Strawberry & Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

     Well I am back at it again...trying to eat healthier!  Not that I ever try to eat unhealthy, but I love to cook and bake, and I can especially get myself into trouble when it comes to baking!  I mean just take a look at my pinterest boards.  For the Superbowl party we went to, I made peanut butter cheesecake brownies with Reese's on top!  I think everyone loved and hated me at the same time.  But I was thankful that I could make them and only eat one instead of the whole pan!  Oh, and I should mention that I also made a fresh fruit platter with a fat free fruit dip!  I guess you could say they sort of balanced each other out?!  Anyways, back to eating healthy.  I have been doing so good, but I have sort of gotten myself into a rut of eating the same things every day, since I know they are good for me and taste good.  But, it can be boring at times.  So I broke out an old weight watchers cookbook and found this recipe.  It didn't take much time at all to make and it was pretty darn good!

2 tbsp. light cream cheese
4 slices low calorie bread (like Sara Lee 45 Calories and Delightful 100% Whole Wheat)
2 tbsp. strawberry jam or fruit spread
1 egg
2 egg whites
3 tbsp. skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

     Spread a tablespoon of cream cheese onto each of the two slices of bread.  Spread a tablespoon of strawberry jam onto each of the remaining two slices of bread.  Put the slices of bread with jam on top of the cream cheese slices to make fruit and cheese sandwiches.  Cut each sandwich in half diagonally.
     In a wide bowl or pie plate, whisk together the egg and egg whites.  Whisk in the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
     Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray and set over medium high heat.  Add the sandwiches to the egg mixture and let soak.  When pan is hot, place sandwiches on the skillet and let cook until browned.  It should only take about 2-3 minutes per side.  Top french toast with fresh strawberries and enjoy!  There isn't even a need for any syrup!

Nutritional information per serving: 263 calories, 6 grams of fat, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber.  6 WW points+

Banana Split Brownie Pie

     This picture definitely cannot do justice for how delicious this pie really was.  I won't say it was the easiest thing to make, but it was definitely worth the work.  This was yet another thing I made while back at home visiting family.  I mean, I surely couldn't have made this here in Dallas or I would have eaten the entire thing myself!  We were headed to my brothers house for a cookout and to see baby Luke, so I thought it would be nice to bring something for dessert.  What I didn't know was that his wife was making these awesome "popsicles" from a cookbook my mom had just given each of us (see picture below)!  So between both of these and the huge burgers my brother made, I am pretty sure none of us went hungry!

Crust Ingredients
2 cups crushed waffle cones (about 12 cones)
6 tbsp. melted butter

Pie Ingredients
1 brownie mix
¼ cup oil
2 tbsp. water
1 egg

Cheesecake Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. flour
1 egg
1 banana, smashed

Topping Ingredients
1 container strawberries, cut in half
¼ cup hot fudge

     Preheat the oven to 350°.  Crush the waffle cones.  I highly recommend using a food processor if you have one. Combine with melted butter and press into a pie pan.
   Mix together the brownie mix, oil, water, and egg.  Carefully spoon brownie mixture over crust.  Do not spread too much or it will mess up the crust.  Bake for 30 minutes.
     While the brownie is in the oven, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, flour, and egg.  Stir in the banana.  Spread on the baked brownie, again being careful not to push into the warm brownie.  Bake for another 20 minutes.  Let cool, then refrigerate.
     Just before serving, top with halved strawberries.  Microwave hot fudge until warm, then pour over strawberries.

Nutritional information per serving; 499 calories, 22 grams of fat, 73 carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber. **Calculations are based on 1/3 fat cream cheese.**

Fruit Salsa

     This is one of the first things I ever pinned on pinterest, and finally I have gotten around to making it!  In this case, better late than never because this stuff is delicious!  I made this with the intention of eating it for dessert tonight, but since the french onion soup recipe I attempted to make was garbage disposal worthy, I ate this for dinner instead!

3 kiwis, diced
2 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and diced
16 oz. strawberries, diced
8 oz. raspberries, cut into halves
½ tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. fruit preserves (I used raspberry, but strawberry would be good too)

     Cut up all the fruit and gently combine in a bowl.  Stir in the sugars and fruit preserves.  Serve with Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips (pictured to the right).

Strawberry Spinach Salad

     Another teacher I work with brought this salad to lunch one day and the entire lunch period I was sitting there wishing I had what she was eating!  I never used to be a huge salad lover, especially with spinach, but more and more I actually enjoy them.  This dressing, although a bit high in fat, is what makes the salad so delicious!  It tastes so good on the fresh strawberries.  It makes a good lunch for work or a light dinner.

2 cups spinach leaves
6-8 strawberries, sliced into quarters
1 tbsp. roasted almond slices
2 tbsp. Brianna's blush wine vinaigrette dressing

Toss all ingredients together with the dressing.  Makes 1 serving.

Make Ahead Smoothies

     I have become accustomed to eating breakfast in the car on the way to work in the morning.  Even cereal! I eat it out of a plastic cup at the stoplights!! Anything that is quick and portable is a good breakfast for the weekdays!  So when I saw The Tidy Nest's blog about make ahead smoothies I was interested!

vanilla yogurt

fresh or frozen strawberries (or any fruit - I want to try kiwis and bananas too!)

¾ cup milk

honey

     Spoon the vanilla yogurt into an ice cube tray.  Place in the freezer for a few hours until solid.  

     Place 2 yogurt cubes and about 4 strawberries in each plastic sandwich bag.  Place all of the sandwich bags into a gallon size freezer bag.

     When you are ready to make a smoothie, simply remove one sandwich bag from the freezer and dump into a blender (I used the magic bullet single cup blender).  Add the milk and a spoonful of honey and mix until smooth.  Enjoy!