Chicken Vegetable Rice

This is a great recipe that is so easy to make and delicious! I love quick and easy recipes that allow me to control the calorie count. I used to make this all the time! It never had veggies and it was loaded down with cheese. I have taken the same recipe and revamped it but I think I made it better! I love cheese but my body and hips do not appreciate it at all.

I can’t wait to make this recipe again because it’s so easy and great and I love that its figure friendly! I highly recommend that you add as many vegetables as possible!

Ingredients:

• 1 box Zatarain’s Yellow Rice Mix
• 1 can cream of poblano soup
• 2 stalks celery finely chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 cup carrots well chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup frozen or canned corn
• 8 ounces cooked chicken breast diced

Directions:

1. To a dutch oven add celery, onions, carrots, and garlic cook until the vegetables are tender then add rice mix, corn, and 3-1/2 cups water to the pot. 
2. Bring to a boil then lower the temperature to medium. 
3. Cook covered for 25 minutes then add diced chicken, and soup. 
4. Cook for another 5 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 5


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Spinach Greek Yogurt Dip

This recipe is a copycat version of Trader Joe’s Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip. Personally I think it’s even better. I think the Trader Joe’s dip is great but I think it’s slightly lacking in flavor. I thought it could be improved upon and I think I did it.

I found this awesome copycat recipe and although I don’t think it’s quite Trader Joe’s recipe I think it’s better than their recipe, but I also think it was lacking in flavor also. I made a few changes to the original recipe by adding a few additional spices and increasing the salt. I don’t recommend that you add additional salt until you have allowed the dip to hang out in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. You need a lot of time for the vegetables in this recipe to get happy. It really does take everything coming together to make this recipe awesome.

I love this recipe! It’s fantastic and something that I will have in the refrigerator at all times. It’s low in calories and low in Weight Watchers points if you are interesting. It’s just fantastic!

If you are making this for an event you are going to want to make sure that you make this recipe a day or two ahead of time. It’s just sooo good!!

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) container fat free Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (full fat)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 small box finely chopped spinach (frozen)
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• ⅓ Cup water chestnuts, finely minced
• ⅓ Cup green bell pepper, finely minced
• ⅓ Cup carrot, finely minced
• 3 small cloves garlic, finely minced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ tablespoon dried minced onion
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dill weed
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. This recipe must be made at least 24 hours before you need it!!
2. Defrost frozen spinach then squeeze until all the liquid is gone from the spinach. The spinach must be completely squeezed dry. This will help to prevent the dip from being watered down.
3. Cut the spinach into small pieces the finer the better.
4.  Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
5.  Allow the dip to refrigerate overnight.

Original Recipe Source

1 Weight Watchers PointsPlus

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Easy Greek Yogurt Ranch Vegetable Dip

This recipe is quick and easy and delicious. I love that it’s low in calories and low in Weight Watchers Points if you are interested. I love how easy it is and I love how fast you can make it up.

I recommend that you refrigerate the dip at least 24 hours to allow all the flavors to come together. Obviously you can use sour cream you just have to be prepared for the calories that come with using sour cream. It might be worth it because it’s a 

delicious and easy dip.

You can serve it with vegetables, chips, crackers or anything else you want to use.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Plain Non Fat Yogurt
• 1 Packet of Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
• Fresh Cut Vegetables

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl add 2 cups of plain nonfat yogurt
2. Next to the yogurt add one envelope of ranch dressing mix. 
3. Mix well and serve with your favorite veggie sticks or crackers.

1 Weight Watchers PointsPlus

Original Recipe Source

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Parmesan and Spinach Orzo

This recipe is fantastic! My entire family loved it I mean seriously loved it. Besides being awesome it’s also low in calories 105 calories for ½ cup. You can’t beat that. It’s not often you can get a generous side dish for around 100 calories especially when you are talking any type of pasta. I loved it so much. I can’t even describe the smell or even the flavor. It’s simply delicious!

There are so many things you could do with this recipe like add rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, additional vegetables or even double the sauce and serve it over a bed of steamed vegetables! It’s simple fantastic!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup orzo pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 1-1/2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I just used grated Kraft)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and run under cool water to stop the cooking process, then set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent. I under cooked them a bit for a little added crunch.
3. Whisk in flour and cook for around 1 minute then whisk in milk, and cook, whisk constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan until melted, about 1 minute. Add orzo and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook another minute or two to insure the dish is heated all the way through.
5. A nice variation would be to add extra steamed vegetables or chicken chunks to make it more of a main dish.
6. Serve immediately.

