Food Of The Day: Grilled cheese

My alarm went off at 4:45 am today. I rolled over, hit Off, and then glanced over my left shoulder, surprised there wasn't a child wedged in between me and my husband.

I swung out of bed and shuffled (accurate verb) downstairs.

The first coherent thought in my head: "I want a grilled cheese sandwich."

For real. Who else thinks like this? Times like this I believe I may have a legit mental problem.

Anyway, I haven't had a grilled cheese since I don't know when and I have no idea why I thought of it when I woke up this morning. But I was going to make it happen.

This was good for at least one reason: I've been in a food rut, eating the same-old, same-old and it's good to mix things up.

I had to go to the store later anyway, so I seriously thought about how to construct this sandwich for relatively low Points. Sure, I could whip up a food-porny one with real cheese, real butter and some delicious, hearty not-Points-friendly bread from the bakery.

That's one of the things I love about being a Weight Watcher, we can always find a way to make something lower-Point. It's like a conditioned response, mention a recipe and you can almost see our WW wheels turning, How can I knock that down?

However, I wanted to keep the Points for this endeavor reasonable. If I want to blow out my Points, I'm heading to the bakery and it ain't for bread.

First off, bread - what was I going to use for bread? I could use the - let's face it - crappy, airy, smooshy, really-low-Point bread. But you need decent bread in a grilled cheese and even I'm not cheap enough with my Points to go that route.

I also wanted a decent-size sandwich, so that ruled out good bread in a silver dollar size.

Then it hit me: lavash. Lavash! I love lavash bread. It's my favorite bread. I use it as a wrap. I eat it as toast. I use it as pizza crust. And a whole sheet (pretty big, like a foot long) is only 2 Points.

So I got my lavash and then checked out the Points hit on 2% cheese. 2 Points per slice. Eh, pass. I checked out Weight Watchers cheese and found a Pepper Jack for 1 Point per slice. This would do.

I got home and cut the lavash in half, then half again (2 Points). Two sandwiches! I added 2 slices of cheese to each sandwich (4 Points total) and covered each with 1T of real fake butter (1 Point). Real fake butter as in this stuff, not I Can Believe It's Butter-Flavored Chemicals (which I do use).

I threw them on the griddle, saddled them with a bacon press and watched them like a hawk so they didn't burn. Seriously, I don't watch my children as closely as I did these sandwiches.

They smelled awesome. The lavash browned and the cheese started to bubble out of the side. Done.

Wow, so good. Seriously, for 7 Points, two cheesy, gooey, buttery sandwiches. Make it happen, heed my pre-dawn food cravings. You won't be sorry.

Recipe: Baked Almond 'Feta'

I'm going vegan.

I can almost hear the noise in your head, like a needle being pulled across a record: "What? Didn't you just go vegetarian?"

Yes and no. I finally got around to posting about it, but I actually went veg months ago.

Regardless, that is all a post for another day and I swear I will get around to it sooner than later.

Anyway, I've been scoping out vegan recipes and I admit the one thing I was having an issue parting with was feta cheese.

Then I stumbled upon this wonderful blog and this recipe for Baked Almond "Feta."

Could it be good, like real feta? I was game to try.

I got to do all sorts of new things while making this. I blanched almonds. Then I had to peel the skins off, which was kind of a PITA.

Then I got to buy and use cheesecloth for the first time. It's not as exciting as the last sentence makes it sound.

The mixture has to drain in the cheesecloth overnight (or at least 12 hours) so it's not a recipe you can whip up in an afternoon. But it is worth it.

My kitchen smelled insane when it was baking and when it came out of the oven it was golden brown and gorgeous. I measured out a half-ounce and, wow, it was really, really good.

How do almonds, salt, water, lemon juice, garlic and oil end up tasting like cheese? Damned if I know. The only bummer is it's very Points-y if you're a Weight Watcher.

Here's my math on the Points. I am terrible at math, so if I made an error, let me know. I ran the recipe through Recipe Builder and it came out to 47 Points for the whole thing. I will say, blowing my Weekly Points Allowance on this big ball of awesome crossed my mind, it is that good.

I weighed the cheese when it was out of the oven and it was 255g. A typical serving of regular feta is 1oz (28g), which means there were 9 servings in this recipe. 47 Points Plus divided by 9 servings is 5.2 Points Plus - I round down, so 5.

