Potato-Topped Mini Meatloaves

I have been wanting to attempt meatloaf for awhile. I found this recipe and thought they looked cute plus I always enjoy mash potatoes with meatloaf. They turned out to be a big hit! Both my husband and I enjoyed these although it made a ton of food. Needless to say, there were enough leftovers for last the rest of the week and then some. :) I served it with a side of roasted asparagus. Yummy!

Potato-Topped Mini Meatloaves
From: Kraft.com

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg (6oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix
1 cup of water
2 Tbsp. A.1 Original Steak Sauce
6oz (3/4th of 8oz pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups hot mashed potatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 jar (12oz) beef gravy, warmed

Heat oven to 375

Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and steak sauce; press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until done.

Add cream cheese and garlic to potatoes; stir until cream cheese is melted. Stir in parsley. Scoop over meatloaves. Serve with gravy.

Enjoy!

Shredded Beef Flautas

We have a tiny fridge/freezer. Needless to say it gets pretty full quite easily. I had a brisket just chillin in there taking up quite a bit of room so when I found this recipe, I decided to give it a try and get that brisket out of there! They turned out really well. What surprised me the most was how much my husband raved about them. He was even excited about having the remaining ones the next day. This one is definitely a repeat!


Shredded Beef Flautas
From: For the love of cooking.net

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of chuck roast
1 7 oz can of whole green chiles reserve the juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Chili powder
Paprika
Coriander
Garlic powder
Cumin powder
Oregano
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
4-5 cloves of chopped garlic
1-2 cups of beef broth
Flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Sprinkle each seasoning on both sides of the meat, to taste. Sear the meat in the olive oil on all sides. Spread the green chiles over the roast. Add beef broth, reserved green chile juice and chopped garlic. Cover pan and place in oven. Check on roast every couple of hours to make sure there is plenty of liquid... if it's low add more broth. You can also cook this dish on the stove top or in a crock-pot. Cook 3-4 hours until the beef shreds easily. Shred the meat and mix into the remaining liquid. Taste and re season if necessary. Set aside and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a bit of cheddar cheese in the center of the tortilla first then add some shredded beef on top of the cheese; roll. Place, seam side down, on a baking sheet that's been coated with cooking spray. Finish rolling the rest of the flautas, then spray each of them with cooking spray.

Place into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Baseballs

I have seen this recipe on the WW community board for awhile now, so I finally decided to give it a try since I have a new found love for anything buffalo style. It turned out great! My husband raved about it at dinner and had two. He was looking forward to having the last one for lunch the next day. I loved how it required few ingredients and quick to put together. We will definitely be having it again.


Buffalo Chicken Baseballs
ww community board
approx 8pts.
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken
3 oz. light cream cheese
2 Tbls. Frank's Red Hot sauce
2 Tbls. Chopped onion ( I used onion powder)
1 stalk celery, diced (I omited)
2 Tbls. Light margarine – (Or you can used 2 tsps. olive oil instead)
salt and pepper to taste
1 container Light Crescent Rolls
Bread Crumbs

Mix together until smooth the cream cheese, butter, onion, celery, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Add 2 cups cooked chicken and mix. Separate the crescent rolls into four rectangles, pressing the seams together. Put about ½ cup of the mixture in the center of each of the rectangles and fold the corners to the top to seal. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cheeseburger Noodle Casserole

I found this recipe on the WW community board and thought it sounded good. My husband is a huge cheeseburger fan and I am a big pasta lover, so I figured why not try the best of both worlds. Man, I am glad I did. It was awesome and my husband loved it! I think the onion dip mix provided a ton of flavor. This one is definitely a repeat. :)

CHEESEBURGER NOODLE CASSEROLE
WW Community board
8 servings
7pts

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
8 oz. spaghetti or pasta noodles
one 14.5 oz. can peeled, diced tomatoes
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream (low fat)
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt, pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute ground beef 5 minutes or until browned; drain excess fat. Prepare spaghetti according to pkg. directions; drain water.

In a 2 qt. casserole, combine ground beef cooked spaghetti, tomatoes, onion soup mix, sour cream, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste. Mix together well.

Cover dish, bake in preheated oven 15 minutes. Top with cheese, bake, uncovered, 15 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Brisket Tacos

I got this recipe for brisket tacos from one of my best friends, Christina, and man I am glad I made it! It was so simple and yet so tasty!

