Hawaiian BBQ Cupcakes

Hawaiian BBQ Cupcakes

I keep saying it, over and over, but we have yet to try a cupcake recipe that we don't love! This one was no exception AND it was super easy and fast to put together. There was only 3 layers (then repeated) and was just a quick and easy and yummy dinner to put together! I will say, they didn't hold up as well when I reheated them the next day for lunch as other cupcakes have, and I'm not entirely sure why, tasted just as good, just didn't hold shape quite as well reheated. But if that's my biggest complaint, then I think we're doing pretty good!

Ingredients:

1 2/3 c. cooked chicken breast, chopped or shredded

½ c. chopped fresh pineapple (if you have to use canned, drain, and don’t buy any in syrup)

4 T. BBQ sauce

1 T. chopped scallions

16 wonton wrappers

4 oz. (about 1 cup) 2% shredded cheddar cheese 

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 375, spray 8 cups in a muffin tin.

2.   In a bowl, combine the chicken, pineapple, BBQ sauce and scallions. Stir well to combine.

3.   Put a wonton wrapper in the bottom of each of the 8 muffin cups. Using half of the chicken mixture, divide evenly among the muffin cups. Then using half of the shredded cheese, divide evenly among the muffin cups. Repeat layering with remaining ingredients: wonton wrapper, chicken mixture, shredded cheese.

4.   Bake 18-20 minutes, then let sit about 5 minutes before serving.  

Yields 8 servings – WWP+ 4 per serving. 

(Pictured above with a 1 point salad – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms and 2 T of fat free Caesar dressing) 

Recipe from Emily Bites

Taco Cupcakes

Taco Cupcakes

Yet another incredibly yummy cupcake recipe! These had just a smidge of spicy to them, not too much, but you could make it spicier or not as much depending on which salsa and queso you purchase to use. I have already eaten up all the leftovers of our taco cupcakes because they were so good!!! With all of these ingredients, they really filled up the muffin cups and some of the cheese and stuff kinda melted over as they baked, but it doesn't matter because they were just...that...good. I highly recommend trying these!

 

Ingredients:

½ lb. extra lean ground beef

16 wonton wrappers

1 T taco seasoning

¾ c. canned black beans, drained & rinsed

5 T + 1 tsp. white queso dip

1 c. chunky salsa

4 oz. (about 1 cup) 2% shredded cheddar cheese 

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 375, spray 8 cups in a muffin tin.

2.   Spray large skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium heat. Add ground beef and taco seasoning and brown the beef. Add the black beans and continue to cook, warming the beans.

3.   Put a wonton wrapper into each of 8 muffin tins. Using half the queso, divide evenly among the cups. Then using half the meat and bean mixture, divide evenly in the 8 cups. Using ½ c. of the salsa, divide evenly over the meat mixture. Lastly, using 2 oz. of the cheese, divide evenly among the cups. Then repeat layering with remaining ingredients: wonton wrapper, queso, meat mixture, salsa and cheese.

4.   Bake for 18-20 minutes and allow to cool a few minutes before serving.  

Yields 8 servings – WWP+ 4 for one, and 9 points for two.

(Pictured above with a 1 point salad – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, and 2 T of fat free Caesar dressing)

 

Adapted from Emily Bites

Chicken Parmesan Muffins

Chicken Parmesan Muffins

The first time I made these, I did it one night when we had my parents over for dinner. My dad is a bit of a picky eater, so I thought these would be a safe bet and they were amazing! And bonus...the recipe made 12 muffins (instead of the typical 8 that comes with many of the muffin/cupcake recipes) so even with company, we had leftovers. They were so good and they looked really fancy! We're serving them again this Sunday when friends come over for an Oscar party...I know they'll be incredible once again!

