Szechuan Shrimp

Hey guys!

I have a quick and yummy recipe to share with you guys today! It is a great way to eat a lot of veggies, and the shrimp is of course great too! Stir fry is a great weeknight dinner choice, and there are so many different combos and ways to make it! This recipe is super easy, and the best part about it is you can customize it for your family depending on what you eat!

Ingredients

• 24 unfrozen shirmp
• 4-6 cups vegetables of your choice (I used mushrooms, snow peas, onion, broccoli, and carrots)
• 2 tbsp oil (olive, canola, wok)
• 2/3 cup Szechuan sauce (this sauce is spicy so I suggest starting with a smaller amount even though it may not seem like enough)

 Directions

1. Clean and prep your veggies
2. Put your oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat
3. Add your shrimp, veggies, and sauce to the wok. 
4. Cover and cook until veggies are tender and shrimp is pink; stirring occasionally. 
5. Serve with rice and enjoy!

The Breakdown

This recipe has 3 large servings or 4 small. Without rice it comes out to about 168 calories per serving if you divide it into thirds.

Turkey Sausage, Potatoes, and Peppers!

Hi guys!

Sorry I have been a little absent this week; I haven't been able to get in a good groove of managing my time this week!

Today I have a super easy, quick, and delicious weeknight dinner recipe for you! I was thinking though when I made it that this summer it would be fun to serve this when company comes over!

It takes very little prep, and there won't be a lot of dishes to do after dinner which is always a plus!

Hope you enjoy!

 

Roasted Turkey Sausage, Potatoes, and Peppers

 

Ingredients

• 3 links of turkey sausage (We use Jennie-O, but you could also use regular pork sausage if that is what you prefer)
• 3-4 medium sized red baking potatoes
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 cup canned banana peppers; drained. ( I accidentally bought the Hot banana peppers, but it was very tasty if you like spicy foods)
• 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Creole seasoning if you want a little extra kick (optional)

 

Directions

1. Cut your sausage links into chunks, prep all of your potatoes and veggies
2. In a foil-lined baking pan that has a little bit of a lip to it to avoid a mess, toss potatoes, bell pepper, onion, and sausage with the 2 tbsp of olive oil; making sure that it all gets covered and mixed well.
3. After tossing, spread your mixture evenly across the baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, followed by the banana peppers to top it off
4. Bake at 400 for about 30-35 minutes. The best way to judge if it is ready is to stick a fork into your potatoes to see if they are completely baked.

 

Breakdown

 

This exact recipe was dinner for the two of us, plus we each had lunch for the next day making it 4 full servings. If you were to pair it with a salad or different side it could make 6 smaller servings.

When I plugged this into my calorie counter 1/4 of the recipe is 296 calories. 

Crockpot Chicken Curry

Happy Spring everyone!!!!!!

I hope that you all enjoyed your first day of Spring yesterday! We enjoyed it by taking Ellie on two nice walks; the weather was nice, but still a little chilly with the wind. I'm so ready for nice warm weather, but definitely not looking forward to the Alabama pollen that is always so terrible!!! Hopefully it will be mild this year...yeah right haha.

So the hubby had a dinner request for curry. He left it open to any kind of curry which I had never made before, so I found an idea on of course Pinterest and tweaked it a little to make it our own. So, I wanted to share it with you guys!

Crockpot Chicken Curry

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium sized onion; chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes; peeled and diced
½ cup light coconut milk
½ cup low sodium chicken broth
15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne powder ; if you want it on the spicier side
1 cup green peas – frozen
2 tablespoons lemon juice
White or whole wheat rice for serving

Directions

In the bottom of the crockpot whisk together coconut milk, chicken broth, tomato sauce, curry powder, salt and cayenne.
Add chicken breasts, onion, and sweet potatoes. Using tongs, gently toss ingredients together so the sauce can coat everything.
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Shred your chicken breast (I forgot this step...boo). Stir in peas and lemon juice 5 minutes before serving.
Serve over cooked rice and enjoy!



I found this sauce that was on special at Target so I decided to get some to experiment with in the future. We decided to pour a little on top of our final product, and it was very tasty! I'm planning on making more curry dishes in the future!

