THE 1,500-Calorie-a-Day Cookbook (38 page)

Excellent source of vitamin A

1 cup fat-free milk

1 1-ounce package instant sugar-free, fat-free banana cream or vanilla pudding mix

1 8-ounce container frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

2 ripe medium bananas, peeled and sliced (about 1½ cups)

7 graham cracker squares, 2½-inch squares each, crushed

¼ cup wheat germ

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 8-ounce can pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple in juice, drained

• Combine the milk and pudding mix in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in the whipped topping.
  
• Place ½ the banana slices evenly in the bottom of an 11″ × 7″ baking dish, spoon ½ the pudding mixture evenly over the bananas, and top with ½ the cracker crumbs. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the wheat germ and all of the nutmeg evenly over all. Repeat layers. Spread the pineapple evenly over all.
  

Good source of vitamin C

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 large egg

1¼ cups old-fashioned-style rolled oats

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

⅓ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup raisins

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  
• Combine the oil and egg in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until well blended. Add the remaining ingredients, except the raisins, and reduce to medium speed; beat until well blended. Stir in the raisins.
  
• Lightly coat two nonstick cookie sheets with cooking spray. Using a tablespoon measure, spoon six cookies onto each cookie sheet. (Do not put more than six on a sheet, because they will spread while baking.) Bake 6 minutes or until slightly golden on the edges and light in the middle. They will not look done at this point but will continue to cook while cooling. Remove from the oven and let stand on the cookie sheet 3 minutes before removing. Continue with remaining batter.
  

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil

2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

1 10.5-ounce package fudge brownie mix

12 small peppermint patties, such as York, cut into ⅛-inch pieces

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  
• In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and coffee granules. Stir until well blended; the coffee granules may not be totally dissolved at this point. Stir in the brownie mix until just blended; the batter will be very stiff. Gently but thoroughly stir the candies into the batter.
  
• Liberally coat two large nonstick cookie sheets with cooking spray, or line them with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon measure, spoon 6 scant tablespoons of the batter onto the cookie sheet, leaving about 4 inches between the cookies. Bake 5 minutes or until faint surface bubbles appear (as when cooking pancakes). Cookies will not appear done
  at this point. Place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack 1 full minute. Coat a flat spatula with cooking spray and gently remove the cookies, placing them directly on the cooling rack to cool completely.
  
• Repeat, alternating the cookie sheets to start with a cool sheet each time.
  
• When the cookies are cool, dust powdered sugar evenly over them using a fine sieve. Store them in an airtight container with a sheet of waxed paper between layers to prevent cookies from sticking together.
  

2 4-ounce containers sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding snack packs

¼ cup fat-free whipped topping

4 teaspoons reduced-fat creamy or crunchy peanut butter

8 graham cracker squares, 2½-inch squares each

• Combine the pudding and whipped topping in a small bowl and stir until well blended.
  
• Spread ½ teaspoon peanut butter on each graham cracker square, and top with equal amounts of the pudding mixture. Serve immediately, or freeze 1 hour.
  

16 foil or paper candy liners

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons mini marshmallows

¼ cup dried cranberries

3 tablespoons mini semisweet chocolate chips

¼ cup (1 ounce) sliced almonds, toasted and crumbled coarse

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  
• Place the liners in an 8-inch square baking pan or two mini muffin pans. Coat the liners with cooking spray. Fill each liner with about five or six marshmallows. Sprinkle evenly with the cranberries, chocolate chips, and nuts.
  
• Bake 5 minutes or until the marshmallows are no longer puffy. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack (in the pan) to cool completely. When cool, store in an airtight container in the pantry.