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds raw ground chicken breast

1 egg

1 egg white

6 T dried breadcrumbs

¾ tsp. dried basil

¾ tsp. dried thyme

¾ tsp. oregano

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ a small onion, chopped finely

¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

¾ c. parmesan cheese

¾ c. pasta sauce

¾ c. 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded 

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 350 and spray a muffin tin with cooking spray

2.   In a bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, egg white, bread crumbs, basil, thyme, oregano, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Mix until combined.

3.   Fill all 12 cups of the muffin tin evenly with the meat mixture, it fills each one almost to the top. Press down with a spoon to make sure all the space is filled up. Evenly divide pasta sauce over the 12 muffins. Bake 22-24 minutes or until cooked through.

4.   Remove from oven and evenly divide mozzarella over the 12 muffins. Return to the oven 2-3 more minutes until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

 

Yields 12 servings – WWP+ 4 points for 1, and 7 P+ for 2.

(Pictured above with a 2 point salad – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, 2 T of low fat shredded cheese and 2 T of fat free Caesar dressing and 1 point garlic toast – slice of Healthy Life 100% whole wheat bread toasted, then sprayed with spray butter and sprinkled with garlic salt) 

***adapted from www.emilybites.com***

Cheeseburger Cupcakes

Cheeseburger Cupcakes

This recipe we had for the first time a week ago. A cousin of mine has also decided to make a change in her life and has been doing AWESOME eating healthy, working out and losing weight!!! I'm super proud of her! We've been good motivators for each other and as a thank you from her, she came over after church last week and cooked lunch for us. These cheeseburger cupcakes were awesome!! They reminded me very much in flavor of the bacon cheeseburger wraps that I absolutely adore so I was totally in love with these! I'm excited to be making them myself this week for my own menu plan! Can't wait to have them again!

Ingredients:

¼ c. onion, finely chopped

½ lb. extra lean ground beef

1 T. McCormick Hamburger seasoning

4 oz. mushrooms, chopped

3 Weight Watchers White Cheddar soft cheese wedges

3 T. ketchup

1 T. mustard

16 wonton wrappers

½ c. tomatoes, chopped

4 oz. (about 1 cup) 2% shredded cheddar cheese 

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 375, spray 8 cups in a muffin tin.

2.   Spray large skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium heat. Add onions and sauté a few minutes until cooked. Add ground beef and hamburger seasoning and cook until meat is browned. Add mushrooms and cook a few more minutes until mushrooms are browned as well.

3.   Put meat mixture in a microwave safe bowl, add cheese wedges, ketchup and mustard. Microwave for 1 minute then stir really well until cheese is all melted and well-coated on the ground beef.

4.   Put a wonton wrapper into each of the 8 muffin cups. Using half the meat mixture, divide evenly among the 8 cups. Then using half the tomatoes, sprinkle evenly among the cups, followed with half of the shredded cheese, sprinkled evenly among the cups. Then repeat layering with remaining ingredients: wonton wrapper, meat mixture, tomatoes, shredded cheese.

5.   Bake for 18-20 minutes and allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

 

Yields 8 servings – WWP+ 4 per serving.

 

(Pictured above with a 2 point salad – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, 2 T of low fat shredded cheese and 2 T of fat free Caesar dressing) 

Adapted from Emily Bites

Lasagna Cupcakes

Lasagna Cupcakes

I have yet to try one of these cupcake recipes that I don't love! They are so easy to make and are SO yummy and make really great leftovers AND are really easy portion control! The lasagna cupcakes last night were no exception. They took a little more work than some just because there were several layers to it, but what good lasagna doesn't have several layers? Come on! We served them with a salad and a little bit of garlic toast and it was a very tasty Valetine's Day dinner at home with my family!

 

Ingredients:

½ lb. extra lean ground beef

1 ½ tsp. Italian seasoning

5 oz. chopped mushrooms

16 wonton wrappers

1/3 c. part-skim ricotta cheese

1 oz. parmesan cheese

1 c. pasta sauce

3 oz. part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Directions:

1.   Preheat the oven to 375 and spray 8 cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray.

2.   In a skillet, brown the ground beef and Italian seasoning. When cooked, add the chopped mushrooms and cook a few minutes more until mushrooms are browned.

