Tag Archives: mandarin

Avocado and Spinach Salad

July 25, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Kraft has so many great dressing out there – as well as using them on their own, they make GREAT to use as ingredients in other dressings, sauces, marinades, etc. This salad is a Kraft recipe and it was so good !

2 servings
250 calories per serving

1/2 c sliced avocados
3 T mandarin orange juice
2 t lemon juice
3 c baby spinach leaves
11 oz. can mandarin oranges (reserve 3 T juice / rinse the oranges in cold water)
1/4 c Kraft Catalina dressing (sweet French dressing)
2 T pecans (or other nuts), toasted
To toast nuts, heat a skillet on medium high then add nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until the heat brings out the flavors, about 2-3 minutes (when you smell the great aroma, they are just about done).

Mix dressing,. Lemon juice and orange juice. Pour over spinach, oranges and avocados. Garnish with nuts.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Orange Cream

June 2, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Orangey, creamy, tons of pudding flavor – all for so few calories ! If you want them to come in with even less calories and still have a nice portion, just cut out a few of the orange segments and some of the granola.

4 servings
170 calories per serving

1 box (4 servings) sugar free low fat vanilla instant pudding
1 c orange juice
1 c fat free Cool Whip, thawed
2 granola bars, crushed
15 oz. can mandarin oranges

Beat pudding mix and juice with wire whisk 2 minutes. Refrigerate 5 minutes and then fold in Cool Whip. Divide into 4 parfait glasses. This step can be done up to a day ahead of serving. Just before serving top with granola and orange segments.

Dessert, Fruit, Kid Friendly

Fruit and Cream

May 14, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This makes a really different dessert – instead of just pudding or just fruit – you have a creamy pudding-ish base with tons of yummy fruit thrown in. Very refreshing and very different !

16 servings
96 calories per serving

20 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup), drained
15.25 oz. can sliced peaches in juice, drained
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
4 apples, peeled and diced
1 ½ c skim milk
1/3 c orange juice concentrate
1 oz. package sugar free vanilla instant pudding mix
¾ c fat free sour cream

Mix fruit in a bowl. Whisk milk with pudding and orange juice for 2 minutes them mix in sour cream. Fold into fruit then cover and refrigerate.

Lunch, Pasta, Product Reviews

Hawaiian Pasta Salad

December 2, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Looking for something a little different for lunch? Instead of regular old pasta salad, how about some Hawaiian pasta salad? Plentiful Pantry makes it so easy and it is such a refreshing change of pace.

8 servings
180 calories per serving

Their mix basically handles the noodles and the dressing spices – you just add some cooked chicken (I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it was great !), pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, onion and avocado. The mixture of noodles (colors and shapes) makes for such a fun salad! And their poppy seed dressing is so special – sweet without being too sweet and just a little tart with the mustard in the dressing and the vinegar bite. Just whisk up the dressing and pout over the fruits, meat and cooked pasta. Chill a bit and presto…LUNCH IS SERVED !

Plentiful Pantry does such a great job of getting you out of the kitchen fast providing mixes that are tasty and easy to put together. I have tried several of their products and I find them all to turn out very good food.

Check out our reviews of other Plentiful Pantry products:

Blondies and Maple Sauce
Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
Roasted Tomato Parmesan Bisque

Pumpkin Cobbler

Dessert, Fruit

Mandarin Dessert

July 20, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Adding some Cool Whip and fruit to yogurt makes it a whole new dessert – the yogurt is so good for you, and the dessert is tasty and totally guilt free. Enjoy !

4 servings
113 calories per serving

8 oz. lowfat orange yogurt
1 c Cool Whip Lite, thawed
11 oz. can Mandarin oranges, drained well

Mix yogurt and Cool Whip and then mix in oranges and chill.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Pineapple and Orange Dream Cake

May 20, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Light and refreshing is the best way to describe this elegant and tempting cake. This is an easy to make dessert that tastes like you spent hours preparing, but it only take a bit of time to put it together 🙂

16 servings
212 calories per serving

CAKE:
1 box yellow cake mix
¼ c applesauce
4 eggs
1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges (including the juice)

FROSTING:
8 oz. cool whip lite
1 3.4 oz. package instant vanilla pudding
1 15.5 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice (not syrup), mostly drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and mix all the cake ingredients until moist then beat by hand 2 minutes. The oranges will all break up – that is fine. Spray a 13×9 pan with Pam and pour in the batter and cook 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. Mix together all frosting ingredients and spread on the cake. Store cake in the frig.

Lunch, Mexican, Salads, Sides

Spicy Black Bean Salad

May 2, 2010 admin Leave a comment

I’ve been making this side salad for years. It is great alongside so many dishes ! Sometimes it’s even good as a lunch served with a few low fat crackers.

10 servings
250 calories per serving

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can mandarin oranges, rinsed
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 c chunky salsa
¼ c lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t ground cumin

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate at least 3 hours.