It's Crockpot Tuesday...Beef & Spinach Pasta 8 points

Okay so life is about to get really crazy for me.  Today I started school again (accounting major) and I told my husband I have dubbed Tuesday to be crockpot day for a while.  You see I now get off work at 4:00 (I leave work in the middle of the day to go to class and then go back to work) and by the time I get all the 3 from school/after school care and get home it's almost 5:00 and my son has to be at boy scouts by 7:00 so dinner has to be done by 6:00 at the latest (don't forget about homework and what not).  So to make my life easier I am going to be using my crockpot at least once a week now...So here is what we did today...



Beef & Spinach Noodle Bake (in the crockpot)
Serves 9

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (I used 7%)
1 diced up onion
1 clove of garlic (I used a lot more since we like garlic)
1 15oz can of tomato sauce (next time I will use 2 cans)
1 can petite diced tomatoes (you can use regular diced, I like petite)
1 tbsp italian seasoning
S&P
10 oz frozen spinach, defrosted
16 oz shape pasta of choice (I used the Trader Joe's High Fiber penne I had in the pantry)
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup 2% shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
In the morning cook your ground beef with your onions and garlic.  Put the mixture in your crockpot (don't forget your Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner they are a lifesaver and my friend and save me lots of scrubbing, no this is not a paid advertisement LOL) with your tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and seasonings.  Cook on low for 6 hours (I use my x-mas light timer for my crockpot as I am usually gone for more than 6 hours and I don't want to overcook).

45 minutes prior to dinner cook your pasta (or if you are me cook it in the morning, drain and keep it in the pot until you are ready to add it and then just re-run it under water to separate). 

30 minutes prior to dinner being done add in your drained spinach (remember to squeeze it dry really well, a old rag does wonders with this step) pasta and cheese.  Cook for 30 minutes more and serve hot.

VERDICT: Now i have never done this in the slow cooker, it is a basic throw together I have done in the oven but I like it this way...next time I will change a few things...1) I will add another can of tomato sauce as it was a little bit dry with all that pasta and adding a can of sauce bumps it only up from 7.4 to 7.7 and 2) I will maybe decrease the pasta to 12oz or so...these were really big servings but my family is not complaining.

Calories: 372
Fat: 10
Fiber: 6
Weight Watchers Momentum Points: 7.5 (or 8 if you round)

Dreaming of Lemon Chicken...

So I love lemon chicken but I hate that when you order it from a Chinese restaurant it's deep fried and loaded with greasy calories and I usually end up with a total stomach ache because I ate all that plus fried rice.

So here's a good sub for that greasy craving.



Stir Fry Lemon Chicken
Serves 6

2 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
3 cups snow peas
1 cup bell peppers, sliced
1 bundle of green onions, diced
3/4 cup fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
2 lemons
4 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp pepper 

1. zest lemon and save 1 tsp for later (I used a little more)
2.  juice lemons, mix in broth, soy sauce, pepper & cornstarch, mix and set aside
3. spray a large skillet with cooking spray and sautee chicken until done.  Transfer to a plate
4. respray skillet, add in bell peppers & sliced carrots and saute for about 5 minutes (I usually add a little bit of water to steam/saute)
5. add snow peas, green onions, zest and garlic and saute a few more minutes until you can smell that lovely sell.
6. re-mix the sauce and add into the veggies until sauce thickens.
7. add chicken and rewarm and cook until done.  Serve with rice

VERDICT: this was good, my family loved it and it had a nice little tang to it.  There is quite a bit of prep for this but once it's all done putting it all together is easy.  I served this with rice that I added a bunch of herbs to and a little bit of butter in my rice cooker and roasted asparagus (add extra points of course)...

Calories: 214
Fat: 2
Fiber: 3
Momentum Points: 4

Chicken & Spinach Roll Up Parmesan Style

So my family loves chicken parmesan and they love stuffed chicken breasts so what do you get when you put them together...yummy goodness.






Chicken & Spinach Roll Ups
Parmesan Style
Serves 9

9 chicken cutlets, pounded thin
salt & pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs or egg beaters
10 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry
1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
Olive Oil spray (I use my Misto)
1 small jar of pasta sauce
4 slices of mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 450 and lightly spray a baking dish.  Wash, dry and season chicken cutlets with cooking spray.