3.   Push one wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the 8 muffin cups. Using half of the ricotta cheese, evenly divide among the cups. Using half of the meat mixture, evenly divide that among the 8 cups. Use ½ c. of the pasta sauce and layer on top of meat. Sprinkle about half of the mozzarella then half of the parmesan next. Repeat layering steps with remaining ingredients: wonton wrapper, ricotta cheese, meat mixture, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese (evenly dividing all among the 8 cups).

4.   Bake 18-20 minutes and allow a few minutes to cool and set before serving.

 

Yields 8 servings – WWP+ 4 for one cupcake, 9 points for two.

Pictured with a 1 point salad – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and 2 T. fat free French dressing. We also served it with garlic toast – 1 point bread sprayed with spray butter and sprinkled with garlic salt.

Recipe adapted from Emily Bites

Teriyaki Chicken Cupcakes

Teriyaki Chicken Cupcakes

These little beauties were my own invention and they were a hit in my house! My husband loved them and said they were maybe his favorite of the "cupcakes" that I've made so far! Granted, the inspiration of the cupcake idea comes from the Emily Bites website which I love and has given me most of my incredible recipes. The other day I was really craving a teriyaki chicken burger from Red Robin, my favorite sandwich there, so I was trying to think of what I could use those flavors in a more low cal (less carbs) kind of way. Now these cupcakes didn't have quite the same creamy texture as some of the others, but they were very good...gave a little nod to Asian style with the flavors and the wontons! You can find pre-shredded swiss cheese to put on these, but I bought a block of swiss and shredded it myself (which is something I'm doing more of lately, freshly shredded...you can even buy 2% cheddar in a block to shred yourself!)

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped

½ c. teriyaki sauce

16 wonton wrappers

½ c. finely diced pineapple

¾ c. shredded swiss cheese 

Directions:

1.   If possible, combine 2 c. chicken with the ½ c. teriyaki sauce in a Ziploc baggie and put in the fridge for an hour or two before dinner (just to soak in the flavor…I didn’t and they turned out fine, but if you want a little extra teriyaki flavor, wouldn’t be a bad idea)

2.   Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray 8 cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray.

3.   Finely dice your pineapple. I used canned chunk pineapple, then diced them down even further. Add your pineapple to the chicken and teriyaki sauce.

4.   Line each of 8 muffin cups with a wonton wrapper. Using half the chicken mixture, evenly fill 8 cups. Then using half the shredded cheese, sprinkle evenly among them. Repeat layering with remaining ingredients: wonton wrapper, chicken mixture, shredded cheese.

5.   Bake 17-19 minutes or until tips of wontons are browned. 

 

Yields 8 servings – WWP+ 4 per serving

 Served with a 2 point salad – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, 2 T. of low fat cheese and 2 T. fat free French dressing

Recipe from: Yum to the Tum original!

French Dip Cupcakes

French Dip Cupcakes

These french dip cupcakes were the first wonton cupcake recipe I tried and I was hooked! I LOVE them! They are so delicious and super easy! They require very little cooking and they taste incredible!

Ingredients:

12 oz. deli roast beef, chopped into small pieces (I used the packaged kind that was 95% ff)

4 Laughing Cow Light Swiss wedges, chopped

1/3 c. au jus gravy (canned, found near jars of premade gravy at the store)

16 wonton wrappers

4 oz. (1 c.) reduced fat 2% shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray 8 cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray.

2.   In a microwave safe bowl, combine the roast beef, Laughing Cow wedges and au jus sauce. Microwave 2 minutes, then stir really well until beef is well coated with cheese and sauce.

3.   Push a wonton wrapper into each of the 8 muffin cups. Using half the roast beef mixture, spoon evenly into each cup. Sprinkle 2 oz. of the cheese evenly on top of beef mixture. Press another wonton wrapper on top of the cheese, then repeat layering with the rest of the roast beef mixture, then top with remaining cheese.