Brisket Tacos
From: my friend, Christina

Ingredients:
Trimmed Brisket
A brisket marinade (I used Claude's barbecue Brisket Marinade Sauce)
Tortillas ( I used flour)
Tomatoes, Cheese or anything else you would like to put on your tacos

Place trimmed brisket in a ziplock bag and pour your marinade sauce over brisket (I used approx 2 oz per pound). Seal bag and refrigerate over night.

Place brisket in a deep cooking pan with marinade, cover with foil and cook at 300F for approx for 4 hours.

( The last 30 minutes or so, I removed the foil cover and cooked the remaining amount uncovered).

Shred brisket while still hot and it is ready for your tacos!

**You could also pour some of the juices from the pan over the meat to add additional flavor and tenderness.

Instant Black Bean Soup

I truly did like this recipe. It is simple to make, taste great, is low in points and is filling! What a perfect meal. I do not remember where I got this recipe from, but thank you! It makes plenty so it is great to take for lunch by itself or with a small sandwich or salad.


Instant Black Bean Soup
Serves 5
4 points per serving

Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, undrained
1/2 cup bottled salsa
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
5 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
5 tablespoons minced green onions
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Place beans and liquid in a medium saucepan; partially mash beans with a potato masher. Place over high heat; stir in salsa, chili powder, and broth. Bring to a boil. Ladle soup into bowls; top with cheese, sour cream, onions, and cilantro.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup, 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1 tablespoon onions, 1 tablespoon sour cream, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro)

CALORIES 212 FAT 4.9g FIBER 5.4g

Chicken Pot Pie

I know I haven't really been posting any point friendly recipes lately, but here is one! I got this off the weight watchers community board. It was great! The only change I made was that I used biscuits instead of the the Heart Healthy Bisquick.

Chicken Pot Pie
From: ww community board
NI: Calories 285/Fat 7/Fiber 4
Approx 6 points

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken fillet, chopped (could also use chopped rotisserie chicken breast with skin removed)
1/2 cup carrots, cut into thin rounds and softened (could also use canned carrots)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup 98% fat free Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 1/2 cup Bisquick Heart Start Baking Mix
1 cup fat free milk
1 Tbsp butter, melted
*Optional, you could also substitute or added some broccoli florets, celery, chopped water chestnuts, softened onions, and/or any other veggie you would like to up the veggie content.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, carrots, and peas.

Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the topping.

Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes

Creamy Pesto Pasta

I love pasta. I love pesto. So naturally I was drawn to this recipe. I also like that it only has a few ingredients. This would be prefect with chicken in it. So simple that we had it for lunch one Sunday but can be elaborate enough for a weeknight meal. A delicious meal ready to eat within 10-15 minutes. The only down side is that it really isn't low fat, but sometimes you just need to splurge! :)
Creamy Pesto Pasta
http://cjaneinthekitchen.blogspot.com/

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup Parmesan
salt
pepper
1 pound pasta, cooked and drained

Boil heavy cream, stirring constantly, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it thickens. Add pesto and stir then add parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss with pasta.

Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler

This is my very first cobbler. One of my best friends has a peach tree in her back yard and apparently it is producing a ton of peaches this year. Needless to say she had more peaches than she could handle, so she passed several on to me along with this Peach Cobbler recipe from Paula Deen. I was surprised just how easy making a cobbler is and the ingredients are so simple. I was wonderful served warm with some vanilla ice cream!

Peach Cobbler
From: Paula Deen

Ingredients:
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches (about 7 medium peaches)
2 cups sugar, divided
8 tbsp butter
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup self rising flour
1 1/2 cup milk
cinnamon to taste, optional

Preheat oven to 350.

Bring peaches, sugar and water to a boil in sauce pan; mix well. Let simmer 10 min on low.
Remove from heat.
Put butter in 3qt baking dish and place in oven to melt.
Meanwhile, combine the rest of the sugar and flour together in a bowl. Slowly stir in milk to prevent clumping.
Pour batter directly over buttered dish; do not stir.
Spoon peaches on top of batter evenly. Then drizzle the syrup on top. Sprinkle top with cinnamon.
Bake 35-40 minutes.

