I love baked oatmeal. It’s such a hearty, filling breakfast and it’s so versatile. The possibilities for tasty toppings and fillings are endless, but the combination of pumpkin, dried cranberries and apples was so perfect and comforting for Fall. The Autumn flavors blended perfectly and a serving for breakfast kept me full all morning. If you try this and love it (or if this flavor combination just isn’t up your alley), make sure you also try my Baked Blueberry Peach Oatmeal! I eat my baked oatmeal plain but a lot of people like it with some warm milk poured over the top, which makes it extra moist. However you prefer to serve it, this is a perfect set of flavors for Fall and you can bake it once and have breakfast all week! (Plus it will make your kitchen smell incredible while it's baking)
Oh my…these are addictive. Not surprising, I suppose. What’s not to love about crusty French bread cups filled with warm, cheesy spinach dip? No one will ever guess these are light. I had trouble deciding how to categorize these because they’d be great for so many different occasions: party appetizer, game day finger food, vegetarian main dish, side dish for chicken or beef, the list goes on. Whatever you end up using these for and however you choose to serve them, you will love these. Yes, you. Now hurry up and go make them!
The wait is over! I have been waiting on pins and needles, bouncing up and down in my seat excitedly for over a month for it to officially be Fall so I could make these. The good news is they were totally worth the wait. I was curious as to how these would work without a crust, but the flour in them keeps them firm enough to handle while still allowing for a creamy, pumpkin pie filling texture in the center. I have been craving pumpkin lately (doesn’t Fall do that to everyone?) and these really hit the spot. With very little prep time and only 3 P+ per mini (normal cupcake-sized) pie, this is an easy, tasty way to enjoy all the pumpkin pie flavors you crave!
These are some seriously delicious, restaurant-quality enchiladas. I couldn’t believe I made them at home! Before I started this blog, enchiladas were a go-to meal for me, but at the time they consisted solely of canned enchilada sauce, canned refried beans, cheese and tortillas. I’m not saying they weren’t tasty as well, but these are so much better! I was a little bit worried that this dish would be too spicy when I did a quick taste test of the sauce before assembling the enchiladas but the finished product was perfect. The tortillas, chicken and cheese cut the spice, so there was definitely some notable heat there, but it wasn’t overwhelming.
I don’t feel like I got the best photos of this dish, partially because I was starving when I was cooking it. Once it was finished I had next to no patience for staging and taking a broad range of shots before digging in! Hopefully the pics I took are still enticing enough for you to give this recipe a try, because it’s really worth it. Your taste buds will thank you!
These pretzel bites are amazing. You may not even care if your team is winning as long as you serve these next Sunday on game day. That is the power of the Ham & Cheese Pretzel Bite. Now, these are a bit time consuming to make (you have to wait two hours for the dough to rise) but if you start the dough when you wake up in the morning, they can ready for kickoff no problem. Trust me, they’re worth it. I let my buttery soft pretzel bites get a little bit crusty on the bottom in the oven because that’s how I like them, but you can bake them however you like. I am a sharp cheddar cheese fanatic (the sharper, the better!) and I thought it was fantastic here, but for all you ham & Swiss lovers, that would be a great choice as well. At 1 WW P+ per pretzel bite, you can choose your own serving size and no one will ever guess you found this on a Weight Watchers recipe site. Serve with mustard for dipping and you have a guaranteed hit on your hands!
Calling all pasta lovers! I hear fairly frequently from people that want to eat healthier and choose point-friendly pasta but they just aren’t fans of the texture and flavor of wheat varieties. I happen to love pasta of any kind (wheat, white, whole grain, protein enriched, fiber enriched, you name it) but when Barilla contacted me about trying their new Piccolini Rich in Fiber White Pasta varieties, I got pretty excited on behalf of all you wheat pasta haters. Besides being cute (Piccolini is code for mini pasta) these varieties have the same WW P+ values as wheat pasta and three times the fiber as white pasta, but they look, feel and taste just like traditional white pasta.
Barilla Piccolini Rich in Fiber comes in three varieties: mini penne (ridged tubes cut on the bias), mini conchiglie (ridged shells) and mini rotini (spirals). I used the rotini in my Creamy Stove Top Macaroni & Cheese this past week and it was absolutely delicious. It really does look, taste and feel just like traditional white pasta, just for less P+!
