Pasta and Sausage alla Lasagna

A while back I was cleaning out some closets when I came across a binder filled with cutouts of recipes from magazines I had tried or planned to try. While flipping through it, I found this recipe for "Pasta alla Lasagna". I had made this dish before but had completely forgotten about it. I was so excited to find it again because it's so good and easy (a Chef Mommy theme you might have noticed :)...perfect weeknight food the entire family will love!


Think of this hearty dish as lasagna without the assembly; it contains the same ingredients but is a lot easier to put together.


I love the ricotta mixture on the side! Perfect, built-in portion control!!


Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 days. Just be sure to store the ricotta mixture and sauced pasta separately.

Ingredients:
2 cups chunky pasta (I used rotini)
1 (2 1/2 ounce) sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 cup reduced-sodium marinara
1/2 part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 Italian parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Pepper

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package instructions; drain and place in a serving bowl. Keep warm.

Heat a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Crumble in the sausage and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Drain off any fat and add sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan and pepper in a small bowl.

To assemble, toss the pasta with the sausage and sauce. Top each serving with a dollop of the ricotta mixture.

Makes 4 servings
Per Serving (1 cup pasta w/ sauce + 1 dollop of ricotta mixture)
258 Cal
8g Fat
323 mg. Sodium
3 g Fiber
13 g. Protein

Source: Weight Watchers Magazine

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

If you are looking for something special to make for breakfast this weekend give these wonderful lemon poppy seed pancakes a try.

They are so light and fluffy! The lemon and poppy seed naturally complement each other and give these a fresh, bright taste. I put some fresh strawberries and a bit of a good quality maple syrup on top....so good!!

The best little sous chef around!


Yum!


Even Miss Picky liked these :)


Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
cooking spray

Directions:

Stir the milk, vinegar, and lemon juice together in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes to curdle. Whisk in egg, butter, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest until well combined. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk a few times until the batter is mostly free of lumps.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake into the skillet and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes over with a spatula and brown the other side, about 2 more minutes.

Nutritional Information:
Recipe makes 8 pancakes
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237 | Total Fat: 8.5g | Cholesterol: 72mg

Source: All Recipes

Classic Chili (Slow Cooker)

I am so excited to share this recipe with you all, for several reasons. Here are 10:

1. It's perfect cold weather food.

2. It is made in a slow-cooker.

3. It's from Weight Watchers.

4. It's only 2 WW Points per serving on the old points system. Not sure how many on Points Plus but I bet it is still low. Visit the source of recipe for nutritional info. Click HERE.

5. It uses many pantry staple ingredients.

6. It makes great leftovers.

7. It's budget friendly.

8. Classic recipe and flavor the should appeal to all members of the family.

9. It's low in fat, high in fiber and gluten free!!

10. It tastes really, really great! Really!!

I love the color of the ground beef and peppers... just cooking away :)



I served this dish up with mini low-fat corn muffins. Total comfort food.



Ingredients:

1 lb extra lean ground beef or 1 lb ground turkey
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup canned diced chilies or 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup-1 cup water (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)
Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the ground beef and garlic in a nonstick skillet breaking apart the meat with a spoon until well browned; drain off any fat very well, then return to skillet.
2. Add in the bell peppers; cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
3. Add in the chili powder and cumin and stir to coat.
4. In the slow cooker, mix together tomatoes, beans, sweet onion, chilies and tomato paste, then stir in the beef mixture.
5. Cover and cook on HIGH until flavors are blended (about 4-5 hours). If your chili looks too think at the end, feel free to add some water to thick it out a bit.
6. Serve with dollop of light sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro.

Source: adapted from Food.com

Turkey Taco Mac Light!

Cooking light doesn't have to mean searching out all new, low-fat recipes. It's usually as simple as making a few substitutions to favorite recipes. This dish is just the lightened up version of the super yummy turkey taco mac.

This dish is basically a homemade hamburger helper and naturally a huge hit with everyone. It already started with lean ground turkey, so all I did is use reduced fat cheeses and sour cream. You could make this lighter by using fat free cheese and sour cream but I'm not a big fan of completely fat free foods. It seems the you get more chemicals than actual food with those, KWIM?

This recipe will yield a good amount but it's ok, because this also makes for excellent leftovers.

