• 3 graham cracker squares with 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 3 cups popped popcorn (no fat added) with seasoned salt
• 10 seasoned mini-rice or mini-popcorn cakes
• 15 mini-pretzel twists
• 10 to 15 tortilla chips (1 ounce) with 1/4 cup salsa
• 4 or 5 whole-grain snack crackers plus 1 ounce reduced-fat cheese
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cereal
• 1 small muffin or 3-inch cookie
• 1 medium apple, orange or pear
• 12 to 15 cherries or grapes
• 1/4 cup raisins or other dried fruit
• 3 cups raw vegetables with 1 tbsp dip
• 1 1/2 cups tomato or vegetable juice
• 3/4 to 1 cup plain or artificially sweetened yogurt

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 ice cubes
• 1 c. milk
• 1/3 c. cottage cheese
• 2/3 c. frozen strawberries
• 1½ tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Utensils:

• blender (you’ll need help from your adult assistant)
• serving glass
• measuring cups and spoons

Directions:

1. Pour all of the ingredients into the blender.
2. Put the lid on the blender and blend for 45 to 60 seconds until smooth.
3. Pour your smoothie into a glass and enjoy.

Serves: 1

Serving size: 1 large glass

Nutritional analysis (per serving):
289 calories
19 g protein
2 g fat
49 g carbohydrate
3 g fiber
7 mg cholesterol
430 mg sodium
369 mg calcium
0.8 mg iron

Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.

• 1-3/4 cups whole spelt or whole wheat flour

• 1/2 cup multigrain cereal

• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 eggs

• 1-1/4 cup soymilk, rice milk or almond milk

• ¼ cup honey

• ¼ cup olive oil (cold-pressed organic preferably)

• ½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Mix dry ingredients (excluding dried cranberries) together in a food processor or mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk liquid ingredients together. Slowly pour into dry ingredients. Mix. Add dried cranberries and mix briefly. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

What do you do with your raisin bread?

Ingredients

• 4 slices SunMaid raisin bread-Cinnamon Swirl, toasted
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced
• sachet A few slices of cucumber
• A few slices of firm organic goat’s cheese
• A pinch of sprouts
• Lite Mayonnaise, to taste

Directions

1. Build sandwiches. Enjoy.

Reviews on GirlGetStrong.com reflect the personal opinion of the writer, whether it is good, bad or ugly. No compensation was accepted by me or GGS Media Corporation for this review. This product was sent to us for review.

First, Rocco answered a few of our questions.

Since your weight loss, and publishing Now Eat This, how has Thanksgiving changed for your family?
My family insists on a traditional Thanksgiving. Any time I’ve tried to make a change it’s met with a glare! So no big changes lately. I think you have to give yourself a break every once in a while and Thanksgiving is the perfect day to do that.
Any traditional family favorites that you’ve made over that did or didn’t make it in to Now Eat This?
There were so many more recipes I wanted to make over but just ran out of space. Like tuna casserole and red velvet cake, for example, so I put them in my next one, The Now Eat This Diet coming out in the spring.

What are a few ways people can make their family baking recipes healthier without jeopardizing the flavors that they love?
Use agave nectar and whole wheat pastry flour instead of sugar and white flour.

Any suggestions for healthier food gifts?
Yes, delicious fruit like the Harry and David pears!

How do you indulge through the holiday season without regretting it January 1st?
By simply making a conscious decision to do so. Many people just give up during the holidays and that’s the worst time to lose your resolve because the temptations are so many.

In Now Eat This!, Rocco created more than 150 recipes that have 350 calories or less. This isn’t your typical health food. This is America’s favorite comfort foods that have been modified to fit in to any diet. Earlier this year he shared with us his versions of fried chicken and brownies, with far less fat and calories than any you’ve ever made. Now, he’s got a few recipes perfect for Thanksgiving.

Grilled Turkey Kebabs a la King

Makes 4 Servings

2 large pocket less pitas

2 large plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoons chopped basil

2 teaspoon chopped basil

2 teaspoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

• 1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a large non-stick baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place the pitas on the baking sheet.
• 2. In a small bowl, mix the tomatoes and salt; stir in the basil, oil and garlic. Top the pitas with the tomato mixture, drizzling any liquid in the bowl over the toppings. Bake until the tomatoes are hot and softened, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese; bake until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes longer. Cut the pitas in half before serving.

Per serving: 131 Calories, 4 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 4 mg Cholesterol, 346 mg Sodium, 18 g Total Carbohydrate, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g Protein, 118 mg Calcium.

1. Choose recipes that are rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein sources.

2. The turkey in-and-of itself is on the list of 14 super foods. So reap all its nutritional benefits and don’t deep fry it or soak it in butter. Use fresh herbs, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic and other seasonings to bring out the tender flavor of the bird.