Serve with ice cream. :)

Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich

I got this recipe from a Cooking Light email. It sounded good, so I gave it a try. It calls for ciabatta bread, but since I couldn't really find it at my local grocery store I picked up a loaf of Italian bread. It was a yummy sandwich but a bit too much bread. I was surprised how quickly it all came together. My husband truly enjoyed it (although I was afraid he wouldn't since he isn't the biggest fan of pesto). I will definitely be making this again but with a different bread next time. :)

Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich

From Cooking Light

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 cup (about 2 ounces) sun-dried tomato pesto (such as Classico)
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (8-ounce) loaf ciabatta
12 large basil leaves
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sliced bottled roasted red bell peppers
1 large tomato, thinly sliced

Preparation
Combine pesto and mayonnaise in a small bowl, stirring to blend.

Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken to cutting board, and cool slightly. Cut chicken lengthwise into thin slices.

Preheat broiler.

Cut ciabatta in half horizontally. Place bread, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove bread from pan. Spread pesto mixture evenly over cut sides of bread. Arrange the chicken slices evenly over bottom half. Top chicken evenly with basil leaves, and sprinkle cheese over top. Place bottom half on baking sheet, and broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Arrange bell pepper and tomato over cheese, and cover with top half of bread. Cut into 4 equal pieces.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 394 Fat: 13.4g Protein: 31.3g Carbohydrate: 37.3g Fiber: 2g

Chicken Casseroles

This dish turned out really well. The original recipe is for individual casseroles, but since I didn't really have containers to make individual ones, I just put it all in an 8x8 casserole dish. It was really tasty and quite hearty. I will probably make this one again but in the winter when one needs a warming meal.

Chicken Casseroles
tastykitchen.com

Serves 3

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 bunch Scallions (white And Light Green Parts), Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 can Low-sodium Cream Of Mushroom Or Cream Of Chicken Soup (10 3/4 Oz)
½ cups Milk
1 teaspoon Chicken Bouillon Granules Or Better Than Bouillon (or 1 Chicken Bouillon Cube)
½ teaspoons Paprika
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
1-¾ cup Sharp Cheddar Or Your Favorite Cheese, Divided Use
1 cup Cooked Cubed Or Hash Brown Potatoes (I Use Simple Potatoes Brand In The Refrigerated Section Of My Supermarket)
2 cups Cooked Chicken Cut Into Bite-size Pieces (I Used Leftovers From A Roasted Chicken)
25 Butter Crackers (such As Ritz Or Townhouse), Roughly Broken Into Small Pieces
2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
1 cup French Fried Onions (optional)
Garnish With Chopped Scallions And Finely Diced Red Bell Pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat a skillet over medium heat with the butter. After the butter has melted, add the scallions and cook about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the soup, milk, bouillon, paprika, and black pepper and stir to combine. Heat until the mixture is hot then add the cream cheese and 1 cup of cheddar cheese (reserve the remaining cheddar cheese for the top). Stir until the cheeses melt. Fold in the potatoes and chicken. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
Spoon the chicken mixture evenly into 3 individual gratin dishes (or an 8×8″ baking dish) that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese on top of the chicken mixture in each dish.

In a medium bowl, break the crackers into small pieces (about 1/2″). Do not pulverize into crumbs. Add two tablespoons of melted butter and stir to combine. Top each gratin dish with 1/3 of the crackers. Place the gratin dishes on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the casseroles are bubbling around the edges. If using the French fried onions, add to the top during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Garnish with chopped scallion tops and finely diced red bell pepper.

Enjoy!

Soy Ginger Glazed Chicken

I'm so sorry it has been so long since I last posted. I really don't have any excuse other than enjoying the lazy days of summer. Needless to say,I have lots of new recipes to post. Inspired by the summer weather and wanting to use our grill, I took this recipe and used it to make chicken kabobs. The glaze was delicious and really made the meal. I hope you enjoy!

Soy Ginger Glazed Chicken
http://cooklikeachampion.blogspot.com/
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

In a small bowl, mix together marmalade, soy sauce and ginger. Set aside.

Prepare grill or preheat grill pan.

