Easy Breakfast Casserole

Trying to get different breakfasts flowing in my head I resorted to a good ole Google search. I tend to fall into the same sorts of meal ideas for breakfast. So stepping outside the box, I found an Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole dish on Betty Crocker’s website. It looked tasty, so I decided to give it a try, but worked on lightening it up by switching out ingredients.

Initially I created the recipe using frozen hash brown potatoes and extra mozzarella shredded cheese … until I went into the kitchen, was rushing, got side tracked and forgot a few ingredients (the hash browns and additional cheese). Initially I remembered I forgot the two after it had baked and had enough time to begin cooking.

Regardless of the missing ingredients the casserole did come out quite well. Although with hash browns it would have been out of this world delicious.

Here’s how I made my breakfast bake:

Serves 6. 3 points plus a serving OR Serves 4. 4 Points Plus/serving

Ingredients:

• 1 cup eggbeaters
• ½ cup egg whites
• 2/3 cup uncooked bell pepper, diced
• ¼ cup onion, diced
• ½ cup mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles
• ½ cup Bisquick Heart Smart
• ¼ cup Kraft shredded fat free mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a non-stick skillet add in bell peppers, onions and mushrooms and cook until vegetables soften (onions should be translucent). This step is optional but I find the onions can stay crisp if not cooked.

Add vegetable mixture, sausage crumbles, and cheese to the bottom of the casserole dish.

In a medium bowl combine eggbeaters, egg whites and bisquick and mix together until combined. Then top the vegetable and sausage mixture, sprinkle with cheese and place into the oven.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until casserole is cooked through completely.

Betty Crocker Watermelon Cupcakes

Spring and summer months my favorite fruit is hands down, watermelon. I find myself trying watermelon flavored items – cookies, candies, ice creams, etc.  Needless to say when I spotted this Betty Crocker Watermelon Cupcakes boxed cake mix at Target … I had to purchase it. I mean, what could be the worst thing that happened?

As with any boxed cake mix, whipping it together is easy breezy … especially if you’re skipping the eggs, water and oil and simply using diet soda or soda water. Once combined, the mixture definitely has a watermelon scent to it. My cupcakes baked up in 10 minutes.

In stores, Target was also selling a watermelon flavored frosting. Since I felt it would be too much of one flavor, I opted to use cool whip as a frosting. 2 tablespoons of cool whip per cupcake and they were perfect. They definitely have a watermelon flavor and scent to them. It has that Jolly Rancher flavor vibe to it, but not overwhelmingly artificial. There is “watermelon seeds” running throughout the batter – but they’re more like black funfetti beads.  Overall this is a unique and fun cake mix that is definitely good for a summer party/barbecue.

If the mix is made with diet soda or soda water (making 24 cupcakes) each cupcake is 65 calories or 2 points plus values. Or if you make giant cupcakes (12 servings) it’d be 130 calories or 4 points plus values.

Betty Crocker Cornbread Muffins

Ahh … cornbread! I developed a deep love for cornbread as a youngster. My dad would make hands down THE best cornbread.  He’d add real corn into it and sometimes he’d jazz it up with some jalapeno for a little spice. So, good!  And I admit, not so healthy in the quantities I’d eat it in.

These days, I don’t have cornbread very often – but when I saw this Betty Crocker cornbread muffin mix, I had to pick it up.  I calculated out the points for just the mix alone and figured instead of adding all the “fatty” stuff it called for, I’d try to jazz it up and make it points plus friendly.  Turns out my experimental baking was perfect because the cornbread muffins turned out absolutely perfect.  I was even asked as I served them up “You really made these with apple sauce? They’re so good!”

I emptied the cornbread packet into a bowl, added in ½ cup of natural unsweetened apple sauce and ¼ cup of water. I mixed it until everything was well combined – then transferred equal parts of the batter into muffin tins. I made 6 muffins and they came out perfect after being baked in the oven.  I did eat one as they were nice and warm and it was delicious. It was moist with a slight hint of apple lingering in the background.  A few spritz of spray butter on the top and I certainly did not miss the full-fat homemade version.

