Turkey Chili Verde

We had this for dinner on Friday night, and just realized that because I didn't take a picture I forgot to blog it!

This is the second time making this recipe, it's amazing.  Even more amazing that my tomato-allergic daughter can have tomatillos no problem, and she loves chili!

The recipe makes 6 one cup servings at 6 points plus value per serving

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 medium uncooked onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound lean ground turkey breast
• 3 TB chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 pound chopped tomatillos, husks removed
• 4 1/2 oz canned diced green chiles
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 cups reduced sodium, organic free range chicken broth
• 30 oz canned cannellini beans or other bean, rinsed and drained (I use 1/2 cannellini and 1/2 pinto beans)
• 1 tsp sugar

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan, then add the onion, bell pepper and garlic.  Saute until softened, about 8 minutes.  Add the turkey, chili powder and cumin.  Cook, over medium-high heat, breaking up the turkey, until the liquid evaporates and the turkey begins to brown, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile puree the tomatillos, chiles and cilantro in a food processor, add to the turkey mixture.  Stir in the broth, beans and sugar and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the mixture is thickened and flavors are blended.  About 45 minutes to 1 hour.

We love this chili! This is some of the best chili I've ever had.  So good! Enjoy

Beef stew for the crockpot

2 pounds of lean beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce *note this is what the original recipe called for.  I left it out because it has soy in it
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth (I used Meijer Organic fat free beef broth)
4 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 stalk of celery, chopped

Instructions:
Place meat in crockpot.  In a small bowl whisk together the flour, salt and pepper and pour over meat, stir to coat meat with flour mixture.  Stir in garlic, bay leaves, paprika, Worcestershire, onion, beef broth and vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or high for 4 to 6 hours.  Mine was done on high after about 5 hours.

Makes 6 servings - 1.5 cups each - 13 points plus per serving

My Dinner Tonight
Stew - 13 points plus
Sliced tomato with salt and pepper - 0 points plus
Corn muffin made with applesauce instead of oil - 4 points plus (these are posted earlier in the blog if you want to make them)

Total 17 points plus

Pasta Salad with leftover Egg Rolls and Wontons

Bow tie pasta salad
2 oz of bowtie pasta (weighed uncooked) - 5 points plus
1 oz blue cheese crumbles - 3 points plus
1 spray of olive oil from Weight Watchers sprayer - 1 point plus
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves, torn
3 tsp slivered onion
2 TB chopped walnuts - 3 points plus

Egg Rolls
Leftover from last night
2 egg rolls - 4 points plus

Wontons
Same filling as egg rolls, leftover from last night
2 wontons - 1 point plus

Dipping Sauce
2 TB low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha chili sauce

Total: 17 points plus

25 points used so far today, 28 left for dinner/dessert

Breakfast Quiche

Today I made a revised version of the Weight Watcher's recipe for breakfast quiche.

They are 3 points plus for 2!

1 serving is 2 quiche, recipe makes 6 servings

I used:
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 can of mushrooms, chopped
1 medium green onion, thinly sliced
12 grape tomatoes, halved
6 eggs, beaten (11 ppv)
1 TB dried parsley
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup 2% milk reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese to top (5 ppv)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Cut bell peppers, mushrooms and green onion into small pieces.  Halve all the grape tomatoes.  In a large measuring cup beat 6 eggs.  Add parsley, red pepper flake and salt and pepper and combine well.

Pour equal amounts into each muffin cup of the egg mixture.  Add vegetables to egg mixtures in the muffin pan.  Top each muffin cup with an equal amount of reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 7-10 minutes until eggs are set.

I topped mine with 1/4 cup of fat free salsa and 1 TB of plain nonfat Greek yogurt.

These make a great easy breakfast that you can eat all week.  Switch it up and add spinach, garlic, broccoli or whatever other vegetables you have on hand.  You could even add turkey sausage or crisp bacon, but you would have to reconfigure points.