Cook the chicken 5 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Brush each side with glaze. Cook 1-2 more minutes on each side, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from grill and immediately brush each side with remaining glaze

Chicken-Ham Lasagna

I was wanting to try something a little different, so when I saw this I decided to give it a try. It made a lot but it was worth it! It really wasn't difficult and definitely hit the spot. My husband took the leftovers at work and shared with his co-workers (since there was so many leftovers) and he came home with great reviews. I think this dish would be perfect when entertaining or having Sunday dinner.

(Sorry about the picture, still learning how to take good food pics)

Chicken-Ham Lasagna
http://maryanna-bishop.blogspot.com/
Yield: 8 servings
6 points per serving (without the Mozzarella cheese)

Ingredients
2 cups fat free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces, divided
3 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 cups (6-ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Cooking spray
12 no-cook lasagna noodles (8-ounces), divided
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, divided
8 ounces thinly sliced 96% fat-free deli ham, chopped, divided
Chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Place broth and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside.

Combine milk, flour, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; stir well with a whisk until smooth. Add milk mixture to broth in pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese and parsley, stirring until cheese melts.

Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce. Spoon 3/4 cup sauce evenly over noodles. Top evenly with one-third ham, one-third chicken, and one-third Mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil very lightly coated with cooking spray; bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes. Remove and discard foil; bake 10 minutes or until the cheese lightly browns. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.


Nutritional Info (per serving, without the Mozzarella cheese): 260 calories; 7g fat; 1.9mg iron; 57mg cholesterol; 295mg calcium; 18g carbs; 740mg sodium; 28.9g protein; 0.8g fiber

Taco Mac

This was another quick, easy and husband satisfying meal. It is one of those meals you can throw together with basic staples you have in your pantry. I was kind of worried about the point value since the original recipe stated it served 4, but as you can tell from the picture that would be some large servings! I measured it out to be 8 1 cup servings which comes to only 7 points a serving! I served this with a side salad for a filling meal.

Taco Mac
tastykitchen.com

Ingredients

1 pound Ground Beef
1 can Diced Tomatoes (15 Ounce Can)
1 cup Frozen Corn
1 package Taco Seasoning (1 Ounce Package)
2 cups Uncooked Pasta (I Used elbow macaroni)
2 ¼ cups Hot Water
2 cups Shredded Taco Or Mexican Flavored Cheese

Cook ground beef in big skillet over medium-high heat until browned. Drain if necessary.

Add tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning, pasta and water. Stir together and bring to a boil. Stir once more, cover and turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.

Turn off heat and add 1 cup cheese and stir. Serve sprinkled with remaining cheese.

Enjoy!

French Dip Sandwiches

As everyone probably knows, I love my crockpot. Roast was on sale the other day, so I picked up two. In attempts to expand my cooking knowledge (I only know how to make pot roast with a roast) I found this recipe for French Dip Sandwiches. This turned out great! It only took five minutes in the morning before work to put it all together and all I had to do was shred and load up on a hoggie when I got home. Now that is a quick dinner!!

French Dip Sandwiches Recipe

by OurBestBites.com

Ingredients

2.5-3 lb. beef roast (I used a frozen roast )

2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper

2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix

2 c. water

2 cans beef broth

6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)

Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced. (I used mild cheddar slices)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. (I put on low for about 10 hours)

When meat is ready, shred with a fork. Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

This recipe was super easy to make and turned out great! I has one of my husband's favorite ingredients-Cream of Mushroom soup. So I knew he would love it. The only bad part is that it does take awhile to bake. While I had it in the oven, I took advantage of the down time and did some reading. It is pretty filling and low in points! Give it a try.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole
Recipe and Picture from: http://happytexans.blogspot.com/

6 Servings

Approx 6 points

Ingredients
1 can fat free cream mushroom soup

1 can fat free cream chicken soup

1 can water

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies

1 1/2 c rice1 pkg taco seasoning

cilantro and green onions chopped (optional)

frozen boneless,skinless chicken breasts

shredded cheddar cheese

1. 13x9 in glass casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. Whisk soups, water and taco seasoning in bowl then pour into bottom of dish.

3. Sprinkle rice over soups.

4. Place chicken breasts FROZEN over soup and rice.

5. Pour beans and tomatoes over chicken, cilantro and green onions sprinkled on top.

6. Cover with foil, bake 350 degrees 1 hour,40 min. remove foil, sprinkle shredded cheese over to melt.

Enjoy!