The greatest part was that each cornbread muffin was only 3 points plus values! Quite a steal when compared to any other cornbread muffin or cornbread loaf.

QUESTION:

How do you make your cornbread?

Berry Dump Cake

After hearing so much about dump cake I decided to make my own rendition.  I knew the recipe contained 3 items – cake mix, fruit and diet soda.  While shopping I picked up a bag of frozen berries and a box of cake mix because a fruity cake sounded delicious.  Upon getting home and assembling the cake, I found the single bag of frozen berries were not enough but thankfully I had ¾’s of another bag of frozen fruit in the freezer so I added that into the tray.

The cake turned out to be quite delicious.  Actually, I wouldn’t quite call it a cake because it was more of a berry cobbler.  The topping was a cake consistency, but the bottom was wet like cobbler is.  I do want to point out that this can sit for roughly 2 days but on the third day the top portion of the cake will become wet and gooey because the berries eventually get the better of it.  Because of that I’d suggest having this when you’re having people over who can enjoy it.

I used an assortment of berries on this particular “trial run” but I do want to make this with frozen peaches for a summer BBQ.  I think that’d be ultimately fantastic!

 

4 Points Plus per serving.  Serves 12.

Ingredients:

• Betty Crocker Super Moist French Vanilla cake mix
• Fresca diet soda
• Wyman’s Frozen Mixed Berries (You can use 2 bags of these berries, or mix up any combination of frozen fruit you’d like to try)
• Trader Joe’s Frozen Very Cherry Berry Blend
• Spray butter (optional)
• Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat your oven per box directions.

Spray a 13x9 cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Empty the bags of frozen fruit into the bottom of the cake pan.  Sprinkle fruit with dry cake mix, have cake mix cover fruit evenly trying to avoid any potential clumps of dry cake mix.  Slowly pour the diet soda over the cake mix.

Bake in the oven.  Cooking times will vary, but I cooked mine for 35 minutes, took the cake out of the oven, spritzed the top with spray butter and put back into the oven for another 5 minutes.

The cake was yummy, especially with some fat free cool whip.  If serving at a BBQ, this would be fabulous with some ice cream over a warm piece of dump cake. Yum! Talk about a guilt free dessert!

Apple Cake

Since I made my chocolate cherry cake I decided to experiment with additional flavored cakes.  An apple cake sounded amazing, so I made sure to make it!  I decided to go with a yellow cake mix to match the color of the apples, but I also love the simplistic flavor of a yellow cake mix.

The great thing about this recipe is that not only is it incredibly Weight Watchers friendly, but it’s simple to make, moist, delicious and nobody will know its points plus friendly!  My boyfriend, mother, niece and nephew were in heaven with this cake. Now, if a cake is approved by a child, I feel that it’s perfect!

It’s a completely guilt-free treat.  The cake is even delicious the day after because it is VERY moist and the moisture stays and the cake doesn’t dry out. Delicious!

Serves 12. 4 Points Plus values per serving.

Ingredients:

• 15.25 oz Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix
• No Sugar Added Apple Pie Filling (I used the Walmart brand because the sugar free Comstock isn’t sold at my local grocery store – you can substitute for the regular Apple Pie filling but your points plus values will need to be adjusted)
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup water
• Non-stick Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 (or whatever temperature is listed on the back of your cake mix box depending on how you decide to bake these - whether in a cake pan (glass/metal), cupcake pan or bundt pan).

In a large bowl combine the cake mix, apple pie filling (I ran a knife through the apples to cut them into smaller pieces), eggs and water in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon until combined.

Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour the cake batter into the pan. Smooth out the top and bake per the box directions.  The cake is done when a toothpick or knife is inserted and comes out clean.  My cake was completely cooked in 28 minutes – but my oven cooks fast.

Let the cake cool completely and then cut into 12 even pieces.

I topped my slice with 2 tablespoons of fat free cool whip and garnished the plate with fresh strawberries.