Saturday, December 31, 2011

Skinny Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Chives

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/skinny-buttermilk-mashed-potatoes-with.html

I tried this recipe last night and it was awesome!  You have to use the yukon gold potatoes to get that creamy flavor.  Next time I would use a little less buttermilk because mine were a little runny.  I added a few whole cloves of garlic when I boiled the potatoes and then just blended them in when I blended the potatoes.  You can't beat almost a cup of potatoes for only 4pp!!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Creamy Corn, Zucchini & Chipotle Bake

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/creamy-corn-zucchini-chipotle-94924.aspx

I tried this recipe tonight for dinner with some baked barbeque pork chops (6pp for 4 oz), and it was really good!  I made some changes to the recipe to make it more WW friendly, but I would make some more changes if I made it again!  Tonight, I used fat free zesty italian dressing, 1 small onion, turkey bacon, a small can of corn instead of frozen, 1 cup of 2% cheddar or WW Mexican blend, light sour cream & 2 Tbsp chipotle in adobo.  The recipe says to use an entire can of chipotle in adobo, and I like a little kick, but I know for sure an entire can would be too hot to eat!  I just pulled out 2 chilis and diced them up.  Next time, I would suggest blending them in the food processor.  It is 4pp for a 1/2 cup serving.

Next time, I may leave out the dressing and just spray the pan with some pam.  I would leave out the bacon, sour cream and the cilantro because they didn't add anything to the dish.  Making those changes brought it down to 3pp for 1/2 cup serving.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Macaroni & Cheese

This is another recipe from my mom, that I'm not sure where she got it from, but literally every time my family gets together she makes it, it is great to bring to a potluck or any time you are having people over.  Kids love it, and there won't be any left overs!  I did try to make a little more WW friendly, but you may just have to use it as a weekly pp option!  It is 7pp for about 1/2 cup or 1/16th of a pan.

1 lb whole wheat macaroni noodles, boiled & drained
1 stick of I can't believe it's not butter!, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
1 can of fat free evaporated milk
1 jar of Ragu Double Cheddar cheese sauce
1 block of monteray jack cheese, cubed or shredded or a bag of already shredded cheese

Mix all together well, pour into a 9X13 pan sprayed with PAM and cook for 1 hour on 350.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Crock Pot Ham

I make this recipe all year long, literally, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, seriously anytime I'm having a big group of people over because it makes a lot of food, and everyone loves it!  It is the fastest easiest recipe you'll ever make, and the best part is, it only has three ingredients.  I got this recipe from my mom, and I'm not sure if she made it up, someone just told her about it or if she really had a recipe.  I also request this every year for my birthday.

I get the ham at the grocery store that says half ham.  Not the picnic ham or the spiral cut.  Put it in your crock pot with the flat side up, rub the flat side with a couple handfuls of brown sugar, pour a can of pineapple tidbits over the top, juice and all.  Cover your crock pot and cook it on low for 8 hours, and that's it!!!  Most of the time when I put my ham in, I have to cover it with tin foil because my lid won't cover it because the ham is so big.  As long as there is no steam escaping.  An 8-10 pound ham will feed a very big crowd, I would say up to 20 people or so.  If you want LOTS of leftovers, or to send some home with your guests, you can buy a bigger one.  The great thing about this kind of ham is that it has a couple month shelf life on it in the refrigerator.  So, if you know you're doing a party and you see it on sale, you can buy it early.

After 8 hours, take the ham out of the crock pot and let it cool off a little so you can handle it.  I pull off all the fat I can see.  You'll also have to pull out the bone.  You will not have to slice the ham, it falls completely apart.  So, just pull it apart, throw it on a platter, and serve!

It is 4pp for 3 oz. of ham.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Low Fat Gingerbread Muffins

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe_details.asp?nutrition_id=6307901

I LOVE Gingerbread, and these muffins are awesome and only 4pp each!  I didn't put the sugar on top of each muffin, and I only had to cook mine for 15 minutes.  I would just check them after 15 minutes, and add more time if you need to.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

No-Noodle Vegetable Lasagna

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=305891

I made this recipe last night and it was pretty good!  3/4 pound of ricotta is about 3/4 cup.  I used dried basil.  I just put all the Parmesan into the ricotta mixture instead of putting some on top at the end.  1/2 pound of mozzarella is about 2 cups.  I layered the ricotta mixture before the sauce; it just seemed to me that it would be easier to spread over the veggies than over the sauce since it is thicker than the sauce.  In the recipe, it says to "sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese", I think they left out the rest of the mozzarella, I just put the rest of the mozzarella on top.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Slow-Cooker Cheeseburger Soup

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=140381

I made this recipe last night and it was awesome!  I added more garlic and a little crushed red pepper flakes just to add a little extra flavor.  I used 96%/4% beef, the lowest fat content I've found.  The soup was very filling and easy to make.

Y Spotlight

http://www.ymcatriangle.org/A.E._Finley_YMCA/7C651AE72A8441D1A7536FF1047D8C75.aspx

I have been working out at the Y for almost a year now, and they offered to do a spotlight on my progress.  Check it out!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Easy Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Biscuits

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/11/easy-rosemary-garlic-parmesan-biscuits.html

I served these last night with Super-Easy Cream of Broccoli Soup and they were amazing!  I used dried rosemary and grated Parmesan.  I added the butter, oil, garlic & rosemary mixture into the batter so that the rosemary and garlic were running all throughout the biscuits instead of just on top and it turned out great!  I only had to cook the biscuits for about 13 minutes.

Super-Easy Cream of Broccoli Soup

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=306401&sc=11

I made this recipe last night and it was awesome!  I bought the steam in bag in the microwave broccoli.  I did puree the soup after it was done, as it suggested as an option in the notes.  It was very filling and easy to make!  I served it with Easy Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Biscuits, recipe to follow.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pumpkin-Cheese-Ball-2

I love making this recipe around Halloween and Thanksgiving!  It tastes awesome and is always a big hit!  I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese, 2% cheese or the WW Mexican cheese, and whole wheat crackers.  It is 2pp per serving of the cheese ball.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Low-Fat Gingerbread Men

http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/christmas/r/gingermen1204.htm

My son kept telling me he wanted us to make gingerbread men.  I'm really not sure where he came up with that idea, maybe preschool?  I have made them before, and my recipe was really good, but the first ingredient was shortening, so I knew I needed to find a better WW version!  This is the one I found.  I did have to add a lot of flour at the rolling out step to get the dough to hold together and not stick.  I would probably lower the cooking time a little because they were a little crunchy.  These cookies are good, and definitely a good low fat version, they just aren't as spicy as I remember gingerbread being.  But, give them a try!  They are 3pp per serving.  I would say probably a big cookie would be 3pp, if you used smaller cookie cutters it would be more like 2 cookies per serving.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Make-Ahead Unstuffed Shells

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/make-ahead-unstuffed-shells-128138.aspx