Ingredients:

1¼ lbs. ground turkey
8 oz. dry pasta shapes (I used mini penne)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
2-4 tbsp. taco seasoning or 1 envelope of taco seasoning
3 oz. 1/3 fat cream cheese
½ cup light sour cream
1/2 cup frozen corn
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar-jack
Cilantro or parsley chopped (optional)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saute pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Mix in the diced tomatoes,corn and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese,half the cheddar cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.

Remove from the heat and top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese. Sprinkle cilantro or parsley on top if desired.

Click HERE to calculate nutritional info for this dish.

White Pizza with Broccoli & Mushrooms

I recently discovered this great cooking blog called Culinary Covers. The author takes recipes that grace the cover of magazines and books and recreates them at home. Then she shares her tips plus if she thought the dish deserved the honor of being on the cover...pretty neat, huh?

While I was looking through the site, I came across a picture of this delicious pizza. I read over the list of ingredients (very simple) and read over her comments (she gave it a big thumbs up). I knew I had to add it to our weekly menu.


This pizza really did turn out great and I would definitely made it again. The creamy white sauce was a nice change from our usual tomato and I loved the fact that it had fresh broccoli and mushrooms. This one is a keeper!!


Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. nonhydrogenated margarine or butter, divided (I used butter)
6 ounces mushrooms, sliced (2 cups)
8 ounces broccoli florets (3 cups)
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup low fat milk (I used 2%)
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1 (13.8 ounce) package refrigerated pizza dough (I used homemade)

Directions:

1. Place pizza stone or baking sheet in center of oven, and heat to 425 degrees F.
2. Melt 1 1/2 tsp. margarine in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook 4 to 7 minutes, or until beginning to brown, stirring frequently. Add broccoli and 1/3 cup water. Cover tightly, and steam broccoli in skillet 3 to 4 minutes, or until tender.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp. margarine in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour, and cook 2 minutes, or until pale golden, stirring constantly. Stir in milk, garlic and salt. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until mixture thickens and begins to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup mozzarella and 2 Tbsp. Parmesan until sauce is smooth and cheese is melted.
4. Shape pizza dough according to package directions. Remove pizza stone from oven, and place dough on hot stone.
5. Spread white sauce over dough to within 1/2-inch of edge, and top with broccoli mixture. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over top. Return to oven, and bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until edges of pizza are golden and center is hot and bubbly. Cool slightly before slicing and serving.

WW Points= 6 (per slice, pie yields 6 slices)

Source: Culinary Covers, originally from Vegetarian Times, April 2010

'Bella Asada (Veggie) Fajitas

Can I just tell you how excited I was to find this recipe on Hungry Girl...it's a delicious vegetarian fajita!

So many great things about this recipe:
1. It's low fat and low in WW points
2. It's easy and quick to make.
3. It tastes great!

And #4...it's gluten free and casein free!

I have a good friend who has 2 beautiful daughter. Her oldest daughter has autism and my friend has her on a gluten free/ casein free diet. The younger daughter will also be following the diet once she starts on solids and because of this my friend and her husband need to try to follow it as well. However, it can be so challenging... gluten and casein are in virtually everything!!

So, I was so happy to be able to post something that they could make too. I've added a GF/CF tab in my blog and hope to add more recipes in the future.

Look at all those beautiful veggies!


These corn tortillas from Trader Joe's are great. Only three ingredients (corn, lime and water) and no preservatives!


I added a little bit of shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese to my kid's fajitas. They weren't totally thrilled about a veggie only dinner.


Ingredients:
Makes 2 servings

1 tsp. olive oil
2 large portabella mushroom caps, sliced
3/4 cup sliced bell peppers (red, yellow, and/or green)
3/4 cup sliced onion
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/8 tsp. chili powder, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. cumin
Dash black pepper
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup roughly mashed avocado
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tbsp. lime juice
Six 6-inch corn tortillas

Directions:
Drizzle a large skillet with oil and bring to medium-high heat on the stove. Add sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, and onion, and sprinkle with garlic powder, 1/8 tsp. salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook for 6 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and remaining 1/8 tsp. salt. If you like, season to taste with chili powder. Mix well and set aside.

Place tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, and warm slightly in the microwave. Top each tortilla with about 1/2 cup fajita veggies and a spoonful of the tomato-avocado mixture. Fold and chew!

WW POINTS: 5 (3 fajitas, half the recipe)

Source: Hungry Girl

Restaurant Style Salsa

I adapted this restaurant style salsa recipe from Pioneer Woman and must say that it tastes very good and very much like you would find in your local Mexican restaurant. The changes I made were minor and have to do with how much spice and liquid I like in my salsa. For me, I like salsa that is not too watery or spicy (I'm a wimp...I know).

