Snacks Archives -

Apple Crisp

Rachel — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 13:09:41 +0000

If you haven’t noticed by now, I have a thing for apples. Two of my most popular recipes, my Ooey Gooey Apples and Zero Point Apple Butter, are apple recipes! This year I wanted to make a new apple dish so I created this delicious Apple Crisp. Ya’ll, it’s SO GOOD. The ingredients are minimal and the recipe is simple to make – it’s perfect to serve any day of the week! My Apple Crisp recipe makes 6 servings at 6 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plans or 230 calories per serving.

One thing I’ve learned about creating apple recipes is that if you use the right apple, you really don’t need to add much sugar, if any at all. Some apples are perfectly sweet on their own! The filling of this apple crisp doesn’t have any added sugar – just apples, cinnamon, lemon juice, corn starch and water. The apples get just enough gooey goodness from the cornstarch and they’re cooked until just tender- I still like them to have a little bite. They’re delicious on their own but the topping is just the icing on the cake.. eeer the crisp!

The crumble is a simple combination of oatmeal, a little brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter. It goes perfectly with our apples and gets super crunchy while baking! I like to top my crisp with a little vanilla ice cream or whipped topping. And to be honest, I may or may not have eaten the leftovers for breakfast on more than one occasion.

Can’t wait for you to give this recipe a try! My Apple Crisp recipe makes 6 servings at 6 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plan or 230 calories per serving. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs fuji apples (about 4 large)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
1.5 Tbsp corn starch
2 tsp cinnamon, divided
¼ tsp nutmeg
⅔ c rolled oats
¼ c all purpose flour
¼ c brown sugar
4 tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and spray a pie dish or 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Peel and slice apples into very thin slices, ¼ inch or thinner.
Mix apple slices with lemon juice, water, cornstarch, 1 tsp of the cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into baking dish.
In the same bowl mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, and the remaining 1 tsp of cinnamon. Pour in melted butter and stir until well blended and crumbly. Using your fingers, crumble the mixture over the top of the apples.
Bake for 60 minutes. Allow to sit at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Makes 6 servings of Apple Crisp at 6 WW SmartPoint each.

Nutritional information is calculated with MyFitnessPal and may vary based on brands used. Smart Points information is calculated with the Weight Watchers app and may also vary based on brands used.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ⅙ of the crisp | Calories: 230 Fat: 8 Saturated fat: 5 Carbohydrates: 42 Sugar: 26 Fiber: 5 Protein: 2

I am so excited you are making one of my recipes and I would love to see how it turns out! Make sure to share it on Instagram and tag me @rachelshealthyplate and use #rachelshealthyplate so I can see your creation!

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Meal Prep: Freezer Smoothie Packs

Rachel — Sat, 29 Jun 2019 15:04:31 +0000

Summer is here which means I’m wanting to spend time outside as much as possible. More time outside = less time in the kitchen. I’ve been looking for ways to step up my food prep game and after reading about the FoodSaver®, I knew this little machine could be a game changer! If you’ve never played around with vacuum sealing in the kitchen then you better buckle up, because I’m about to blow your mind. The FoodSaver® has ALL KINDS of great uses, which we’ll talk about in a minute, plus I’m going to show you one of my favorite ways to use it in: DIY Smoothie Packs.

Let’s do a quick rundown of this fun little gadget, shall we? The FoodSaver® FM2000 Vacuum Sealing System is a compact appliance that is simple to use and will prolong the life and quality of your food – it keeps food fresh up to 5x longer! Plus, it’s a great tool to use for meal prep because you can cook one time in bulk and divide it into multiple portions for future use – and it’ll be just as fresh each time! This not only saves you a TON of time, but it’ll save your wallet too! Buying in bulk is always cheaper and you’ll have so much less food going to waste.

Great uses for the FoodSaver®

Buy items like meat once a month when they are on sale – portion into vacuum seal bags and freeze until ready to use
Package leftovers into single serve meals for later. Having a freezer stocked with single serve meals is a lifesaver on busy nights! Reheat it in the microwave right in the bag.
Reseal snack bags, such as potato chips, to keep your snacks fresh for longer!
Keep unused portions of ingredients fresh for future use. You know those times when you only need half of an ingredient and have no plans to use it again in the near future? Seal it up and never worry about wasted money on half used ingredients again!
Non-Food sealing: FoodSavers® aren’t just for food! Get creative with uses. Sealing up a bag of toiletries when you travel is a great way to prevent messy leaks in your suitcase.

Other great FoodSaver® features:

Bags and rolls are recyclable
Bags are resealable – simply cut off the existing seal, make sure the top of the bag is clean, and then reseal!
FoodSaver® makes a TON of great accessories such as canisters for pantry items, marinade containers, sealable lids for mason jars, bottle stoppers, deli containers, etc. Each FoodSaver® comes with an accessory hose to use with these items.

Smoothie Packs with the FoodSaver®

Now that we’ve established how awesome the the FoodSaver® is, let’s talk about one of my FAVORITE ways to use it – smoothie packs! I love smoothies in the summer but I do not love having to pull a bunch of ingredients out of the freezer, fridge, and pantry each time I want to make one. I load mine up with protein powder and other boosters so I’ve got a lot of ingredients to get out. With FoodSaver®, I can put all of my ingredients into a single-serve bag and then just pop one out of the freezer when I’m ready. I just need to add my liquid and blend away! HUGE time saver.