I made this recipe last night and it was awesome!  I used whole grain pasta.  You could substitute 1/3 less fat cream cheese, but it will not change the pp.  I used dried basil, reduced fat Parmesan and 1 cup of part skim mozzarella cheese.  In the Kraft kitchen tips, it says you can add an onion and a pepper, which I did.  It also gives you the steps to bake immediately if you don't want to make it ahead of time.  I made it the morning that I was baking it.  After I stirred the creme, basil and Parmesan into the pasta, I added a little sauce mixture.  I put a little sauce on the bottom of the pan, topped it with the pasta mixture, put the rest of the sauce on top of the pasta, and then added the cheese on top.  It turned out great!!  The recipe suggests 6 servings, which is 13pp, which seems like a lot, but it is very filling, and would be great to serve if you had people over, and no one would ever know it was low fat.  If you divide into 8 servings, it brings it down to 10pp.  You could also serve this with a salad with fat free or light dressing.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Roasted Potatoes, Chicken Sausage and Peppers

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/roasted-potatoes-chicken-sausage-and.html

This recipe is awesome, and so easy!  The cleanup was great, because you just throw it all in one pan!  I weighed my potatoes, because they were small, and ended up having to use about 6.  I used 2 onions.  I couldn't find the brand of chicken sausage that she used, but any brand you can find will work.  The brand I found was called bistro sensations, and they had a lot of different flavors.  I chose habanaro with monterey jack cheese.  I was hoping that it wouldn't be too hot, and I was right.  It had a great flavor, and was a little spicy, but it was not too overpowering.  If spice isn't for you, just choose a different flavor that appeals to you, or just plain.  There were only 4 links of sausage in the package.  I had to cook it for closer to 40 minutes to get my potatoes browned.  A serving is about a cup.

Twice Baked Mashed Potato Casserole

These are the best and easiest mashed potatoes that you'll ever eat!

8 medium or 12 small russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 8 oz. package of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, cubed
1 8 oz. container of light sour cream
1 stick of I can't believe it's not butter, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
1 bag of 2 % shredded cheddar, divided

Boil potatoes until tender, 15-20 minutes.  Drain and put back into pot.  Add the remaining ingredients, including about half of the package of cheese.  With a hand mixer, mix until smooth.  Pour into a baking dish sprayed with PAM.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake on 325 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and it is warm through.  I have made this the day before or the day of, and it is still really good.  You may need to cook it a little longer to get it warmed through if it's coming out of the fridge, maybe 30 minutes.  It is 5pp for 1/16th of the casserole, about 1/2 cup.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Halloween Candy Stats

http://www.hungry-girl.com/biteout/show/2131

This an awesome guide to Halloween candy!!!  I was surprisingly shocked at how low in pp some of these things were!!  I really wanted to share this link yesterday, before all the candy consumption, but I figured everyone would probably have leftover candy around, or at least their kids candy from trick-or-treating to get rid of!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/pumpkin-spiced-oatmeal-pecan-cookies.html

It's a mouthful to say, but these cookies are definitely a mouthful of yumminess! My son helped me make these, and wouldn't stop eating the batter so I knew they'd be good!  They talked about pumpkin a lot at preschool, and he told me he wanted to eat something with pumpkin in it.  These cookies only have a little in them so I figured he'd eat them.  He actually tasted each ingredient as we added it, and anyone that knows him knows that he won't eat anything!  6 Tbsp on pumpkin is 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp.  You could omit the pecans if someone has an allergy or you just don't like them, but why would you leave them out, I love pecans!!  The only thing I would add to this recipe is: you know when you scoop out some batter and put it on your cookie sheet and it spreads out as it bakes?  Well this batter is so dense, the cookies didn't spread out, so they just looked like little balls, but tasted fine.  So, I would just press them down to spread them out a little so they look like regular cookies.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Cheddar-Chicken & Rice Skillet

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheddar-chicken-rice-skillet-94522.aspx

I tried this recipe last night and it was really good!  I cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, sprayed a pan with PAM and cooked the chicken until it was done.  Then, I added the pepper and tomatoes and cooked them until they were done.  Then, I added fat free dressing instead of light.  I omitted the chicken broth because I thought it would make the dish too saucy, and I didn't cook the rice in the dish.  I cooked it separately so that I could add 1/4 portion to the top of the amount of rice I was going to use.  I use the 10-minute boil in bag brown rice (4pp for 1/2 bag, 8pp for a full bag).   I used the WW Mexican cheese, and I just added it in after the dressing and let it melt to get all gooey!  I left out the onions, because I didn't have any, but next time I would probably add them with the peppers.  I also added some salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.  The chicken mixture is 5pp for 1/4 of the skillet.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/spinach-stuffed-shells-with-meat-sauce.html

I made these last night when my parents were over, and it was a big hit!  It was very filling, it was easy to make, just a little time consuming.  I was a little confused, because I thought that the recipe was saying to use 1 box of Jumbo Shells, but it's really more like a half of a box.  I used ground turkey sausage just to add a little more flavor.  I used dried basil instead of fresh, and I added some garlic salt, onion salt, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.  I also used reduced fat grated Parmesan.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tri-Color Stuffed Peppers

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/tri-color-stuffed-peppers-60958.aspx

This Mexican version of stuffed peppers is awesome!  I used extra lean ground beef instead of the BOCA crumbles because I'm a little weird about stuff like that, and it was good with the ground beef.  I used a can of mexicorn instead of the frozen corn.  I used 1 bag on brown rice, which is actually 2 cups.  I used the WW Mexican shredded cheese.  It took me 4 peppers to use up all the stuffing, which made 8 servings instead of 6 so it lowered the pp.  I omitted the water and it was fine without it.  These are 5pp each.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-hash-brown-casserole-127218.aspx

I made this recipe this morning for some family that stayed over, and everyone loved it!  There was hardly any leftovers!  I used lower fat turkey bacon.  To thaw the hash browns, I just put them in the frozen bag in the refrigerator the night before, and they were completely thawed by this morning.  I used 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup, light sour cream and 2% shredded cheddar.  I added a little salt and pepper, and it was sooo good!  The recipe says it is 20 1/2 cup servings, but there is no way, unless you are having other stuff in addition to this for breakfast/brunch, that you can just eat 1/2 cup!  But, if you can restrain yourself 1/2 cup is only 2pp.  It is 5pp for a full cup.  It isn't quite as good, but a pretty close second to Cracker Barrel's hash brown casserole, just a little less cheesy.  