*This recipe makes 4 servings (about 2 cups each) and when I put it in my calorie counter it was 236 calories per serving without rice. This is awesome warm, comfort food that is low in calories for sure!

Turkey Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps

Hi guys!

I have a real quick and easy healthy dinner to share today! 

We have tried this in the past with tortillas, but we are trying to make some changes in our eating habits,  so Justin had the clever idea last time we ate them that they would be good as lettuce wraps! He was right! These are perfect for a busy weekday, and don't require a lot of ingredients at all, so I hope that your family tries them!!!

Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• Minced garlic (however much you prefer)
• 1 lb ground turkey (we love Jennie-O)
• 1 cup fresh or canned pineapple cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup teriyaki glaze or marinade
• Romaine lettuce leaves

Directions

1. In a medium sized skillet over medium high heat cook your garlic until golden brown. Add your ground turkey and cook until its no longer pink.
2. Once your meat is done cooking add teriyaki sauce and pineapple to the skillet. Let your mixture heat through; about 3-5 minutes. 
3. Add your mixture to romaine lettuce leaves and enjoy!

*This made 8 lettuce wraps for us which meant we had leftovers for lunch! yay!

Easy Greek Salad



Hello out there! 

So, at our house we love Greek and Mediterranean food! One of our favorite restaurants on our honeymoon we went to was a little Greek place that had amazing lunch! ahhhhh...lets go back!!!!! :)

So, today I just wanted to share a quick Greek salad and home made dressing recipe! It makes a great side, or a full entrée if you wanted to add some chicken or chickpeas!



Salad Ingredients

• Romaine lettuce
• chopped tomato
• fat Free Feta Cheese
• pitted kalamata olives

And here is a recipe for the home-made dressing that goes great with the salad....

Greek Dressing Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2¼ tsp. red wine vinegar
• 2½ tsp. parmesan cheese, grated
• 1½ tsp. lemon juice
• 1½ tsp. garlic, finely diced or put through a press
• 1½ tsp. dried oregano
• ¼ tsp. dried basil
• ¼ tsp. salt, or more for tast
• ¼ tsp. pepper, or more for taste

All you have to do is mix your dressing ingredients together and top off your salad! The recipe for the dressing is enough for about 4 side size salads; probably 2 entrée sized salads.

We paired this salad with my Greek Baked Chicken and wild rice. It was extremely yummy! I highly recommend that you make this meal soon!! One of our favorites!

Thanks for stopping by!

Swiss Chicken Noodles

Hello everyone!!!

Today's recipe is one that we tried for dinner last night adapted from The Frugal Girls!

It would be great for having company over, or for a big family. Since there is only two of us we had plenty of left overs for lunches! It is yummy, and extremely easy to make! Hope you enjoy!

Swiss Chicken Noodles

Ingredients

• 1 Rotisserie Chicken
• 1 pkg Swiss Cheese (I used a block of swiss cheese instead of pre-sliced because it saved me $1, but either is fine)
• 1 16 oz. box Ziti Noodles (or Whole Wheat Penne)
• 2 cups lite sour cream
• 1 box Whole Wheat Stuffing
• 2 cans Cream of Chicken soup

Directions

1. Boil your noodles according to package directions. While they are boiling, go ahead and shred the meat in your rotisserie chicken.
2. After noodles are cooked mix with both cans of cream of chicken soup and chicken in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a medium mixing bowl mix your uncooked stuffing and sour cream. 
4. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Spread the chicken/noodle/soup mixture evenly on the bottom of your dish, followed by your stuffing/sour cream mixture, then topped with your sliced swiss cheese.
5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes uncovered. 

This makes 8 servings; I served a salad and dinner rolls with it and it was very yummy! Hope you enjoy!

Salmon Rub

Hey guys!

I have a yummy quick recipe to share with you guys today!

We love salmon around our house, but we don't eat it a ton because it is more expensive than chicken, turkey, and beef. But, I like to get it every now and then and I have found that we like it pretty plain because we love the taste it has already. I have made recipes with different sauces and toppings, but we like it just plain and simple. So I have a dry rub that I tried by mixing some spices and I really liked it! It has a little kick to it, but isn't too spicy.

This recipe is for 2 filets, or one large, and it will make plenty!

• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

Mix all of your spices together in a small bowl...

