Instant Shepard's Pie

So I have started to notice a theme to my choices in our evening meals. I am all about the quick, healthy dishes and this is definitely one of them. I found this recipe in the Weight Watchers magazine I picked up at the store one day. This one was great! Even the husband liked this one and said it was a remake. I couldn't believe how quick and easy it was to make on top of it all. This one you definitely need to try. :)

Instant Shepard's Pie
From: WW Magazine (10meals, 10minutes, 10dollars article)
Serves 4
Points value: 6

Ingredients:
1 (1lb) bag frozen mixed vegetables for stir-fry
20 Italian-seasoned appetizer-size fully cooked turkey meatballs
1 (12oz) jar fat-free turkey gravy
1 red bell pepper, diced (I omitted)
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 2/3 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Bring the vegetables, meatballs, and gravy to a boil in a large deep skillet. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper; cover and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the potato flakes and milk, stirring until creamy.

Spoon about 1 1/4 cups of the meatball mixture into each of 4 shallow bowls. Top each serving with 2/3 cup of the mashed potatoes and sprinkle evenly with the pepper.

Yep, that easy! Enjoy!

Penne Saute with Italian Turkey Sausage and Vegetables

This is another recipe I got from the cooking class I took with my mom at Central Market. It turned out just as tasty. I think next time I will get marinated artichoke hearts so they aren't as bland. It was another quick, easy yet yummy meal. I definitely recommend it for any of you pasta lovers out there!

Penne Saute with Italian Turkey Sausage and Vegetables
Serves 4
7pts per serving

Ingredients:
8 ounces Italian Turkey Sausage
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced (I omitted)
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 (15oz) can Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes
1 (15oz) can artichoke hearts, drained of juices ( I recommend seasoned if you can get it)
1 (2.25 oz) can sliced black olives, drained of juices
3 cups cooked pasta

Remove casing from sausage and cook over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring to break up sausage, until no longer pink in the center. Remove any excess drippings from sausage buy blotting bottom of skillet with paper towel.

Add bell pepper and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peppers are tender-crisp.

Add tomatoes with juices, artichoke hearts, and black olives ( and salt and pepper to taste, if desired), and bring to a simmer on medium-high heat. Simmer over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until mixture is warmed through.

Add cooked pasta and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is warmed through.

Enjoy!!

Savory Turkey Burgers with Garlicky Mayonnaise

I found a new website,www.eatbetteramerica.com, that was mentioned on the WW community board. It is great! Definitely a new one I will be going to frequently. I found this recipe on there and decided to give it a try. It was delicious! My husband said that he liked it, but feel that secretly he was kind of disappointed. I believe he thought it would be more like a burger, and was kind of disappointed when it wasn't. In the end he had 1 and half turkey burgers so it couldn't have been too bad! I served with with some homemade oven fries. I added a little garlic and some extra seasonings to it since some of the reviews said it was kind of bland. I loved it and will definitely be make it again!


Savory Turkey Burgers with Garlicky Mayonnaise
Prep Time:10 min
Start to Finish:25 min
makes:4 sandwiches
5pts.
From: http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/

Garlicky Mayonnaise
1/4 cup fat-free or reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

Burgers
1 lb ground turkey breast
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup) ( I used onion powder)
1 egg white
Some chopped Garlic
4 whole wheat burger buns, split
4 lettuce leaves ( I didn't have any so omitted)
4 tomato slices

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.

2. In large bowl, stir turkey, oats, soy sauce, seasoning blend, onion and egg white until well mixed. Shape mixture into 4 patties, about 3/4 inch thick.

3. Place patties on grill. Cook uncovered over medium heat about 15 minutes, turning once, until thermometer inserted in center of patty reads 165°F.

4. Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise on bottom of each bun. Place burgers over mayonnaise; top with lettuce, tomatoes and top of buns.

Nutritional Information 1 Sandwich: Calories 270 (Calories from Fat 30); Total Fat 3 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 75mg; Sodium 520mg; Total Carbohydrate 26g (Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 7g); Protein 34g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 8%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 4 Very Lean Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 My Pyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils, 2 oz-equivalents Grains, 3 oz-equivalents Meat & Beans, 1/4 c Vegetables *% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.