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Cheesy Pasta Bake

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-pasta-bake-126143.aspx

I made this recipe tonight for some family that came over, and everyone loved it!  I used whole grain pasta, extra lean ground beef, homemade marinara sauce, 4 pieces of lower fat turkey bacon, prepared in the microwave and cut into pieces, and oregano, onion salt, garlic salt and crushed red pepper instead of the Italian seasoning.  I did 8 servings instead of 6 because they were really big slices.  It was filling and satisfying.  It is 11pp per serving, I just cut 8 pieces in the dish instead of measuring.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Slow-Cooker Hickory BBQ Pork Sandwiches

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/slow-cooker-hickory-bbq-pork-66045.aspx

This recipe is awesome and so easy!  It would be great if you are having people over.  I would just use your favorite BBQ sauce, and you may not even need a whole cup.  It is 8pp for the meat for a whole cup of bbq sauce.  You can just eat it without putting it on a bun or adding cheese if you want to use fewer pp.  Get the lowest pp wheat buns you can find, most are 3pp.  Use fat free cheese, usually 1pp.  Enjoy!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

One-Pan Chicken and Potato Bake

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/one-pan-chicken-potato-bake-52564.aspx

It doesn't get any easier than throwing everything into a baking dish & turning on the oven!  I used boneless skinless chicken breasts because I already had some, and I cut them into 3-4 pieces because they were really big.  I used fat free zesty italian dressing and reduced fat grated parmesan cheese.  I didn't have any italian seasoning, so I just sprinkled both sides of my chicken and the potatoes with grill seasoning and poultry seasoning.  I sprinkled the seasonings on the chicken and potatoes first, then I sprinkled them with the cheese and then I poured the dressing over top.  The dressing kept it moist, and the cheese on top gave both the chicken and the potatoes a nice crust as they cooked.  Some of the comments said that the chicken didn't have a lot of flavor, and they may have been because the recipe only called for a teaspoon of italian seasoning.  I found that it had a good flavor!  I don't see why this recipe wouldn't also work in the crock pot, though the cheese may not work well in there and the potatoes would be more boiled than crispy.  You can just weigh out 4 oz of chicken which is 3pp, and 1/2 cup of potatoes is 2pp.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Crispy Mozzarella Chicken with Garlic Spinach

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/crispy-mozzarella-chicken-garlic-118979.aspx

This recipe was a great substitute to the Italian fried chicken cutlets, and the spinach had a lot of flavor from the garlic.  I left out the oil and just used Pam to coat my pan.  It is only 5pp per serving, and very filling!

Crispy Lavash Squares

http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/surprises-shockers-and-swaps-crispy-lavash-squares-with-hg-hot-couple-dip-recipe

This recipe is a great substitute for chips and salsa!!  Invite some of your girlfriends over that like you, try to watch what they eat, and they'll love it!  I did have a little trouble finding the lavash flatbread, but in looking for it, I found that a lot of middle-eastern restaurants will sell it to you, kind of like a lot of pizza places will sell you their dough.  I actually found it at BJ's of all places, and it was very inexpensive!  It was called Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Lavash Bread, and there were 8 huge squares in the package for $3.69, less than you could probably buy a bag of chips!  You can also use the flatbread as a pizza base, just add your favorite sauce and toppings.  Or, as a huge wrap.  An entire flatbread is only 1pp!!!  They are also very high in nutritional value.

You'll have to use a lot of trial and error to see how long your oven will take to bake the squares.  I started and 2 minutes, and went all the way up to 4 minutes before I found the perfect cooking time, again, for my oven, to be 2 minutes and 45 seconds.  For the sauce, once you add the greek yogurt to the salsa, you will never know that it isn't sour cream.

As you can tell, I'm super excited to share this snack recipe.  It is definitely a must try!

Tomato and Pepper Lasagna

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=145431

I used homemade marinara sauce, but any store bought sauce should be fine.  I used grated Parmesan and egg whites instead of fat-free egg substitute.  The roasted red peppers made this lasagna really sweet, which was a nice change to a savory lasagna.  I was a little concerned that there was no cheese on the top, but I made it like the recipe said, and it turned out great!

Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=134951

I just used ground turkey sausage.  I was a little concerned about putting peas into baked ziti, since to me they don't really go together, but I tried it, and it actually was really good!  It just added more volume to the servings to fill you up more.  Even my husband, who is Italian didn't mind the peas.  We also had some friends over, and they said that it was interesting, but good!  People sometimes add spinach to baked ziti, so I guess peas aren't such a far stretch.

Beef and Vegetable Stew

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=209391

You can just use really any beef/steak you have on hand, in the freezer or that is on sale.  I couldn't find frozen pearl onions, so I just bought a bag of fresh at the grocery store, peeled them, and put the rest in the freezer to use later.  I used dried rosemary and thyme.  I cooked this as the recipe suggested, in a dutch oven, but the next time I make it, I'll probably just throw it all in the crock pot on low for a few hours after I brown the meat.  The stew was very savory and would be great going into the fall!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Quick & Easy Enchiladas

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/quick-easy-enchiladas-126792.aspx

You can't get any easier than 4 ingredients!  I used a package of the lowest pp whole wheat tortillas I have found, Ole' high fiber low carb, they are only 1pp each and they are pretty big!  I did use the cheese with Philadelphia because I really wanted to try it and it was really good.  I did the oven version instead of the microwave version.  They are 6pp each and really tasty.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Potato Cheese Soup

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=86541

The weather near me has been chilly recently, so it is definitely getting me in the mood for fall.  When I think of fall, I think of comfort food, and what's a better one than soup?  Especially one that doesn't take like it's low in fat but it is!  Instead of the paprika and dry mustard, I use poultry seasoning.  It has a lot of flavor and adds a lot to this soup.  I use an immersion blender instead of pureeing it in batches in a blender or food processor.  It is definitely less messy this way.  I make this soup a lot with grilled cheese.  My grilled cheese is only 3pp!  Get the lowest pp wheat bread you can find, WW bread and Sara Lee Delightful are only 2pp for 2 slices.  Fat free sliced cheese is 1pp for 2 slices.  I spray my pan with PAM, spray each piece of bread with PAM and butter spray and cook each side until golden brown.  You could also have a side salad with your soup.

Breaded Pork Cutlet

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=220401

I left out the lemons, but the panko bread crumbs definitely make this recipe!  This version of fried pork chops will deceive anyone.  No one will ever be able to tell that they are actually baked!  You could serve them with any potatoes or rice, and any veggie.  I am a huge fan of the steam in bag in the microwave veggies.

Eggplant Rollatini with Tomato-Basil Sauce

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=115741

I used homemade marinara sauce instead of making the one used in the recipe, but I'm sure this sauce would taste great, or even a jarred sauce if you wanted to save some time.  I used dried instead of fresh parsley and basil.  Be careful that you don't cut the eggplant too thin, and maybe check it after 7-8 minutes because if they're too thin they'll get too done and they'll be hard to roll up.  With 2 rollatini's per serving, this recipe is very filling and delicious! 

Eggplant Parmigiana

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=51188

I used homemade marinara sauce, but other than that, I didn't change anything!  This recipe is so tasty and filling, in a huge 13X9 inch dish and only 4 servings, the portion size is huge!  You won't miss pasta on the side at all, but if you want a little something to go with it, a side salad would be all you'll need.  No one will ever know that the eggplant was not fried.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Texas-Style Casserole

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=67731

I used tater tots or crispy crowns because I already had them in the freezer for my son.  I have used a small can of corn instead of frozen.  I used a fresh pepper instead of frozen.  The amount of turkey sausage is half of a package, and I just crumbled it up instead of slicing it.  When I have made this recipe, we ate it for dinner, but it would be great to use as a breakfast casserole or for brunch with some friends.  They will never know this recipe is low fat!  It is very filling and easy to make!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=110271

This recipe is awesome and so easy to make.  It obviously would be great for a breakfast or brunch, your friends would never know it was low fat.  When I have made it before, we had it for dinner and it was very filling.  I could literally only eat one piece.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Exploding Chicken Taquitos

http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/happy-hour-exploding-chicken-taquitos-recipe

I am a little weird about canned meat, so I was afraid to try it, but I did use the canned chicken, drained and rinsed it, and once it was mixed with all the other stuff, it tasted fine.  You can really use any kind of tortillas that you want.  I used 2% cheese instead of fat free.

