Personal Thin-Crust Pizzas

Sorry it's been a while since I posted a recipe! I have some pictures in my camera of recipes just waiting to be posted, but I've been really busy lately.  For Mother's Day this year we went to my Mother-in-law's house and made homemade pizzas! It was fun and delicious! I thought I'd post the basic recipe, but the variations are endless! You can add just about anything you want! The pizza pictured above is just pepperoni and cheese, but the ones we made on Sunday were topped with tons of veggies!

Ingredients:
Flat Out Wraps (available at most grocery stores in the bread aisle or near the deli. We used the Aldi Fit and Active version of the Flat Out Wraps. These are in the refrigerated section near the deli meats and cheese)
1 Jar of Marinara or Pizza Sauce
1 Bag Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1 Package Pepperoni
Italian Seasoning (to taste)

Directions:
Place wrap on a cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Spread with desired amount of sauce and toppings. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning, and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Watch closely to avoid burning.

Weight Watcher Points:
1 Flat Out Wrap - 1 point
1/2 cup Marinara Sauce - 1 point (varies by brand)
8 Slices of Pepperoni -2 points
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese - 4 points
8 black olives sliced - 1 point

Zero point toppings:
Onions
Green Pepper
Mushrooms
Spinach
Diced Garlic
Sliced Tomatoes

Barbecue Sloppy Joes

I don't really care for traditional sloppy joes, but I love this barbecue beef sandwich! It was easy to make and very filling! I paired the sandwiches with Lays Baked Barbecue Chips and served on 1 pt hamburger buns.

Ingredients:
1 lb 93/7 lean ground beef
1/4 cup Kraft Masterpiece barbecue sauce
2 TBS unpacked brown sugar
1 TBS vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 can tomato sauce (8oz)

Directions:
Brown ground beef. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until thickened (about 15-20 minutes)

Makes 8 servings (about 1/4 cup) Each serving is 3 weight watchers points.  Add additional points for buns and chips.

Guilt-Free Chocolate Cake

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Rachel.  I love this cake! It doesn't get much easier than this! I serve mine with Breyer's fat free chocolate ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 chocolate cake mix
1 can diet coke (any diet cola works, even generic brand)

Directions:

mix coke and cake mix and bake as directed. Do not add any other ingredients listed on the box!
Cool and serve with ice cream or top with fat free cool whip

This is 3 weight watcher points for 1/12 of the cake

*Note* you can use any combination of diet soda and cake mix.  For example: yellow cake mix and a can of Sprite or Diet Cherry Coke and a chocolate cake mix.

Iced Coffee At Home! :-)

I can't stop drinking iced coffee! I have a real problem! It was starting to take a toll on my budget, so I've been making it at home.  It's just as satisfying, and when I make it in my favorite Starbucks cold travel cup (pictured above) it just makes me happy! It did require purchasing a few things, but they will last for several batches!

What you need:

• Your favorite coffee.  For the me the bolder the better.  I used Starbucks Ethiopia Sidamo

• Flavored coffee syrup. This is available at most grocery stores, but Starbucks also sells their syrups by the bottle. ($6.95 a bottle...I think). Starbucks puts unflavored Classic syrup in their iced coffee. I like vanilla in mine
• Half & Half or milk.  I prefer half & half, and it's lower in points than I expected!

What you do:

Grind your coffee if it's whole bean. Brew a pot of coffee like normal, but make it DOUBLE strength.  Add double the amount of grounds, but keep the same amount of water as normal. Prepare a plastic drink pitcher by filling it half way with ice cubes.  When coffee is finished brewing, pour it over the ice.  The ice will melt, but your coffee will not be watery because it was double strength.

Fill your favorite cup about 3/4 way full with iced coffee.  Add desired amount of syrup and half & half.  Add more ice to fill cup, and Enjoy!!!

1 cup of iced coffee with 2 TBS of vanilla syrup and 1/4 cup of half & half is 3 weight watcher points.

Lightened-Up Chicken Stips and French Fries

This is too simple to really be considered a recipe, but it's a great way to satisfy that craving for fast food chicken strips.  My sister-in-law Rachel reminded me the other day about Shake-N-Bake.  I hadn't used it in a long time, but it's really point friendly!

Ingredients:
1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenders (trimmed of fat)
1 Box Shake-N-Bake (I used the garlic flavor)
1 Bag Frozen Steak Fries

Directions:
Coat chicken pieces in breading and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake according to package directions.  Place desired amount of steak fries on a cookie sheet and bake according to directions.

The brand of steak fries I bought were 16 fries for 4 weight watcher points.  The chicken is one weight watcher point per ounce plus one point per piece of chicken for the breading.

Chipotle/Qdoba Copy Cat Black Beans

We LOVE Chipotle! It's one of very few fast food restaurants we still go to. In my quest to make everything lighter and healthier, I set out to make my own version of their black beans. I served mine over cilantro lime rice, but they would be great as a side dish or added to burritos as well!

Ingredients:

1 lb dried black beans
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 jar of your favorite salsa

Directions:

Sort through dried beans and remove any pebbles.  Add beans to a large pot and cover with water. (beans will almost double in size so use a large enough pot). Allow to soak for at least 6 hours (I left mine over night).  Drain beans and add to crock pot.  Cover beans with fresh water.  Stir in salsa and taco seasoning.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beans are tender.

Each 1/2 cup of beans is 2 weight watcher points

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili is a big favorite on my husband's side of the family.  I'd never heard of it until I started dating Matt. Now, it's one of my favorites.  It is typically served over spaghetti noodles, but since starting Weight Watchers I eat mine with rice because rice keeps me full longer than pasta. (One cup of pasta and one cup of white rice are both 4 points.) You can also eat it on a hot dog bun and top it with cheese!

Ingredients:

2 lbs 93/7 lean ground beef
2 cans (8 ounce) tomato sauce
1 can (5 ounces) tomato paste
4 Tbs chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt
2 tsp steak sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2-3 dried bay leaves
1/4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions:

Brown ground beef on stove top; then add to crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients to crock pot and stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over warm spaghetti noodles and top with shredded cheddar.

One cup of chili is 4 weight watchers points.  Be sure to add points for pasta and cheese.