So, first I drained the tomatoes and Rotel. PW's recipe says to keep all the juices but I think this would make the salsa way too watery, especially after pureeing when the tomatoes release even more liquid. I also removed the seeds from my jalapeno. The salsa was still a little spicy but my kids were able to eat it too.

My version of this recipe is below and for PW's original version, just click on the link in the bottom. Oh, one more thing...I only made 1/2 a batch, which yielded about 1 1/2 cups of salsa.

I know these chips look like Fritos but they are actually Trader Joe's corn chips. They are 4 WW points for 10 chips. If you are watching your weight you might want to stick with baked Tostitos, which are 2 points per serving.

I can't wait for my husband to come home and try this salsa...he is a bit of a salsa connoisseur.

Ingredients

1 can (14 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes ,drained
1 can (10 Ounce) Rotel , either mild or original
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 small clove Garlic, Minced
1/2 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/8 teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
½ whole Lime Juice

Directions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

WW Points= 0 (YAY!!!)

Source: Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I love lasagna...but it always takes so long to make. After boiling the noodles, browning the meat, simmering the sauce, mixing up the cheeses, assembling it all, then baking, you are looking at about 2 hours of work. I don't know anyone who has that much time during the week to make dinner (I certainly don't). That is why these lasagna rolls from Gina appealed to me so much. After quickly glancing through the list of ingredients and directions, I knew this was very doable for a weekday dinner.

What I didn't expect was for these rolls to taste as good as they did. This recipe consists of just a few simple ingredients and I was afraid it would taste a little bland. However, this was not the case at all. It was really tasty, not to mention healthy (hello spinach!). Plus, since they are rolls, you have built in portion control and who doesn't love that?

Right out of the oven, all hot and gooey!


All you need is a simple side salad and you are good to go.


Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles, cooked (I only made/used 6)
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz tomato sauce
9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

WW POINTS: 4 (1 roll)

Source: Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro

Vacation eating is a lot like holiday eating too me. My family and I always end up over indulging on vacation. Our meals are typically bigger, more fattening and dessert is always included at the end.

The day we got back from our Disney trip, both my husband and I were craving something light and home cooked. I knew where to go to find it such a meal...Gina's WW blog! I had actually bookmarked this garlic shrimp dish before our trip and decided to give it a try that night. It turned out to be just what we were looking for...light and tasty! Plus, it was a quick meal to prepare and cook...perfect after a long day of flying with two kids.

Ingredients:
Servings: 4

1 1/4 lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1/2 cup cilantro
4 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz can light coconut milk (50% less fat)*
1/2 lime, squeezed

In a medium pot, heat oil on low. Add red peppers and sauté until soft (about 4 minutes). Add scallion whites, 1/4 cup cilantro, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, coconut milk and salt to taste, cover and simmer on low about 10 minutes to let the flavors blend together and to thicken the sauce.

Add shrimp and cook 5 minutes. Add lime juice.

To serve, divide equally among 4 bowls and top with scallions and cilantro.

WW POINTS: 5.5 per serving

Source: Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes, originally adapted from Fine Cooking

Basic Grilled Chicken

It's funny how sometimes the easiest things to cook are the most challenging. Case in point....basic grilled chicken. For many years, I could not cook a decent piece of grilled chicken to save my life! My chicken would always come out too dry and not very flavorful.

Countless cutlets later, I finally I discovered the secret to cooking flavorful and moist grilled chicken. The trick is really just two simple but important steps.

The first step is trimming the chicken well and pounding them down to about 1/2 inch thickness. In the past, I would just take the chicken right out of the package and use it that way. The cutlets were too thick and would take forever to cook. So, I would end up with tough, dry cutlets...blah!

The second important step, is making sure to use a very hot grill pan (or outdoor grill) that is lightly brushed with oil. Let the chicken cook about 3-4 minutes before turning over. If you turn it too soon the chicken will stick to the pan. I then cook them an additional 1-2 minutes per side to ensure the chicken is very thoroughly cooked (I have nightmares about undercooked chicken...anyone else?) and to get those pretty grill marks.

This chicken does not need to marinate and is simply seasoned. It comes out flavorful and is perfect by itself or served as part of another dish. This chicken is so versatile, that I always end up making more cutlets than I need and refrigerate the leftovers to use later in the week.