Regular feta is 2 Points Plus for 28g, so that's double, hence the half-ounce I tried. It was really good and if I need to veganize a recipe that calls for feta, I would definitely use this and adjust the Points accordingly. But, when it comes to, say, adding it in a salad, I could live with 14g for 2.5 Points Plus. It is very good.

After draining overnight in the not-exciting cheesecloth:



After coming out of the oven. The horizontal lines are where I smushed the ball with a fork to flatten it out before baking. Looking at Lee's picture on her post now, I realize she baked it as a ball. It looked much better her way, follow her lead. The picture at the top of this post is the feta after I crumbled it up.

Recipe: Easy Crustless Spinach-Feta Pie

There's a reason I am a very lazy vegetarian.

I enjoy cooking, but trying to cook with the kids awake takes three times as long. And, since I don't prefer a European dining schedule of 9 pm on, I haven't been cooking much.

However, Flo posted a link to this crustless (read: low-Point) spinach-feta pie and it looked easy and delicious - two winners in my book.

Got the ingredients today and eventually ("Mom, I need..." "I can't find..." "I want..." "I gotta poop...") got it in the oven.

Look at this gorgeousness of the spinach, herbs and feta before you add in the egg and flour mixture:



Three notes:

Where the hell can I find Bob's Red Mill White Whole Wheat Flour? I searched two large grocery stores and found every other obscure type of Bob's product, including: "Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Organic Gluten-Free Buckwheat Steel Cut Biscuit Mix For Sundays in March." If you've ever searched Bob's offerings, that is a very funny joke. On Flo's advice I subbed in King Arthur's White Whole Wheat, but the smallest size was a 5lb bag, so I guess I'll be making this pie quite often.

I bought the smallest bunch of fresh dill I could find and I've now got enough to last me through 2013. If you're in Central Massachusetts and need some fresh dill, I'm your gal.

The "hardest" part of this recipe is getting all the moisture out of the thawed spinach. Especially when you had three kids sitting at the kitchen island, watching you do it, and providing unrequested color commentary: "Eeewww. What's that?"

Regardless, this recipe was easy and really, really good. Gina says to cut it into 6 to 8 servings and if you can eat that little you're a better person than I, Gunga Din. I quartered the pie and called it 5 Points Plus per serving. Totally worth it.

You'll be impressed that I considered adding kale, but abstained.

Recipe Of The Day: Butternut Squash Mash

Funny thing: I never liked squash until I was 7 months pregnant with my first child.

Then I got a hankering for it - out of nowhere - and I couldn't get enough. I ate so much, it is a small wonder she didn't pop out looking like she had a bad spray tan.

Every since, I've made up for my misspent, squash-less youth and have enjoyed it immensely. Buttercup, butternut, delicata (oh, delicata), acorn, you name it.

I recently found this recipe via Grace Got Healthy: Butternut Squash Mash. Of course, it seems so simple. Why didn't I think of that?

I'd do the old standy, boil butternut, mash and douse with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (or as I think of it: Yes, I Can Believe It's Chemicals), kosher salt and pepper. Yum.

However this, this looked even better because it's roasted, a favorite way to cook veg for me, and has, wait for it, real butter.

I know! I hardly ever use real butter, but then I remembered that the butter my husband uses is only 1 Points+ per tablespoon (Land O Lakes Light Butter With Canola Oil), which is more than you think (that's 1T in the bowl above).

Ignore that noise, it's my father, somewhere in Eastern Massachusetts bellowing: "THAT'S NOT BUTTER!" He is a purist.

Anyway, I gave the recipe a go and it was really good. Since you only count the butter, it's 1 Points+ for the whole thing. I bought the already peeled and cut-up squash because I am lazy. I am also concerned that left up to me to peel a butternut squash, I would take off a thumb. But, primarily, I am lazy.

A note: If you buy precut, cut it up more, into tinier pieces. It makes it faster to cook and easier to mash, see below:

Recipe: Butternut-Apple Soup

I'm one of those people who gets annoyed when others walk around in January in New England and complain, "It's so cold!"

However, it really was cold this morning. A pitiful 6 degrees when I ventured out in the cold dark to drive to bootcamp, so everyone gets a pass from me today.

