Shrimp Scampi (Under 200 Calories!)

This is another variation of my 100 Calorie Zucchini Spaghetti -  this time I sauteed the Zucchini Spaghetti with garlic salt, butter, and shrimp, to make a healthy Shrimp Scampi

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free and paleo!

Recipe:

1 medium/large Zucchini - 46 calories

10 medium shrimp - 64 calories

1 tablespoon Earth Balance Whipped Buttery Spread(or other Butter replacement) - 80 calories

1-2 teaspoons Garlic Salt or Garlic Powder                                                                                  

= 190 calories

1. Thaw your shrimp if you are using pre-cooked frozen shrimp

2. Wash and slice your zucchini into spaghetti strips

3. Heat up a medium frying pan on the stovetop, add the shrimp

4. Add the zucchini to the pan, add the butter(you may not need a full tablespoon, you just want to add enough to keep the zucchini from drying out)

5. Sautee for about 6 minutes, top with garlic salt and enjoy :)

Skinny Shoestring Apple Bake

I promised lots of Apple recipes after I went apple picking - here's another one!

I didn't really know what I wanted to make when I started chopping this apple up into small pieces - like shoestring potato chips

I thought it would be good in a crumble-type bake - so I mixed up some oat flour batter and voila! - you have the Skinny Shoestring Apple Bake!

Since this is under 200 calories for the entire recipe you can easily make the whole thing in a single container and eat the whole thing yourself without feeling guilty :)

This is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan!

Recipe: (makes 3 servings)

1/4 cup Oat Flour - 90 calories

1 small/medium Honeycrisp apple - 80 calories

1/8 cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce - 12.5 calories

2 tablespoons Almond Milk - 5 calories

1/4 cup Stevia

Cinnamon (to taste)                                              

= 187.5 total / makes 3 servings, 62.5 per serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Chop up the apple into skinny shoestring pieces
3. Mix together the flour and almond milk - if it does not mix fully add a little bit of the apple sauce
4. Sprinkle cinnamon and stevia on the apple slices, add the apple sauce
5. Mix the apple mixture and the flour mixture together
6. Divide into 3 greased baking cups (or 2 for 2 larger servings)
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes - enjoy warm, top with ice cream or whipped cream if desired

145 Calorie Strawberry Cake

I love putting Sugar Free Strawberry Jell-o powder on Apples - so I wanted to see what would happen if I used it in a cake!

This turned out really yummy, it is not very cake-y because of the juice from the strawberries but this would be really good topped with some whipped cream or ice cream - it really has a strong strawberry flavor and it is pretty sweet

This dessert is gluten free, dairy free and egg free!

Recipe:

1/4 cup Oat Flour - 90 calories - 90 calories

1/2 teaspoon Sugar Free Strawberry Jell-O Powder - 10 calories

1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - 10 calories

1/2 cup sliced Strawberries - 35 calories                   

=145 calories!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix together the Jell-O powder and flour - add the almond milk

3. Pour into greased mini loaf pan, top with strawberries

4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes

260 Calorie Big Mac Salad

I love McDonald's Big Macs - but this salad version is much healthier, I don't even miss the bun and the cheese!

This is a very heavy salad, but it tastes exactly like a Big Mac in my opinion - 

It is also Gluten free and Dairy free!

Recipe:

1/4 pound Ground Turkey Breast (or other meat) - 120 calories

1 large pickle - 20 calories

2 tablespoons Thousand Island Dressing - 90 calories

Lettuce (about 2.5 cups) - 20 calories                            
=260 calories total


1. Grill your turkey burger, flipping about halfway through
2. While the meat is cooking chop up the pickle, wash and chop up your lettuce
3. Put the lettuce in a large salad bowl, top with pickles
4. Add your turkey burger to the top of the salad, top with Thousand Island Dressing and more pickles

67 Calorie Apple Tart

After I went Apple picking I had a huge supply of apples to experiment with in my baking - here is one of the recipes I came up with!

This individual-size apple tart is so low-calorie you could eat 3.5 of them for the same calories as one McDonald's personal apple pie - I think I would rather eat my low-cal and gluten free version anyways

In addition to being gluten free, this apple tart is dairy free and vegan!

Recipe:

For the crust:
2 tablespoons Oat Flour - 44 calories
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Unsweetened Almond Milk - 3 calories
1/4 teaspoon Stevia, a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of salt    

For the Apple topping:
1/4 of a large Honeycrisp Apple - 20 calories
1/4 teaspoon Stevia, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon  
                                                                            
= 67 calories!


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together the ingredients for the crust
3. Spread the crust batter into a greased personal tart pan or quiche pan (it is very sticky but smooth it out the best you can, it will be covered by apples anyways)
4. Chop up and peel the apple, coat with stevia and cinnamon
5. Place the apple on top of the crust
6. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the crust is cooked - enjoy hot!

