Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was started a long time ago in this country. Our first settlers work really hard and were thankful for the crops that they had and the safety given to them for finally getting to settle in a land with religious freedoms. After probably not having much to eat, they celebrated by eating some of those crops that they had harvested. They had a feast! As I was growing up, we would always have a least one feast. We had a special meal at school and we went and feasted at both grandparents houses. There were things that we had growing up that I want and expect every year! Like yeast rolls, stuffing balls, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes with gravy, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and the list could go on and on. I guess you could say I was lucky enough to have two grandmothers who were both fabulous cooks! When I started Weight Watchers, one of the things I really liked about it was that it was a lifestyle change. You could eat anything you wanted, within your points, and still lose weight. It was more about a lifestyle change and Weight Watchers let you live. Thanksgiving is a holiday in this country and people spend it eating. You don't have to give up Thanksgiving dinner to be a Weight Watcher member. You get to live your life. You just need to watch your portion sizes. Last week, we practiced counting points for a Thanksgiving dinner. My dinner was about 30 points, so I would have to use my weekly 35 points to eat it but a Thanksgiving dinner still fit into my Weight Watchers plan. I even got a piece of pumpkin pie. :) I also think that a lot of our Thanksgiving type dishes can be lightened up and still taste good. I have a few recipes that I like to eat at Thanksgiving that are lightened up that I thought I would share those with all of you on this post. Thanksgiving is more than just food, even though we associate food with it. I really like this article that was on the Weight Watchers web page about 7 ways to say you are thankful without eating. I know there are lots of things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving and I hope each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now remember I don't eat all of these, but I have tried them all and I liked them. This is just to give you some ideas.

Green Bean Dressing Casserole

1 can French style green beans

1 box Stove Top Stuffing(don't add anything to it)

1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup

Mix all ingredients and place in an 8 X 8 pan Cook in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.9 Weight Watcher points for the whole pan.

(This taste just like stuffing)

Green Beans- I just use canned green beans and add a chopped onion and salt and pepper and bring to a boil and then lower the heat and cook for about 30 minutes. 0 Weight Watchers points

Broccoli Casserole

2 (20 oz) bags frozen broccoli, thawed, cooked and drained

2 cups fat free sour cream

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

3/4 cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese

1 can mushrooms, drained (optional)

Spray 1 quart casserole with non stick spray. Mix broccoli, sour cream and onion soup mix and mushrooms if you choose to use. Spread in pan and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

6 servings at 2 Weight Watchers points each

Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, divided

Cooking spray 2 cups miniature marshmallows Preheat oven to 375°. Place the sweet potatoes in a Dutch oven, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain; cool slightly. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add sugar and next 3 ingredients (through vanilla). Mash sweet potato mixture with a potato masher. Fold in 1/4 cup pecans. Scrape potato mixture into an even layer in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pecans; top with marshmallows. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until golden.

Yield: 16 servings

CALORIES 186 FAT 5.5g FIBER 2.5g

Impossible Pumpkin Pie

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup Bisquick Health Smart Reduced-Fat Baking Mix

1/2 cup Splenda

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup Egg Beaters Frozen Egg Substitute, or 2 egg whites

Heat oven to 350. Spray 9 inch pie pan with Pam. Mix all ingredients together and pour into pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes till knife comes out clean. Chill and serve with FF Cool Whip.

Serves 8 at 2 Weight Watchers Points each

Pumpkin Roll

1 Angel Food Cake Mix - the 1 Step

1 cup cold water

1 can (15oz) pumpkin

1 TB pumpkin pie spice

Filling:

1 (8oz) FF Cream cheese

1 (3 oz) SF FF Cheesecake pudding mix

1 (8 oz) FF Cool Whip

Pumpkin pie spice to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with waxed paper. Spray lightly with Pam. Beat the cake mix and water together in a bowl for 2 or 3 minutes. Fold in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched gently in the center. Let cool for 5 minutes. Put powdered sugar on a clean dish towel and flip the cake onto the towel. Carefully peel off the wax paper. Roll the cake and towel together on the longer side (get more slices for less points). Let cool for 5 or 6 hours. Beat Cream cheese and slowly add Cool Whip in portions. This keeps the filling from getting lumpy. After this mixture is well blended, add the dry pudding mix and pumpkin pie spice. Carefully unroll the cake, spread the cream cheese mixture on the top. Gently roll the cake back up. I frosted the pumpkin roll with Cool Whip and a sprinkled with cinnamon. Very moist and doesn't taste low fat at all.

Master cook says 107 calories, trace fat, trace fiber15 servings

Pumpkin Fluff

1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin

1 (1 1/2 ounce) box sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (8 ounce) container fat-free cool whip

pumpkin spice(to taste)

Combine all ingredients in order. Chill for 2 hours.
Serves 4 at 2 WW points per serving

Crustless Pumpkin Pie
15 oz canned pumpkin
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 tsp table salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup Splenda Granular
3/4 cup Egg Beaters Frozen Egg Substitute
Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into a 9" sprayed pie pan. Bank at 400 for 15 minutes and then at 325 for 45minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 8 servings at 1 Weight Watchers point each.

Honey Bun Cake

1 package yellow or white cake mix

4 egg whites

1 cup (8 oz) reduced-fat sour cream

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoons fat-free milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix, egg whites, sour cream and applesauce. Beat on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour half (about 2 1/4 cups) into a 13x9x2 baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Cover with remaining batter; cut through with a knife to swirl. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. For glaze, combine confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla. Drizzle over warm cake. Cool on a wire rack.

Yields: 20 servings

From Master Cook: Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 180 Calories; 3g Fat (16.0% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 187mg Sodium.

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

10 medium potatoes, red (about 2 1/2 lbs)

1/2 cups buttermilk, warmed

3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored, grated

1/4 cups chives, chopped

1 tsp table salt

1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with an inch of water; bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer and cook until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to pot. Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.

Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

Serves 8 at 2 Weight Watchers Points Each

Buttery Yeast Rolls:I have to have the real thing in rolls! Here's what I use Buttery Bread Machine Rolls. These are 3 points each.