I have had the ingredients for Butternut-Apple Soup on hand for 5 days and never had the time to make it. Today seemed like a good day because not only did I have the time, but we're also experiencing prime soup weather.

I got the recipe out of the excellent cookbook Appetite for Reduction, which I've been perusing because I am now a vegetarian. I wanted a new food challenge for the new year. I'm sick of eating the same-old, same-old and in theory this will get me to try new recipes, something at which I am traditionally pretty darn lazy.

I thought perhaps the transition may be hard because I love meat, yet I realized that I hardly eat meat anymore, thanks to Points Plus. More fruit & veg = more food for me? All righty.

Aside from chopping (see Notes below), prep was relatively quick and easy. The soup came out thick, creamy and spicy (again, Notes).

I calculated 5 Points Plus for 6, 1.5-cup servings. However, if you don't subscribe to WW's "Fruit And Veg By Themselves Are 0 Points But If You Put Them In A Recipe They Suddenly Count" Rule, the Points total would be much lower. Observe in whatever fashion you are comfortable.

Ingredients

1t olive oil
1 medium onion, diced small
1T minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red pepper flakes
2t dried rosemary
1/2t salt
3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1lb red apples, peeled, cored and cut into 3/4-inch slices
2C apple cider
2C vegetable broth
1T freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions to the oil for 5-7 minutes, until translucent.

Add ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary and salt and saute for a minute more.

Add the squash, apples, apple cider and broth.

Cover and bring to a boil. When boiling, lower the heat and simmer briskly for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Add lime juice and season to taste.

NI per serving

Calories: 200; Total fat: 1.5g; Total carbs: 41g; Fiber: 7g; Protein: 3g.

Notes:

Chopping 3 lbs of squash and 1 lb of apples into 3/4-inch chunks takes some time, so it's not an I'm Starving And I Want Lunch NOW endeavor. And whining while chopping will not make it go faster. Ahem.

The soup will be very hot, so if you, say, lick a metal ladle out of impatience, you will burn your tongue. Or so I am told...

It's only 1/2t of red pepper flakes, but they give the soup a very nice kick. Nice if you like said kick, not so much if you don't (I'm in the former category).

Eating a bowl will make you drink a ton of water because the red pepper makes it spicy. This is good if you're trying to drink more water.

Food Of The Day: Low-Point Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Holy crow.

I was perusing my Twitter feed before bootcamp this morning and I saw a Cool Running tweet containing the words "pumpkin", "pie" and "smoothie."

I could not click fast-enough.

Active.com had concocted a healthier version of Jamba Juice's Pumpkin Smash Smoothie. The Active.com mod makes 2 16-oz servings, 4 Points+ a piece.

I have yet to make a smoothie and save half for later, so I was looking at 8 Points+ as written.

I figured I could goose that down.

I used:

1/2c canned pumpkin (0 Points)
1 cup So Delicious coconut milk, unsweetened (1 Point)
4 oz Plain Chobani (1.5 Points)
1/2t pumpkin pie spice
1.2t cinnamon
Truvia (more than I want to admit to. Let's pretend it was one packet. Yeah, 1.)
Ice

I tossed everything in the amazingly-ridiculous-seriously-ask-Santa-or-Hannukah-Harry-for-one Vitamix and vroooom, a ton of deliciousness.

So crazy good. If you like pumpkin, that is. If you don't, then I guess it's gross, but all the more for me and other pumpkin-lovers out there.

The only reason I used coconut milk is because A) It's low-Point and B) I had it in the fridge because I use it for my smoothies. If you used 1% milk, it's triple the Points per cup (3).

Give it a whirl while there's plenty of canned pumpkin on the shelves.

Recipe: Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Nutritionist Joy Bauer shares many a good recipe.

The last one I tried has become a favorite, filling, low-Point lunch.

When her lighter version of Chicken Lettuce Wraps danced across my Twitter feed last week, I knew I had to try it. They're a favorite of mine - and my husband's - at PF Chang's.

I gave it a whirl last night and they were wonderful. For Weight Watchers, it's 8 Points+ per serving, and each serving is generous and more than enough to fill you up. Prep and cooking time was pretty quick, too.

I had mine in Boston Lettuce leaves, my husband opted for white rice. Brown rice would be a great option, too.

