the calories!  Here is what I came up with!

1 cup quick cooking oats (300 calories)

1/4 cup whole wheat flour (110 calories)

4 tablespoons chocolate PB2 powdered peanut butter (104 calories - www.bellplantation.com)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar substitute

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (50 calories)

1/4 cup eggbeaters (30 calories)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  cover baking sheet with foil and coat the foil with non-stick cooking spray.  combine all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until just mixed.  bake for 10-12 minutes and  make them as big as you want!

add up all of the calories and divide them by how many cookies you make, and that is your calories per cookie!

enjoy!!

I forgot to post this! How could I, this was AWESOME! and it was so easy!

White Bean and Basil Penne

1/2 cup whole-grain penne pasta

1/2 cup canned white beans

1 cup chopped zucchini

1/4 cup spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon toasted pine nuts

Cook whole-grain penne pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.  Return pot to heat and add canned white beans, chopped zucchini, and spaghetti sauce; cook for 7 minutes.  Stir pasta into sauce.  Top with 1/4 cup fresh basil and toasted pine nuts.

I am in love with Starbucks baked good, but we ALL know that they have a ridiculous amount of calories in them.  They have started using “simple” ingredients, so they post different recipes from time to time.  I decided to make the Banana Walnut Bread, but I decided to substitute a lot of different ingredients, and it came out wonderful!

Substitutions for:

White Flour - WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

Egg - EGGBEATERS

Sugar - SUGAR SUBSTITUTE

Vegetable Oil - APPLESAUCE

Buttermilk - NON-FAT PLAIN YOGURT

Walnuts - SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Starbucks Banana Bread - Reinvented!

yummy!

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup eggbeaters

1 1/8 cup splenda granulated sugar (or whatever sugar substitute you prefer)

½ cup applesauce

2 tbsp non-fat plain yogurt

½ tsp vanilla extract

3 ripe medium-large bananas (mashed)

70 semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9×5x3 loaf pan and dust with flour. Blend together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Mix together the eggbeaters, sugar substitute and applesauce until combined. Add the flour mixture, yogurt, vanilla and mashed bananas and mix well with a mixer. Then add the 70 semi-sweet chocolate chips and blend again. Bake for 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pan.

Calories for ENTIRE loaf: 1,330 calories

Calories per serving (makes 8 servings): 167 calories

Calories for ENTIRE loaf of STARBUCKS banana nut bread: 3,840 calories

Calories per serving of STARBUCKS bread (makes 8 servings): 480 calories

WE SAVED 313 CALORIES PER SERVING!!!

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend!  I went up north with my boyfriend and a bunch of friends, thinking that we were going to lay on the beach and go on the boat all weekend, but nooooooo….it was in the 50’s! We were freezing the entire weekend, but we had a lot of fun because we were all together!

Anyway, I have 2 new recipes for today! These were sent to me by a great lady named Robin Auten!  Thanks Robin!

Enjoy! xoxo Amy C.

CAL 272; FAT 8.7g; PRO 11.9g; FIB 5.5g

Lately, I have NOT had any motivation to do anything! Sure, I get up at 6:30am every morning and do the P90X program with my boyfriend Steve and 3x a week I work out with my trainer, but anything beyond that I feel like I can’t do it!  I know because of my weight gain after The Biggest Loser Finale (for those who don’t know, I have gained about 25lbs…we all gain something), I am feeling slightly depressed.  Being in that BL environment was SO safe; nothing to tempt me, nothing else to do but work out, all my attention was on ME.  But now, I am thrown back into the “real world”, which scares the CRAP out of me!  I know that I have to deal with it and learn how to adjust to this so-called “real world” and that tons of people go through the same thing I am.  I decided to do a Google search on “motivation to exercise” and I came to a cool list of reasons why we should keep our body healthy.  I am going to share them with you and I hope that if you’re going through the same struggles, you will take this advice and use it!  Also, if anyone wants to share their story or experiences, please leave a comment!

XOXO Amy C.

From the Website:  Zen Habits (www.zenhabbits.net)

