Spinach, Romaine, and Tangerine Salad

This is one of Matt's favorites. He will take a salad with citrus vinaigrette and fresh orange slices any day of the week. I'm not sure that both the romaine and spinach are necessary (if you don't have both on hand just use the one that you do) but it does add some nice variety.

Spinach, Romaine, and Tangerine Salad **
serves 2

1 Tablespoons mint leaves, torn
1/2 teaspoon tangerine zest
1 Tablespoon fresh tangerine juice
1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
dash of salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups Romaine, chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 peeled and sliced tangerine
2 Tablespoons walnuts, toasted
dash of pepper





1. Whisk mint leaves, zest, juice, vinegar, and salt together. Gradually add the olive oil while whisking continuously.

2. Toss Romaine, spinach, tangerine slices, and walnuts together. Sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with the dressing. Toss well.

Nutrition (per 1/2 salad):
       136 Calories, 13g Fat, 7 Carbs, 2g Protein, 2g Fiber
       4 weight watchers points+

** recipe from http://pointlessmeals.blogspot.com/2012/02/spinach-romaine-and-tangerine-salad.html

Crunchy Asian Salad

This salad is simply delicious! It's very light and refreshing. We had it with an Asian marinated pork tenderloin but it'd also be a great side dish with something spicy and southwestern. Serve a full cup of salad for a hearty side dish or a half of a cup for just a simple side note next to another side dish. Either way, enjoy!

Crunchy Asian Salad **
serves 8

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup rice vinegar

3 Tablespoons Splenda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 package Ramen noodle soup mix, seasoning packet discarded

16 oz coleslaw mix, shredded

1/4  cup sliced almonds

1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced

11 oz mandarin oranges in light corn syrup, drained

3 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped

1. Whisk canola oil, rice vinegar, Splenda, salt and pepper together and set aside.

2. Break up Ramen noodles and combine with remaining ingredients. Toss to coat.

Nutrition (per 1 cup):

    162 Calories, 13g Fat, 9 Carbs, 1g Fiber, 2g Protein

    4 Weight Watchers Points+

** http://pointlessmeals.blogspot.com/2010/08/crunchy-asian-salad.html

Lasagna Soup

This soup is very hearty and pretty tasty. I'll definitely satisfy your taste buds when you're craving a hearty soup or a great Italian lasagna. Serving it as a soup lets you use less noodles bringing the calorie and carbohydrate count down. Make sure that you use fresh basil because it'll make a big difference.

I served it with Cauliflower Sticks which was a good pair. Obviously breadsticks would be preferred but the cauliflower sticks offer the lower carb content again. Also, I sauteed the sausage, onion, bell peppers, and garlic in cooking spray rather than olive oil to save some extra calories.

Lasagna Soup
serves 2
 
Cooking spray
2 links Italian turkey sausage
1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

16 ounces chicken broth

16 ounces tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 ounces whole wheat lasagna noodles

1/4 cup fresh basil chiffonade

1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup reduced fat Mozzarella cheese, shredded

 

1. Using cooking spray, saute sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic over medium heat in a Dutch oven, stirring occasionally until crumbled and browned, about 10 minutes.

2. Add broth, tomato sauce, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce to heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

3. Separately, cooked lasagna noodles in boiling water according to package instructions.

4. Drain noodles and add to the soup. Let simmer until soup thickens some. Remove from heat. Stir in cheeses and basil.

Nutrition (per 1/2 soup):

   380 Calories, 11g Fat, 36 Carbs, 7g Fiber, 29g Protein

   10 Weight Watchers Points+

*** recipe from http://www.thedeenbros.com/recipes/recipe_detail/bobbys_lighter_tastes_like_lasagna_soup

Zucchini Ribbon Salad - Italian

Welcome to our new favorite salad. This is really versatile because you can change the flavor depending on what seasonings you want to use. This is the Italian version but Matt and I are already thinking about making it into a southwestern salad and maybe even trying out an Asian version. mmm - I want some more already.