My only suggestion is since I was cooking for just the two of us, I would halve the recipe. It left a lot of leftovers, which is great. Unless you're like me and the meal was so delicious it took a lot of willpower not to grab the leftover container and a fork and go to town.

I didn't, but I thought about it...

Anyway, give it a whirl, good stuff! You can check out Joy's Twitter feed here.

Food Of The Day: Baked Apple Crisp

I love apple crisp and since it's apple season I've been trying to remember an old low-Point apple crisp recipe that was a favorite long ago.

I pinged Flo to see if she remembered it, and she found this, which is very similar.

I made it yesterday and today, and it is fantastic. If you follow the Nutritional Information from the recipe strictly, it's 5 Points per serving, two servings to the recipe.

However, I refuse to count the apple. According to WW, if I ate the apple by itself it's 0 Points, but if I use it in a recipe, I have to include its fat, fiber, carbs and protein in my Points calculations for the whole thing, thereby upping the Points value of the recipe. I get why they do it, but I respectfully disagree when it comes to this recipe.

I used 1C of Kashi Go Lean Crunch (5 Points), 1T light butter (1 Point) for a total of 6 Points and I don't count the apple. I am a rebel. And, if I'm feeling especially revolutionary, I will use two apples.

I'm not encouraging all-out mutiny, just telling you honestly what I count and don't. I didn't get obese my eating too many apples, so I think it's OK to not count it here.

Food Of The Day: Joy Bauer's Power Lunch

I was perusing Twitter the other day and this gem came across from nutritionist Joy Bauer:

"Easy lunch idea: 1 cup brown rice + 1/2 cup black beans + 1/4 cup salsa + 1-2 TB water. Mix thru & microwave."

I've never been a huge brown rice fan, but this looked too good to ignore. Plus, every ingredient is a Weight Watchers Power Food, which means you'll stay fuller longer.

I whipped it up today (took all of 3 minutes, 30 seconds) and it was amazing. A ton of food and a good Points value.

I've never been great at cooking rice, which is why I love Trader Joe's microwavable rice. They offer Organic Jasmine and Brown, both wonderful. They're in the frozen food aisle and "cooking" takes 3 minutes.

One cup of the TJ's brown rice is 4 Points+. One-half cup of black beans is 2 Points+ and 1/4 cup salsa is 0. I used my favorite salsa, Newman's Mango, and it was fantastic - spicy and sweet.

Six Points for a very satisfying, large lunch. Give it a try, it's easy and good.

Here's a link to Bauer's Twitter feed, she shares a lot of good info and ideas.

Food Of The Day: Less-Devilish Eggs

Yesterday I wrote about my love of hardboiled eggs and my father's penchant for antiquated putdowns.

Regarding the former, the always-awesome Flo left a gift in the comments, this crazy-good - and easy - recipe for deviled eggs.

Since I happened to have three leftover Yuppie Eggs, I decided to give it a whirl today. It was delicious, easy and low-Point. Pretty much everything I could ask for in a meal.

I definitely will be making this again, thanks again, Flo!

Giggled Eggs (A Deviled Egg Swap)
By LongIslandJimmy

Ingredients
3 Hard Boiled Eggs
1 Wedge Original Laughing Cow Cheese
Salt/Pepper/Paprika (as desired)

Directions
Cut the eggs in half. Discard all but 1 & 1/2 yolks.
In a small bowl, use a fork to mash together the cheese and the 1 & 1/2 yolks until well blended.
Add salt/pepper to taste
Fill the mixture back into the egg white halves and top with additional salt/pepper/paprika to taste.

Nutritional Information (based on avg "large" eggs; for the ENTIRE recipe [all 6 halves] ):
Calories: 180
Fat: 10g
Carbohydrates: 2.2g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 17.5g
WW PointsPlus: 4

Recipe: Crustless Chicken-Broccoli Quiche

When Becca and I got together yesterday we had a great time, and in addition to her friendship and wonderful conversation she gave me something very cherished by WWers: a good recipe.

We met at lunchtime and both brought our lunches to the coffeehouse, cause that's how we roll. Becca pulled out a container filled with a salad and something that looked great: And it's all only 3 Points+, she said.

She's speaking my language! She offered me a bite of crustless chicken-broccoli quiche, a favorite recipe. Then she sent me the link before we even left the coffeehouse. That's a good friend.

