Waist Watchers Special - Apple and Sweet Potato Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This quick and easy soup is simple to make and has the added advantage of being filling, while remaining figure friendly. It is thick and creamy, and because no dairy products are used in its preparation, the recipe may be of interest to those of you are interested in vegan soups. It has gorgeous color and the apples and maple syrup enhance the inherent sweetness of the potatoes, making it a soup that will have special appeal to most young children. The soup can be table ready in 30 minutes, but, whenever possible, I make this the day before I plan to serve it. It's a bit like an engagement. The flavors need time to court and the soup will be at its best if it sits for a day before it's ladled into bowls. This is a thick soup that you will probably want to thin before serving. I also like to add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the pot as it reheats. The vinegar helps balance the inherent sweetness of the soup. This recipe originally appeared in Family Circle magazine and according to their calculations the soup clocks in at 221 calories per serving. That makes it perfect for a soup and salad lunch. Here is how this unusual soup is made.

Waist Watchers Special - Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I hate dieting and the restrictions associated with it. I don't do well with plans and prepackaged meals, so when I pack on pounds, I have to come up with recipes that work for me, but do not scare off the Silver Fox, a committed carnivore, who views most greens and meat substitutes as "stuff". C'est la vie. While I consider these mushrooms to be a main course, he views them as a side dish meant to keep meat from getting lonely on  his plate. That actually has worked out well for both of us. At any given meal, there is at least one dish we can share and it makes creating diet meals a lot easier for me. Over the past three months, I've found or created recipes that make dishes I actually enjoy and I now have a collection of diet-worthy recipes to share with those of you who are also in waist watcher mode. These stuffed mushrooms are the first recipe in what I hope will become a weekly feature on One Perfect Bite. They are easy to make and quite satisfying, though I suspect you will want to add additional herbs and spices to the ingredient mix. I do hope you'll give these mushrooms a try. Here is how they are made.