Basic grilled chicken on top of a salad.


Ingredients
chicken breasts, skinless
canola oil or olive oil
salt
pepper
seasoning salt (such as Mrs. Dash)
crushed red pepper flakes

Begin by rinsing the chicken breasts under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. On a cutting board, trim the chicken of any fat, skin or cartilage. Then place each breast between two pieces of plastic wrap (or inside of a gallon size Ziploc, my fav. method) and gently pound chicken with a mallet to 1/2 inch thickness. Trim any remaining fat, skin or cartridge from each breast that you see.

Lightly brush each breast with oil, then season both sides with salt, pepper, seasoning salt and a pinch of the red pepper flakes.

Brush oil on a grill pan and set over a med-high heat. Once the grill pan is very hot, add each chicken breast and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn over each breast and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Turn over again and cook for 1-2 on each side, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and juices run clear.

Remove from grill pan and serve or let cool and refrigerate. These grilled chicken breasts last in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

WW Points= 4 ( 4oz chicken cutlet)

Source: Chef Mommy's Kitchen

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Here is a fresh, healthy and easy tomato sauce that is sure to be a winner with everyone in your family. In fact, my husband prefers this sauce to heavier tomato and bolognese sauces. It combines fresh tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes, fresh basil, onion and garlic....so simple...so good!

I didn't calculate Weight Watchers points for this sauce, however, I know it is very light. Any points would come from the small amount of olive oil, which adds a negligible amount of (good) fat. This sauce is a summer time staple for us because of the abundant amount of ripe tomatoes available. However, it is so good and easy that I find myself making it year round.

One note, after it is done cooking, I often puree it a bit with an immersion blender. You do not have to do this step at all but my kids prefer a less chunky sauce.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 chopped ripe tomatoes, seeded and skinless *(see note below)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano, or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
pinch of sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

thin spaghetti (or pasta of your choice)
fresh chopped basil
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

*To easily remove skin from a fresh tomato simply cut an "x" in the bottom of each tomato. Then plunge the tomato into boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute and remove. Rinse tomatoes under cold water or plunge into an ice bath. The skins will come off easily.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Saute, uncovered, until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the fresh tomatoes,diced tomatoes, basil, oregano,bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper, then bring to a gently boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes, or until the desired consistency is reached. Cook the pasta according to package directions in the meantime. Stir the sauce occasionally and adjust the seasoning as needed. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Serve on top of pasta and sprinkle fresh basil and Parmesan cheese on top.

If not using sauce immediately, transfer to a container and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Fresh Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Crisps

I have a TON of cookbooks and because of that, there are many that haven't been opened in a while. So, I'm now trying to rotate through them a bit better. That's how I re-discovered this tasty recipe.

It's fun, healthy and easy...three of my favorite things when it comes to cooking family meals or in this case, snacks. This recipe comes from a kid's cookbook so it's of course a great recipe to make with the little ones.

I used a star shaped cookie cutter but any shape or design works.


Ingredients

Fresh Fruit Salsa
1 pint fresh strawberries, stems removed and berries chopped
1 banana, peeled and chopped
2 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup blueberries
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

In a medium bowl, combine all the fruit. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Drizzle, the lemon sugar over the fruit and stir gently to coat all the fruit. *I actually only used 3/4 of the lemon sugar*
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Cinnamon Crisps
Flour tortillas
vegetable cooking spray
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Firmly press cookie cutters into the tortillas and place the tortilla cut-outs onto an ungreased baking sheet. Lightly spray with the cooking spray, then sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the tortilla cut-outs. Bake for 6-8 min or until lightly browned. Cool and serve with the fruit salsa.

WW POINTS= 2 (1/3 cup fruit salsa and 4 cinnamon crisps)

Source: Southern Living Kid's Cookbook

5 Healthy Lunch Ideas

The New Year is here and like so many, I am going to try to eat healthier. For me, lunch time is always a challenge. I always eat lunch after my daughter goes down for her nap (around 1:30) and by then I'm starving and don't usually have something ready to go. So many time what I make for lunch is not always the healthiest thing. Heck, it can be down right junky!! For example, last month I actually made myself a peanut butter, chocolate chip and mini marshmallow sandwich and washed it down with a diet coke...yeah, not good at all!

I decided to post these 5 healthy lunches to remind me of some better options. They only require a small bit of prep work the night before and pack well if I'm not eating at home. Please, feel free to share your favorite healthy lunches too. I need more ideas!!