So, of course, intrigued I had to whip it up this morning. Prep was easy and baking time is 45 minutes, but don't do what I did: Get hungry, then put it together and wait while the kitchen is filled with delicious aromas. Damn you, poor reading comprehension.

I toughed it out, and even waited the advised 15 minutes for it to cool before I tucked in. Really very good. I think this will become a staple at this address.

For 3 Points+ it's a big serving and it's versatile enough where you could customize it to your liking. Don't like broccoli? Substitute spinach or another green veg. Don't eat meat? Use soy crumbles or something veg. But, if you're like me, you add bacon (and another .5 Points+/svg) because you know how I feel about it.

(Above) Ready for the oven. Not ready to wait 45 minutes for it to be done. Considered gnawing off my arm. Opted for a VitaBun instead. Probably for the best.

Out of the oven.

Recipe: Grilled Romaine

I read about this on Flo's blog and my first reaction was:

We need to set up an intervention. She's grilling lettuce.

But then I read you add oil, salt and cheese. OK, now, I'm in. She's a genius.

I'm not a huge salad fan, so I don't eat many traditional salads. I feel like a cow grazing in the pasture, especially since nowadays I won't load it up with cheese, bacon, avocado and meat.

However, the idea of salty, cheesy greens, that sounded good.

This afternoon I cut a head of romaine in half, patted it dry with paper towels to absorb any moisture and Misto'd the cut side, adding a little kosher salt and pepper. I fired up the grill and after laying down some non-stick spray, placed the lettuce cut-side down over a medium-low (err on the low side) flame.

After 3 minutes or so, I Misto'd the top side with a little oil, salt and pepper, and turned that over to the flame. Now with the already-grilled side up, I added 14g of shredded Parmesan cheese (1.5 Points+, and 14g is more cheese than you think). I let the lettuce cook for a few more minutes and then took it off.

It is ridiculously good.

Food of the Day: Hash Brown Egg White Nests

You had me at hash browns.

This is actually Friday's FOTD entry, but I got tied up after dinner and didn't have the opportunity to get it up. /thatswhatshesaid

Anyway, my friend Flo found this recipe, so thanks Flo!

I love egg whites and, of course, hash browns, so this was a must-make. And when you add in the fact it also features ham and cheese, slam dunk.

All the particulars are here, along with better food photography.

My observations:

Cooking time is nearly an hour, due to the fact you have to first cook the hash brown nests, then add in the egg whites, etc, and cook them as well. So even though it's not quick to whip up, it's very much worth the time.

One serving is 3P+ and one serving is also two "nests," which is a goodly amount of food. I had these for dinner and saved 6 P+, so I had four nests. Yum.

It also yields leftovers, which I will have today. Uncertain about how they will reheat and taste, but I will report back.

Food Of The Day: Buttery Baked Scallops

Day 2 of trying to shake up my same-old, same-old diet.

I had a hankering for fish, so I picked up some Bay Scallops and decided to make an old favorite of my Dad's. I WW'd it to make it more Points-friendly.

Ingredients
6 oz Bay Scallops (2P+)
1T butter (3P+)
5 Toll House crackers (2 P+)
1 wedge Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb cheese (1 P+)

Place the scallops in a shallow baking pan.

Cover with 1T butter and crushed crackers.

Top with sliced Laughing Cow cheese wedge.

Spray top lightly with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

8 P+, serves 1.

My Dad's original is pretty close to this, although he's very liberal with the butter and crushed crackers; adds a splash of white wine; and uses 1 slice of American cheese. The original is awesome, but I have to say this is a very good, lower-Point substitute; the scallops were swimming in buttery, cheese breadcrumbs. While it was baking the kitchen smelled of said buttery breadcrumbs.

It's also super easy and can be whipped up quickly. And it looks kinda fancy, so you could easily impress guests. You also could knock down the Points by using light butter (I think that would take off 1, we didn't have any on hand) and perhaps more Points-friendly crackers.

Recipe: Feta-Stuffed Chicken Breast

This is one of those recipes that's so good you can serve it to civilians (non-WWers) and they'd never know it's healthy. It tastes much more sinful that it is, which is pretty rare.

It was originally printed in the WW Ready-Set-Go! cookbook that came with the Points+ kit last fall.