I shop for my fruit when it’s on sale and then spend a few minutes assembling my bags. Once they’re full I vacuum seal the tops and in a just a few minutes, I have enough smoothie packs to last for weeks!

Here’s the basic formula I use for my smoothie packs:

1 cup frozen fruit
1 cup greens (spinach or kale)
1 scoop protein powder
Additional smoothie boosters (I’m currently using organic acai berry powder and an organic energy blend made with beets and cacoa)
1 cup liquid added when ready to blend (I use unsweetened almond milk)

That’s it! I love having these smoothie packs on hand for easy breakfasts and whenever I’m in the mood for something refreshing. They’ll keep in the freezer for months with no worries of freezer burn.

Today I prepped my two favorite combos:

Mixed berry + Kale
Tropical Fruit (mango, pineapple, banana) + Spinach

If you want to check out FoodSaver® for yourself visit their website – your fridge and your budget will thank you and you’ll constantly be thinking up of news ways to use it! FoodSaver® is the #1 best selling vacuum sealing brand + all of their products come with a 5 year limited warranty and are ETL Safety Certified.

This post is sponsored by FoodSaver®. All comments, opinions, and recipe are my own.

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Pizza on a Stick

Rachel — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 20:53:21 +0000

Oh my goodness, y’all, how fun are these appetizers?! With March Madness on the way, I wanted to make a great game-time appetizer that would be a hit with everyone. These are it! Not only are they delicious party food, but they’d be a fun dinner to make with kiddos on pizza night. All the best things about pizza…. served on a stick! I took a shortcut and used store-bought pizza dough which made these 6 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green plans and 217 calories per serving. If you want to save some points and calories you can use two ingredient dough instead (check the recipe notes for details).

To create these fun finger foods we just need a few things – pizza dough, turkey pepperoni, green pepper, an Italian flavored precooked sausage, shredded cheese, and some marinara sauce for dunking. The first thing we do is prep our ingredients: Simply cut the pizza dough into 8 strips and dice the sausage and bell pepper into large pieces.

For the sausage I went with Gilbert’s Craft Sausages Caprese Chicken Sausage – it’s perfect for this recipe because it’s bursting with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese and each link is just 3 WW SmartPoints. You can check their store locator to see if you can find them near you but if not, no worries, look for a similar precooked sausage that has some Italian flavors.

For each skewer we simply take turns alternating the dough, sausage, pepperoni, and green pepper. These are so much fun to make! We bake the skewers about halfway and then top them with some mozzarella cheese. The dough is tender, the sausage is super flavorful, and the peppers and pepperoni create the perfect classic pizza taste! Serve with a side of your favorite marinara for dunking.

My Pizza on a Stick recipe makes 8 servings – these are hearty-sized apps! Each serving is 6 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plans and 217 calories. (See recipe notes for details about alternative ways to make these that will save points and calories.) Enjoy!

Pizza on a Stick

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 roll of store bought pizza dough (I used Pillsbury brand, 13.8oz roll)
4 links of Gilbert's Craft Sausages Caprese Chicken Sausage
28 pieces turkey pepperoni
1 green bell pepper
2 oz shredded lite mozzarella cheese
Marinara*
8 wood or metal skewers

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.
Prep ingredients: Cut each sausage link into 8 pieces and dice the bell pepper into large 1" pieces. Unroll the pizza dough and use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 strips.
Thread the dough, sausage, pepper, and pepperoni onto each skewer, alternating ingredients. Slowly push the ingredients down on the skewer as you build them. Use 4 pieces of sausage, 4 pieces of pepper, and 4 pepperoni for each skewer. Repeat with all 8 pieces of dough.
Place skewers on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the tops of the skewers with the cheese. Bake another 6-8 minutes, until dough is cooked through and golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce for dunking. Enjoy!

Notes

Makes 8 servings of Pizza on a Stick for 6 WW SmartPoints for both the Blue and Green WW Plans.

*If you are unable to find this brand of sausage you can substitute a similar precooked sausage - look for something with Italian flavors. These are 3 SmartPoints/link so depending on what you find the points may need to be adjusted.

To Make with Two Ingredient Dough
If you'd like to replace the store bought dough with two ingredient dough mix together 1 cup self rising flour and 1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt. Mix well until a dough ball forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth. Divide into 8 portions and roll out a long piece of dough for each skewer. Follow the recipe as written. (Cook time may need to be monitored and adjusted.)

With Two Ingredient Dough: 4 WW SmartPoints per serving and 172 calories

*Marinara sauce is not included in points or nutritional info because these vary greatly by brand. You can usually find fat-free marinara sauce for 0 points.

Nutritional information is calculated with MyFitnessPal and may vary based on brands used. Smart Points information is calculated with the Weight Watchers app and may also vary based on brands used.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 Pizza on a Stick | Calories: 217 Fat: 7 Saturated fat: 2 Carbohydrates: 26 Sugar: 4 Fiber: 2 Protein: 14

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Quick Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

Rachel — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 16:59:12 +0000

This is too easy to really be considered a recipe but I had to share it with you all because if you haven’t made tortilla chips in the air fryer, well, you are very sorely missing out. While these may not be the exact same as the big basket of warm, fresh chips from a Mexican restaurant, it certainly tastes good enough to satisfy any craving for them! AND you can make them at home… in 5 minutes… in your pajamas…. with your own pitcher of margaritas! AND since they’re not technically fried, you can feel good about chowing down on a big plate. You can have 24 chips for 4 WW SmartPoints for both the Blue and Green WW plans. That’s a great deal!

