Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

 Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

4 ounces butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. First, cream the butter and sugar. Then, beat in the mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients and fold in chocolate chips. If making a loaf, spray loaf pan with cooking spray. If making muffins, line muffin pan with cupcake liners. For loaf, baking about 1 hour or until done in the middle. For muffins, bake for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Breaded Shrimp

 Ingredients

16 oz jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (weight after peeling 12.5 oz)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup egg substitute (egg beaters)
6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp panko
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Put egg beaters in one bowl. Combine bread crumbs, parmesan in another bowl.

Wash shrimp. Season with salt and pepper, place in egg beaters bowl. Then in bread crumb mixture, then on baking sheet. Spray tops of shrimp with cooking spray. Place on middle rack for 6-7 minutes. Turn over and cook for additional 3 minutes.

Recipe from here.

The BEST Pizza Crust and Semi Homemade Garlic Knots

At our house, we have a weekend tradition of making homemade pizza! So, I've gone through quite a lot of different pizza crust types to find the best (and easiest) one! My absolute favorite one is Fleischmann's pizza crust yeast! It is so freaking good!

To make an awesome homemade pizza, you'll need:

1 pack of Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast

1-3/4 to 2-1/4 cups flour 

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar 
3/4 teaspoon salt 
2/3 cup of very warm water (120° to 130° F) 
3 tablespoons oil 

Pizza sauce

Shredded cheese ( I always use 2% Mexican blend)

Black olives, sliced

Marinated artichokes

White onions, chopped

Mushrooms, sliced

Turkey pepperoni

1. Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add water and oil

2. Mix together until well blended; about 1 minute

3. Add 1/2 cup flour gradually until dough forms a ball. Add additional flour, if needed to handle

4. Spoon dough out of bowl onto floured surface. Dough will be slightly sticky

5. Knead on floured surface

6. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic; about 4 minutes

7. Press dough out to fill greased pizza pan or roll dough to a 12-inch circle and transfer to greased pizza pan

8. Top as desired with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings

Bake on bottom oven rack at 425 for 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is brown.

Add these garlic knots and some salad and you have the perfect weekend meal! 

Garlic Knots

1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls

6 tbs butter, melted

1 tbs minced garlic ( I use jarred.)

Combine 4 Tablespoons of the melted butter with the minced garlic in a small bowl. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of melted butter.
With each triangle of crescent dough, roughly form into a snake shape and dredge through the garlic butter, then knot and place on your baking sheet.
Bake according to crescent roll package directions then baste with remaining butter when finished.
Serve & enjoy!

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

 Ingredients

1 cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup mix-ins (chocolate chips, coconut, m&ms, anything you want!)

Mix all the ingredients together.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes, or until set in the center.

White Chocolate Banana Pudding

 Ingredients

1 3.4 oz box Banana Cream Jello

1 3.4 oz box White Chocolate Mousse Jello

4 cups milk

3 bananas sliced

Vanilla wafers

Cool Whip or Reddi Whip

In separate bowls, combine jello and milk according to package. Line bottom and side of bowl with Vanilla wafers. Layer bananas, half of banana pudding, and half of white chocolate pudding. Repeat layers. Top with Cool Whip or Reddi Whip. Serve chilled.

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

 Ingredients

12 reduced fat mozzarella string cheese (cut in half)

2 tbsp flour

1 egg

5 tbsp Italian bread crumbs

5 tbsp Panko bread crumbs

2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp dried parsley

olive oil spray

Freeze sting cheese.

Preheat oven to 400. Whisk egg in one bowl, in another bowl place flour. In a third bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, and parsley. When cheese is frozen, remove from freezer. Dip cheese in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. After all cheese is breaded, lightly spray the tops with olive oil spray. Bake for 4-5 minutes on bottom rack. Turn cheese over and bake additional 4-5 minutes, watching carefully.

Recipe from Skinny Taste

2points+ for two sticks

Taco Dip

 Ingredients

8 oz 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese

8 oz light sour cream

1 packet taco seasoning

16 oz jar salsa

shredded lettuce

diced tomatoes

2% Mexican Shredded cheese

Sliced black olives

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, and salsa. Mix with electric mixer. Spread misture onto the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and olives. Serve chilled.

Recipe from Skinny Taste

2 points+ for 1/24th of dip

Baked Chicken Nuggets

 Ingredients

16 oz (2 large) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

salt and pepper

2 tsp olive oil

6 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

2 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Olive oil spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 and spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

 Put olive oil in one small bowl. In another bowl, combine both types of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in olive oil first, then in breadcrumbs. Place chicken on baking sheet. Lightly spray top of chicken with olive oil spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Flip and bake for additional 4-5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe is from Skinny Taste

4 points+ for 1/4 of chicken nuggets