Ingredients

2 oz fat-free feta crumbled
2 moist sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), finely chopped
4 large, fresh basil leaves chopped
1/4t salt
1/4t pepper
1/4c panko
4, 5-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4t fat-free mayo

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Mix feta, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper in small bowl. Spread panko on sheet of wax paper.
3. Cut 2.5-inch-long pocket in each chicken breast. Put 1/4 of mixture into pocket and press edges closed. Spread 1t mayo on top of breast and press into panko.
4. Lightly spray crumbs with non-stick spray (I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter). Bake for 25 minutes.

Serves 4.

Points+ = 4

Notes: You can easily quarter this recipe and make 1 breast if you're dining solo. That's what I do. If I made all 4, I'd be tempted to eat more than my share.

Recipe: Crash Hot Potatoes

I can't believe I haven't posted this before as it's one of my Favorite Foods.

I try to limit it to once or twice a week as I could literally eat it every day, and that's probably not a great idea.

It's a delicious and easy change of pace from a regular old baked potato. Crispy and salty on the outside, fluffy inside. Yum.

Ingredients
8 new potatoes (or any small potatoes)
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Rosemary (or any desired herb)

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender. (This is very important! They must be very tender.).

Drizzle sheet pan generously with olive oil.

Place tender potatoes on sheet pan, leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the masher 90 degrees and mash again. (One reviewer suggested using the bottom of a glass for this step. I tried it, and it works MUCH better than the masher.).

Brush tops of mashed potatoes with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs.

Bake in 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Now, a few important notes from me:

1. I only make one large red potato per meal. If I made 8 as suggested, I would eat them all. When I've made 2 or 3, I've eaten them all. Little self control for me on this dish. The picture above is 2 potatoes. It's an old picture. I've since learned the limits of my willpower with this dish.

2. I use 1/2t EVOO on the potato and don't "drizzle sheet pan generously with olive oil."

3. I weigh my potato before devouring to figure out the Points+. A 7oz baked potato is 4 Points+. If my potato is, say, 8 oz, I multiply 8 x .57 (the rough Points value of each oz of baked potato), for a value of 4.5 Points+. I also add .5 Points+ for the EVOO.

4. Make sure you use Kosher salt, not table salt. It makes a difference.

Yet another winner of a recipe from Flo. Read her blog, great, great stuff.

Recipe: Stuffed Peppers

My friend Becca whipped up some great, low-Point, high-volume stuffed peppers, and I was so intrigued I had to follow suit.

Yet another reason why it's so great to have friends who follow your WW lifestyle. They generously share ideas and you can steal them!

And, instead of rice she used couscous, something I had never tried, and until recently, could not spell. I was doubly intrigued - if that's even possible.

Anyway, Becca made it up as she went along and I followed suit.

Here's what I came up with:

2 green bell peppers (0 Points+)

Small onion, chopped. (0 Points+)

2 cloves garlic (0 Points+)

1t olive oil (1 Points+)

2/3C Morningstar Farms crumbles (2 Points+)

1C cooked couscous (4 Points+)

1/2C Newman's Sockarooni Sauce (2 Points+)

1/4C Kraft 2% Italian shredded cheese (2 Points+)

Take the tops off the peppers, clean out the insides and boil for 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Saute the garlic, crumbles and onion in oil. Add the Newman's sauce and cooked couscous. Salt & pepper to taste. Simmer for 5-10 minutes on low.

Split the mixture between the 2 peppers and bake, covered in a dish, for 20 minutes at 375.

Uncover, split the cheese between the peppers and bake in the oven for another 5 or so minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serves 2, 5.5 Points+/svg

Turned out to be a delicious, easy-to-customize recipe for a cold afternoon. I like the couscous, and next time I think I'd try adding diced Trader Joe's Sweet Italian Chicken Sausages (love them) in place of the crumbles. That would bump the total Points+ for the recipe from 11 to 13, making the peppers 6.5 Points+ each. I liked the crumbles, but I will find any excuse to add sausage to a recipe.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

It had been a couple of weeks since I tried a new recipe and I needed it.

I think it's good for me to try new recipes and not just eat the same foods over and over again. Although, I do that a lot, too.

So when I opened the WW Weekly last week and saw a slow-cook version of Chicken Cacciatore, I was in. I love my slow cooker.

I made it earlier this week and it was excellent. And the house smelled amazing all day.