3. Avoid recipes that call for heavy cream, butter and loads of sugar. Those rich flavors directly correlate to high calories and fat.

4. Keep the house full of fresh veggie and fruit trays, giving people something healthy to snack on and help them to not over indulge in the Thanksgiving buffet.

Here are 17 Thanksgiving recipes we find to be mouth-watering and so delicious. Some are classic favorites with a healthy twist, and others will become new favorites. They will be a perfect addition to your healthier Thanksgiving day spread, or offer some better ideas for leftovers.

Turkey and Cranberry Salad

Stuffed Turkey Rolls

Apricot Citrus Stuffed Ham

Curried Turkey and Cauliflower Soup

Diabetic Cranberry Relish

Spicy Cranberry Dip

Cranberry Salad

Famous Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Chicken Salad

Macaroni and Cheese

Stuffed Eggplant

Vegetable Spinach Dip

Vegetarian Rice Casserole

Deviled Eggs

Diabetic Sweet Potatoes a l’Orange

Apple Carrot Salad

Banana Raisin Coleslaw

Brandi, Diets in Review

Visit DietsinReview

When making granola, some people prefer to use a recipe, where others take a more rustic approach. If you’re planning to wing it, choose your ingredients for a fresh, healthy flavor that will make you want to wake up in the morning.

Start with oats. Rolled oats (like old-fashioned oats) are the base of most types of granola. Add small amounts of other grains, such as wheat bran or ground flax seed. For a large batch of granola that will last two people about four weeks, I use 4 cups of oats.

Go Nuts. Whether your afternoon snack preference is walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts, nuts add healthy fats to your granola. Use any combination you like and chop them as finely as you wish for varying flavor and textures.

Dress your oats. Use fat to blend your granola and make your mixture cohesive. Whisk one part fat with two parts sweetener for a nice, even blend. Some granola chefs use a combination of butter and oil while others opt for oil rich in monounsaturated fat to reap those heart healthy benefits.

Bake, bake, bake. Most granola bakes at a medium-low heat, such as 300°F for 30 to 40 minutes. Toss the granola to redistribute it in the pan every ten minutes or so. Let cool for about a half hour, or until granola is crispy and dry.

Think fruit. Once the granola is cooled, toss it with your favorite dried fruit for added sweetness. I love dried apples, cherries or cranberries but hit your nearest natural foods store for a wider selection of exotic and tropical fruits like mango or papaya.

Recipes:

Crunchy Classic Granola from The Novice Chef

Homemade Granola from Diets In Review

Cranberry Pecan Granola from Simply Stardust

Almond Crunch Granola from In Good Taste

When I first heard about these chips, I thought ewww….they must come out so soggy!  But that is simply not the case, these chips come out so crispy and delicious, it was such a pleasant surprise!  If you use one small potato and do not use any oil, they are worth 1 point per serving. 

Ingredients:

1 potato scrubbed and washed, leave the skin on for extra fiber.

Directions:

• Slice the potato really thin.  I used the side of my cheese grater and they came out paper thin.
• Spray them with oil spray(season with preferred flavoring)
• Spread on a single layer on parchment paper
• Place them in the microwave on high heat for about 5 minutes until start turning brown.  Depending on your microwave, you may need more time.  Keep a close eye on them.

YUMMY!  If you are wanting to stop your crunchy, salt craving these little guys will do it!  As to what to add to them, that is up to you.  I dipped mine in vinegar first before popping them in the microwave and then added salt.  Another suggestion is to add popcorn flavoring salt.  They are even hard enough to be dipped into salsa….so good my mouth is watering..time to make some more!

 More very low point weight watchers recipes to come!

Not sure why I would be surprised and it doesn’t matter anyway – it all ends up yummy in my tummy!

In mom’s words:

“This recipe is wonderful to come home to, especially on a wet cold day.  It smells wonderful and is very flavourful.  Serve some fresh whole wheat buns with the stew and fruit for dessert.”

Ingredients:

2 pounds stewing beef or bottom round roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes

2 cups chopped carrots (I also add 2 cups chopped rutabagas)

1½ cups chopped onions

2 cups tomato sauce

1 can 10 oz. beef broth, undiluted (or beef stock cubes & water)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 bay leaf

1¼ teaspoon each dried marjoram and dried thyme

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch (use flour if you are going to freeze stew)

¼ cup chopped, fresh parsley (optional)

Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and parsley in a 3-quart or larger slow cooker.  Cover and simmer on low setting for 9 hours.  Stir occasionally.

Combine cornstarch with an equal amount water and stir until lump-free.  Add to stew and mix well.  Cook for 1 more hour.  Stir in parsley just before serving.

Make 6 servings

Per serving: 335 calories, 8 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 37.1 g protein, 28.5 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fiber, 89.2 mg cholesterol, 811.6 mg sodium, percentage of calories from fat: 22.

What  is your favorite Fall recipe?