Serve this with some spanish rice or a salad.  Or, cut them in half and serve as a party appetizer!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Cheesy Chicken Simmer

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-chicken-simmer-91428.aspx

I tried this recipe and it was pretty good, very easy and extremely filling!  I omitted the oil & cut up my chicken into bite sized pieces to cook them in a pan prayed with PAM.  I used 98% fat free cream of celery soup because I don't like cream of chicken, but any 98% fat free soup will work fine.  For the broccoli and the cheese, I got a family size bag of the steam in the bag in the microwave of the broccoli with cheese sauce, steamed it according to the package directions and added it in, so easy! It is 5pp for a serving of the chicken mixture.  I also used brown rice instead of white, and just count the amount of rice you use.  A half bag of the boil in bag brown rice is 4pp and a full bag is 8pp.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Too-EZ Mac 'n Cheese

http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/comfortably-yum-too-ez-mac-n-cheese-recipe

This is a delicious recipe that is incredibly easy to make!  You can use any flavor of the laughing cow cheese to change it up if you like.  I used the steam in bag veggies and cooked them right in the bag in the microwave.

Chicken-Penne Florentine Bake

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-penne-florentine-bake-119144.aspx

I tried this recipe over the weekend, and it was pretty good.  I used Kraft free zesty italian dressing, only because I already had some and didn't want to buy more.  I used 1/3 less fat chive & onion cream cheese, again because I already had that.  I used part skim mozzarella and left out the parmesan.  It come out to 7pp per serving.  I just used a 9X11 pan and cut it into 6 pieces. 

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Firecracker Chicken Stir-Fry

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/firecracker-chicken-stir-fry-118937.aspx

I made this for dinner last night and it was really good!  I didn't use any oil and it was great without it.  I couldn't find snow peas in my grocery store, so I just used a bag of frozen Asian medley veggies that I could steam in the bag.  I also saw some that already had water chestnuts in them, so you could also use that and not buy a can.  I used brown rice instead of white.  It is 4pp for the chicken mixture, and then just add the amount of rice you eat.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

'Cue the Pulled Pork

http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1537

I have made this recipe a bunch of times, I just can't get enough of it!  I usually put the meat on a high fiber whole wheat hamburger bun (3pp), but it is just as good without the bun. 

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Spicy Chicken Lasagna Roll-Ups

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/spicy-chicken-lasagna-roll-ups-107409.aspx

I made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was really good!  It was easy to make and definitely a keeper.  I used homemade marinara sauce since I had some that I had already made for another recipe, so I used that for the first 3 ingredients.  I only used 1 cup of part skim mozzarella and reduced fat Parmesan.  I used the whole cup of mozzarella in the filling and didn't put any on top.  Next time I make this recipe I may try using turkey sausage instead of chicken and I may add some chopped frozen spinach.  These are 4pp per lasagna roll.  I ate 2 and had a salad with fat free dressing, and it was very filling.  By the way, I put crushed red pepper in my marinara sauce when I make it homemade, and I also added some when I cooked my chicken, and this dish was not spicy, like the name says.  I just didn't want the name to mislead you into not trying it if you don't like food that has a little spice to it.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Speedy Mix & Match Stir-Fry for Two

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/speedy-mix-match-stir-fry-75752.aspx

I tried this recipe tonight and it was sooo good, easy to make and very filling!  I omitted the oil and instead, I just sprayed a pan with PAM.  I used brown rice instead of white rice and I would just count the pp for the amount of rice that you use.  1/2 of a boil in bag of brown rice is 4pp and a full bag is 8pp.  For the meat option I used chicken this time, but I would definitely make this recipe again and choose a different meat.  For the sauce, this time I chose Catalina (fat free), soy sauce (reduced sodium) & chili flakes.  The next time I make it, I may try the Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (fat free), soy sauce & garlic.  For my veggies I chose bell peppers and onions.  As another option to the 4 given, you could also get a bag of the steam in bag veggie mixes.  They have all different Asian medleys to choose from.  I just sprayed my pan with PAM, cooked the chicken until it was done, added the veggies, cooked them until they were tender and then tossed to coat with the dressing.  I said this could actually be 4 servings since it made a good amount, so it would be 3pp, but if you did only use it as 2 servings it would be 6pp. 

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Chicken & Biscuits

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-biscuits-111306.aspx

This is what I made for dinner tonight!  I used 98% fat free cream of celery soup, because I don't like cream of chicken, but any 98% fat free condensed soup would work.  I used 1/2 cup total of light sour cream, 1/4 cup in the chicken mixture and 1/4 cup in the biscuit mixture to lower to pp.  I used a family size package of frozen mixed vegetables that was 19 oz.  I got the steam in bag kind so I just cooked them in the microwave based on the package instructions.  I used 2% cheese, heart smart Bisquick and skim milk.  I cut up the chicken and cooked it in a skillet and once it was done I added the soup, sour cream, veggies and cheese and stirred to combine.  I then added that mixture to the casserole dish and put it in the fridge for a few hours because I made it a little ahead of time.  Then right before I made it I mixed up the biscuits and put them on top and baked them.  It was 7pp for 1/6th of the casserole.  This recipe is very similar to the Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie, which I think I like better, but this was still a good recipe to try, especially if you are a fan of Chicken & Biscuits!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Classic Stuffed Peppers

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/classic-stuffed-peppers-52970.aspx

My mom brought me a huge bag full of home grown, fresh out of the garden, beautiful little bell peppers that a friend had brought to her.  I love peppers anyway, but to me, peppers are never better than when they are out of someone's garden.  I'm not sure what they do to them at the grocery store, but they just don't taste the same.  You can actually smell the fresh ones!  I shared a bunch, and had so many left over, that I looked for a recipe that I could use a lot of them at once.  I found this stuffed pepper recipe, made it last night, and it was delicious!  My peppers were so small that I was able to make 11 stuffed peppers, and the recipe calls for 4 large ones!  When I put the recipe into the online WW recipe calculator, using anywhere between 10 and 12 peppers, they are 3pp.  If you use 4 large, they are 8pp per pepper, but you will likely only be able to eat one because they are so filling.  I ate 2 small ones and was really full.