The recipe says you get 4 1-cup servings, somehow I got 5, although I followed the recipe as written and measured my portions carefully using the WW measured serving spoons (which I love).

One cup is a good serving and for 5 Points+ it's a bargain. If you were really hungry, you could even go a cup-and-a-half for 7.5 Points+. That's still pretty low for an entree and even more food.

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

1 pound(s) skinless chicken thigh(s), cut into bite-size pieces   
1 cup(s) mushroom(s), sliced (fresh, frozen or canned)   
1 cup(s) green pepper(s), sliced (fresh or frozen)   
1 cup(s) onion(s), chopped (fresh or frozen)   
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced   
1 Tbsp canned tomato paste   
14 1/2 oz canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted   
1/4 cup(s) red wine, dry-variety   
3/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed   
3/4 tsp table salt, divided   
1/4 tsp black pepper   

Place chicken in a 3- to 5-quart slow cooker. Add mushrooms, green pepper, onion, garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes and juice, wine, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper.


Cover slow cooker; cook on high heat for 5 to 6 hours or on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Taste just before serving and add remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt if necessary. Yields about 1 cup per serving. Serves 4. 5 Points+/svg

Recipe: Salsa chicken

My friend and WWer extraordinaire, Flo, tipped me off to this insanely easy yet delicious recipe (although "recipe" may be a stretch given how easy it is).

Ingredients
Chicken (any parts, bone-in or boneless, fresh or frozen)
1 jar of your favorite salsa.

Directions
1. Put chicken in crockpot.
2. Add jar of salsa.
3. 8 hrs on low, 4 on high.

As awesome as it is easy.

I like using boneless breasts and topping with a jar of Newman's Mango Salsa. I spread a little on the bottom of the crock, then add the breasts (usually 4). If I use more breasts, then I add a little more salsa, enough to cover.

I cook it on High for 4 hours, then take off the cover and with two forks shred the breasts so it looks like pulled chicken. Then, I put it on Low and let it simmer for another hour.

It's so good! I normally eat it with a baked potato, but it would work over or with rice, or in a sandwich or wrap.

It freezes and reheats beautifully, so when the chicken is cooled, I freeze it into 3-oz portions in 1/2c Glad containers. It leaves you a lot of food for future meals. One of my favorites is having it with a wedge of Laughing Cow Blue Cheese, on its own or even on a Fiber One Whole Wheat English Muffin in a sandwich.


Ready for the freezer.


3 oz of Salsa Chicken on a Fiber One Whole Wheat English Muffin, with 1 wedge of Laughing Cow Blue Cheese (7 Points).

Recipe: Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

I've been cooking a lot this week. On Wednesday I roasted my very first chicken (easy) and then made homemade stock (surprisingly easy).

All the effort was geared toward the end game: Chicken Noodle Soup.

I never made it before from scratch and it's soup weather, so I looked up the recipe at WW.com.

It was very easy and delicious, and 1.5 cups/svg is a decent deal for the 8 Points. I ate it over two days and then froze the rest. Will definitely make again.

WW Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

3 pound(s) skinless chicken drumstick, or/ and tights, trimmed of all visible fat (I substituted 1 lbs of roasted chicken)

6 cup(s) water (I substituted chicken broth)

 5 medium carrot(s), cut into 2-inch pieces (I doubled the carrots)   

 3 stalk(s) (medium) celery, cut into 1-inch pieces   

 2 medium onion(s), each cut into 8 wedges   

2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced   

1/8 oz parsley, about 3 sprigs, falt-leaf variety   

1/8 oz thyme, fresh, 2 fresh sprigs   

2 leaf/leaves bay leaf   

1 1/2 tsp table salt   

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground   

2 cup(s) uncooked egg noodles (I used No Yolks brand)

1/4 cup(s) parsley, flat-leaf variety   

Bring the chicken, water, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to a boil in a Dutch oven. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Discard the parsley, thyme, and bay leaves.

Remove the chicken from the soup. Skim any fat from the top of the soup with a large spoon. Add the noodles and return the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes. 


When cool enough to handle, remove the chicken from the bones. Cut the chicken into chunks and return 2 cups to the soup. Reserve the remaining 2 cups chicken for another day. Sprinkle the soup with the chopped parsley just before serving. Yields generous 1 1⁄2 cups per serving.