Drizzle each side of your salmon fillets with your olive oil Rub your spices on each side of your fillets. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

We love the taste of grilled salmon, but since our bipolar weather here in Alabama decided it needed to be 30 degrees I grilled our huge salmon filet on our panini maker inside!

Sometimes the best "recipes" are the simple ones. I know this isn't much of a recipe, but I really loved the way this mixture of spices enhanced the salmon's taste. SOOO YUMMY!!!
Hope you guys enjoy!

Turkey Burger Pie

We are suckers for comfort food at my house. My husband loves anything cheeseburger; cheese burger pie, cheeseburger pasta, cheeseburger pizza, and I'm sure anything that I made resembling the taste of a cheeseburger he would devour.

We have made the switch from cheeseburgers with beef to turkey burgers and veggie burgers. We absolutely love black bean burgers, and recently we have had them for dinner once a week. So, I made this "cheeseburger pie" which is really made with ground turkey so I think the name "Turkey Burger Pie" is much more accurate haha.

Hope you enjoy!

Turkey Burger Pie

Ingredients

• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey breast (I used Jennie-O; 1% fat)


1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 package of reduced fat crescent rolls
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup reduced-fat, shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced tomato

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a pie pan with non-stick spray. Place the crescent rolls in the pie plate and up the sides to make a crust, making sure you pinch the seams together.  Bake in oven for 8 minutes then remove from oven.
2. While crescent rolls are baking in oven, cook your turkey, onion, and garlic together over medium high heat until the turkey is no longer pink. Once fully cooked add your Worcestershire sauce and reduce meat mixture to low.
3. In a small bowl mix cottage cheese and egg thoroughly.
4. Spoon your meat mixture in your crescent roll crust, pour the cottage cheese/ egg mixture, then top with shredded cheese. End by topping it all with slices of tomato.
5. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered until egg is cooked through and cheese is melted. Let cool for 5 minutes before you serve to allow everything to set and liquid to harden.

Breakdown
 This recipe makes 8 slices; each is 250 calories.


Skinny Mexican Casserole

Are you guys seeing a pattern here? I told you that I looooove Mexican, and that is NO lie! I was a little skeptical about this recipe when I saw the idea for it because it says that 1/6 of this (which is a HUGE amount) is less than 300 calories. I started plugging in the ingredients (and made a few of my own changes) into my calorie counting app and realized that it is not too good to be true! It is amazing how many calories and grams of fat you can save by using easy substitutions, and you really end up  not compromising on the taste.  I made a few changes to the recipe that I used for inspiration and here is my final recipe! It is super tasty, and since we are just a family of 2 we were able to have plenty of left overs for lunch!

Skinny Mexican Casserole

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Jennie-O Lean Ground Turkey
• 1 can Reduced Sodium Black Beans (Rinsed and Drained)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup Fat-Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 cup Fat Free Cottage Cheese
• 1 cup Fat Free Sour Cream
• 1 10 oz can Red Enchilada Sauce
• 1 can Mild Rotel (drained)
• 4 Flat Out brand wraps (or similar low cal/low carb wrap ~90 cals)
• 1/2 cup un-frozen corn
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Brown ground turkey, onions, garlic, chili powder and cumin over medium-high heat in a non-stick pan until meat is cooked through
3. Stir in drained black beans and rotel and mix well. Let your mixture heat through about 3-4 minutes then remove from heat.
4. In a bowl, stir together sour cream, cottage cheese, and corn.
5. Coat a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Place 2 wraps on the bottom of the pan.
6. Top the wraps with half of the meat mixture, then half of the sour cream mixture, then half of the enchilada sauce. Repeat layers.
7. Bake covered for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the cheese on top of casserole. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Breakdown

• This makes 6 large servings at 279 calories per serving. If you want to, you could make this 8 servings and serve with a side salad instead and it would cut the calories to 209 per serving.

And there you have it! Typically I don't think of Mexican food or casseroles being low cal, but with a few alterations it can fit into your calorie budget and it is still super yummy! Enjoy!

Skinny Beef Enchiladas!

Hello out there!!!

So, if you are like me you pretty much know you can't physically get through life without some Mexican food every now and then! We all know that going out to eat Mexican isn't the healthiest way to get your Mexican fix, so I have really enjoyed making different types of Mexican dishes at home.

