Oven Pancakes

I started Weight Watchers again.  As in, I'm actually getting my butt to meetings and seeing a few pounds come off.  Grudgingly coming off but the scale does move on occasion.

At any rate, I was not in the mood to cook dinner.  These are a favorite for my kids so I opted to throw these together and remove a little butter and sugar.  Guess what?  The entire recipe is 13 points!  If you made them in the little pans, that's only 3.25 per pan!!

Oven Pancakes
2 T Butter
4 Eggs
3/4 C skim Milk
3/4 C Flour
1 Apples peeled and thinly sliced ~ optional
Handful of berries ~ optional
1/4 T Sugar
1/4 t Cinnamon

Heat oven to 400. Place 1 T of butter in a 9 inch pan, you'll need two pans. Melt butter in heated oven. Remove pans, swirl melted butter, spray edges with cooking spray. Arrange apple slices or berries in bottom of pan.

Mix Eggs and Milk. Add flour. Combine well. Divide batter evenly and pour over fruit.

Mix Cinnamon and Sugar. Sprinkle half the mixture over each pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately with butter and/or syrup.
Here's your ingredients.
I opted to use four 6" pans with 1/2 T of butter per pan so everyone could have their own flavor.
Whisk your wet ingredients. After they are mixed well, dump in flour and salt and whisk again. The batter is pretty runny, not like your typical pancake batter.
Pick your pleasure. We have two plain, one with blueberries and one with apples.
Divide your batter and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. I decided after I took the photo to have apples and blueberries and threw a few in..that's why the photo doesn't match;)
Here they are puffed and almost finished in the oven.
Remove from oven, loosen with a spatula and transfer to plate.
Dinner is served! Enjoy!!

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

I'm trying one of those 10 day detox things to flush out all the crap I've been eating.  Namely sugar.  I have been a SUGAR freak lately and that has not been kind to the scale.  The thing I like about the detox diet is I can eat as many non-starchy vegetables that I want and protein at lunch and dinner so I'm thinking I won't be hating life too much? 

I made this a couple of weeks ago in preparation for this detox and really liked it so it's on the menu this week for dinner.  If you like hot dishes, this will fit the bill.  It's straight up Grandma comfort food with a bit of a zip from the chilis and salsa without the calories.  Very Weight Watcher friendly because your only points are the turkey and the rice and the rice, you could leave out.  It's also St. Patrick's Day so you can get your cabbage fix:)

I used:

1 lb ground turkey

3 cloves Garlic

1 medium onion diced

Cook and season with salt and pepper

 

1 small cabbage about the size of a cantaloupe chopped and washed.  Add to turkey mixture.

  

Add

1 sm can Tomato sauce

1 tomato sauce can water ~ I’d leave this out next time

1 can diced tomatoes with chilis

1 C Salsa

 Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Give it a stir, cover and turn on medium low heat (3-4 on my stove) Leave for 10 minutes, take off cover and stir. Ready.

  I added 2 big handfuls of spinach leaves because I thought it looked a tad anemic and 1 ½ C cooked brown rice (added  because it seemed soupy).  Stir until wilted and serve.

Chicken Lentil Soup

What happens when you make a soup you really like?  You make another version of it with a different leftover.  In this case, salsa chicken.  Yes, I came up with yet another recipe to use Salsa Chicken in and it was YUMMY!  You could also use leftovers from crockpot chicken, your choice.  Same as with beef, I keep adding chicken and broth to a "leftover" bowl in the freezer until it screams, "Make something comforting"!

Because you're starting with leftover chicken, this soup can be done in an hour.  Rich, tastes like it's cooked all day on the stove in less than an hour!  Crazy talk right??  Nope, give it a try.

Once again, I only have a final shot of the soup because it was that easy.  So, easy that I almost forgot to take a photo since I was inhaling it for lunch.

