Crockpot Chicken Tacos

I'm bummed that I forgot to take a picture of this, but we will just have to deal with the stock picture above until I make it again! :-) This was so good! Matt and I both loved it.

Basic Recipe:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
3 tbs taco seasoning

Directions:
Add chicken to crockpot. Dissolve seasoning in broth and pour over chicken.  Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred meat with a fork and return to juices. Serve on taco shells with cheese, lettuce and sour cream.

How I changed the recipe:
I added half a can of rotel tomatoes with the juice to a blender and blended until smooth. Make recipe as listed above but add the blended tomato before cooking. After chicken was cooked I mixed in some fresh cilantro for even more flavor.

Chicken is 1 weight watcher point per ounce.

Roasted Edamame

I'm on an edamame kick right now! I find it kind of addicting. I found some frozen, in-the-pod edamame at my local Aldi the other day, and I was really excited. It was fun, but I do find the frozen, pre-shelled edamame from Trader Joe's quicker to work with. Anway, I found this recipe online, and it is wonderful. I've been eating it as my after-workout snack and find it very satifying.

Ingredients:


2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10 ounce) package ready-to-eat soybeans, thawed if using the frozen variety (fresh or frozen, edamame. If using the edamame in the shell, you will need to steam them by boiling them for 7 minutes and then remove the beans from the pod before starting the recipe)

Directions:


1 Preheat oven to 375°F.
2 In small bowl, stir together oil, basil, chili powder, onion salt, cumin, paprika and black pepper.
3 Drizzle mixture over soybeans and toss to coat well.
4 Arrange beans in a single layer in a shallow baking dish.
5 Roast, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until soybeans begin to brown.
6 Serve hot as a vegetable side dish or cooled as a snack.
7 Refrigerate any leftovers.

This makes 3 servings. Each serving is 4 weight watcher points.

Baked Feta-Crusted Salmon

I have been so lazy about updating my blog, and I have pictures of recipes just waiting to be shared. So, I promise I will make a few posts this week. We are not seafood eaters. We've tried to be, but it's just not our thing. Somone told me the other day that I couldn't give up on seafood until I tried salmon. I found this recipe and decided that everything is good when covered in feta cheese. I was right! :-) It was surprisingly good. I served it with parmesan couscous and sauteed green beans. We will defintely have this again.

Ingredients
4 (4oz) salmon fillets
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon light cream cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika, ground
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or regular dry bread crumbs

Directions


1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place salmon onto foil and set aside.

2.Mix together feta cheese, mayonnaise, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a bowl until smooth. Spread mixture over salmon, then sprinkle panko over top, covering completely.

3.Bake in preheated oven until easily flaked with a fork, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Each fillet is 4 weight watcher points.

Banana and Honey French Toast

I cannot sing the praises of this recipe enough!!! It is so sweet and fulfilling...not to mention insanely low in points! :-)

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon skim milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Arnold's sandwich thin or two slices of low-cal bread
• 1/2 small banana
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• one spray of non-stick spray

Directions:

Beat the egg whites in shallow bowl with milk, cinnamon and salt.

Split the sandwich thin and coat both sides in egg mixture.

Heat a frying pan and coat with a low fat cooking spray and fry the bread for 2 minutes on the first side or until set and golden.

Turn over and fry for another 1.5 - 2 minutes or until cooked.

Place french toast on a plate and add pieces of 1/2 of small banana between the two slices.

Drizzle with honey.

This makes one serving and each serving is 3 points.

Low-Fat Cucumber & Dill Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 of a large cucumber (seeded and chopped; I left the skin on)
1/2 tsp dry dill
1/2 tsp season salt
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs chopped onion

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill for an hour before serving. Can be kept in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

The entire recipe is 3 weight watcher points.

Pasta Fagiloli

This was so good! I loved the blend of the Italian spices! If you blend the beans according to the recipe, you will not even taste them; they just add texture. Next time I will leave the beans whole to make this even heartier.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb lean ground beef
32 oz of chicken broth
15 oz can tomato sauce
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
2 carrots, diced
1 15oz can cannellini beans (or any white beans)
1 large bay leaf
1 tbs parsely
1 tbs basil
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups dried pasta (any small pasta will work; I used elbow)

Directions:
Add the can of beans undrained and one can of water to the blender; blend until smooth.  Add bean mixture to crock pot.  Brown ground beef and add to crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients except pasta to crock pot.  Stir and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Cook pasta and add to soup just before serving. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese.

If this is divided into 6 servings, each serving is 5 weight watcher points.

Parmesan Spaghetti Squash

We had this as a main dish because we try to have at least one vegetarian meal a week, but I have to say that this would be awesome served on the side of the parmesan crusted chicken recipe I posted a while back. I slightly overcooked the squash. You  should be able to see the strands more clearly.

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1/3 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese
desired amount of cherry tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp olive oil
shredded italian cheese, for garnish

Directions:
There are several ways to prepare a spaghetti squash.  Click here to see your options.(note: I baked mine, but I skipped the olive oil step). Once your spaghetti squash is done and shredded into strands, set it aside. Dice garlic and saute it lightly in the 1 tsp of olive oil. Add the garlic mixture to the spaghetti squash; add remaining ingredients and toss to mix. Serve the squash in one half of the shell and garnish with cheese.

The entire recipe is only 4 weight watcher points.