I had my quiche with 1 slice of Aunt Millie's Light Potato Bread (1 ppv) topped with 5 sprays of I can't believe it's not butter with olive oil (0) and half of a large grapefruit.

4 point breakfast

Dessert - Frozen yogurt, strawberries and chocolate!

5 ppv dessert

1/2 cup of lowfat strawberry frozen yogurt (I used Meijer brand) - 3 ppv
1/4 fresh strawberries, sliced - 0 ppv
1 tsp Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips - 2 ppv

PS It looks like more if you eat it out of your 5 year old daughter's ice cream dish :)

YUM

Chinese food for dinner, Weight Watcher's style...

Tonight's dinner turned out great, but it was a lot of prep time and cooking.  That being said, I'm a little particular about cleaning as I go when I cook, so it probably could've been done a little faster :)

General Tso's Chicken
Makes 4 servings - 8 ppv per serving - A serving is 1/2 cup of rice and 1 cup of chicken
3/4 cup canned chicken broth, fat free, reduced sodium
1 1/2 TB corn starch
2 TB organic cane sugar
2 TB low sodium soy sauce
1 TB white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp peanut oil
2 medium uncooked scallions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 cups of cooked white rice, kept warm

Instructions:
In medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger, set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add scallions, garlic and red pepper flakes, cook stirring frequently for 2 minutes.  Add chicken, saute until browned all over.

Add reserved sauce to pan and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice.

Vegetable Egg Rolls/Wontons
I ran out of egg roll wrappers so I made egg rolls and wontons with the same filling.
2 ppv for 1 egg roll or 4 wontons
1 head of uncooked Chinese cabbage, outer leaves removed, shredded
2 medium uncooked carrots, peeled and shredded
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 medium uncooked scallions, white and green parts, chopped thinly
1 TB fresh grated ginger
1 TB low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
Egg roll and wonton wrappers
4 sprays of olive oil cooking spray, enough to coat egg rolls and wontons

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place cabbage in a large glass bowl that is microwave safe, cover and microwave on high until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.  Add carrots, garlic, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch and oil, mix well.

Arrange egg roll wrappers and wonton wrappers on a clean dry surface, spoon cabbage mixture into each wrapper.  Fold and place on cookie sheets.  Spray with cooking spray.

Cook about 25 to 30 minutes until lightly browned.  Serve hot.

*The only think I would do differently with these is use less ginger, it was pretty strong, and also squeeze all the liquid out of the cabbage and carrots, some of the egg rolls were soggy because the filling was too wet.

But all in all it was a great filling dinner, satisfying and delicious.

10 point plus value quick and easy lunch...

Today's lunch is quick and easy.  A good fit in between laundry and getting ready for the week!

Turkey sandwich thin with baked tortilla chips and fat free salsa
Pepperidge Farm Sandwich Thin - 3 ppv
4 Slices of Fat Free Turkey Lunchmeat - 1 ppv
1/4 of a Medium Avocado - 2 ppv
1 wedge of Light Sundried Tomato and Basil Mozzarella Laughing Cow Cheese - 1 ppv
Thin slivers of Onion - 0 ppv
Fresh Cilantro - 0 ppv
1/4 fat free Salsa - 0 ppv
1 ounce of Baked Tortilla Chips - 3 ppv

Total: 10 ppv

I smeared the top half of the sandwich thin with the laughing cow cheese and the bottom half with avocado, add turkey, slivered onion and cilantro for a yummy, filling lunch.

Week 3 Weigh In

I lost ANOTHER 6.8 pounds!!!

I got a 25 pound charm as well :)

(7.4 lbs from last year and 18 lbs in the last 3 weeks!)

Getting excited....