I used 96/4% extra lean ground beef, the leanest I can find.  I just used 2 cups of homemade marinara sauce because I had some from another recipe I made recently, but I don't think using store bought marinara or the tomato sauce would change the pp much.  I didn't use the dressing mix, but I'm sure it would be good with it, it was good without it, but seasonings don't usually have pp, so I don't think it would add to the pp.  I used 2 cups of brown rice, just 1 bag of boil in bag rice.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Buffalo Chicken Hot Wing Dip

http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1214#hotwing

This dip is awesome and a great alternative to the much more fat and calorie filled version.  Your dish will definitely be clean when you bring it home from a party because no one will ever know it is low fat!  I'm making this dip for tonight, some of my friends and I are getting together for apps & drinks before heading to a concert!  I was definitely skeptical to use canned chicken, I am a little weird about meat, especially ones that come prepackaged, but I tried it and surprisingly it tasted fine!  I did drain it into a colander and rinse it with cold water.  Enjoy! 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Undone Stuffed Pepper Casserole

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/undone-stuffed-pepper-casserole-115888.aspx

This is what was for dinner tonight, and I just about came undone eating it!  I used 96/4% extra lean ground beef, the leanest I have found.  I used brown rice, homemade marinara sauce and part skim mozzarella cheese.  I added a little salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes just to give it a little kick.  It was 8pp for 6 servings.  The recipe says it is 7 1 cup servings, but I just thought it would be easier to cut 6 slices in my dish.  I used an 11 X 7 dish.  The portion sizes were a pretty good size.  This one is definitely a keeper, it tastes just like you are eating a stuffed pepper in a casserole form!

Farmers' Market Corn Toss

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/farmers-market-corn-toss-126231.aspx

I made this as a side to my Slow-Cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches last night, and it was really good and easy to make!  I did get fresh corn that I had to peel and shuck from the store because it is in season, but using frozen wouldn't change the recipe at all.  If you do use frozen corn, I would just defrost it before you add it to the pan.  I didn't put in the parsley, and it was really good without it.  I did use the cheese, but next time I make it, I may leave it out because I don't think it really added anything to the dish.  I did use the oil, since it was such a small amount, but I feel like you could leave it out and lower the pp even more and just spray your pan with PAM.  It comes out to be 2pp for 2/3 cup!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Slow-Cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/slow-cooker-bbq-pork-sandwiches-107282.aspx

I made this for dinner tonight, and it was awesome, and so easy!  It made so much I had to share with my neighbors because I knew we'd get tired of eating the leftovers.  I know you can freeze it, but my freezer is full right now!  I had to get a 5 lb boneless pork shoulder because they didn't have any smaller ones at the grocery store, but I trimmed it of all fat and cut it in half.  I used half for tonight and I froze the other half to use next time I make this recipe.  I thought the 3 onions was a little over board because it filled up my crock pot, but they cooked down so much, I'm glad I used them all.  I calculated the pp, and to make it 8 servings, it is 5pp for 1/2 cup of meat.  It tasted so good that you don't even need to put it on a roll, but if you want to make it a sandwich, just use the lowest pp value bread you can find.  I used a whole wheat hamburger bun which is 3pp, but a sandwich thin or any other wheat low pp bread would work.  I didn't add cheese to mine to save the pp, but fat free sliced cheese is only 1pp.  So, if you put it on a bun and added cheese it would be 9pp total.  Definitely have some friends over when you make this recipe unless you have a big family!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Nut Crackers

I was in Earthfare one day looking for something, it is a health foods store near me, and I found these.  http://www.bluediamond.com/index.cfm?navid=56 .  I decided to give them a try, and they tasted pretty good, my son loved them, but, they had the texture of basically cardboard.  Then, I was in my old trusty Wal-mart and I found these.  http://www.keebler.com/#/crackers/product/detail/  .  Oh man, are they good!!  Both of the different brands are 4pp for 16 crackers.  They both have different kinds besides the ones I tried, and Blue Diamond also has "chips" that I also tried, the Nacho flavor, and they had the taste and shape of cheese flavored Doritos, but again had the consistency of cardboard.  Happy snacking!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/07/low-fat-peanut-butter-banana-muffins.html

These muffins are awesome, and definitely don't taste low fat!  I have found the Better 'n Peanut Butter at Target also.  Maybe any health foods store would have it.  I did not put the peanut butter in the middle of the mix as the recipe calls for, only because I ran out of peanut butter!  But they still tasted good without it.  I did put it in the batter.  I didn't use muffin liners, I just sprayed my muffin tin with Pam and they didn't stick.  I checked them after about 22 minutes, and they were done, so I would just watch them after 20 minutes.   Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Grilled Tri-Tip and Squash & Onions

One of my neighbors and good friends told me I had to try tri-tip because it was the best steak she ever had!  It is a little difficult to find near me, but I think it is pretty much available at health food grocery stores.  It actually was pretty reasonably priced also.  Since I had never even heard of it before, I obviously didn't know how to cook it, so I found this site:

http://www.tipsycook.com/how-to-cook-a-tri-tip-without-ruining-it/

I didn't have the choice of trimmed or untrimmed, so I did trim a little bit of the fat off the bottom.  I didn't leave it out for their suggested time, but I did leave it out for about an hour before I cooked it.  I seasoned both sides with grill seasoning and Cavender's all purpose greek seasoning, a seasoning that a good friend and excellent steak griller turned me onto.  Mostly, because that is what I already had on hand.  I did do exactly what they suggested with the grill temp and the burners.  I did not use any oil, as they suggested, but I did spray the grill with PAM for grilling.  I cooked it for about 15 minutes on each side, but next time I may try about 10 minutes on each side.  I did let it rest for a few minutes and cut it against the grain.  It was very tasty and juicy!  I was very pleased with the outcome!  Just weigh out how much you eat, and search for a steak on WW since Tri-tip is not listed.  I ate about 6 oz., and it was 7pp.

As a side I made an old summertime staple in my family growing up, squash and onions.  I just cut up a couple of good sized squash into discs, cut up the onions into thin strips, put them in a pan with a tight fitting lid, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, sprayed a little spray butter, put enough water to come up about halfway in the pan, cover and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes, occasionally stirring.  It is 0pp for as much as you want to eat of it, and it is so good!  You could also do the same with zucchini. 

Monday, July 18, 2011

Orange-Chicken Rice Bowl

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/orange-chicken-rice-bowl-111153.aspx

I used this recipe to make our dinner for tonight, and we really liked it!  I used light dressing, Bird's Eye Asian Medley frozen steam in the bag veggies, and I left off the peanuts just to keep the pp as low as possible.  It is 5pp for the chicken mixture.  Just add the pp for the amount of brown rice you eat.  I added crushed red pepper to add a little heat and salt and pepper.

This morning I took an Absolute Abs class and did some cardio after at the Y.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Grilled Flat Iron Steak & Grilled Fruits & Veggies

It is a little convoluted how I got to the dinner that I made tonight, but it turned out really well!  My mom brought me some vegetables that a friend had brought to her right out of their garden.  She had so many that she shared with me and I shared with some neighbors!  I wanted to use them before they went bad, so I had to get creative.  What I was wanting to use for tonight was eggplant, which I love, but I wanted to do something different, so I decided to go to the grocery store to get inspired.  Today was a beautiful day here, so I wanted to grill.  I went to the meat counter and they had some beef that I had never seen or heard of before, so I asked the butcher to help me and he told me about the flat iron steak.  It was inexpensive and he said it was the best steak he had ever had.  So I came home with it, did a google search to find out how to cook it, and I found this:

http://www.grillingcompanion.com/flat-iron-steak/

I didn't let the meat rest out of the fridge for as long as the site said, I just left it on the counter while the grill was heating up.  I just sprinkled grill seasoning on both sides.  I didn't get all fancy with the grill lines, I just cooked it for 7 minutes on each side and it was cooked perfectly!  It was very tender & juicy.  It is 5pp for 3 oz., 9pp for 6 oz.