My favorite way to serve these chips is dipped into a big bowl of my 0 Point Blender Salsa or served with a side of my Creamy Avocado Sauce for 2 WW SmartPoints. Despite the fact that these chips are air-fried, they’re every bit as crunchy and satisfying as the real deal. Actually, I’d pick these chips most days because I like to let my chips get a little extra toasty – I love the slightly brown, nutty flavor!

I also love to make a big plate of nachos with them. We do this often for game nights and it never disappoints. Plus, it’s a great way to clean out your fridge at the end of the week if you have a bunch of random meat and veggies leftover. Just throw in some spices and pile it on top with a little cheese – SO GOOD!

This recipe is written for 1 serving (24 chips) so if you want more than that, just multiply it. One serving is 4 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plan or 120 calories. Make sure to give give these a try with my 0 Point Blender Salsa – enjoy!

Looking for more ways to enjoy these tortilla chips? They make a great side to these delicious soups:

Note: I currently have a Farberware brand air fryer.

Quick Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

7 mins

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients

3 extra thin corn tortillas (I use Mission brand extra thin corn tortillas*)
Olive Oil Spray
Salt, to taste

Instructions

Cut each tortilla into 8 triangles. Lay flat on a baking sheet.
Spray the triangles lightly with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt, to taste. (Some of the salt falls off while cooking so I'm usually a little more heavy-handed than normal).
Place triangles into the air fryer - spread the out as much as possible so the layers aren't directly on top of each other.
Cook at 360F, shaking the basket often, for 4-5 minutes, until very crispy and just slightly brown. (Watch closely at the end because they will get brown very fast. Be sure to shake often so they don't stick together and all surfaces have a chance to get crispy). Enjoy!

Notes

Makes 1 serving of Airfryer Tortilla Chips at 4 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and green WW plans.

*If you use a different brand you may want to double check points values*

Points info: 3 tortillas (24 chips) = 4 WW SmartPoints, 4 tortillas (32 chips) = 5 WW SmartPoints

Cooking Note: I don't recommend cooking more than 3 tortillas at once. If I want more than 3 tortillas I do multiple batches.

Nutritional info shown below is for 1 serving (24 chips) using the Mission Extra Thin Corn Tortillas.

Nutritional information is calculated with MyFitnessPal and may vary based on brands used. Smart Points information is calculated with the Weight Watchers app and may also vary based on brands used.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 serving | 24 chips | Calories: 120 Fat: 2 Saturated fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 24 Sugar: 3 Fiber: 4 Protein: 3

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Blender Salsa

Rachel — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 16:58:57 +0000

Please tell me you know about the magic of blender salsa?! I remember the first time I made blender salsa years and years ago – it straight up blew my mind. I had no idea that restaurant-style salsa was so easy to make at home! I always wanted it … I just had NO CLUE. Jarred salsa always had a funny taste to me so I was never quite happy with it. Now that I have my own salsa recipe? I can’t even remember the last time I bought a jar of salsa. Seriously, ya’ll, if you haven’t made blender salsa this recipe will change your life. The best part?! It’s 0 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plans and just 12 calories for 1/4 cup.

Over the years I’ve perfected my blender salsa recipe and it literally takes just a couple of minutes to throw together. Need a party dish? Perfect! Need a very last minute potluck dish because you forgot? Salsa! Game day? Salsa! It’s the answer to everything. It’s also great to meal prep at the beginning of the week because you can find about a million uses for it. It’s great over eggs for breakfast or served with a taco salad for lunch. I love making a quick batch of Airfryer Tortilla Chips and having some as an afternoon snack (also great with Nabisco Corn Thins if you don’t want to make your own chips – 41 corn thins are 3 SmartPoints!). You can make salsa chicken in the crock-pot, throw it on tacos, fajitas… like I said: A MILLION USES.

The ingredients list is pretty short – here’s what we’ll need: 2 cans of Rotel, 1 clove garlic, 1 jalapeno, 1 lime, fresh cilantro, cumin, and salt. My recipe is onion-free because I’m not a huge fan of raw onion in salsa (I find it overpowering) BUT if onion is your jam, feel free to throw in 1/4 of a small onion too. To make the salsa everything gets throw in the blender – the end. I like to let mine sit for an hour or so if I have enough will power not to dig straight in – the garlic, jalapeno, and cumin need a little time to do their thing.

One batch of my Blender Salsa makes about 3 cups and will last 4-5 days in the fridge. The entire batch is 0 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plans or 1/4 cup serving is 12 calories. Use for evvverything but be sure to give it a try with Airfryer Tortilla Chips! #lifechanging

Blender Salsa

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 12¼c servings

Ingredients

2 10oz cans Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies)
1 clove fresh garlic
½ - 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded (depending on how spicy you like it. You can also leave the seeds in for extra hot!)
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
1 lime, juiced
handful of cilantro, to taste

Instructions

Drain the juice from both cans of tomatoes into the blender and add about ⅓ of a can of tomatoes. Add in the garlic and jalapeno. Blend well. (I don't like large chunks of garlic or jalapeno so this will get everything finely chopped).
Add the rest of the tomatoes, the cumin, salt, lime juice, and cilantro and pulse until everything is well blended but still slightly chunky.
Store in fridge and allow to sit at least one hour before digging in. Enjoy!

