Hi Myrna,

Thanks for stopping back by the Forum and I'm so glad that you liked my recipes. In a kind of a break from my usual fare, here's an new and interesting way to eat Popeye's favorite green Veggie.

First of all, they look like brownies, but they're not sweet! Here's a wonderful way to have spinach. This is a treat that even the kids in the family love to eat. Two 10 ounce packages frozen spinach, cooked, may be substituted for fresh.

Spinach Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) package spinach, rinsed and chopped
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Place spinach in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook until spinach is limp, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in eggs, milk and butter. Mix in spinach, onion and mozzarella cheese.
4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before serving. Makes 2 Dozen

Hope Your Friday's Great,

Phil

Hi Myrna,

Personally, I love Spinach, however there are many members of my family, who shall remain nameless, who avoid it like the plague. The Brownies even got them to try it and it looked like they were enjoying it as well.

Here's a little more traditional way that I like to eat Spinach. Originally inspired by one of Paula Deen's Recipes, I came up with this healthier version of her Creamed Spinach Recipe, and was really amazed by how yummy it was. Since I'm always willing to try just about anything with cheese on it, and since each serving of this dish also came out to just 2 Weght Watcher's Points +, I figured it was worth a shot, as I really wanted a new healthy side dish recipe that could be prepared quickly. It literally took me about 10 minutes to make and it was a huge hit.

Creamed Spinach Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 16oz bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 tbsp fat free milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Spray a large skillet with non fat cooking spray (preferably the butter flavored kind) and set over medium heat.
2. Add in the shallots and cook until softened.
3. Add in the spinach and garlic and cook until spinach is heated through (about 3-4 minutes).
4. Stir in milk, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook until mixture is heated through (about 2-3 minutes).

Entire recipe makes (4) 1/2 cup servings and Each serving = 2 Points +87 calories; with 2g fat; 7 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 3 g fiber.

Tomorrow, my Friends, since we've all been so good and have eaten our Green Vegetables today, I'm going to share the recipe for the Banana-Blueberry Muffin from Weight Watchers that is fast becoming my Snack of choice to keep handy here at the house.

Have A Wonderful Evening,

Phil

Hello Again Myrna & Friends,

As promised, here's that Muffin Recipe that been the answer to my inevitable "Sweet Tooth".

If you are a fan of big, fluffy, fruit filled muffins, and aren't we all, then you came to the right place. This easy Banana and Blueberry Muffin Recipe delivers a most delicious, low calorie muffin that's full of good for you ingredients and low in WW Points +. The average muffin at Starbucks clocks in around 9-12 PointsPlus each, so why not make a healthier version yourself and save PointsPlus and $$$? By just making a few changes in a traditional blueberry and banana muffin recipe, it's not hard to create a muffin that is a lot lower in fat and calories and that doesn't sacrifice taste. Make a few batches of these and freeze them so that you always have a guilt free snack on hand, just like I do!

Banana Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup liquid egg substitute (like Eggbeaters)
• 3/4 cup reduced fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 1 1/4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Coat 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
3. Whisk buttermilk, brown sugar, applesauce and egg substitute in a large bowl. Stir in mashed bananas.
4. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries.
6. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups (they will be full).
7. Bake until the tops are golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes more before serving.

Recipe makes 12 servings and Each serving = 5 Points + with only 147 calories; 2g fat; 36 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber

Have A Bright & Beautiful Wekend,

Phil

Hello Everyone,

We've been sharing a couple of Kielbasa Recipes for the Slow Cooker over at the other Forum, so I thought that we might try out an old standby over here at Papa's Kitchen as well. This was my grandmother's recipe. It has always been an excellent and inexpensive meal for my family.

Slumgullion

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 6 Red potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 green bell pepper, and 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch long strips
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1-1/2 (16 ounce) packages beef kielbasa, diced into bite size pieces

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium low heat, and stir in the onion. Cook onion until tender and golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Place potatoes, salt and green bell peppers into the skillet with the onion. Cover and fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in ground black pepper. Place the kielbasa pieces on top of mixture, cover and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir kielbasa into the mixture and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Allow to sit covered for an additional 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Have A Terrific Week,

Phil