Zucchini Ribbon Salad - Italian
serves 2

1 medium zucchini
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Italian seasonings (or whatever flavor you want)
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Trim the ends off the zucchini and shave into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler or mandoline.
2. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and seasonings. Toss together with zucchini and pine nuts.
3. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

3 points plus per serving

*** recipe from pointlessmeals.blogspot

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Matt and I had a good week of new recipes. I made this chicken in the crock pot throughout the day and then I shredded it when I got home. It was great because it was like chicken 2 ways. Night #1 was tacos and salad and the second night I made a southwestern salad with chicken. Here's the first chicken dish - chicken tacos - YUM! :) We're definitely doing these again.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos
40 ounces of chicken
1 packet chicken taco seasoning
1 cup salsa - homemade or jarred

1. Put all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for at least 6 hours.
2. Shred chicken and keep warm until ready to serve.
3. Heat tortillas in foil for about 10 minutes at 350.

I served 2 oz of chicken per corn tortilla with sour cream, pico de gallo, and avocado. It was a total of 4 points plus per taco - 3 for the chicken & tortilla and 1 for 1/2 tablespoon light sour cream and 1/8 of an avocado, chopped. They were DELISH!!

** recipe from pointlessmeals.blogspot

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

I served this with the Jalapeno Popper Chicken and thought that it was a pretty good side dish complement. It gives the chicken just a little extra cheesy goodness if you eat them together.

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole 

serves 8

1 bag frozen, shredded hashbrowns (24 oz)

1 onion, chopped

1 can Campbell’s Healthy Request cream of chicken

1 can Campbell’s Healthy Request cheddar cheese soup

1 cup fat-free sour cream

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Mix all ingredients together and spread into a 13x9 inch pan coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake until bubbly and lightly browned on top, 45-60 minutes.

Nutrition (per 1/8 of casserole):

    133 Calories, 1g Fat, 23g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 7g Protein

    4 Weight Watchers Points+

Jalapeno Popper Chicken

I realize that I'm not doing a great job of taking pictures but this recipe is worth posting - even without the photo. I got this recipe from the SkinnyTaste website and it's totally worth trying. I'm going to try making extra next time and freezing them to see if they'd reheat well for a busy night.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken
serves 2

2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1-2 jalapenos, chopped and seeded

1 1/2 oz Philadelphia reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

2 oz Kraft fat-free cheddar cheese

4 thin slices chicken breast, about 3 oz each

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

juice of 1 lime

1/2 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450.

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

2. Combine cream cheese, cheddar, jalapeno, and bacon crumbles in a medium bowl.

3. Lay cutlets on a surface and season with salt and pepper. Spread 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture on each. Loosely roll each cutlet and secure the ends with a toothpicks to prevent oozing.

4. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. In a second bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, and salt and pepper.

5. Dip chicken roulades in the liquid mixture, then in the breadcrumbs, and place seam-side down on a baking sheet (coated with cooking spray). Repeat with remaining roulades. Spray with cooking spray when finished.

6. Bake 22-25 minutes.

Nutrition:

    228 Calories, 12g Fat, 9g Carbs, 1g Fiber, 28g Protein

    7 Weight Watchers Points+

Southwestern Ranch Dressing

Today I went running and when I got back I wanted something lighter - like a salad - but hearty too. So I wanted a salad with RANCH. I have no idea why ranch seems heartier to me but that's what I wanted so I wanted to find a way to make it happen without eating a million points. Since I also really like southwestern dressings, I found a good compromise. Rather than adding milk to my Ranch dressing powder, I added reduced fat sour cream and some homemade salsa. It added the liquidity that I needed from the salsa and the creaminess from the sour cream.

If you don't want to make any salsa then you can use any jarred variety. I would suggest pureeing it first though so that your salad dressing is smooth, not chunky.

Southwestern Ranch Dressing
2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon Ranch dressing powder
1/4 cup salsa - depending on how spicy you want it

Mix together all the ingredients and let sit about 5 minutes. Serve over any salad or fresh veggies for a low fat snack.

Nutrition:
               55 calories, 3g fat, 1g fiber, 5g carbs, 3g protein
               2 weight watchers pp