Notes

The entire batch of Blender Salsa is 0 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plans- use as desired!

Note: If you like fresh onion in your salsa feel free to add in ~1/4 small onion. I'd do this after the jalapeno and garlic, and pulse until the onion is chopped. Then continue with the rest of the ingredients.

Salsa will keep fresh in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Recipe makes approximately 3 cups of salsa. Nutritional info below is for 1/12 of the recipes, ~1/4 cup.

Nutritional information is calculated with MyFitnessPal and may vary based on brands used. Smart Points information is calculated with the Weight Watchers app and may also vary based on brands used.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1/12 of the recipe | ~ ¼ c salsa | Calories: 12 Fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 3 Sugar: 1 Fiber: 0 Protein: 0

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Caramelized Onion & Sausage Puff Pastry Rolls

Rachel — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 21:43:19 +0000

On an appetizer scale of 1 to 10 these sausage rolls are an 11. Seriously, ya’ll, they are perfection. Smokey sausage and rich caramelized onions all wrapped up in flaky, tender pastry. They look impressive but are quite simple to make and require just a handful of ingredients! These little pastries would be perfect for a potluck, NYE appetizer, or for watching the big game. My Caramelized Onion & Sausage Puff Pastry Rolls are 4 Blue WW SmartPoints/5 Green WW SmartPoints each and 137 calories.

The hardest part about these pastries is waiting while the onions do their thing. Making caramelized onions is simple but definitely a bit time consuming. It’s worth it though – transforming raw onions into sticky, rich, heavenly, sweet goodness – it’s like magic! The good news is you can totally prep the onions well ahead of time which will make assembly a breeze.

Caramelized onions – check!

Now it’s time for the fun part. To make our sausage rolls we’re using frozen puff pastry sheets. Thaw one sheet at room temperature and lay it flat on a lightly floured surface. I like to use a cookie sheet for this part because it makes clean up easy and helps us have a guide for rolling out the dough in the proper shape. (The cookie sheet I’m using is 10 x 13 inches, for reference.) Add a tiny sprinkle of flour to the top of the dough and roll it out until you have a rectangle shape, about the same size as the cookie sheet. Next, use a pizza cutter to divide your dough in to 12 sections, like so:

Perfect! Place a spoonful of caramelized onions in the center of each piece of dough. And then top it with a piece of sausage. I am using Gilbert’s Craft Sausages Smoked Gouda Chicken Sausage – I thought the Gouda would pair well with the onions! You can check their store locator to see if you can find these sausages near you but if not, no worries, use whatever flavor sounds good! There’s a lot of sausages out there that would go well with caramelized onions. These are 3 WW SmartPoints per link so look for something comparable. We need 4 links total and we cut each link into 3 smaller pieces.

After you’ve placed onions and sausage on each piece of dough it’s time to roll them up! Brush some egg wash along the top of each piece – this will help seal the dough. Gently fold the dough over the top of the sausage, you can stretch it a little if needed. Roll the sausage over so that it meets the egg washed side and then place the sausage roll onto a new baking sheet that’s been sprayed with a little cooking spray. Repeat for all 12 pieces. The final step is to brush the tops of our sausage rolls with egg wash and give them a sprinkle of something to make them look extra fancy. I used poppy seeds but you could also use sesame seeds or even some everything bagel seasoning for a pop of flavor on top.

Into the oven they go for about 15-17 minutes. They come out when they’re golden brown and fluffy. These little guys are so delicious – I can’t wait for you try give them a try!

My Caramelized Onion & Sausage Puff Pastry Rolls recipe makes 12 servings at 4 Blue WW SmartPoints/5 Green WW SmartPoints and 137 calories each. Enjoy!

Caramelized Onion & Sausage Puff Pastry Rolls

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 12 sausage rolls

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed to room temp
2 small onions, quartered and sliced thin
2 tsp oil
salt
4 links Gilbert's Craft Chicken Sausages Smoked Gouda Chicken Sausage, each link cut into 3 pieces (*Or sub similar pre-cooked sausage)
1 egg, lightly beaten
sprinkle of flour
poppy seeds or sesame seeds

Instructions

In a heavy skillet (cast iron preferred) heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and saute until onions are soft. Once softened reduce heat to low/medium-low and continue to cook onions, stirring occasionally, until they are very dark brown and caramelized. It took about 25 minutes for my two onions to cook down.*TIP: If your onions seem dry and they are sticking you can add 2 tbsp of water at a time, scrap any bits that are stuck to the bottom, and continue cooking over low heat. Add water as many times as you need - it'll keep things cooking and will cook off each time. It will not change the flavor of the finished product and it eliminates the need for extra oil to be added.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Unfold the thawed puff pastry dough onto a lightly floured surface (I like to use a cookie sheet). Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and then gently roll out out the dough into a rectangle (about 10 x 13 inches, the size of a medium cookie sheet).
Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 even rectangles (see photos in post). Place a spoonful of caramelized onions in the center of each piece and top with a piece of sausage.
Brush the egg wash along the top side of each piece of dough and then gently fold the dough over the sausage, slightly stretching if needed. Roll the dough over so that it meets the egg washed side.
Place sausage roll onto a new, lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Repeat for all remaining pieces.
Brush the top of each sausage roll with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and flaky. (Keep an eye on the bottoms so they don't burn). Serve warm and fresh! .