Bow-tie pasta with broccoli

Today's 12 point plus value lunch:

2 ounces of bow tie pasta (weighed before cooking) - 5 point plus value
A couple thin slices of red onion - 0 point plus value
Extra virgin olive oil from my Weight Watcher's Sprayer - 1 point plus value
1/2 ounce of walnuts, chopped - 3 point plus value
1 cup of broccoli, raw, cut into small pieces - 0 point plus value
1 ounce of blue cheese crumbles - 3 point plus value

I just boiled the noodles until al dente then added all the other ingredients, some cracked black pepper and then sprayed the olive oil.  Yum! The protein from the nuts and cheese make it filing as does the fiber from the broccoli.  Great quick and easy lunch to give me the energy I need to tackle grocery shopping!

Oven Baked Tilapia!

Tonight we had Tilapia, white rice, corn on the cob and napa cabbage cooked with caraway seed and fresh garlic.

8 point plus value dinner

4 ounces of Tilapia (before cooking weight) - 2 point plus value
1/4 cup of white Minute Rice - 3 point plus value
1 medium corn on the cob, boiled - 2 point plus value
I can't believe it's not butter spray with olive oil - 0 point plus value
1 cup of cooked napa cabbage, sauteed in 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic with caraway seed - 1 point plus value

I almost always make tilapia the same way.  I have a spicy salmon and seafood seasoning I use, sprinkled liberally on the fish, top with 2 fresh lemon slices, wrap tightly in a foil packet and bake on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  I made the minute rice according to direction and added granulated garlic and salt and pepper.

I bought the napa cabbage earlier this week to make egg rolls but I never got around to getting more egg roll wrappers.  So I cut it into shreds, some olive oil and 4 cloves of fresh garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seed and sauteed until tender, about 20 minutes.

Makayla loves "white fish" as she calls it.  She also had a leftover 4 point plus value cornbread muffin with her dinner!

I'm finally back in a cooking mood!

Whatever virus took hold of our house last week is finally on it's way out.  Makayla's back to 100% and I'm close behind at about 80%.

I managed to stay within my points, even though I wasn't feeling the best and was taking care of a sick 5 year old.  We made it!

Dinner last night was an adaption of a recipe from VickisFoodies.com.

9 point plus value

2 chicken thighs - 4 point plus value
Medium sweet potato, quartered - 4 point plus value
1 small onion cut in half - 0 point plus value
2 tablespoons of French onion soup mix - 0 point plus value

Wrap all of the above ingredients in foil, sprinkle with French onion soup mix, and make a tightly sealed pouch.  Bake in the oven on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for about an hour, until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

Then I sauteed fresh green beans (shout out to my little helper for snapping the ends off of a pound of green beans!) in 2 TB of extra virgin olive oil and 4 freshly minced garlic cloves.  After about 10 minutes of stirring occasionally, I added 1 cup of fat free, low sodium chicken stock and covered, letting them steam for another 15 minutes until tender.  They turned out great! No need for butter or salt on these green beans.  They had a ton of flavor.

A serving was:
2 cups of green beans - 0 point plus value
1/4 cup of fat free reduced sodium chicken stock - 0 points plus value
1 tsp of olive oil - 1 point value

YES! That is a bottle of wine in the background.  For the last week I have been having trouble using all my points (I know, I know, you don't want to hear it!) so I've been having celery and peanut butter after dinner, or peanut butter banana smoothies or something similar to use up the rest of my points.  Anywhere from 10 to 30 points I've had to use up!  I need to start drinking some milk during the day or something.  Anyway, last night I had 30 ppv left over at the end of the day (I get 54 per day!) and I used all 30 points on 3 generous glasses of wine after the little bestie went to bed :)

Weighed in last night...

Lost another 4 pounds! That makes 10.8 pounds in two weeks! Woohoo!

Breakfast this morning was 9 ppv
1 bagel thin - 3 ppv
2 eggs - 4 ppv
1 slice of american cheese - 2 ppv
1/2 large grapefruit - 0 ppv

I think my daughter finally shared her cold with me.  So something quick and easy (with lots of vitamin c!) was what I needed for breakfast!