150 Calorie Pineapple Coconut Cake

Since the 130 Calorie Fruit Cocktail Cake turned out so well I have been thinking about what other fruit cocktail/fruit cup flavors I could experiment with - then I saw Pineapple Coconut Fruit cups at the grocery store and I knew this would be a great combination  - The pineapple and coconut flavor makes me feel like I'm in Hawaii :)

This cake only has 2 ingredients, it is dense, moist and lightly sweet. 

It also is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan!

Recipe:

1 Pineapple Coconut Fruit Cup - 60 calories

1/4 cup Oat Flour - 90 calories                        

=150 calories total!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix together the fruit cup(with the juice!) and the oat flour

3. Stir until completely combined, then pour the batter into a greased mini loaf pan

4. Bake for 12 minutes or until set

Dining Out: The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory is one of the worst offenders as far as high calorie restaurant entrees - If you choose to eat here while watching your calorie intake you have to be very careful about what you order

I only order off of their new Skinnylicious Menu - I get the Mexican Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos, they are 260 calories, and they are gluten free and dairy free(without the crema) - they are basically like a mexican chicken salad in lettuce wrap form

For comparison, my boyfriend orders the Baja Chicken Tacos - these are 1,119 calories! And his entree does not look very different from mine except that his comes with actual tortillas and rice and beans. I would not have thought that his meal would be that high in calories - but leave it to Cheesecake Factory to make even the healthy-looking things high in calories..

Also if you eat here while restricting calories do not order cheesecake! Instead you should make your own low cal version at home - You can do this using 1 container of Chobani or Fage low fat greek yogurt and a tablespoon of Jell-O Sugar Free Cheesecake mix - just stir the two ingredients together well and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes - you could add PB2 powder or cocoa powder to make a peanut butter/chocolate cheesecake, or top with some fruit preserves for a classic fruit-topped cheesecake treat :)

Spicy Pumpkin Maple Cookies (30 Calories Each!)

If you can't tell by now, I really like spicy food - and my Dad likes it even more than I do. I used to make Molasses Cookies with chili flakes in them that he really liked - so I thought I would try to make a skinny gluten free version of them.

He didn't think these were quite spicy enough - but for normal people I think they will definitely be spicy enough so be careful with the chili flakes!

This recipe only made 5 cookies but you could easily double or triple it!

These cookies are Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, and only 30 calories each! You could eat all five for about the same number of calories as a typical cookie!

Recipe: Makes 5 Cookies

1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree - 40 calories

1/4 cup Sugar Free Maple Syrup - 20 calories

1/4 cup Oat Flour - 90 calories

1 tablespoon Stevia

2 teaspoons Red Chili Flakes (or to taste)        

= 150 calories in whole recipe - makes 5 cookies, 30 calories per cookie

1. Mix together all ingredients
2. Chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
4. Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter onto parchment paper lined baking sheet - this is a very sticky batter but it doesn't spread much while baking so smooth out the cookies as best you can by hand before baking
5. Bake about 13-15 minutes
6. Allow cookies to cool before removing from parchment paper so they don't fall apart - they are very soft!
7. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cake (Under 300 Calories!)

Chocolate and Peanut Butter are a classic combination - So I decided to try making a low-cal and gluten free  Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

This cake is super moist and sweet - I made it in a fluted pan but you could use a loaf pan or small cake pan - whatever you have on hand

This cake is gluten free, dairy free and vegan - and under 300 calories for the entire thing!

Recipe:

For chocolate cake:
3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree - 60 calories
1/4 cup Oat Flour - 90 calories
1/4 cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce - 25 calories
2 tablespoons cocoa powder - 40 calories
1/4 cup Stevia

For Peanut Butter Swirl:
1/4 cup Almond Milk - 10 calories
3 tablespoons PB2 - 68 calories                             
= 293 Calories Total


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together the pumpkin, flour, apple sauce, cocoa powder and stevia
3. In a separate bowl mix together the almond milk and PB2 until well combined
4. Pour about half of the chocolate batter into a greased pan
5. Pour the peanut butter mixture on top
6. Spread the rest of the chocolate batter on top of the peanut butter layer
7. Bake 35-40 minutes - remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan

33 Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies

Fall always puts me in the mood for all things Pumpkin - whether its candles, decorations, or dessert - or in this case Brownies!

These were really easy to make and I think they look more impressive than my usual loaves because of the distinct colors and layering - and they are only 33 calories each!

These are also Gluten Free and Dairy Free!

Recipe: Makes 15 Brownies

3/4 cup Oat Flour - 270 calories

1 can Pumpkin Puree(1 and 3/4 cups) - 140 calories

1/4 cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce - 25 calories

1 egg white - 17 calories

4 tablespoons cocoa powder - 80 calories

1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 cup Stevia                                                               

=501 Calories for whole pan - makes 15 brownies, 33.4 calories each

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix together the flour, pumpkin, apple sauce, egg white, baking powder and stevia

3. Put about about 1/3 of the mixture in a separate bowl

4. Add the cocoa powder to the larger amount of batter (the 2/3 portion)

5. Pour half of the chocolate batter into a greased 9x13 pan

6. Spread the pumpkin batter on top of the chocolate layer

7. Spread the remaining chocolate batter on top

8. Bake for 35-40 minutes

9. Let cool before cutting into 15 pieces, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container

160 Calorie Zucchini Bread

My grandma makes THE BEST Zucchini Bread, I used to eat a few slices for breakfast when we would stay at her house - I love it chilled, with a little butter :)

 Since I liked it so much I thought I would see if I could make my own gluten free, dairy free, and low calorie version

I thought this turned out pretty good, and it is only 158 calories! This is healthy enough to eat for breakfast in my opinion - The only ingredients are: Zucchini, Apple, Sauce, Pumpkin Puree, Stevia and Oat Flour - totally acceptable breakfast staples

It is also gluten free, dairy free, and vegan!