3-4 C leftover salsa chicken
10C water
6 bouillon cubes or 10 C chicken broth replaces water and bouillon
12 baby Carrots chopped
I can Diced Tomatoes with green chili's
1 C Salsa
3 cloves Garlic minced
1 small onion minced
3/4 C dry Lentils
1 C frozen Corn
1 1/2 C fresh Green Beans
3 C Chopped Zucchini
2 t Olive Oil
2 t Red Pepper Flakes

Bring leftover chicken, water/bouillon or broth, salsa, carrots, tomatoes, garlic and onion to a boil in your soup pot. Turn down heat to a simmer and pour in 3/4 C dry lentils. Simmer for about 45-50 minutes stirring occasionally until lentils are soft.

Chop zucchini and green beans into bite size pieces, drizzle Olive Oil over top and season with 1/2 t of salt, 1/2 t Garlic Powder, 1 t of pepper. Toss together and put on cookie sheet. Into a 425 degree oven to roast for 30 minutes.

When lentils are soft, add corn, roasted vegis and red pepper flakes. Cook until heated through.  Serves 7 and has 6 points per bowl.

Beefy Lentil Soup

I had some leftover crockpot beef and wasn't really sure where I was going so I didn't take step by step photos but it's easy.  You've got this:)  The result is YUMMY!!  Did I mention that I don't typically like lentils?  I promise, they worked in this soup.  It was the kind of soup that warms you up and makes winter weather a bit better for a day.

To achieve leftover beef, everytime I make it, I throw what's left in a ziploc and throw in the freezer.  When I get a decent amount, I make soup.  Or if you want to skip the leftover part, make the beef with a smaller roast and you're directly ready to make soup.  You can still follow the recipe, it will just make more broth which is a good thing:)

What you'll need:

1 1/2 lbs of leftover crockpot beef
12C water
7 bouillon cubes or 12 C beef broth  replaces water and bouillon
12 baby Carrots chopped
I can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
3 cloves Garlic minced
1 small onion minced
3/4 C dry Lentils
3 small Potatoes sliced into bite size pieces
1 C frozen Corn
1 1/2 C fresh Green Beans
3 C Chopped Zucchini
2 t Olive Oil
2 t Red Pepper Flakes

Bring leftover beef, water/bouillon or broth, carrots, tomatoes, garlic and onion to a boil in your soup pot.  Turn down heat to a simmer and pour in 3/4 C dry lentils.  Simmer for about 45-50 minutes  stirring occasionally until lentils are soft.

Chop zucchini and green beans into bite size pieces, drizzle Olive Oil over top and season with 1/2 t of salt and 1 t of pepper.  Toss together and put on cookie sheet.  Into a 425 degree oven to roast for 30 minutes.

When lentils are soft, add corn, potatoes, roasted vegis and red pepper flakes.  Cook until potatoes are done.

Makes 10 servings at 6 points per bowl.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

I have posted this before BUT I just figured out that it's only 4 WW points per serving if you do the fat free options!  Woo Hoo! 

SUPER easy, no fail soup for you to enjoy after your cold day outside. You can make it in a crock pot or you can make it on the stove. Either way...YUMMY:)

1 can Black Beans rinsed
1 can Diced Tomatoes ~ I like the ones with green chilis added but not necessary
10 oz Frozen Corn
1/2 small Onion chopped
1/2 Red Pepper diced
10 oz can Enchilada Sauce ~ I used Mild because that's what I had, prefer HOT
1 C Salsa ~ I used Thick and Chunky Medium
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup ~ I used 98% fat free
1 1/2 C Milk ~ I use skim
3 Boneless Breasts
1 C Pepper Jack Cheese shredded ~ optional for topping
1 t Chili Powder and 1 t Cumin optional

Pour your Enchilada sauce, Chicken Soup and Milk in crock pot, give it a whisk. Add Chicken breasts and everything else. Give it a bit of a stir. Crock on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken, mix back in and serve. Top with cheese, sour cream, guacamole or chips if you want but it's good enough without.

If you want to make it on the stove. I typically have extra cooked chicken breast in the freezer. So, add the chicken and all your ingredients and cook on low for 1 hour.

I only took one photo of the finished product because to be honest, I was in a hurry and I don't think you need step by step to dump cans;) Makes 7 servings.

Vegi Chili

Dylan is still not eating much meat. Only chicken and only occasionally if he can't pick around it. SO...I decided to make him some chili without meat. The recipe is pretty similar to my regular chili so he was a happy kid. Weight Watcher counters.. 7 servings, 5.5 per bowl.