1. How you feel after a workout. I always feel great after a good workout. It’s a high. And I let that motivate me the next time: “You know how good you’re going to feel, Leo!”
2. Time for you. While many people make time to take care of others (kids, spouse, other family, co-workers, boss), they don’t often make time to take care of themselves. Instead, make your “you” time a priority, and don’t miss that exercise appointment.
3. Calories burned. If you count calories (and it’s really one of the most effective ways to lose weight), you know that the more you exercise, the more calories you burn — and the bigger your calorie deficit.
4. Having fun. Exercise should be fun. If it isn’t, try a different kind of activity that you enjoy. As long as you’re moving, it’s good for you.
5. How you’re going to look. Imagine a slimmer, fitter you. Now let that visualization drive you.
6. Magazines. It motivates me to read fitness magazines. Not sure why, but it works.
7. Cover models. Sure, they’re genetically freaky, and probably Photoshopped to look perfect. But for some reason, looking at how good a cover model looks helps motivate me to work harder.
8. Blogs. I enjoy reading blogs about people who are into running, or losing weight. It can show the ups and downs they go through, and you can learn from their experiences.
9. Success stories. I find the success stories of others incredibly inspirational. If a fitness website has success stories, I’ll almost always read them.
10. Forums. Do the monthly challenge on the Zen Habits forums, or join another forum full of like-minded or like-goaled peopled. Check in daily. It really helps.
11. Rewards. If you exercise for a few days, give yourself a reward! A week? Another reward. Do it often in the beginning.
12. Fitting into new clothes. Wanna look good in a smaller size? Work out!
13. Being attractive. That’s always a good motivator, as I’m sure we all know. Edited to correct language.
14. Adrenaline rush. I get a rush when I exercise. Ride that rush to complete the workout.
15. Stress relief. Wound up after a long day at the office? Get out and work off that stress. It makes a world of difference.
16. Time for contemplation. I love, love the quiet time of exercise for thinking about things. Most of this post was written in my head as I exercised.
17. A workout partner. Best thing I’ve done.
18. An exercise class. Sign up for a class, perhaps with a friend, and you’ll be motivated to get there and work out.
19. A coach or trainer. Worth the money, just for the motivation.
20. An exercise log/graph. For some reason, writing it down is extremely important. Really. Do it for a week and you’ll see what I mean.
21. Your before picture. You often don’t realize how far you’ve come. Take pictures.
22. A 5K race or triathlon. Just sign up for one, and you’ll be motivated to train.
23. The dread of feeling “yuck” from not exercising. I hate how I feel after not exercising. So I remind myself of that when I feel tired.
24. Living long enough to see your grandkids … and play with them.
25. The scale. It’s not motivating to weigh yourself every day, as your weight fluctuates. But if you weigh yourself once a week, you’ll be motivated to have it keep going down, instead of up. Combine the scale with the measuring tape, and measure your waist.
26. Reaching a goal. Set a goal for weight, or your waist measurement, or a number of days to work out, or a number of miles to run this week. Setting and tracking a goal helps motivate you to complete that goal. Make it easily achievable.
27. Posting it on your blog. Tell people you’re going to lose weight or exercise daily, and report to them. You’ll make it happen.
28. Motivational quotes. I like to print them out or put them on my computer desktop.
29. Books. I just bought a strength-training book as a reward. It makes me want to hit the weights!
30. Others commenting on how good you look. When someone notices the changes in your body, it feels good. And it makes you want to work out more.
31. An upcoming day at the beach, or a reunion. Nuff said.

Mom caught me cooking!

Spinach Pie...The finished product!

WELCOME!  I have been away from the website for a while, but I’m back and ready to share some awesome things with you all!  Each day I will be posting a “Recipe(s) of The Day”, which will consist of healthy recipes that I have tried, want to try, or recipes that are sent in by YOU!  If you would like to contribute to the Recipe(s) of The Day, please send me an email with your recipe to biggestloseramyc@hotmail.com!

The very first Recipe(s) of The Day comes from my Facebook friend Cari Hartman. Thanks Cari!

***If anyone tries the recipes, please post a comment on how they turned out!***

Veggie Pies - There are several different varieties of these pies, but you bake all of them on 350* in an  8×8 pan.

Spinach Pie=12 Weight Watcher points for the entire pie!
1 box of frozen spinach
½ cup of ff ricotta cheese
½ cup of Reduced Fat Bisquick
¾ cup of eggbeaters or 5 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic or use garlic powder-finely chopped
¼ tsp pepper

1 tbs lite margarine or butter

½ cup ff milk

1 tbs grated parmesan

Sauté the garlic and pepper with margarine until browned. Add defrosted box of spinach and cook for several minutes. Remove from heat and combine other ingredients. Place mixture in a sprayed baking pan and bake 35-40 minutes.
Zucchini Pie=12 Weight Watcher points for the entire pie!

1box frozen zucchini (or two fresh med sized sliced in half moons)
¼ lb. mozzarella
½ cup Reduced Fat Bisquick
¾ cup of eggbeaters or 5 eggwhites
1 medium size onion chopped
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbs lite margarine or butter
½ cup ff milk
1 tbs grated parmesan

Sauté onion, pepper, basil with margarine until browned. Add defrosted box of zucchini and cook until softened. Remove from heat and combine other ingredients. Place mixture in a sprayed baking pan and bake 35-40 minutes.

Artichoke Pie=14 Weight Watcher points for the entire pie!

1 box frozen artichokes
¼ lb mozzarella
½ cup Reduced Fat Bisquick
¾ cup eggbeaters or 5 eggwhites
2 cloves garlic finely chopped or garlic powder
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tbs lite margarine or butter
½ cup ff milk
1 tbs grated parmesan

Sauté the garlic, pepper with margarine until browned. Add defrosted box of artichokes and cook for several minutes. Remove from heat and combine other ingredients. Place mixture in a sprayed baking pan and bake 35-40 minutes.

Broccoli and Cheese Pie=11 Weight Watcher points for the entire pie!

1 box frozen chopped broccoli
1 medium onion
¼ lb reduced fat shredded cheddar
½ cup Reduced Fat Bisquick
¾ cup egg beaters or 5 eggwhites
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbs lite margarine or butter
½ cup ff milk

Sauté onion and pepper with margarine until browned. Add defrosted box of broccoli and cook until softened. Remove from heat and combine other ingredients. Place mixture in a sprayed baking pan and bake 35-40 minutes.