For dinner my boyfriend is making the Turkey Chili Verde recipe off Weight Watchers eTools.  It makes 6 servings and is 6 ppv per serving.  We haven't eaten yet, but it looks yummy!

I wanted to make cornbread to go with the chili, but the recipe on the back of the cornmeal called for 1/4 cup of butter, which in this house would have to be 1/4 cup of dairy/soy free shortening, and that's something in the range of 30 ppv! No way!  So I made some substitutions and was able to get it down to 4 ppv per muffin.

Cornbread Muffins

1 1/4 c corn meal

1/4 c unsweetened apple sauce

1 c cake flour

1 TB baking powder

1/4 c of sugar

1/2 tsp of salt

1 c of unsweetened rice milk

1 egg

2 TB canola oil

Bake at 400 deg for 16-20 minutes in paper lined muffin tin!

Tonight is my weigh in for week 2...

I'm super excited.  I lost 6.8 lbs last week, hoping for 5 lbs (or more!) this week.  I stuck to the plan, recorded everything and feel confident about my choices.

6:30 pm!

Freshly baked French bread, steak, onion and cheese... yum!

Philly Cheesesteaks on homemade French bread:

French bread - large baguette - 9 ppv (Yes it's a lot, but I still get 55 points per day, and it was hot out of the oven...mmmm)
4 oz lean flank steak - 5 ppv
1/8 cup 2% milk sharp cheddar cheese - 1 ppv
1 cup of green beans - 0 ppv
1/2 cup of corn - 3 ppv
Cooked red onion slivers - 0 ppv

Total: 18 points plus value

Somehow I still have 23 points left for the day??? But I'm so full.  Maybe some almonds later.

9 point plus value lunch, an old classic revamped a little, with my favorite fruit...

Tuna salad on a sandwich thin with Grapefruit

I had all the ingredients measured out and in the bowl, then I realized I was out of pickles.  I can't eat tuna fish by itself with just mayo.  I added some green onion and a tablespoon of hot giardiniera.  YUM!

1 can of chunk light tuna in water (3 ppv)
2 TB reduced fat mayo (2 ppv)
1 TB hot giardiniera packed in oil (1 ppv)
1/8 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Pepperidge Farm whole wheat sandwich thin (3 ppv)
1/2 large grapefruit

Total: 9 point plus value

A low point plus value hearty breakfast.

It's amazing what vegetables become when you add a little salt and pepper and cook them slowly in a pan.  My breakfast this morning was simple, and amazing.

1/2 red bell pepper sliced (0 ppv)
1/2 green bell pepper sliced (0 ppv)
1/2 small onion sliced thinly (0 ppv)
5 sprays of olive oil cooking spray (0 ppv)
2 large portabella mushrooms (0 ppv)
2 large eggs, over easy (4 ppv)
Salsa verde, 4 TB (0 ppv)

I sauteed the peppers and onion with 3 sprays of olive oil cooking spray, salt and pepper. Once they were cooked I removed them from the pan and added 2 large portabella mushrooms, stems removed and sprayed them with the remaining 2 sprays of olive oil cooking spray, salt and pepper.  Cook for about 4 minutes on each side then top the pepper and onion mixture.  Add two over easy eggs and top with salsa verde.

4 points!

My First Weight Watcher's Dessert!

These are great Mini-Chocolate Chip cookies...

2 tablespoons of salted butter, softened (I used dairy/soy free butter flavored shortening)
2 teaspoons of canola oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg white
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life dairy/soy free chocolate chips)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar.  Add vanilla, salt and egg white, mix thoroughly to combine.

In a small bowl, mix together flour and baking soda, stir into batter.  Add chocolate chips to batter, stir to distribute evenly throughout.

Drop 48 half-teaspoons of dough onto one or two large baking sheets (I covered them in parchment paper). Leaving a small amount of space between each cookie.  Bake until golden around the edges, about 4-6 minutes.  Do not overcook.