What you'll need:

1 medium Onion chopped
1 medium Green Pepper chopped
5 cloves Garlic chopped
1 can Black Beans rinsed
1 can Spicy Chili Beans
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Tomato Soup
1 Soup can Water
1 sm can Tomato Sauce
1 can Diced Tomatoes and Green Chili's
3 T Chili Powder
2 t Cumin
2 t Chipolte Peppers

Saute onion, green pepper, garlic and diced tomatoes for about 5 minutes. Add everything else, give it a stir, turn the burner to a simmer and cook for about an hour. Serve:)

What you'll need

Saute a bit

Busted, I threw some leftover taco meat into mine but the rest was all vegi for Dylan

Lo Cal Stir Fry

I've decided that I am DONE with my extra weight. That is a great thing to "say" but it's a tough thing to start. This is the kind of recipe that helps you over the hungry days because the entire pan is 9 points. I only ate half for dinner and had lunch the next day.

The other beauty of stir fry is you can throw in whatever you have in the fridge. This is what I had.

1 large skinless Chicken Breast cut into pieces
3/4 C Salsa
1/4 C Water
1 Clove Garlic chopped
1 C Green Beans
1/2 sliced Mushrooms
1/2 small onion Sliced
2 handfuls fresh Spinach

Pan fry your chicken without any oil in a non stick pan. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 C Salsa and 1/4 C water and scrape the bottom of your pan to get all the flavors from the bottom (the fancy word for this is deglazing). Toss in Green beans, mushrooms, garlic and onion. Saute for a couple of minutes. I like my green beans to have a crunch, if you don't...wrap in a wet paper towel and microwave for 1 minute before you toss in the pan.

If it starts to seem to dry, add a little more water. Add spinach and 1/4 C Salsa. Saute until wilted. Add 1 C cooked Brown Rice. Serve.

Pan fry your chicken, should only take a couple of minutes per side.

See all the yummy brown bits on the pan.

Add your salsa and water and deglaze your pan.

Add your vegetables and saute a few minutes.

Spinach and more salsa.

Cook until wilted. Add cooked rice.

Dinner is served.

Crockpot Chili

This is basically a repeat since I have posted before. But this time, I threw everything in the crockpot just because we had to run errands and get to a game and I wanted something hot when I got home. I also figured out the Weight Watcher points. I divided this into 7 bowls and it was 6.5 per serving. Pretty nice!!

1 lb 93% lean hamburger~I usually use ground turkey but the points are the same for either.
1/2 green pepper minced
1/3 medium onion diced
1 t chopped garlic~I use the jar stuff most of the time
1 Can Tomato Soup
1 Can diced Tomatoes~I use Petite diced
1 sm Can Tomato Sauce
2 Cans Spicy Chili Beans
1 soup can water
3 T Chili Powder
Optional~Cayenne pepper to taste, I think I used about a teaspoon.

Brown Meat, green pepper, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Throw in the crockpot and dump in soup, tomatoes, sauce, beans, water, chili powder and cayenne. Crock on low for 4-6 hours and serve.

Here's your ingredients.

Slice the green pepper really thin and then mince. You can also use a little food processor if you feel like extra dishes.

It's hard to see the onions because I used a white cutting board but this is how much of each after they are chopped.

Here is your meat that is browned with the green peppers, onion and garlic. Don't forget to season your meat. Throw in your crockpot, dump in the rest, stir and crock for at least 4 hours.

Dinner is served. You can top with sour cream, cheese, jalapenos. Whatever tickles your fancy.

Since my kids don't like Chili, I typically scoop into individual serving bowls and freeze. It's great to grab and bring for lunch.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

I'll let you in on a little secret...this is one of Max's FAVORITE dinners. He likes to make a sandwich right out of the crockpot on crusty french bread.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken is the easiest thing EVER and it's super versatile. It was a huge staple for me when I was doing Weight Watchers because it's only 3 points per chicken breast. Even though I don't "follow" WW as closely as I should, I still make it often because my kids like it. You can eat it right out of the crockpot with any type of side.