Notes

Makes 12 Caramelized Onion & Sausage Puff Pastry Rolls at 4 Blue WW SmartPoints and 5 Green WW SmartPoints each.

*The chicken sausage I use is 3 WW SmartPoints per link. If you substitute a different brand this may change the points so you might need to recalculate.

Nutritional information is calculated with MyFitnessPal and may vary based on brands used. Smart Points information is calculated with the Weight Watchers app and may also vary based on brands used.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 sausage roll | Calories: 137 Fat: 9 Saturated fat: 4 Carbohydrates: 10 Sugar: 1 Fiber: 1 Protein: 6

I am so excited you are making one of my recipes and I would love to see how it turns out! Make sure to share it on Instagram and tag me @rachelshealtyplate and use #rachelshealthyplate so I can see your creation!

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Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs Served Two Ways

Rachel — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 22:32:32 +0000

This post is a collaboration with Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. on behalf of the Beef Checkoff. I received compensation, but all opinions and recipes are my own.

‘Tis the season! The season for all things festive, jolly, cozy, glittery, and for so many holiday gatherings. ‘Tis also the season for all the crazy-busy, OMG-how-will-I-get-it-all-done, panic-mode chaos. Riiiight?! Yeah. Well, I can’t manage your holiday craziness for you, but I dooo have a delicious, deceptively easy, yet highly impressive recipe that you can keep up your sleeve this holiday season! Your secret weapon recipe, if you will. My Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs can be served up for a festive holiday appetizer or made for a special dinner when you want to treat yourself, your date, or maybe just impress the in-laws. However you serve it, it’s going to be a hit with your guests!

You have to admit that no other protein does it quite like beef. There’s just something about serving a flavorful cut of beef to your guests – it’s got a wow factor that you simply can’t get with any other protein, ya know what I mean? Plus there are so many great cuts of beef to choose from and an equal number of ways to cook it – the culinary possibilities are seriously endless!

For this recipe I wanted a dish to impress, but not one that added to anyone’s holiday stress, so I chose to braise some beautiful, high-quality short ribs. If you’ve never cooked short ribs, you’re in for a treat. We spend a few minutes working with the ribs initially, but then we send them off to finish in the oven until they become the most succulent, fall-off-the-bone ribs you’ve ever had. And while they’re cooking away in the oven?! You can be off tackling that mile-long to do list or helping the elves wrap or whatever it is you gotta do. So. Many. Wins.

Alrighty, let’s get to business. To start things off, we’re going to gather all of our ingredients. We’re going to be searing the ribs and then creating a delicious sweet and savory braising liquid for the ribs to slow cook in.

We’ll start by dusting our short ribs with a tiny bit of flour. This will help create the perfect golden crust. To sear them we just heat a little oil in a heavy, oven-proof pan (Dutch oven) and let it get nice and hot. We cook the ribs for several minutes on all sides until the outside is caramelized with a crisp crust. Once that’s done we set the ribs aside and sauté an onion with a little bit of salt, pepper, and garlic. After about 5-6 minutes we’re practically done – just have to get the rest of the ingredients in the pot. I told ya it was easy!

Before we add the remaining ingredients, we sprinkle in a little flour that’ll help thicken our sauce and then I like to de-glaze the pan with a little bit of the beef broth. There’s a lot of flavor in those brown little bits on the bottom of the pan and now’s our chance to release it! A few splashes of broth will help loosen up all those little flavor-filled bites. Alright, now goes in the rest of our line up. Return the ribs to the pan and add in some pomegranate juice, beef broth, brown sugar, fresh rosemary, and a cinnamon stick. Cover and place in the oven at 325F for 2 1/2 – 3 hours.

Byyyyye, catch ya on the flip side!

*fast forward 2 1/2 hours and all of my Christmas wrapping is done and my house is spotless and….* HELLO, THERE! Look at that beautifully, bubbling, beefy pot of heaven. #AllTheHeartEyes

The beef is literally falling off of the bone, and the sauce is just perfect. It’s rich from the short ribs and slightly sweet and tangy from the pomegranate juice. The rosemary compliments the savory notes while the cinnamon adds just the perfect hint of warm spice. Heeeavenly, I tell ya.

To Serve As An Appetizer: Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs on Crispy Polenta Cakes

To serve as an appetizer, I thought it would be fun to pair a classic combo – short ribs and polenta! When the beef first went in the oven, I quickly cooked up a pot of polenta, spread it into a 13×9 pan, let it cool, and then stored it in the fridge until I was ready to use it. Cooled polenta turns solid and makes a great base for all kinds of yummy toppings!

I cut the polenta into squares and then reheated until the outside was crispy. I topped each square with some of our shredded short ribs and garnished with fresh pomegranate arils and chopped parsley. Talk about a way to impress your party guests!

See polenta cake recipe below.

To Serve As An Entree: Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs over Caulimash

To serve as a hearty entreé, I made a batch of my cauliflower mash. It’s makes a creamy base and the cauliflower puree pairs perfectly with the succulent, rich short ribs.

To make the cauliflower puree I simply boil cauliflower florets in salted water with a few cloves of garlic. Once the florets are tender, I puree everything in a food processor with a little bit of butter, cream cheese, and milk. Simple and delicious!

I top the caulimash with a couple of whole short ribs, a few spoonfuls of the braising liquid, and then garnish with fresh pomegranate arils and chopped parsley.