For my eggplant, I found this article:

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--857/grilling-fruits-and-vegetables.asp

Wow was it helpful!  Anytime you want to grill a fruit or veggie, you're all set!  I just sprayed each piece of eggplant with PAM for grilling.  I didn't do this, but I would suggest sprinkling the pieces with some grill seasoning or salt & pepper because they were a little bland.  You can eat all the eggplant you want for 0pp!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Chicken Stir-Fry

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-stir-fry-50935.aspx

No offense to Kraft, because I LOVE their recipes, but I did make a lot of changes to this recipe, only for my personal preferences and to make it a little more WW friendly.

I got a bag of the frozen steam in the bag in the microwave veggies that was called Asian Medley.  The one I got had broccoli, carrots, baby cob corn and sugar snap peas, and the whole bag was right at 3 cups.  I didn't use the chicken strips, I just used regular chicken and cut it up.  I only used 1/4 cup of fat free dressing instead of adding the other 2 Tbsp.  I used lower sodium soy sauce.  Instead of garlic powder I used garlic cloves.  I added salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to give it just a little kick.

I cooked the chicken on medium high heat with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper until it was done in a skillet.  I steamed the veggies like it said on the package.  I added the garlic with the chicken and cooked for a minute.  Then I added the veggies, the dressing and the soy sauce.

I changed it to 4 servings from 2.  It is 4pp for about a cup of the mixture.  I just added the amount of rice I was going to eat to that.  On some nights if I'm not really hungry or I don't have a lot of pp left for dinner, I may only use a half bag of brown rice (4pp).  Tonight I'm using a full bag of brown rice (8pp).

This dinner was really good, really easy to make and very filling!  It honestly tasted just like the Pei Wei Spicy Chicken that I got stock velveted on Saturday, except it was a lot less pp!

This morning I did an hour of cardio at the Y.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Cheesy Chicken & Salsa Skillet

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-chicken-salsa-skillet-111246.aspx

This is what I made for dinner tonight and it was really good, really easy and very filling!

I used the WW Mexican Shredded Cheese instead of the Kraft, and it lowered the pp from 11 to 10. 

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Grilled Chicken

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--911/chicken-cooking-times.asp

Tonight I made some really good grilled chicken!  I used the chart on this website to help me figure out how long to cook it on each side.  I put my boneless skinless chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag and sprinkled them on each side with grill seasoning and then poured in some honey teriyaki sauce.  I let that marinade for maybe 30 minutes or so.  Mine were about 6 oz each, so I grilled them for 10 minutes on each side and they turned out great!  Chicken is 3pp for 4 oz.  I made some roasted potatoes, which I have already given the recipe for on an earlier post, and some broccoli in a microwave steamer bag.  It was very quick and simple to make!  You could also serve these with rice, any veggie or salad.

This morning I did cardio and weights at the Y.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Cinderella's Closet

http://www.christmethodist.org/article/cinderellas-closet-its-not-just-about-the-dress/

Since I've been losing weight, I've kind of lost count of how many times I've had to clean out my closet.  I believe it has been 4 times, but I'm not completely sure.  We are also trying to get our house ready to put on the market, so yesterday I made one more round.  In an earlier post, I said that I donated some clothes to Interact and I did that again yesterday.  I also had some beautiful bridesmaids dresses that are too big for me now, but I couldn't just give them to Goodwill.  I felt like I really wanted them to go to a good cause.  I searched online around January or February to try to find a place before prom season when I knew that girls would be looking.  But I couldn't find anything that was even in NC.  So, when I was dropping off my stuff at Interact, I just happened to ask the girl taking my stuff and she told me about Cinderella's closet.  It is a non-profit organization run through Christ Methodist Church in Chapel Hill that searches for donations of dresses to be worn to proms.  They give the dresses to underprivileged girls who otherwise wouldn't be able to go to prom much less afford a dress.  So, this seemed like an amazing cause to me, and I felt great about donating my dresses to them.  If you have any that you would like to donate, please do! 

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Stock Velveting

http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/03/slim-by-summer-this-tip-will-m.html

I know this sounds like a pretty strange thing to put on my blog, but check out this article.  My husband, Justin, went to lunch with his friend, Mark to Pei Wei, which is a chain near us that is owned by P.F. Chang's, and they serve basically the same food, it is just kind of a fast food version.  Mark is a fellow Weight Watcher, and he told Justin to ask for his meal to be stock velveted.  Justin asked what he was talking about and he explained that he had read this article.  So, they both ordered their food this way, and not only did the people at the restaurant know what they were talking about, they honestly couldn't tell the difference in their food.  Justin LOVES Chinese food, and eats it a lot, so for him to say that it was good is a great testament to the fact that it won't change the flavor.  Try it out, and hopefully it'll help you out at your next restaurant visit!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Beef Fajitas

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/beef-fajitas-69080.aspx

I made these last night and they are awesome!  I used the eye round steak that I used to make the grilled steaks and I had frozen the ones I didn't use to grill.  I only used 1/4 cup of the dressing, and I used fat free instead of light because I already had it from another recipe I recently made.  I used 8 Ole' High Fiber Low Carb Wheat Tortillas instead of 16 small flour because the wheat ones I get are only 1pp and I figured you could fit more into the bigger ones the less you used.  When I calculated the pp using the online recipe builder, I left out the cheese, sour cream and salsa because they can be considered optional.  If you add some to yours just count them separately.  I didn't marinate the steak as long as they said in the recipe and it was still good.  I just put the meat and the dressing in a Ziploc bag to marinate it.  I didn't discard the marinade, I just poured it all into the pan to cook.  Once the steak was done, I took it out and put it in a bowl, but I left the dressing in the pan and put the peppers and onions in to cook, then added the steak back in to heat up.  I warmed the tortillas a little in the microwave and put 1/2 cup of steak mixture into each tortilla.  I did top each of mine with a little cheese, light sour cream and salsa.  These are 7pp for 2.

Angel Lush Cupcakes

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/angel-lush-cupcakes-115431.aspx

I made these to take to my parent's house today, and we tried some last night, they are so good!  It is like strawberry shortcake already made only better!  I used sugar free fat free pudding mix and fat free cool whip.  I only used strawberries, but since all fruit is free, it doesn't really matter as far as the pp goes.  I tried to just do 24 cupcakes since I only have two 12 cup muffin tins instead of making 30 like the recipe says.  It turned out fine, but the cupcakes just have really big tops!  The best part about this dessert is that 1 cupcake is only 2pp!!!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Grilled Pork Chops

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/grilling-times-for-pork/Detail.aspx

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--907/pork-cooking-times.asp

I kind of used both of these sites together to figure out how to grill the perfect pork chop!  I use the really small, thin pork chops for a lot of things, but when I want I grilled pork chop, I want the really big fat ones!  The technical term for them is thick cut, however.  I did actually measure the thickness of the ones I got and they were 1 in. in thickness.  I trimmed off the fat around the edges, sprinkled them with grill seasoning, put them in a Ziploc bag and poured in a little KC Masterpiece Hot & Spicy BBQ sauce, which isn't too spicy, but it does have a little kick.  You can use your favorite sauce.  You can marinate them for as long as you like, but I didn't do it until maybe 30 minutes before I was about to grill them.  I always try to take my meat out of the refrigerator while the grill is heating up.  I have watched a lot of Food Network, and all the chefs tell you to do that so that the meat can come up to room temperature so that the meat will not seize up when you put it on the grill and become tough.  I grilled mine for 10 minutes on each side and they were tender, juicy and grilled to perfection!  Check the nutritional information on the chops you get, but the ones I got were 6pp for 4oz.  The one I ate was about 6 oz., so it was 8pp.