Or, you can chop up and serve with your favorite salad fixings.

Or, you can add a can of 98% fat free Cream of Chicken soup and make a gravy type topping to put on pasta or rice, although the color isn't all that appetizing.

Or, you can shred the chicken and put it on hoagie buns, melt some cheese on top in the broiler for a yummy sandwich.

Or, you can shred it and make Chicken Barley Chili.

Or, you can shred it and use it to make quesadillas.

Or, you can shred it and use for a base for the Tex Mex Burritos that I made in January.

Or, you can shred and add 1 C frozen corn, a can of black beans, heat for another hour and use it for easy tacos.

That's just a few of the ways I use it and all the recipes are here on the blog. Just type the recipe of your choice into the search bar and you'll get what you need.

Package of Boneless Chicken Breast
1 C Salsa ~ I use thick and chunky
1/2 C Water
1 Chicken Bouillon Cube

Put water and bouillon cube in crock pot. Put your chicken in, season with pepper, garlic and a light sprinkle of salt. Top with Salsa. Cover and crock for 4-6 hours on low~I typically use frozen chicken breast to get the most time out of it.

This is what it looks like shredded and ready for whatever you choose. You can freeze in ziplocs at this point and defrost as needed

Mexican Jambalaya

I started counting my points with Weight Watchers again. Really counting them for the first time in forever and this recipe is my new favorite because most vegetables aren't any points.

Sorry, I didn't take step by step photos because I wasn't sure what I was doing when I started. It turned out awesome and the entire pan was 20 points and this made 5 solid servings, that means only 4 points for dinner! That's using the NEW point system.

Here's what you'll need:

2 Zucchini chopped~I chopped the zucchini into thirds and then each third in half and then each half into strips. Kind of like match sticks. You can simply chop, I just wanted a different shape
1 Green Pepper chopped
1 Red Pepper chopped
1 C fresh Green Beans ~ cut into bite size pieces
1 sm Onion sliced
2 cloves Garlic ~ minced
1/2 can Black Beans rinsed
1/2 C frozen Corn
2 Chicken breasts ~ I used leftover Salsa Chicken but you could use anything you have
1 C Salsa
1 C Chicken Broth
1 1/2 C Brown Rice cooked
1 t Cayenne
1 t Cumin
1 t Chili Powder

Throw the zucchini, green and red pepper, green beans, onion and garlic in a wok, saute for a couple of minutes on a medium high heat, you can put a little bit of the chicken broth in now if you want to get the party started faster.

Add salsa, chicken broth and corn and cook for another couple of minutes. Throw in chicken, beans, rice and seasoning. Heat thoroughly and serve. I topped mine with 2 Tablespoons of Light Sour Cream for an added point.

Spinach and Asparagus Frittata

I was starving and wanted a quick dinner and since my kids had left over pizza, I decided to make a frittata. The bonus...only 7 points for the entire thing. I only ate half with a side of fresh strawberries so it was easy on the calories too!

What you'll need:

6 spears Asparagus ~ snapped into pieces
Handful of Spinach
3 Eggs beaten
Salt and Pepper~I probably used 1/4 t of each
2 T Feta Cheese

Using a non stick, oven safe pan. Stir fry the asparagus in a couple of teaspoons of water for about 2 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, another minute. Turn off the heat on your stove and spray with cooking spray. Pour eggs over vegetables, sprinkle with salt and pepper. DON'T stir, cook until edges set up, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle feta and pop under broiler for 2 minutes or until eggs are set in the center. Invert onto dinner plate and serve.

Just cook the asparagus in a couple teaspoons of water
Wilt the spinach like this, spray with cooking spray..don't forget to take off the heat. Pour beaten eggs on top
See how the egg is setting up on the edges
Add cheese and throw under the broiler to set the middle
Flip onto a plate and serve

Walk around the Rink

My son averages 5-6 practices/games per week. My daughter skates at least once a week so you can do the math, I'm at the rink a LOT. When it's warmer I try to walk outside for their practice time if I don't have errands to run because let's face it..I've watched ENOUGH practices over the years.