Recipe:

1/2 of a Zucchini, grated (about 1 cup) - 23 calories

1/4 cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce - 25 calories

1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree - 20 calories

1/4 cup Oat Flour - 90 calories

1/4 cup Stevia                                                             

= 158 Calories in Whole Loaf

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Wash your zucchini thoroughly and grate it into thin pieces

3. Mix in the apple sauce, pumpkin puree, flour, and stevia

4. Pour into greased loaf pan or 2 mini loaf pans (you can use a round pan like I did but I wasn't able to get it cooked through as thoroughly - I think it would work better in a loaf pan)
5. Bake for about 40 minutes for a large loaf, or 20 minutes for mini loaves
6. Remove from oven - let cool before storing in the refrigerator

200 Calorie Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower

I made this Spicy Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower for dinner tonight, it smelled AMAZING while it was roasting in the oven - and I'm only a little embarrassed to admit that I ate then entire thing by myself...

This was really good! I love spicy food so I knew I would like how this turned out - I even used extra sriracha as a dipping sauce :)

I had this as a main dinner dish but you could also have it as a side dish, or serve it with some other heavy sides if you're cooking for more than one person.

This recipe is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegan - make sure you use a Gluten Free Sriracha if you are gluten intolerant, not all brands are gluten free

Recipe:

1 medium head of Cauliflower - 146 calories

1/4 cup Sriracha - 60 calories

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Powder

1/2 teaspoon Chili Flakes               

=206 calories for the whole head of cauliflower

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Wash Cauliflower and cut off the large stem and leaves

3. Mix together the Sriracha, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Powder, and Chili Flakes

4. Spread the Sauce mixture over the whole head of Cauliflower - Use a spoon or basting brush to do this, or wear gloves so that you don't stain your hands

5. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour - I sprayed some coconut oil on my cauliflower halfway through the cooking time but that probably isn't necessary

6. Remove from oven when tender, slice and add some salt and pepper if desired - enjoy while it's HOT :)

150 Calorie Pumpkin Butter & Maple Stuffed Acorn Squash

I had half of an Acorn Squash left from when I made my 200 Calorie Apple & Chicken Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash - so I decided to use the other half to make a dessert!

Instead of cooking the squash with butter and sugar I thought I would make it healthy by baking it and then adding my Skinny Pumpkin Butter and Sugar Free Maple Syrup!

This was a great Autumn dessert - it's only 150 calories, and it is gluten free, dairy free & vegan!

Recipe:

1 half of an Acorn Squash - 115 calories

4 tablespoons Skinny Pumpkin Butter - 24 calories

1/8 cup Sugar Free Maple Syrup - 10 calories               

= 149 calories

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Fill a baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water, cover with aluminum foil

3. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees

4. Remove from oven, fill with pumpkin butter and drizzle maple syrup over the top

5. Enjoy while still warm!

100 Calorie Zucchini Spaghetti

Pasta is delicious - but it is high calorie and filled with gluten! I have tried a few low calorie/gluten free alternatives and Zucchini Spaghetti is the best by far, in my opinion.

I like Zucchini Spaghetti better than gluten free/rice pasta because it is so much healthier and has a lower glycemic index so it doesn't spike your blood sugar

Another alternative is Spaghetti Squash - but I like the Zucchini Spaghetti better because it doesn't have the sweet flavor that the squash has, and I think it is much easier to cook (I hate wrestling with the Squash to cut it in half)

If you have a Veggetti or other Spiralizer gadget Zucchini Spaghetti is SUPER easy to make - I picked up mine at Wal-mart for about $15

You could also use the larger slicer on a regular grater and then just cut the slices into strips!

This Zucchini Spaghetti is Gluten free, Dairy Free, and Vegan :)

Recipe: (Makes 1 Serving)

1 Zucchini - 46 calories (green zucchini works better than the yellow squash)
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce (no sugar added) - 50 calories           
= 96 Calories for a large bowl of spaghetti!

1. Wash your zucchini thoroughly and cut it into spaghetti strips
2. Place in medium sauce pan with enough water to cover, bring to a boil - boil for 3-4 minutes
3. Heat up spaghetti sauce in a separate sauce pan
4. Remove the sauce and noodles from heat - drain the zucchini noodles
5. Serve up the Zucchini Spaghetti while it's hot! Add garlic salt if desired