I made these skinny beef enchiladas by using less meat than I usually would by adding more black beans to make them filling and they turned out really good, so I wanted to share!

Skinny Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 6 Flat Out Brand wraps (or comparable low cal/low carb wraps ~90 cals)
• 1 can Enchilada Sauce
• 1/2 cup Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese
• 1 can Reduced Sodium Black Beans (rinsed and drained)
• 6 tbsp. Salt-Free Taco Seasoning
• 1 medium tomato (chopped into small pieces)

Directions

1. Brown your meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once meat is browned, add a splash of water and taco seasoning until mixed thoroughly. Add black beans and tomato to your beef mixture.
2. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each wrap with 1/6 of your meat/bean/tomato mixture. Fold up each wrap and place in your pan. Pour your enchilada sauce over all of the wraps and top with your cheese
3. Bake in oven at 350 uncovered for 20-30 minutes.

Breakdown

This makes 6 enchiladas; each one is 272 calories. You can top with salsa, sour cream or other toppings of your choice just note that those ingredients are not calculated in the calories per serving. 

Healthy Personal Hawaiian Pizza!

 

 

Hello out there!

 

I don't know about you and your household, but we unfortunately love pizza. I have found several different ways to lighten up pizza for us to enjoy, but without the added fat and calories that traditional pizza has. I have made Cheeseburger Pizza and BBQ Chicken Pizza, and I wanted to make a variation of one of my favorite kinds of pizza.....Hawaiian!

 

I absolutely love pineapples, and when it is on a pizza it is just amazing, but Justin really isn't a fan of it. So, I decided to make a personal size pizza! Ham is usually an ingredient on a Hawaiian pizza, but I am not a big fan of ham. So, here is my take on a healthy, low calorie, personal Hawaiian pizza! Hope you enjoy!

 

 

Healthy Hawaiian Pizza

 

Ingredients

• 1 low carb, whole wheat tortilla or flatbread (I used Flatout brand flatbread which is pictured below)
• 2 tablespoons light barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup pineapples (fresh or canned) cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
• Parsley and Basil

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Place your tortilla on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 3-4 minutes or until crispy.
2. Spread your bbq sauce evenly on tortilla. Add your pineapple, goat cheese, then sprinkle your parsley and basil on top.
3. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese has started to melt. 



 

Breakdown:
Servings: 1 Calories: 227

Easy Breakfast Casserole

If you are looking for a quick, weekend morning casserole, I have your winner right here! This is super quick, super easy, and only has a few ingredients! All of those factors make it a winner in my book for sure! I made for a Saturday morning breakfast intending for us to not eat much of a lunch because we had a big pot luck that night with our Sunday School class. This is definitely hearty enough to keep you full for a long time! Hope you enjoy!

 

Easy Breakfast Casserole

 

Ingredients

• 1 can (8 count) Buttermilk Biscuits
• 1 lb sausage of your choice (I used Jennie-O's turkey sausage which is AMAZING)
• 1 cup low fat mozzarella cheese
• 6 eggs; 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites only
• 3/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Brown your sausage over med-high heat until no pink is left.
2. In a greased 8x8 pan, press your biscuits in the bottom down firmly. Layer your sausage on top of the biscuits, then your cheese.
3. In a medium sized bowl whisk your eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour mixture on top of your casserole.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until a fork comes out clean when you stick in the middle of the casserole.
5. Serve and enjoy!!! 

 

 

Taco Stuffed Sweet Potato

Hey everyone! If you like sweet potatoes then you have GOT to try this recipe. We absolutely loved it at our house and it will become one of my go-to super quick weeknight meals. I adapted it from the Biggest Loser website. Of course, you could do different variations like adding black beans instead of meat, add corn, etc. There are really so many options! Hope you enjoy!

 

Taco Stuffed Sweet Potato

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) sweet potato
• 4 ounces extra-lean ground beef or turkey
• 3/4 teaspoon all-natural salt-free fajita or Southwest seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash's seasoning)
• Salsa (however much you like)
• 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt

Directions

• Using a fork, poke 5 holes on each side of your sweet potato. Wrap in a paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes. Carefully rotate the sweet potato in the microwave to the other side and microwave an additional 3-4 minutes or until the potato is tender.
• While the potato is cooking in a skillet over med-high heat brown your meat with the fajita seasoning.
• After potato is cooked cut an opening and put 1/2 of your salsa in first followed by meat then the rest of your salsa. Then, add your fat-free greek yogurt on top!