The short ribs would also be delicious served over mashed potatoes, creamy polenta, or a mash of butternut squash and/or sweet potatoes.

See Caulimash recipe below.

Both of these options are a delicious way to serve up these short ribs and ya know what? The recipe totally makes enough for both! Yup – more winning!

I made a batch of the short ribs and shredded just enough to serve on top of my crispy polenta cakes. The next night we enjoyed the leftovers for dinner over a bowl of my caulimash. Gotta love a good two-for-one recipe!

Put this one on your holiday to-do list because I promise it’ll be worth it! If you are looking for more inspiration on how to #BeefUpTheHolidays, make sure to visit Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.

See recipe notes for information on WW SmartPoints.

Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

3 hours

Total time

3 hours 30 mins

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Ingredients

3 lbs bone in beef Short Ribs
1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup pomegranate juice
3 cups low sodium beef broth
1 onion, quartered and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt + extra to season ribs
¼ tsp pepper + extra to season ribs
¼ cup flour, divided
1 cinnamon stick
arils from 1 pomegranate, to garnish
fresh parsley, to garnish, if desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F. Season short ribs with a little bit of salt and pepper and lightly dust with 2 tbsp of the flour (if there is leftover flour from dusting you should reserve it).
Heat oil in a heavy oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Once oil is hot add short ribs and brown on all sides for several minutes until they seared and have a nice crust. (You may need to do two batches if all the ribs won't fit in a single layer). Remove the seared ribs from the pot and set aside.
Add onion to the pot with a few ounces of beef broth. Scrape up any browned bits of meat. Season onion with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook until onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic and cook 1 more minute until garlic is fragrant. Sprinkle onions with the remaining 2 tbsp of flour plus any flour remaining from dusting the ribs. Stir well.
Add in a few ounces of broth and scrape up any more brown bits. Add in the remaining broth, pomegranate juice, brown sugar, rosemary, and cinnamon stick.
Return ribs to the pot and place in oven for 2½ - 3 hours, until they are fall-off-the-bone tender.
If using for polenta cake appetizer shred short ribs until you have 10 oz of meat. If using for entree with caulimash, leave short ribs whole. See below of polenta cake and caulimash recipes.

Notes

*WW Points Info: 3 oz of trimmed, cooked short rib meat is 8 WW SmartPoints for both the Blue and Green WW plans. If you serve it with any of the cooking liquid I would add 1 extra SmartPoint.

Polenta Cakes

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 20 polenta cakes

Ingredients

1½ cups uncooked polenta
water
salt
pepper

Instructions

Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
Cook 1½ cups of uncooked polenta according to the package directions (will vary depending on type, mine took 5 minutes). Make sure to season well with salt and pepper.
Once cooked spread the polenta into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish allow to cool. Place in refrigerator and allow to chill until ready to use.
When it's time to serve, cut the polenta into 20 equal squares and gently remove from the pan.
Coat a non stick skillet, griddle, or grill pan with cooking spray and sear each polenta square until the outside is golden brown and slightly crispy.
Top each square with ½ oz of shredded beef ribs and top with some of the onion from the cooking liquid. Garnish with fresh pomegranate arils and parsley. Enjoy!

Notes

WW Points Info: Makes 20 polenta cake squares. Each square is 1 WW SmartPoint for both the Blue and Green WW plans.

1 polenta cake = 1 point
1/2 oz cooked shredded beef short ribs = 1 point
I didn't use any additional cooking liquid on top so I personally wouldn't count a point for it.

Caulimash

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
1 tsp salt
¼ c skim milk
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp whipped cream cheese

Instructions

Place the cauliflower florets into a large pot along with the garlic cloves and salt. Bring to a boil and cooked 10-15 minutes until the cauliflower is very tender.
Drain cooked cauliflower and place the cauliflower and garlic cloves into a food processor. Add in milk, cream cheese, and butter. Blend until the puree is very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve ¼ of the cauliflower topped with short ribs and a couple of spoonful's of cooking liquid. Garnish with fresh pomegranate arils and chopped parsley.

Notes

Makes 4 servings of Caulimash at 2 WW SmartPoints for both the Blue and Green WW Plans each.

To Serve With Short Ribs:
1/4 of the Caulimash (2 SmartPoints)
Topped with 3 oz cooked short rib meat ( 8 SmartPoints)
Drizzle with a little bit of cooking liquid, as desired (1 SmartPoint)
Garnish with fresh pomegranate arils and parsley (0 SmartPoints)
= 11 WW SmartPoints

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Cinnamon Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges

Rachel — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 00:27:52 +0000

I literally could not wait to get online and share this simple recipe with you all! I always love roasted sweet potatoes but combine sweet potatoes and cinnamon?! One of my all time favorite flavor combos! Sweet toasty potatoes paired with warm cinnamon is a total match made in heaven. Obviously these are great on their own but if you want an out of this world combo you’ve got to pair them with a side of my Zero Point Apple Butter for dipping! These make a great snack and a perfect side dish to just about any meal. One serving of my Cinnamon Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges is 5 Blue WW SmartPoints or 6 Green WW SmartPoints.

I know a lot of people like to bake things on foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup but when it comes to roasted veggies I’m a firm believer that you have to let things roast directly on the sheet pan. The veggies really need to sizzle on the hot metal pan to get the perfect texture and yummy brown edges. It’s the key to stellar roasted veggies vs just mediocre ones.