Original Recipe Source

3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus ½ cup

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Spanish Quinoa

I have gotten to where I love quinoa so much. Even my family thinks it’s fantastic. I decided to take our normal Spanish rice recipe and switch out the rice for quinoa. I am sure happy I gave it a try it’s fantastic.

I love the texture and I love that it’s something different I also love the extra protein that comes with cooking with quinoa!

Another great things about using the quinoa versus rice is the fact that this recipe cooks up much faster and you are not spending as much time in the kitchen!!

Ingredients:

• 4 Slices of bacon (uncooked)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 16 ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups of water
• 3/4 cup of uncooked quinoa
• 2-1/2 teaspoons of chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of pepper

Directions:

1. Dice up bacon pieces then add them to a skillet, cook until crispy and pour off half the fat
2. Add to the skillet chopped onion, and bell pepper cook until tender, but not brown
3. Add remaining ingredients, mix well, then cook covered for 20-30 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. 

Weight Watchers PointsPlus 2 Points per 1/2 Cup

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Chicken Taco Chili

This chili is very good and super filling. It’s a great recipe that will leave you full for the remainder of the night. It also makes great left overs. Although I deviated from the original recipe a bit to suit our needs I think it turned out fantastic. It’s a super hearty recipe. Although we are eating it during the summer it would make a great recipe on a winter night. 

Serving it during the summer? Add one cup of the warm chili over a bed of lettuce for a chili salad. Delicious! If you are following Weight Watchers PointsPlus this recipe is 4 points for 1 cup, serve it with ½ cup of cooked quinoa for an additional 2 points.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1-14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (Rotel)
• 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/4 tbsp. cumin
• 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
• 16 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

1. To a large pot add diced chicken breast. Cook until chicken is cooked through. You can leave the breast whole but they will take longer to cook. Allow to cool then shred the chicken. Set aside but do not remove any drippings from the pot.
2. To the pot add bell pepper and onion, cook until tender you can add a little water if you vegetables start drying out while cooking.
3. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well
4. Bring chili to a boil then cover and turn the heat down to medium or medium low
5. Allow the chili to simmer for one hour covered, stir occasionally
6. Serve over cooked rice or quinoa

Original Recipe Source

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Low Calorie Peanut Butter Cup Shake!

This recipe is ridiculously delicious! How is it possible to have something so good with so few calories or Weight Watchers Points? This is the kind of dessert you need to keep you going when you are having one of those days where you just need something sweet but you don’t want to go too crazy and go over in calories or in points.

I love this recipe not only was is super delicious but super filling at the same time. I like recipes that serve multiple purposes and this one certainly does that!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. Jell-O sugar free dry chocolate pudding
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbsp. PB2
• 4 tbsp. fat free cool whip
• 6-8 ice cubes

Directions:

1. Place all Items in the blender and blend. 
2. If you desire top with extra cool whip or chocolate shavings.

3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus…. So delicious and very filling

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Skinny Nacho's

Since I started watching what I was eating much closer than normal I have found that life can be anything but “normal”. I have started to come up with recipes that are similar to things I love but in a much healthier way. Lower fat, and calories, and Weight Watchers points for those who are counting.

I found this recipe to make me feel much closer to what I consider to be a normal snack in our home but now for me it’s no longer a snack but a meal! For those counting Weight Watchers PointsPlus this recipe is 6 points! How amazing do they look? That's a huge plate for the calories!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fat free refried beans
• 3 Mission extra thin tortillas
• ¼ cup fat free cheddar cheese
• Cooking Spray
• 1/4 cup lettuce sliced
• 1/4 cup tomatoes diced

Directions:

1. Cut Extra Thin Tortillas into 4 slices each using a pizza cutter. You should have 12 tortilla slices. 
2. Lightly spray each slice with cooking spray on the top and bottom. Place each slice on a baking sheet baking at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until brown turning half way through the baking process. 
3. Remove from the oven and allow each tortilla chip to cool for 1-2 minutes.
4. Cover each tortilla in bean dip or fat free beans out of a can. 
5. Then top the beans with cheese. 
6. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted. 
7. Remove from the oven and top with lettuce and tomatos.

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