Want to try it for yourself? One lucky winner will receive SIX boxes of Barilla Piccolini Rich in Fiber as well as TWO coupons for a free box!
I’m giving you FIVE possible entries to win:
Entry: “Like” the Barilla Facebook Page and leave a comment there telling them you’re entering the giveaway on emilybites.com (feel free to tag my Facebook page in the post). Then post a comment below (on this post) to let me know you did.
Bonus Entry: Become a fan of Emily Bites on Facebook and leave a second comment below (here, not on Facebook) letting me know you did. If you are already a fan, you can say that instead!
Extra Bonus Entry: Follow @emilybitesblog on Twitter and leave a third comment below letting me know you did.
Double Extra Bonus Entry: Follow emilybitesblog on Pinterest to have access to my top picks of the web and leave a post below letting me know you did.
Final Extra Bonus Entry: Follow @BarillaUS on Twitter and leave a comment below letting me know you did.
Note: Please make sure you enter your name and email address when commenting so I will have a way to contact you if you win! Also, be sure to leave a separate comment below for each entry to maximize your chances of winning!
That’s five potential chances for each of you to win! Winners will be selected by random.org on Saturday, September 24th at 12:00 NOON EST. Enter below and it could be you – good luck!
The winner has been chosen! Out of 83 comments, random.org selected comment #83, so it was really easy for me to figure out who won without counting this time - phew. Without further ado, congratulations to Fran (MsHellion)! Thank you to everyone who entered.
I love macaroni & cheese. There is something about gooey, creamy cheese over lots of carb-y pasta that makes my mouth water. I’ve been looking for a blog-worthy macaroni and cheese recipes for a while now, but I had yet to test one that really made my taste buds jump for joy…until now. You’ve probably noticed that I often use 2% reduced fat cheeses in my recipes, but when it comes to mac & cheese it’s worth it to me to go all out and use the real thing. I’ve been working on a separate recipe for Wisconsin Cheese (coming in October!) and I bought a block of Black Diamond Vintage Reserved Aged Five Years Cheddar for it and used the leftovers in this dish. It is amazing. The more a cheddar is aged, the sharper and more flavorful it becomes. Using a cheese like this is perfect because it packs so much flavor that you can get a lot from a little.
I often hear people say that they want to use a point-friendly pasta but they just can’t get into the flavor and texture of wheat pasta (not me, I truly love all pasta). On behalf of all those people, I was really excited when Barilla asked me to try their new Piccolini “Rich in Fiber” white pastas. They sent me two boxes to try, their Mini Rotini (which is what I used here) and their Mini Penne. Both have the same WW P+ values per serving as wheat pasta, but they look, feel and taste just like traditional white pasta because they have three times the fiber as said white pasta. White pasta lovers: keep your eyes peeled because I have a Barilla Piccolini giveaway coming your way very soon!
This macaroni & cheese recipe was creamy, filling, flavorful and incredibly satisfying. It was just as easy to make as the kind you buy in the box and infinitely tastier. Now that is comfort food!
It’s main course “cupcake” mania! The top three recipes on my site right now are Taco “Cupcakes”, Macaroni & Cheese “Muffins” and Lasagna “Cupcakes”. I’ve received your emails and seen your comments and posts requesting more mini-meal recipes, and I’ve been brainstorming tasty combinations like crazy! This one seemed like a sure winner. Who doesn’t love cheeseburgers? These individual “cupcakes” will give you all the flavors you’re craving: seasoned ground beef, two different types of gooey cheeses, juicy tomatoes, sautéed onions, sweet ketchup and tangy mustard. Serve these as a main course or individually as a fun appetizer or dish to pass. Main course “cupcakes” make great game day food for football season!
I have a lot more ideas for fun main courses that fit in a muffin tin, so expect to see more coming your way! Not all will include wontons, but it’s nice to have a few recipes that do since the package comes with so many. I have several more wonton recipes planned as well (think appetizers and desserts). Stay tuned!
*For more information or to convert this recipe to mini-muffin sized appetizers, visit the Wonton "Cupcakes" section of my FAQs page!*