BBQ Meatball Subs

I know, I know-its been forever since I have posted any new recipes. I am so sorry. I really don't have an excuse except I have been on a hiatus of cooking lately. My poor husband! But I'm back and with tons new recipes. This one we just had tonight.
I loved how simple and easy it was to make and definitely was a hit with the husband's taste buds to boot. To be completely honest I am not sure where I got this recipe, but chances are it was from someone on Tastykitchen.com. I love that site! I should also mention that the recipe is really for them to be an appetizer but I decided to make it a meal by putting into hot dog buns. I used turkey meatballs instead of the beef ones to make it a little healthier and point friendly. I served mine on a 1pt hot dog bun and the husband got the regular ol white kind. Per my husbands request, we will be having this one again in the future!

Super Secret Grilled Meatballs
Aprox 4pts (3 meatballs) (*Points will vary with choice of meatballs and buns)

Ingredients
1 cup Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
2 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning
1 bag (20-24 Oz. Bag) Frozen Meatballs (Plain, Not Italian-style)

Hot Dog Buns

Preparation Instructions
Open the bag of still-frozen meatballs, pour in the bbq sauce and sprinkle the seasoning on top. Close the bag and shake it around to coat the meatballs with the sauce and seasoning. If you need to add more sauce, go ahead now.
Return the bag to your fridge and allow the meatballs to thaw overnight. Turn the bag a few times, if you remember to.
When the meatballs have thawed completely and you’re almost ready to eat, heat your grill to medium/medium-high.
Skewer the meatballs, leaving no space between them.
Cook until the sauce has caramelized, turning once.
Remove from skewers, put on a bun and chow down!

Sun-dried Tomato Chicken & Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

We had this for dinner tonight and it turned out great! The chicken was juicy and flavorful. I liked that there were so few ingredients to make the chicken too. I have never been good about making mashed potatoes from scratch, but these were so easy! My husband couldn't stop raving about the meal. These two recipes definitely made into the recipe book. :)

Sun-dried Tomato Chicken
From:myrecipes.com
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1 (4-lb.) package chicken pieces (3 breasts, 4 thighs, 3 legs) (I used drumsticks)
1 cup sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
Toppings: chopped sun-dried tomatoes, sliced fresh basil (I omitted)

Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Pour dressing evenly over chicken pieces, and sprinkle with ground pepper.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 1 hour or until done, basting every 15 minutes. Sprinkle baked chicken with desired toppings.

*Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Breasts: Substitute 6 skinned and boned chicken breasts for chicken pieces. Prepare recipe as directed, decreasing bake time to 30 minutes.

** Looking back on the recipe, I didn't measure out the salad dressing and probably used more than a cup.


Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes
From: Weight Watchers website
3 pts per serving
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
8 uncooked red potatoes, cut into 2 inch segments
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup fat free milk
2 Tbsp chives, fresh, minced
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Combine potatoes and garlic cloves in a saucepan and pour in enough water to cover; set pan over high heat and bring to boil. reduce heat slightly and boil until potatoes are fork tender, about 8 minutes; drain water from saucepan

Add sour cream, milk, and chives to pan (and butter if you use it); mix until combined. Mash mixture with potato masher (or electric mixer) until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yields 1/2 cup per serving.

Asian Beef & Noodles

I found this recipe on the WW community board and it looked great! We buy our ground beef at Sam's club in bulk and I have a hard time coming up with different ideas on what to make with it. I thought I would give this one a try. We both loved it and I will be making it again!

Asian Beef and Noodles
From: WW Community Board

Serves 4
~10pts

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey

2 packages (3 ounces each) Oriental ramen noodles, crumbled

2 ½ cups water

2 cups frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetables

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (I omitted)

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain. Add the contents of one ramen noodle flavoring packet; stir until dissolved. Remove beef and keep warm.

In the same skillet, combine the water, vegetables, ginger noodles, soy sauce and the remaining flavoring packet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Return beef to the pan; cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in green onions.

Foil Pack Chicken

This is one of my go to meals. I like it for several reasons. One it is delicious and healthy. The clean up is minimal and pretty much a full meal in one packet!

