Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

I was craving oatmeal cookies today and decided to do some research online. I wanted ones that were soft and chewy and not flat and crunchy. I wanted ones that I did not need raisins in them (not a raisin fan). You can add chocolate chips in these or raisins but they were so good without them. They turned out really good!

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
Directions
1.In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
2.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.
3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Logan's Star Wars Party

Logan had his "Star Wars" party and picked out what his frieds would get. They each got a Darth Vader mask and a lightsabor cup cake topping. It was really easy and fun. Happy Birthday Logan!!!

Cream of Zucchini Soup

This was another healthy soup I was trying. I LOVED it. Very healthy and very easy. This one really suprised me. I am not a huge zucchini fan but thought I would branch out a little and am glad that I did. Yum!!!

Cream of Zucchini Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 2 pt
Calories: 65.3 • Fat: 1.0g • Protein: 3.5 g • Carb: 11 g • Fiber: 2.8 g


• 1/2 small onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 small zucchini skin on cut in large chunks
• 32 oz fat free chicken stock
• 2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
• salt
• pepper

Combine chicken broth, onion, garlic and zucchini in a medium pot and cook on medium heat.

Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Purée: Add the sour cream. Using an immersion blender, purée till smooth.

Stir in remaining ingredients, and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot.

Logan is 4 Years Old!!!

I cannot believe that my baby is 4 years old! Logan has been such a blessing to our family. Happy Birthday Logan! We love you very much.

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

I tried another yummy soup tonight! Loved it!

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1-1/4 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 281.6 • Fat: 8.0 g • Carb: 33.0 g • Fiber: 5.0 g • Protein: 20.4 g



1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 cup fat free milk
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
salt and fresh pepper
4 cups (about 2 heads) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
1-1/2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar
2 slices 2% American cheese
1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Chop onion, carrot, celery, garlic in a chopper or mini food processor.

In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, salt and pepper to the pot and stir until smooth.

Add chicken broth, milk and potatoes and set heat to high until it comes to a boil, then cover and cook on low until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Add broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, and stir well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add cheddar and American cheese, stir well and remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, quickly blend part of the soup for a quick second or two. If you don't have an immersion blender, remove about 1-2 cups of potatoes and broccoli, place it in your chopper, then add it back to the soup. This helps thicken it a bit.

Healthy Tomato Bisque Soup

With the start of the New Year, I started trying healthy recipes again. I have found my new favorite website: http://www.skinnytaste.com/ . Since I have been craving soup lately, I am doing a week of soups. Tonight was this Tomato Bisque. It was very, very good!!! Also, very healthy! The kids ate it with a lot of crackers:) It would also be good with some crunch french bread. Enjoy!

Tomato Bisque
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 2 cups • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 125.8 • Fat: 4.4 g • Protein: 4.5 g • Carb: 19.5 g • Fiber: 4.5 g

1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 celery stalk
3 cloves garlic
30 oz fresh plum tomatoes, peeled
32 oz fat free chicken broth, canned or homemade
3 sprigs parsley
10 basil leaves
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
Parmigiano Reggiano for serving (optional)

Chop onions, carrots, celery and garlic using a mini food processor or chopper. Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add butter until melted, then add chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook stirring often until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add chicken broth and tomatoes, stirring well.

Using a string or a rubber band, tie herbs together and drop into the soup. This will make it easy to remove later. Add salt and fresh pepper, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Remove herbs and discard, add sour cream and blend with a hand blender until smooth. (A regular blender would work, but be sure to let the soup cool before blending and fill only halfway in the blender so it doesn't explode on you).


Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated cheese and fresh basil.

My Ainsley

Ainsley and Logan fight all the time. Ainsley teases him until he hits her and then she hits him back and this continues for a long, long time. Tonight, I was upset at Ainsley for hitting her brother and she replies, "Logan hits me first." I told her to stay away from him!

I continued to attempt to explain my concept. I told her, "Ainsley, if you were walking on a beach and a crab with large claws was coming towards you to pinch you, what would you do?" I was expecting her to say that she would move far away, leave it a lone, run away, etc... hopeing to say that Logan has very large claws right now that will pinch her when she teases him.

Ainsley instead answered, "I would stomp on it!" Needless to say, my little life lesson did not work the way I had planned. I had to revert back to, "Just stay way from your brother!"