For this recipe we just need 20 oz of raw sweet potatoes, some olive oil, ground cinnamon, and salt. When choosing sweet potatoes I try to find small ones that are about 5 oz each. This day I only had 2 large potatoes so I just made sure to cut them into wedges that were about 3 inches long. We toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil, cinnamon, and salt, and then let them roast in a hot oven for about 25 minutes or so until the potatoes are perfectly cooked. The outside should be brown and crispy while the inside is nice and tender and sweet. You can tell they are done because the outside will start to get wrinkly and crisp.

Serve the potatoes however you’d like but I really, reeaaaallly recommend dunking them into a side of my Zero Point Apple Butter.

The recipe makes 4 servings of Cinnamon Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges at 5 Blue WW SmartPoints or 6 Green WW SmartPoints each- enjoy!

Cinnamon Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

20 oz raw sweet potatoes, cut into 3 inch long wedges
4 tsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Apple butter for serving, if desired (linked above)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450F.
Cut sweet potatoes in wedge shapes that are about 3 inches long and ½ inch thick.
Toss wedges with olive oil, cinnamon, and a large pinch of salt.
Once sweet potatoes are well coated with the oil and cinnamon spread them on a large baking sheet (or two, if needed), making sure they are laying flat and not overlapping.
Bake for 15 minutes and then flip the potatoes over.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the outside is brown and crisp. Remove from oven and let cool about 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet before serving, as they will continue to get crisper. Serve with apple butter, if desired.

Notes

Makes 4 servings of Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges at 5 Blue WW SmartPoints or 6 Green WW SmartPoints.

Points info per serving: 5 oz raw sweet potato (4sp), 1 tsp olive oil (1sp) = 5 sp per serving.

Nutritional info provided does not include apple butter.

Nutritional information is calculated with MyFitnessPal and may vary based on brands used. Smart Points information is calculated with the Weight Watchers app and may also vary based on brands used.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ¼ of the potato wedges | Calories: 163 Fat: 5 Saturated fat: 1 Carbohydrates: 29 Sugar: 6 Fiber: 5 Protein: 2

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Apple Spice Cake Muffins

Rachel — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 00:21:50 +0000

I can’t decide if these muffins are better for breakfast or dessert but either way, they’re a fun treat to make this fall and winter! I have a lot of events on the horizon so I wanted to come up with a super easy and low point sweet treat that I can bring with me just to ensure that I have something healthy to enjoy. I’ve got all things apple on the brain right now so I decided on some apple spice cakes. Love how these turned out – kinda rustic looking and just sweet enough. I used the good ol’ low fat two ingredient cake mix hack for these. You just need a box of cake mix and some unsweetened applesauce plus a few batches of my easy microwave Ooey Gooey Apples! Each of my Apple Spice Cake Muffins is just 3 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plans.

These little muffins make a fabulous dessert – you can serve them at holiday gatherings and potlucks or even drop off a basket to your neighbor just because. Serve one warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel for the ultimate sundae. They’re also fantastic for breakfast served with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon. And of course, you can always top them with some of my zero point Crockpot Apple Butter.

So let’s talk about the shortcuts. I’m sure you’ve seen those recipes where you mix a box of cake mix with a can of pumpkin or some applesauce, yeah? Welp, that’s exactly what we’re doing here! This was actually my first time trying out this hack and I was surprised how moist the cake turned out! We just need a box of spice cake mix, 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened applesauce, and 1/2 cup of water – too easy.

Once we make the batter we’ll top it with my Ooey Gooey Microwave Apples. I added a big spoonful to the top of each muffin. The cake and apples bake together to form the perfect Apple Spice Cake Muffin. They’re perfectly sweet and spiced – I love the texture the apples add and I told ya, they seriously couldn’t be easier to make!

These healthy little cakes are going to be a hit! Makes 24 Apple Spice Cake Muffins at 3 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plans. Enjoy!

Here’s the link for the Ooey Gooey Apples you’ll need for the topping.

Apple Spice Cake Muffins

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 24 Muffins

Ingredients

1 box of spice cake mix
1½ c unsweetened applesauce
½ c water
4-6 batches of my Ooey Gooey Microwave Apples, prepared (linked above) - depending on apple size, we want a heaping tbsp on the top of each cake

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Prepare the Ooey Gooey Apples in a large bowl - Cut the apple pieces small for this recipe, about ⅓ inch dice. I prefer peeled apples for this recipe. Microwave in two minute increments until the apples are soft and gooey, stirring between each round. It took me about 6 minutes total for my large bowl of apples.
In a large bowl mix together the cake mix, applesauce, and water. Stir until well combined.
Divide cake batter between 24 prepared muffin tins. (I used cupcake liners)
Top each muffin with a heaping tablespoon of the ooey gooey apple mixture.
Bake according to the cupcake recipe listed on the back of your particular cake mix box. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

Notes

Makes 24 Apple Spice Cake Muffins at 3 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green WW plans.

Nutritional Information is calculated assuming the use of 4 apples.