In one dish beat the eggs.  In another dish mix the bread crumbs and the parmesan cheese and set aside.

In a bowl mix the spinach, ricotta & mozzarella cheese.

Stuff each chicken breast with about 2 tbsp of spinach mixture, roll up and dip in egg then in the breadcrumb mixture.  Place in baking dish seam side down.

Repeat with remaining chicken.

Spray the chicken with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes top with spaghetti sauce and bake for another 10 minutes or until chicken is done.  Top with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Calories: 269
Fat: 7
Fiber: 1.5
Weight Watchers Momentum Points: 6

VERDICT: so yummy and everyone loved it.  I even have lunch for tomorrow for hubby and myself.  I served this with a side of pasta and sauteed green beans.

TIP: to really get your spinach squeezed dry wrap it in a old towel or rag and squeeze it out...no more lost spinach.

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Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Today was the 1st real cold day we have had this winter...this morning it was 24 degrees outside and when my husband got home tonight it was a whopping 34 degrees.  So how do you deal with it...warm soup...

So tonight it's yummy loaded baked potato soup with salad and bread...








Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Serves 6
1 1/2 cups per serving

2 lbs baked potatoes, cooked, peeled & roughly chopped
1 medium head of cauliflower
2 cups of fat free chicken broth
2 cups of milk (we used 1%)
salt & pepper (next time I will add more)
1 tbsp of xanthan gum
1 cup fat free sour cream, divided
6 tbsp of shredded cheddar cheese
6 tbsp chopped chives or green onions
3 slices of cooked & crumbled bacon

In a large pot with a steamer basket cook the cauliflower until soft.  Drain cauliflower and put it back in the pot. 

Add in the potatoes and chicken broth.  Mash until smooth. 

Add in milk, s&p, sour cream & xanthan gum (this thickens it up). 

Blend until smooth and simmer for about 10 minutes. 

Ladle into a bowl and top with cheese, bacon, chives sour cream.

VERDICT: the whole family loved this and the kids didn't even know there was cauliflower in there...I served this with a green salad & parmesan herb rolls from Trader Joe's

Momentum Points: 5
Calories: 277
Fat: 5
Fiber: 5
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Abundant Harvest Delivery...

Ohhh look at all my yummy organic fruits & veggies I got delivered today from Abundant Harvest...

In this weeks delivery we had butternut squash, lettuce, spinach, red potatoes, turnips, apples, pomegranates, rainbow chard, spinach, dill, herbs de provence and I added on baby carrots!

All this wonderful organic stuff for under $25 for this box...you must check it out if you are a local!

Revamped WW friendly Coffee Creamer...Vanilla Toffee

I love creamer in my coffee and for some reason to me sugar and cream just don't do it, I also don't like how many points it can add to my daily allowance. 

I originally posted this recipe on my blog last year (click here for original post) but after a little bit of messing around today I came up with this yummy revamp. So here it is...Weight Watcher's friendly vanilla toffee creamer.



1/2 cup Fat Free Half & Half
1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

3 tsp Pure Vanilla
1 dropper of Liquid Stevia (I did toffee flavor)
2 tbsp Honey
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth consistency.  Place the creamer in a container and put it in the fridge. 

The combo of the half & half and xanthan gum make it nice and creamy in your coffee for more than half of the points of the store bought creamers.

Makes about 8 servings of 2 tbsp each
Calories: 28
Fat: .2
Fiber: .1
Momentum Points per serving: .6

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Dinner Tonight...Quick, Easy & Full of Flavor!!!

So tonight's dinner was really flavorful and super easy...broiled chicken breast, rice & corn

Super easy...

Chicken breast sprinkled with a packet of Ranch and Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb Seasoning (5 points depending on size of the breast)

Rice cooked in a packet of herb seasoning (found this in my local health food store) and some butter (3 points per 1/2 cup)


Frozen Corn with Mrs. Dash (1 point)

Overall I was so surprised this was quick and easy and the chicken was so juicy.  My kids ate it all up and even asked for more!  With my rice I put it in my rice cooker before I went to the gym (didn't turn it on) and then when I got home I turned on the broiler, turned of the rice cooker and seasoned my chicken.  By the time the rice was done the chicken was juicy and ready.  The corn was frozen so I just popped it into the microwave...


VERDICT: I love super easy meals and this was one of them!!!  My entire dinner was about 9 points.