 

And there you have it! Super quick, super cheap and super healthy!

 



Nawlins Shrimp and Rice!

Hey Guys!

Sorry I have been neglecting my recipe updates the past few weeks! Justin has started working a lot more and we are waking up a lot earlier so when I get home from work I pretty much cook dinner, do dishes, and go to sleep it feels like! Its no excuse, but I thrive on a routine and schedule and now that it is having to change I feel crazy!
So, hopefully this recipe will make it up to you guys! It is adapted from Martha Stewart

Nawlins Shrimp and Rice

 

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 green bell pepper, chopped     
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons parsley, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
hot sauce, such as Tabasco, to taste
1 pound large shrimp (21 to 30), peeled and deveined
2 cups cooked white rice, for serving 

Directions

1. Melt your butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add flour and stir until light brown (3-5 minutes) add bell pepper, onion, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, broth, all spices, salt, and hot sauce to vegetable mixture
3. Bring you mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are soft and mixture is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in shrimp, and cook until pink and cooked through (3-5 minutes)
4. This makes either 4 large servings or 6 smaller servings so serve your shrimp mixture over your divided rice. You can garnish it with a little bit more parsley if you wish!

Weight Watchers Cheeseburger Pizza!

Hello guys!!! So, I don't know about you guys, but pizza is a favorite at my house; especially a favorite of my husband's! Justin loves cheeseburger pizza at CiCi's so this is a lightened up version of one of his favorites adapted from Emily Bites! I hope that you enjoy!!!

Weight Watcher's Cheeseburger Pizza

 

Ingredients

• Boboli 12” Whole Wheat Thin Pizza Crust
• 3 Laughing Cow Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle Wedges
• 3 oz cooked 95% lean ground beef
• 2 Roma Tomatoes; chopped (If you don't love tomatoes I would recommend not using this ingredient at all
• 1 Scallion, finely chopped
• Ketchup
• Yellow Mustard
• ¾ c reduced fat 2% shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Spread the three Laughing Cow wedges evenly across the pizza crust, leaving about a 1/2 inch edge around the crust not covered.
3. After browning and draining the fat from your cooked lean ground beef, sprinkle it evenly over the pizza. Then sprinkle the tomatoes and scallions.
4. Squirt ketchup and mustard back and forth over the width of the pizza about 4 times. Top the pizza by sprinkling the cheese on the top.
5. Bake the pizza on a pizza stone for about 10-14 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Breakdown

• I cut this pizza into 8 slices. Each slice is only 4 WW Plus Points!



Weight Watchers Taco Stuffed Peppers

If you are like me, you could seriously LIVE off of Mexican food. There are very few things in this world that I like better than chips and salsa (that's not an exaggeration...)  So, whenever you get the craving for tacos this is your go to recipe. With out having to waste your points on tortillas, it allows you to have much more meat, cheese and toppings! Lets get started...

 

Weight Watchers Taco Stuffed Peppers

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 green bell peppers, cut in half and seeds removed
• 1 lb lean ground beef (or meat of your choice)
• 1/4 cup salsa (plus more for topping if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup reduced fat Mexican Cheese (plus more for topping if you prefer)
• 1 tbsp. taco seasoning

Directions

1. Brown your meat, drain the fat and add taco seasoning and preheat oven to 350.
2. While your meat is browning, cut your peppers in half lengthwise removing the stem and all of the seeds. Place 2 halves at a time in boiling water in a small saucepan for 3-5 minutes each. Make sure to use tongs to remove the pepper halves and place on a small baking sheet
3. After meat has browned and seasoning is added; add your 1/4 cup of cheese and salsa; mixing thoroughly.
4. Fill all 4 halves of your peppers with equal amount of the meat/cheese/salsa mixture. Place your baking sheet of stuffed peppers in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Top your peppers with more salsa, cheese, fat free sour cream, or guacamole. Just make sure to add your toppings to your point value.