Nutritional information is calculated with MyFitnessPal and may vary based on brands used or produce size. Smart Points information is calculated with the Weight Watchers app.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 spice cake muffin | Calories: 88 Fat: 1 Saturated fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 20 Sugar: 12 Fiber: 1 Protein: 1

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Sausage, Caramelized Onion, & Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Rachel — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 15:21:53 +0000

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CookingWithOdoms #CollectiveBias

It’s that time of year again – party season! We’ve got holiday gatherings, sporting events, potlucks, you name it. These Sausage, Caramelized Onions, & Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers are a deeeeeelicious appetizer addition to any event! If you’ve ever had a dish with sausage and cream cheese you know it’s a dynamite combo…. but add caramelized onion to the mix?! We’re talking a whole different level of amazingness! These pepper appetizers are rich, savory, and take just a few ingredients to make. The star of the show is Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage which is perfectly flavored and eliminates the need for extra seasonings. Each of my stuffed peppers is 2 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green plans and 53 calories.

To start we’ll need to gather our ingredients – Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage, mini peppers, whipped cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, 2 onions, olive oil, and some shredded mozzarella. Here’s the gang:

I stopped by Walmart and was able to pick up all the ingredients for this dish in about 5 minutes. The sausage is so flavorful and versatile you don’t need to add much in order to whip up a variety of fun creations. It comes in several different varieties so there’s something for everyone. From breakfast to dinner and everything in between, Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage has you covered!

The first thing we need to do is get our onions going because it takes a bit of time to get the perfect caramelized onion. I don’t want super long pieces of onion in the peppers so I quartered onions, sliced them thin, and threw them in a skillet. I prefer to cook onions in cast iron so if you have a cast iron skillet go ahead and break it out! Add a little olive oil with a pinch of salt and patiently let them cook over medium-low heat until they turn dark brown and deliciously sweet.

What a beautiful sight – I’m drooling already!

While our onions are cooking we have time to prepare our peppers and cook off the sausage. To get the peppers ready just cut each one in half so that it will lay flat. Use the tip of a spoon to remove the seeds and any of the white pith. Lay all the peppers with the cut side up on a sprayed baking sheet or two. We’ll be softening these guys up in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes while the sausage cooks.

Our next job is to brown the sausage. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until it is fully cooked. Once cooked, remove the sausage to a paper towel lined plate and wipe any excess grease from the skillet. Return the sausage to the skillet and add in the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and the caramelized onions. It’s easiest to do this part while the skillet is still warm – it’ll help the cheese blend easily.

Time to stuff! Fill each pepper with about 1 tablespoon of the sausage mixture. It’s super thick so don’t be afraid to pile it in even if your pepper is small. I use a cookie scoop to help get the perfect portion in each pepper. I had just the right amount for my 36 peppers! Finally we’ll sprinkle the top of the peppers with some shredded cheese so they get brown and toasty on top.

After a few more minutes in the oven our peppers are ready to eat. How delicious do they look?! I promise these are going to be a crowd pleaser and more than that, you’re toooootally going to be the party winner. They do give awards for that sort of thing, right?

My Sausage, Cream Cheese, & Caramelized Onion stuffed peppers are rich, flavorful, and the perfect appetizer to serve any time. Each pepper is 2 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green plans and 53 calories- Enjoy!

Sausage, Caramelized Onion, & Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Author: Rachel's Healthy Plate

Serves: 36 stuffed peppers

Ingredients

18 mini sweet peppers, ~ 1 lb, cut in half with the seeds and pith removed
1 lb Odom's Tennessee Pride Country Sausage, Mild variety
¾ c (12 tbsp) whipped cream cheese
½ c plain fat-free Greek yogurt
2 small onions, quartered and sliced into thin pieces
2 tsp olive oil
pinch of salt
2 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella
fresh parsley to garnish, if desired

Instructions

In a heavy skillet (cast iron preferred) heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and saute until onions are soft. Once softened reduce heat to low/medium-low and continue to cook onions, stirring occasionally, until they are very dark brown and caramelized. It took about 25 minutes for my two onions to cook down.*TIP: If your onions seem dry and they are sticking you can add 2 tbsp of water at a time, scrap any bits that are stuck to the bottom, and continue cooking over low heat. Add water as many times as you need - it'll keep things cooking and will cook off each time. It will not change the flavor of the finished product and it eliminates the need for extra oil to be added.
Preheat oven to 400F.
While the onions are cooking cut each pepper in half. Make sure you cut them so that they will lay flat on a baking sheet. Scrape out the seeds and pith with the tip of a small spoon. Spray a baking sheet (or two) and arrange peppers cut side up. Spray the tops of the peppers and put them in the oven for 10 minutes, to slightly soften them.
While the peppers are in the oven heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until the is browned and cooked through.
Transfer cooked sausage to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off the grease. Wipe the skillet clean of any excess grease.
Our onions should now be cooked so to the warm skillet add the sausage, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and caramelize onions. Stir until everything is well combined.
Place about 1 tbsp of the sausage mixture into each pepper (I use a cookie scoop to make it easy). Sprinkle the top of the filled peppers with the mozzarella cheese and return to the oven to bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese on top is nice and melty. Feel free to broil the tops for a couple of minutes until the mozzarella is golden brown.

Notes

Makes 36 Sausage, Caramelized Onion, & Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers at 2 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green plans. Enjoy!

Nutritional information is calculated with MyFitnessPal and may vary based on brands used. Smart Points information is calculated with the Weight Watchers app and may also vary based on brands used.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: Per 1 stuffed pepper | Calories: 53 Fat: 4 Saturated fat: 2 Carbohydrates: 2 Sugar: 1 Fiber: 0 Protein: 2

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