4.   Bake 18-20 minutes until tips of wonton wrappers are golden brown and cheese is melted. Let cool a few minutes before removing from cupcake tin.

 

Yields 8 servings – WWP+ 4 per serving

Recipe from Emily Bites

Spaghetti & Meatball Cups

Spaghetti & Meatball Cups

These little individual servings of spaghetti & meatballs are so tasty! And...not to mention, they look really cool and fancy! Pasta is yummy, I love it, but it's really hard to portion out and make sure that you're not overeating it, which is why I love this recipe. Now, I'll admit, of the recipes I've made, this one was a little more time consuming than some of the others, but it's totally worth it! It was such a delicious dinner and we had leftovers which we used for lunches for several days because it makes a full dozen of these! I would suggest making these on a night when you aren't in a huge rush!

Ingredients:

1 lb extra lean ground beef

¼ c. seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg

1 T skim milk

8 oz. whole wheat spaghetti (broken up into thirds or fourths)

3 egg whites

1 oz. parmesan cheese

¼ c. 2% shredded mozzarella cheese

1 ½ c. + 3 T marinara sauce (divided) 

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2.   In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, egg & skim milk and stir until mixed. Add the ground beef and stir very well. Divide meat into 12 equal balls and line on baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 350.

3.   Boil water and cook pasta according to directions on the box. Drain noodles and set aside to cool.

4.   When meatballs are done, remove from the oven and put in a saucepan with 1 ½ c. of marinara sauce. Keep warm over low heat, stir occasionally. Turn oven up to 400.

5.   In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites and add the pasta to it. Stir to combine then add the Parmesan, mozzarella and 3 T of marinara sauce. Mix together well.

6.   Spray all 12 cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray. Put about 1/3 c of spaghetti mixture into each cup. Using your fingers, press down in the center and up the sides, forming little cups. Bake for 15 minutes at 400.

7.   When cups are done, cool a few minutes, then remove from tin, top with 1 meatball and 1 T of marinara sauce from the pan.

(when storing leftovers, store spaghetti cups and meatballs separately)

Yields 12 servings – WWP+ 4 per serving for 1, and 8 points for 2

(pictured with a 2 point salad – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, 2 T low fat cheese & 2 T fat free Caesar dressing and 1 point garlic toast)

Recipe from Emily Bites

Enchilada Cupcakes

Enchilada Cupcakes

 

I thought I would once again get a jump on things and get this recipe out before it shows up on the meal plan for this week. The meals that I planned for Monday and Wednesday this week are ones that I am making on my own, and don't have the recipes written down yet. I will do my best to get them written down as soon as I can after they are made for those of you wanting to follow my meal plan this week. I love these cupcake recipes using the wonton wrappers! The possibilities are endless and I'm really excited about using this idea to create some of my own as well! These enchilada cupcakes can end up being as spicy as or mild as you prefer, it's totally up to you!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded

½ c. enchilada sauce (whatever spiciness you prefer)

2 scallions, sliced

16 wonton wrappers

4 oz. 2% shredded Colby jack cheese

*1 T diced green chilis – I leave this out, but if you like spicy, put it in 

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 375, spray 8 cups in a muffin tin.

2.   In a bowl, combine chicken, enchilada sauce, scallions, and chilis (if you’re using them). Stir well to combine.

3.   Put 1 wonton wrapper in each of the 8 cups. Divide chicken mixture in half, using 1 of the halves, evenly divide chicken into the 8 cups. Using 2 oz. of the cheese, divide evenly among the cups. Layer each cupcake with another wonton wrapper and repeat steps. Divide remaining chicken among the cups evenly and remaining cheese on top.

4.   Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cook a few minutes before removing (important…otherwise they kinda fall apart).  

Yields 8 servings – WWP+ 4 per serving.

(Pictured above with a 2 point salad – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, 2 T of low fat shredded cheese and 2 T of fat free Caesar dressing)

Adapted from a recipe from Emily Bites