I have been using the frozen steamer bags of vegetables that steam in the bag in the microwave even before I started WW.  And, I have been seeing in the grocery store all these ones with sauce in them.  I have been completely overlooking them because I assumed that with the sauce it would be too many pp.  But, I checked a few of them out at the store, and they actually aren't that bad!  So, last night we had Green Giant Roasted Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheese Sauce, yum!!!  It's your starch and veggie all in one and you don't even have to do anything but throw it in the microwave!  There were 4 servings in the bag, so my husband and I each had 2.  It was 3pp for 1 serving and 6pp for the 2 servings that we had.  Which, I didn't think was too bad for basically 2 side dishes in one!

This morning I walked outside to enjoy that the weather was finally a little cooler and not 90 degrees at 7am!

Friday, June 10, 2011

New Cracker Find

http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/bakednaturals.aspx

I found these today while doing some grocery shopping, and checked the nutritional info out.  They are 4pp for a serving, but the serving size is pretty big, 20- 27!  I usually only get snacks that are 3pp or below, but these looked too good not to try!  I tried the simply cheddar cracker chips with my lunch and they are really good!  When I pulled up the link to post, there are also some recipes on there that looked good.  So, I just thought I'd share this new product find!

I also have some exciting news....I have lost a total of 75 pounds as of my weigh in yesterday, yay!!!  I am so excited!  It took me 6 weeks at a plateau to get to this goal, which made it even sweeter.  Now for the rest, I'm just going to keep on trucking!

This morning I took a boot camp class at the Y that was really hard!  The instructor, Kyle, is my neighbor, friend, and fellow weight watcher.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Salsa-Cheddar Chicken

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/salsa-cheddar-chicken-106369.aspx

This recipe was awesome and super filling!

I bought fat free dressing instead of light, when I calculated the pp, light was 1 and free was 0 for 2 Tbsp, it's not a lot of difference, but the free option was there so I went with that.  I cut the chicken into cubes and cooked it, I felt like it was easier to it cook that way.  I also cut the pepper into pieces instead of strips.  I also added a large onion.  I reduced the amount of cheese to 3/4 of a cup.  It is 5pp per serving of the chicken mixture.  Just add the pp to that for the kind (white or brown) and the amount of rice you choose to eat.  So, if one time you make this you only have the pp to eat a half bag of rice, but the next time you have enough pp, or you're hungrier, use a full bag.  I ate a full bag of brown rice, which is 8pp.  A half bag is 4pp.

Foil-Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/foil-pack-chicken-fajita-dinner-111262.aspx

I made this recipe last night and it was awesome!  It is 8pp for each foil-pack if you use brown rice instead of white, which I did.  I usually buy boil in bag rice, which makes a cup per bag, so I just used two bags, but the same amount of water.  I used 3 green peppers instead of two, and you could add in an onion or two if you wanted also.  It was really easy to make, and down in the Tips section, it says you could make it ahead, enjoy!

This morning at the Y I did weights and cardio.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Race car cupcakes



These are the cupcakes that I made for my son's third birthday party yesterday!  He asked for a race car cake and that's what I tried to give him!  I searched online and I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so I used some things that I found, and came up with this.  I realize this has nothing to do with WW and eating these will definitely not help you lose weight, but I am pretty proud of how they turned out, so I wanted to share them!  I found red, yellow and blue paper liners at Party City.  I used a boxed chocolate cake mix, and iced the "track" with regular store bought chocolate icing.  I put regular vanilla icing in a Ziploc bag with a small tip to pipe on the track and the lines in the middle, and write start and finish.  My mom actually found the cars at a dollar store.  They are Cars, the movie, gummies.  When she told me she found them, I expected them to be regular gummy bear sized, but when I opened the box, they were the perfect size!  I found the flags at Party City, they were in with Cars, the movie, Lightnin' McQueen and Tow Mater.  I found the candles at Party City.  For the grass, I used regular store bought vanilla icing and dyed it green, put it in a Ziploc bag, snipped 1/8 in off the end and used a squeeze and pull motion to pipe on the grass.  I got this idea from the Hello, Cupcake! cookbook.  As you can see, they all look different, but that's OK, grass doesn't always look the same.  It actually is really easy to pipe the icing on, but to make it even easier, you could just put the green icing on just with a butter knife and it would probably look about the same.  These are for kids, so they don't care!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Morning Star

http://www.morningstarfarms.com/

I was over a fellow Weight Watcher's house yesterday, and for lunch she gave me a sandwich that was delicious!  She used a honey wheat sandwich thin (3pp), a Morning Star Chik pattie (4pp) and she put a few pickle slices and mayo on hers, I'm not a fan of mayo so I didn't have that on mine.  So 7pp total for the sandwich, and like I said it was awesome!  I had to go to the grocery store today, so I found them and got some.  They have a ton of other things like sausage patties for breakfast (2pp), mini corn dogs (4pp for 4), the list goes on!  It wasn't until later when I was talking to her about how good it was and how excited I was to have a new lunch idea that was so low in pp and that I had bought some, that I found out that it actually isn't chicken at all.  I thought it was just a lower pp version, like healthy choice or smart ones.  I felt really dumb that I didn't know it, but I'm glad I didn't because if I had known that it was made out of veggies/soy, I would never have tried it.  She didn't deceive me, I just didn't ask.  I knew she had been on WW for a long time and she actually works there, so I knew that if she ate it, it would be good.  So, long story short, I found something great that I wanted to share.  I am very weird about meat and the fact that I am personally telling you that it tastes good and I am going to continue to eat it even though I now know what it is, is proof enough that you should give it a try!

I took a cardio muscle class this morning at the Y.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Grilled Steak

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--906/beef-cooking-times.asp

Tonight, we had steak on the grill, my favorite!  We are definitely in the summer season here, where I live in Raleigh, NC, it was a scorching 97 degrees today!  I always think of grilling when the weather is like this.  My husband thinks I'm crazy because it is so hot, and wonders why I would want to be outside to cook, but I love it!

I found this article because I was looking for the amount of time I needed to cook the steak on each side.  I buy most of my grilling meat at BJ's because I think their meat is really good and reasonably priced.  The packages are big and have a lot of pieces in them, but I will use it to make two different meals and freeze the rest for later.  But it is perfect if you are having friends over for a summer party.  The cut that I got is called beef eye round.  It did not have nutritional information on the package, but I did a search on the WW site and was able to find one that went by ounces, and the one I had was 5 oz and it was 5pp.  It is basically 1pp per oz.