Breakdown

• Each half of meat stuffed pepper is 5 WW Points Plus. Make sure to factor in your toppings in your final point value

Italian Chicken Sausage and Potatoes

Hey guys! I have a recipe that has a little big of a kick to it, and it is great to eat now that the weather is getting colder outside! It is very yummy and if there is any left it does make for great lunch left overs at work! Enjoy!

Italian Chicken Sausage and Potatoes

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 lb Chicken Sausage (casings removed)
• 1/2 sweet onion; chopped
• 1 lb small red potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves; minced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes; sliced in half
• 1 tbsp. chopped basil
• 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Heat Olive Oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cover and let brown turning once. Once sausage is browned, add potatoes, onion, salt, and pepper. Cover and stir often
2. Remove the sausages after they are cooked through. Let the potato and onion mixture cook covered for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Slice sausage into smaller pieces and return to pan. Add garlic and tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked. Add basil and stir to combine. Serve and enjoy!

Breakdown

• This can either be a 4 serving or 6 serving meal. 4 servings makes it 8 WW plus points; if you decide to have a larger portion of this meal I would suggest pairing it with a small salad with fat free salad dressing to not add many more points. For 6 servings, you will spend 6 WW Plus points for a serving. You can pair it with some vegetables, salad, or even some bread! (gasp!)



"Meat"ball Casserole!

 

 

Well you guys fall is here and that means that it is time for one of my favorite things....comfort food!!! I love meatball subs, but not all of the calories that go with it so I made a lightened up meatball casserole! I bought some Morning Star veggie meatballs a few weeks ago at Publix when they were BOGO and I wanted to use them in something other than just plain spaghetti! I hope that you enjoy!

                                          

 

 

Meatball Casserole



Ingredients

• 1 small whole wheat baguette
• 15 – 18 frozen veggie meatballs (You could use actual meatballs, just make sure to adjust your WW plus points) 
• 2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup creamy goat cheese (I used Chavrie original goat cheese; about 2/3 of the container)
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 18 ounces marinara sauce (3/4 of a standard 24-ounce jar) 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cut baguette into one-inch-thick slices and arrange in baking dish, packing tightly to fit.
3. Combine goat cheese, Greek yogurt and spices and spread mixture over bread slices. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake 6 – 7 minutes until cheese bubbles.
4. Cook meatballs according to package microwave directions. Stir marinara sauce into meatballs and pour on top of cheesy bread. Top with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese and bake 5 – 7 minutes until cheese melts.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Breakdown
This recipe makes 6 servings which is plenty for one person when you serve with a salad or veggie. For each serving there are 8 WW Plus Points. Really not bad for some good, creamy, comfort food!

Greek Chicken and Couscous!

We love Greek food at our house so much! When we went to Jamaica on our honeymoon we ate at the Greek restaurant almost everyday for lunch. SOOO yum! It is a definite tie between Greek and Mexican to win my heart for favorite ethnic food! I have made gyros at home before, but I found THIS recipe for Greek Chicken and I knew I needed to try it! I adjusted it a little, but this was SOOO good! Seriously some of the best chicken I have ever made! Hope you try it!

 

Baked Greek Chicken

 

Ingredients

• 1-2lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup plain fat free yogurt
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 medium lemon
salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

1. To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a fine holed cheese grater or a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about ¼ cup, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.
2. Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.
3. To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9×13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

 

 

As my side with this chicken I made THIS recipe for Lemony Cucumber Couscous over at Budget Bytes if you are interested in making it too!

 

Hope you enjoy!!!

Crock Pot Aloha Chili

And here you have it folks! My first soup of the fall!!!!!!! I decided to try a brand new recipe that gives a little twist to regular chili! Hope you enjoy!

 

Aloha Chili

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• Two 15.5 oz. cans of kidney beans ( I used one white and one light red)
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1½ c chopped pineapple
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 T chili powder (or more, if desired)
• ½ c water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Toppings of your choice: fat free sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, avocado. (Note that toppings are not counted in WW Plus Point Value for this recipe)

 

Directions

1. Brown your meat in a sauce pan and drain excess grease.
2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours.
3. Serve with desired toppings

Breakdown

• This makes approximately 8 servings but it is always hard to know exactly how much a serving is with soup. For each serving there are 5 Weight Watchers Plus Points!