FOIL-PACK TACO CHICKEN
From: Kraftfoods.com
6 ww points
4 servings, one packet each

Ingredients
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
4 tsp. Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 lb. red potatoes, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup Salsa
3/4 cup 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Four Cheese Mexican Style Cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle chicken with seasoning mix. Place 1/2 cup of the potatoes on center of each of four large sheets of heavy-duty foil; top each with chicken, salsa and cheese.

Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

Bake 30 to 35 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165°F). Remove packets from oven. Let stand 5 min. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening. Serve with sour cream (optional-extra points)

Cooking Know-How: If the chicken breast halves in your market are larger than 4 oz., they will take longer to cook. Be sure to cook them long enough so that they are cooked through (170°F).Cooking Know-How: To prevent potatoes from sticking to foil, spray foil with cooking spray or use nonstick foil.

Cajin Chicken Pasta

This was a meal that I just kind of threw together. I think it turned out well and can definitely be made a little lighter. The store didn't have a light Alfredo sauce so we went for the full fat kind! I think I will definitely make this one again. I love quick, yummy meals! I am not 100% on the exact ingredients-sorry about that. I just eyeballed it.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

Frozen Grill precooked chicken strips

Jar of Alfredo Sauce

Pasta (I used bow tie)

Cajun seasoning of your choice

Heat the chicken strips in a skillet adding the seasoning to your liking. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions on packet. Drain. Add cooked pasta with Alfredo sauce and a dash of Cajun seasoning to warm.

Serve pasta with chicken strips on top!

Now, how easy is that!

Hearty Chicken and Noodle Casserole

When I saw this recipe, it looked like a great weeknight meal. It was simple to put together and only took 25min to bake. Next time I might even make it the night before to have ready to pop in the oven. Even less work after a long day at work. :)

(Sorry about the fuzzy picture, I took it with my phone.)

Hearty Chicken and Noodle Casserole

From: sisterstuff.blogspot.com

Approx: 8pts.

Ingredients

1 Can mushroom soup

1/2 C. milk

1/4 Tsp. ground pepper

1/4 C. Parmesan cheese

1 C. frozen mixed veg.

2 C. cooked cubed chicken

2 C. cooked egg noddles

1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Stir soup, milk, black pepper, Parmesan cheese, vegetables, chicken, and noddles in 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot. Stir and then top with cheddar cheese.

A couple of Sides

Here are a couple of sides that I made awhile back and have forgotten to post. My sister is the one who gave me the recipes and they all turned out great!



SWEET POTATOE CASSEROLE
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
4 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preparation
Bake sweet potatoes at 400° for about 1 hour or until tender. Let cool to touch; peel and mash sweet potatoes.
Beat mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, and next 5 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.
Combine cornflakes cereal and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle diagonally over casserole in rows 2 inches apart.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle alternate rows with marshmallows; bake 10 additional minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


You'll love the ease of this casserole. You can make it ahead of time, refrigerate it, and then bake it while the turkey rests. It's smart to let chilled casseroles come to room temperature before you bake them.

AU GRATIN POTATOE CASSEROLE
Prep: 10 min.; Bake: 1 hr., 20 min.

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash browns
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups crushed cornflakes cereal
1/4 cup melted butter

Preparation
Stir together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
Spoon potato mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with crushed cornflakes, and drizzle evenly with butter.
Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until bubbly.


OVEN ROASTED ASPARAGUS
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
3 pounds fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Preparation
Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus; place asparagus on a lightly greased baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with olive oil; sprinkle evenly with garlic, salt, and pepper.
Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or to desired degree of tenderness. Transfer asparagus to a serving dish; sprinkle with almonds.

Salisbury Steak

Although this one isn't the most pretty to look at, it definitely packs alot of flavor. My husband loves this one and has already started to request it again for dinner! It does take some time to bake, but the assembly is fairly easy.

Salisbury Steak
approx 8pts
(Half recipe, but make 4 patties, 6pts if make 5 patties)
From: http://marinscreations.blogspot.com/

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten1 small onion, minced
1 26 oz. OR 2 10.75 oz. cans of cream of mushroom
1 envelope onion soup mix

In a bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, and onion.

Form into 5-6 patties.

In a separate bowl, combine cream of mushroom and onion soup mix.

Place patties in a lightly greased 9X13 pan and pour soup mixture over patties.

Place foil over pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Remove foil the last 30 minutes.