Simple & Point Friendly Pizza

So do you love pizza but hate how many points just 1 slice is.  Does everyone in your house want a different type of pizza, someone doesn't like mushrooms, someone wants plain cheese, someone wants vegetarian...well the solution in our house is Tortilla Pizzas...it's not only fast and easy it's point friendly and flexible.


Here are some of our favorite stuff to put on tortilla pizzas...

Flat Out Wraps (3 points)
Smart & Delicious Low Carb Tortillas (2 points)

Olives
Mushrooms
Boar's Head Pepperoni (1oz = 4 points)
Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce (1/4 cup = 1 point)
Artichoke Hearts (free) (these were marinated ones that were 1/3 cup = 3 points)
Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese (1/4 cup = 3 points)


So as you can see you can get what you want and stay low in points.  On my pizza I had a Smart & Delicious tortilla, 1/4 cup pizza sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, olives, mushrooms, 1/2 a servings of artichoke hearts & 1/2 oz of pepperoni all for a total of  10 points and 1 pizza filled me up.

The tortilla turns out very similar to the skinny crust pizza that is out there and you get a lot more food and not feeling guilty if you eat the whole thing and everyone is happy in the house.  So next time you want pizza but don't want all the points try a tortilla pizza and experiment with all the stuff you can put on it but just remember to count your points.
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Vegetable Soup- 5 points

So what do you do when you have a lot of veggies and the weather is turning cold...you make vegetable soup...this was a quick throw together and very filling and yummy!



Vegetable Soup
Serves 6 large servings
5 WW points plus




1/4 cup olive oil
3+ crushed garlic cloves
9oz of diced zucchini (about 3)
8oz diced carrots (about 3)
8oz diced leeks (about 1)
6oz diced celery (about 2)
6oz green beans cut in bite size pieces
4 cups organic vegetable broth
1 large can crushed tomatoes
S&P
3oz whole wheat macarroni


In a large pot add olive oil, garlic, zucchini, carrots, leeks & celery and cook for about 15 minutes.


Add in broth, tomatoes & zucchini and simmer for 30 minutes.  


Add in the pasta and the S&P to taste and let sit for 10 minutes.


This is so good and you can add what you want or what you have on hand.  It's yummy and filling.
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Asian Vegetable Pasta & Snow Peas w/ Mushrooms

So tonight you get 2 recipes...Oh yummy...for dinner was Asian Vegetable Pasta (found the recipe in the Comfort Food Diet cookbook, not sure why it's called asian but I think it's more thai to me), grilled chicken tenderloins & snow peas & mushrooms (a recipe I found a while ago on allrecipes.com).  The kids loved it and it was a large servings.  Lots of veggies and nothing like a peanut noodles...YUMMY!!!



Asian Vegetable Pasta
Serves 5

Ingredients:8 oz high fiber pasta (I love Trader Joe's high fiber pasta)
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup julienned carrots (I used my mandolin slicer and got my finger, be careful)
1/3 cup reduced fat peanut butter
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions:
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 4 minutes, add asparagus; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in carrots; cook for 1 minute or until pasta is tender. Drain and keep warm.

In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat.
 
Nutritional Information:Calories: 313
Fat: 9
Carbs: 47
Protein: 12
Fiber: 6
WW Points Plus: 8
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Snow Peas w/Mushrooms
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 TBSP sesame seeds

2 Tsp sesame oil9 oz snow peas
10 oz fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tsp teriyaki sauce

Directions:
In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the sesame seeds about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Heat oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Stir in snow peas and mushrooms, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until tender.

Transfer snow peas and mushrooms to a medium bowl. Toss with sesame seeds and teriyaki sauce, and serve warm.

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 93
Fat: 3
Carbs: 11
Protein: 5
Fiber: 3
WW Points Plus: 2

Verdict~ Okay what kid doesn't like peanut butter and pasta.  This was so good and the snow peas side dish is a recipe I found a while ago and my family just loves it and it makes ordinary veggies much more interesting.

NOTE: I have a spreadsheet I have created to calculate my nutritional informaion based on the ingredients I use and so far it has matched up points wise with my e-Tools.
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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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