But today it was cold, I did something that I haven't done in awhile. Instead of bringing a book and sitting on my butt, today I walked around the rink. Inside the rink, up and down the stairs. It's a good workout, trust me. Claire was the one on the ice today and she would occasionally wave at me. Other parents stare a little bit but then get used to me lapping around. Max ignores me but I'm guessing he wouldn't appreciate me wearing my "Max's Mom" hoodie while doing it.

Oh well, it's all about getting my butt moving and this butt moved a lot today:)

Muffin Top

Muffin Tops...I'm not talking about the yummy bread product. I am talking about what has been hanging over the top of my jeans because I like those bread products. What is making me uncomfortable in my own skin and really uncomfortable in my jeans. I decided to kick off get healthy before the New Year. Figured if I could even just maintain and not gain during the holidays it would be a success.

I'm going back to what I learned in Weight Watchers. I did WW in 2002 and lost 30 lbs. I've managed to keep 20 of those off until recently. I can admit that I got lazy. I stopped working out, I stopped watching what I was putting in my mouth. And, I'll blame age on it a bit too;) Enough crept back on that I'm not a happy girl.

I am counting my points and will include them in the recipes that I know. I'm also going to share what is getting me through those cravings and extra hungry days right now. Orville's 94% Fat Free Popcorn..One point per bag
Hostess mini cakes. Only 3 points because they are 100 calories with 5 grams of fiber! Yes, they are tiny but they serve the purpose when you want something sweet.
I'm not a diet soda fan but Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry is tasty. You can only get it around the holidays, so give it a try. If you want to add some Bacardi Limon for a tasty cocktail, I won't tell anyone but it adds about 3 points.

Images grabbed from various internet sites.

Fridge Cleaning Stir Fry

We've all had stuff in our fridge, a little of this, a little of that and vegetables that didn't make it to the dinner table. When my fridge starts to look like that, I make Fridge Cleaning Stir Fry. The ingredients can be whatever, this just happens to be what's in mine but feel free to use whatever you have or like..it's all good. I went high on my points for this because I couldn't find the value of broth...23 points for the entire pan!

Also, if you don't have a wok or a wok pan, don't let that stop you. You can use a large pot, one that you would cook pasta in. When I'm making stir fry, I cook my pasta with a couple of chicken bouillon cubes to give the pasta a bit of flavor.
Here's what I had this time. 1 Chicken Breast, 1 C crab legs, 1 1/2 C Shrimp, 2 Handful of cooked thin spaghetti, Zucchini, Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Orange Pepper, Small handful of Sugar Snap Peas, Asparagus, Celery Stalk, Onion and Garlic
Cut all the vegetables up into relatively the same size. Chop Chicken breast and Crab Legs. Make yourself 1 C of Chicken Stock (1 C water and 1 Chicken bouillon cube)
Start with a splash of Chicken Broth and add the vegetables that need to cook the longest. In this case; celery, onions and the garlic because you want it to season all the vegetables. Saute for about 2 minutes, adding 1t of your favorite seasoning. I used Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning.
Here's what the Greek Seasoning container looks like. It's great on anything from potatoes to eggs to meat to stir fry
Add a splash more chicken stock, asparagus, peas and 1 t Lemon Pepper with Garlic & Onion seasoning. Saute another 2 minutes
Here is the Lemon Pepper I use
Throw in the rest of the vegetables, 1 t Greek Seasoning and 1 t Garlic Powder (I never use Garlic Salt because I like to control how salty my stir fry is). Splash of Chicken Broth if it's looking dry. Saute about 2 minutes or until the vegetables are to your desired doneness. If you like "soft" vegetables, add a splash of chicken broth and cover for a minute or two. I skip this step because I like mine a bit on the crunchy side.
Throw in the meat last, remember it was all left over and already cooked so you just want to get it warm about a minute or two. Add 1 t Lemon Pepper and 1 T butter (I only use butter when I'm using seafood, seems to bring out the flavors, but that could just be in my head;)
Now toss in your pasta and 1 last teaspoon of Greek Seasoning. If you want it a bit zippier, throw in another teaspoon of Lemon Pepper. If you'd prefer, you can skip the pasta and serve over rice. Taste and add more seasoning if you think it needs it. Serve!! Healthy and Yummy!