#1: Turkey Roll-Ups, Melon and Apple

Make it: Mix together chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoes and ranch dressing. Place a few slices of lean turkey and the chopped veggies in a flour tortilla and roll up. Serve with melon and an apple.


#2: Tuna Salad on Whole Wheat Bread, Carrots, Celery and Tangerines

Make it: Take a 3oz can of water-packed tune (drained) and add finely chopped, onion, carrots and celery. Add 1 Tbsp. of light or low cal mayo and mix everything together. Serve on whole wheat bread with romaine lettuce. Add carrots, celery and tangerines to complete meal.


#3 Fettuccine Alfredo with Vegetables

Make it: Cook one Lean Cuisine/Smart Ones frozen fettuccine Alfredo entree in microwave according to instructions. Cook one steam-in-a-bag (such as Bird's Eye)package of mixed vegetables according to directions. Combine fettuccine and vegetables.

#4 Grilled Chicken Salad with Vinaigrette
Make it: Rinse and dry 2 cup of mixed green salad. Add chopped cucumbers, carrots,onions,tomato and a 4oz piece of sliced grilled chicken on top. Serve with a homemade oil& balsamic vinegar or bottled low-fat vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

#5 Soup and Salad

Make it: Heat up homemade or canned (such as Progresso)vegetable soup and serve along side a simple garden salad with homemade or bottled light vinaigrette.

Weight Watchers 0 PTs Vegtable Soup

If you have ever done Weight Watchers this soup will look very familiar to you. I am not doing Weight Watchers now(I have in the past) but decided to whip up this soup because I am trying to eat better and detox from the holidays. And this is about as healthy as you can get! Plus, it was FREEZING this weekend and I needed something hot for lunch.

This soup is easy to make but note that it has a lot of veggies so plan some time for prep work. However, you can always make a large batch and then divide into 1 1/2 cup portions (those little plastic Ziploc containers work great for this), and store them in the fridge or freezer.

This soup is so great if you are watching your weight! It’s yummy, easy to make, and has ZERO POINTS!!!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup diced onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)I used chicken
1 1/2 cups diced green cabbage
1/2 cup green beans
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup diced zucchini

In a large saucepan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, sauté carrots, onions and garlic over low heat for about 5-10 minutes. Add broth, cabbage, green beans, tomato paste, basil, oregano and salt, and bring to a boil. Add the zucchini. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for around 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Enjoy!!

Source: Weight Watchers

Christmas Fruit Tree

OK, how cute is this idea??

I am thinking of making this to serve along with the desserts on Christmas day. I made this prototype last week and it has a lot of potential. I definitely needed more strawberries to give it a more Christmas tree like shape but overall I really like it. Isn't it so fun and festive?

Garlic Shrimp Bruschetta

I found the recipe in Woman's Day and couldn't wait to try it.

It's easy to make, tastes delish and looks elegant. It's perfect for the upcoming holidays. The best part is that you can prepare the toasted bread and the tomato mixture 2 hours before serving.

Ingredients:
Makes 24

24 thin slices French bread
Olive oil cooking spray
1 cup diced plum tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
3⁄4 tsp minced garlic
1⁄4 tsp each salt and pepper
24 medium shrimp
1⁄4 cup pesto
Garnish: small basil leaves (I didn't have any on hand :( )

Heat broiler. Place bread on baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Broil 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until lightly toasted.
Put tomatoes, 1 tsp of the oil, 1⁄2 tsp of the garlic, and the salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss to coat. Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add shrimp and remaining 1⁄4 tsp garlic. Saute 2 minutes or just until shrimp are cooked through. Remove from heat. To assemble, spread each piece of toasted bread with 1⁄2 tsp pesto. Top with about 1⁄2 Tbsp tomato mixture, then one shrimp.

WW POINTS = 1 (for 1 prepared bruschetta slice)

Tomato Soup

The kids and I all have stuffy noses...aghhh, here we go.... I needed something yummy and wholesome for dinner. Fresh tomato soup and easy grilled cheese sandwiches fit the bill perfectly.

Now, I hate, hate, hate tomato soup from a can (no offense to anyone out there :)). Using fresh tomatoes makes such a difference in how it tastes and I bet even if you do like canned tomato, you'll love this so much more. As you can see, I used really simple ingredients and it was very easy to prepare. Just note that it does take a while for all of the vegetables to break down and soften.