I put the pieces that we were going to eat in a Ziploc bag, sprinkled them on both sides with grill seasoning, and poured a little Dale's Steak Seasoning into the bag for the amount of time it took to heat up the grill, like 10 minutes or so.  The chart on this article for beef grilled on medium-high heat says for all other types of steak (mine was 1 in. thick, and we like ours cooked medium well) to cook it for 8-10 minutes on each side.  I cooked it for 8 minutes on each side and it was absolutely perfect!

The obvious sides for this meal would be baked potatoes, roasted potatoes, veggies, a salad, etc.  I cooked potatoes in the microwave by poking holes in them and just putting them in for 5 minutes.  The potatoes I used were really small, that's why 5 minutes was long enough.  It is 2pp for a small potato, 4pp for a medium and 5pp for a large. 

Today I did cardio and weights at the Y.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Southern-Style Oven-Fried Chicken

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=71921

Instead of baking the chicken in an 8X8 pan, I line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  The chicken sticks very easily, so the parchment paper and PAM definitely helps.

This recipe is so good, it tastes just like my grandma's deep fried chicken!

You could serve this with any number of sides, a starch like brown rice or roasted potatoes and a vegetable or a salad.  A very easy veggie choice is the frozen steamer bags that you microwave and you don't even have to get out a pot!

This morning I did cardio and weights at the Y.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Peanut Butter & Coconut Water

My best friend Kelly told me about a blog that I have shared with you before, it is called Gina's Skinny Taste.  http://www.skinnytaste.com/  She has a TON of recipes on her site, and they all have WW pp.  In a recipe that Kelly tried, loved and shared with me, Gina had used a product that I had not heard of before called "Better 'n Peanut Butter".  http://www.betternpeanutbutter.com/index.php  She says that you can find it at Trader Joe's.  While there is one near me, I don't go there very often.  But, I found it at Target this week!  It is only 2pp for 2 Tbsp, and that is awesome for peanut butter, since regular peanut butter is 5pp for the same amount!  So, if you find some, give it a try. 

Also, there has been a lot of stuff going around about coconut water and how good it is for you.  If you do a Google search, you will find tons of articles about it.  This is one article that I found from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-coconut-water  I have found some near me and tried it.  I am not a big fan of the taste of coconut stuff, so I'm not in love with the taste, but I have been drinking it by adding it to a big glass of crystal lite and I really can't taste it.  Give it a try!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Lunch Help


Another struggle for me when I first started WW was what to have for lunch that wasn't too high in pp that I couldn't feel like I could have snacks in the afternoon and evening.  One obvious choice is leftovers from your dinner from the night before.  You already know how many pp it is, and you have to put it away anyway so just put it away already portioned out so you don't even have to think about it.

A salad (0pp) with either fat free (2 Tbsp is 1pp) or light dressing (2 Tbsp is 2pp) and some protein either on it or on the side is also a good choice.  Just count the amount of pp for the protein if you use any.

Sandwich Wraps-I use either the Ole High Fiber Low Carb tortillas (1pp) or the light Flat Outs, any flavor (2pp) or the lowest thing you can find to use.  I use either fat free cheese slices (1pp) or 1/3 less fat cream cheese, any flavor (1pp for a little less than 2 Tbsp) or laughing cow cheese, any flavor (1pp per wedge) and protein, either turkey (1pp for 4 slices) or ham (2pp for 3 slices), low sodium is the best.  Check on your package for the pp value and the serving because all the brands are different.  So, as you can see, the possibilities are endless, it is very filling and satisfying and easy to bring with you.  Have a side salad or one of my snack help ideas with it, and you have a full lunch!  So depending on which wrap, cheese and protein choice you choose, it will be between 3pp and 5pp for the entire wrap.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich!!  Use either Sandwich Thins, any brand or flavor (3pp), Sara Lee Delightful 45 Calorie bread (2pp for 2 pieces) or WW bread (2pp for 2 pieces) and fat free cheddar cheese slices (1pp for a serving) and protein if you want like turkey or ham & just get the pp from the package.  Spray a pan with PAM and warm it up.  Assemble your sandwich, spray the outside of the bread with PAM & then I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! spray and put it in the pan.  Let it brown on each side and allow the cheese to melt.  I usually eat 2 sandwiches because it is so low in pp.  So it would be between 3pp and 4pp depending on your bread choice and maybe a pp or 2 more if you add protein per sandwich.

Individual Pizzas-I use the Ole tortillas (1pp) or light Flat Outs (2pp), marinara sauce (0pp), turkey pepperoni (2pp for 17 pieces), part skim mozzarella (2pp for 1/3 cup), and you could add veggies on top if you want and spices like oregano and rosemary.  I eat the whole thing!  So if you use the Ole tortillas, total the pizza would be 5pp, or 6pp if you used the light Flat Outs.  That's REALLY low for a whole pizza!

Healthy Choice or any other frozen or already prepared meal.  Smart Ones and Healthy Choice already have the pp values on them.

Progresso Lite Soup-they come in a bunch of different flavors, they already have the pp on the can, and my husband almost eats one of them everyday, he says they are very good!

I hope this is able to at least help you get started with what to eat for lunch.

Today I did some weights and cardio at the Y.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Breakfast Help

One of my struggles when I initially started WW was what to eat for breakfast that was low enough in pp that I wouldn't  have a hard time the rest of the day because I ate too many pp for breakfast.  I also needed my breakfast to be filling because I am really hungry in the mornings because of my workouts.  So, here are some things that I have found have really helped me.

I usually eat a banana before I go to the gym.  Sometimes if I am really hungry or if I know my workout will be really hard, I'll eat Fiber One yogurt also which is 1pp.

I am a coffee drinker, which is also free!  I have found that sugar free creamer is the lowest in pp, 0 for 1 Tbsp, but I use more like 3 Tbsp which is only 1pp.  I have found french vanilla and hazelnut in sugar free.  I do not use any sweetener because the creamer is sweetened, but if you need it, just use something other than sugar, there are a bunch of different kinds of low calorie sweeteners out there.
Sugar Free or High Fiber Oatmeal-check your package but mine is 3pp for a package and it is very filling.  You could have a piece of fruit with it to make you feel like you are eating more, and fruit is free!

Fiber Plus Antioxidants Buttermilk or Chocolate Chip Waffles-2 are 4pp.  I spray some I can't believe it's not butter spray on mine and drizzle some sugar free syrup which is 1pp for 1/4 cup on top.  They are very filling and very satisfying.  I checked all the waffles at my grocery store, and these were the lowest in pp I found.

Eggs-high in protein and very filling, 2pp each.  I usually eat 2 and you could add fruit which is free.

Bagel thins, there are a bunch of different brands and flavors, but they are all 3pp.  I have found that the ones that are not wheat do not fill me up as well as the wheat ones because the wheat has more fiber.  I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese which is 1pp for a little less than a serving of 2 Tbsp.

English muffin-most are 3pp, but just check your package & peanut butter-the lowest pp you can find, but I have found so far that they are all about the same.  2 Tbsp is 5pp, 1 Tbsp is 3pp and 2 tsp is 2pp, so use as little as you can!  It is very filling and helps you get protein and fat that you need when you are working out.

Maybe this can at least get you started!

Today I did about 30 minutes of weights and about 30 minutes of cardio at the Y.