Hope everyone out there is staying healthy!

Ingredients
6 cups chopped, seeded, skinless tomatoes (*see note)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 Tbsp sea or kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. pepper

*Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the fresh tomatoes. Meanwhile, have a sinkful of very cold water ready. After only about a minute in the boiling water, transfer the tomatoes to the cold water. Peel the skin when they’re cool enough to handle. The skin should slip right off. Cut and seed the tomatoes; set aside. Chop all the vegetables about the same size.

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add in the carrots, celery and onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add in the tomatoes, salt, sugar, pepper and stock. Allow to simmer for about 45 min to an hour, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the carrots are soft.

Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Then puree the soup, either with a stick blender or in batches in a conventional blender. Reheat the soup for another 2-3 minutes and season with additional salt, pepper and/or sugar if needed.

WW Points= 1 (per 1 cup serving)guesstimate

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

Here is a great homemade pancake recipe that I found on MyRecipes.com. I made these for dinner last night and everyone loved them. My picky-eater ate every last morsel!

I mixed up the dry ingredients and rinsed the berries earlier in the day to save time. Then, these came together in a snap! Since, it was just me and the kids, I had some leftovers. I put the extras in a Ziploc and added them to the freezer. Now, I've got breakfast (or dinner) ready for another day!

Click HERE for a video of how to make these.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

"I *heart* pancakes and nanas!!"

Some maple syrup on top= serious YUM!


Ingredients
Makes 6 servings (12 pancakes)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
3/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup fresh berries (I used raspberries)
1 banana sliced

Preparation
Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine buttermilk, oil, egg, and egg white, stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Heat a nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle. Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Serve with syrup, butter and fruit.
Keep cooked pancakes warm in a 200º oven while preparing remaining pancakes.

WW POINTS = 7 per serving(2 pancakes, 2 tablespoons syrup, and 1 1/2 teaspoons butter)

Latin Rice

Here it is...the great latin rice that accompanied the shrimp enchiladas. This recipe came from Gina's WW Blog. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Gina's recipes are FANTASTIC!!! If you haven't checked out her blog yet, do yourself a favor and click on the link to your right.

Up until now, to make any type of latin rice I would just open a box of Goya rice mix. Goya is good, but this recipe is in another league altogether and it wasn't that much more difficult to make. This is a keeper for sure.

Here is one last look at this yummy meal.


Ingredients
Makes 6 servings

2 cups long grain rice
2 tbsp canola oil
1 chicken bullion cube
5 scallions, chopped
2 garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 cups water
sazón
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)

In a medium heavy pot with a tight fitting lid, heat oil on medium heat and saute scallions, cilantro and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and saute another minute. Add rice and saute 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Add water, bullion cube and sazón. Taste the water for salt and add more to taste. Let water boil on a high flame stirring once. As the water boils down and just skims the top of the rice, turn the flame to very low and cover 15 minutes. The steam will cook the rice so do not open. After 15 minutes, shut the flame and let the pot sit for at least 5 more minutes. This will finish cooking the rice without burning the bottom.

WW POINTS= 5 (1 cup)

WW Cupcakes

Here is a crazy little recipe I once got at a Weight Watchers meeting (a long, long time ago). It's cupcakes made out of a regular boxed cake mix but instead of using oil and eggs, they are made with DIET SODA and egg whites.

Sounds crazy? It is...but it totally works and these come out tasting just like they should. The frosting is also low fat, thanks to red-fat cream cheese and Splenda.

Now, I only use 1/2 a box of cake mix, which makes about 12 cupcakes. That is a lot of cupcakes! If you're watching your weight, using the entire box might be a little counter productive.

So bake, frost and eat responsibly :)

Ingredients

Cupcakes
1/2 dry box cake, any flavor (about 1.5 cups)
5 oz diet soda
1 egg white

Preheat oven according to box directions. Line pan with cupcake liners.
Beat cake mix, diet soda and egg white. Pour into liners.
Bake as directed on box, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Let cupcakes cool.

Low Fat Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz 1/3 fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese (slightly softened)
1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar substitute (such as Splenda)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sprinkles (optional)

Beat cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar about 1/4 at a time till desired sweetness is achieved. Then add vanilla and beat until smooth.

Once cupcakes have cooled completely apply the frosting and add sprinkles if desired.

WW Points= 3.5 per cupcake (and about 3 Tbsp. frosting)