Cool on wire rack.

Makes 48 cookies.  1 point plus value per cookie.

Yesterday Makayla was sick...

So most of my day was spent at the doctor and taking care of her, leftover Chicken and Dumplings and Greek-Style Cheeseburgers came in handy!

I resisted the urge to hit the drive thru even though I didn't eat until 3pm and was STARVING (well I least I felt like I was). I still had 2 points left over at the end of the day, but I was full and couldn't eat any more!

Today's lunch is 8 points

Chicken salad on light potato bread
1 can of white meat chicken packed in water, drained (4 points)
2 slices of light potato bread, toasted (2 points)
2 TB reduced fat mayo (2 points)
Celery
Onion
Curly endive lettuce
Fresh dill
2 dill pickles
1/2 large grapefruit

I slept in today so I had lunch about Noon, and then a larger dinner at 6 pm to use up points.

I still have 11 points left after this awesome dinner!

Weight Watcher's Recipe from eTools:
Greek-Syle Cheesburgers

1 pound uncooked lean ground beef
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
Salt and pepper
1 clove of garlic, mashed
1/2 cup minced uncooked onion
2 sprays of cooking spray
4 light hamburger rolls
5 tsp crumbled feta cheese
1 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves

Instructions:
In a medium bowl combine beef, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, garlic and onion. Gently form into four patties.

Coat a nonstick ridged grill pan with cooking spray, heat on medium/high heat for about 30 seconds.  Place burgers in pan, grill for 5 minutes.  Flip burgers and grill until cooked through to center, about 4 or 5 more minutes.

Place burgers on buns, top each with 1 1/4 tsp of cheese and some spinach.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings at 8 ppv each.

I had 2 burgers for 16 ppv and 2 servings (about 2 cups) of Alexia sweet potato waffle fries (7 ppv) for a total of 23 points!

This is obviously a lot more points than I would normally consume in one meal, but I had 34 points left to use for the day, and this took care of 23 of them!

Make the point value even less by substituting ground turkey for all or half of the meat!

BLT with Avocado

For 12 points I was able to have a BLT sandwich, a sliced green pepper and homemade buttermilk blue cheese dressing.

Light potato bread, toasted - 2 ppv
3 slices of crispy cooked bacon - 4 ppv
3 leafs of romaine lettuce - 0 ppv
1/2 medium avocado, smeared on toast - 4 ppv
1/2 roma tomato, sliced - 0 ppv
Sandwich total: 10 ppv

Sliced green pepper - 0 ppv
1/8 cup lowfat buttermilk - 0 ppv
1/8 blue cheese crumbles - 2 ppv

Total: 12 ppv

Chicken and Dumplings for Dinner!

I tried a Weight Watcher's eTools recipe for Chicken and Dumplings.  It turned out great and is very filling.

6 points plus values for 1 cup serving.
1 had two servings for a total of 12 points plus value

1 1/4 lbs uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
Table Salt
Black Pepper
2 TB all purpose flour
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 medium uncooked leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
4 medium uncooked shallots (I used green onions), thinly sliced
2 medium uncooked carrots, sliced into thin rounds
2 ribs of uncooked celery, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme, fresh
2 1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup frozen green peas

Dumplings:
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 TB all purpose flour
2 TB uncooked yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1 1/2 tsp parsley, minced

Instructions:
Season chicken with 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper. Mix flour with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Sprinkle chicken with 1 TB of seasoned flour.  In large skillet, heat oil and lightly brown chicken.  Remove from pan.

In the same skillet, saute leeks and shallots until lightly golden, about 3 minutes.  Add carrots, celery, bay leaf and thyme and cook another 3 minutes.  Stir in chicken broth and apple juice.  Return chicken to pot.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile to make dumplings, sift 2 TB of flour, cornmeal and baking powder and and 1/4 tsp salt together in a bowl.  Stir in parsley.  With a fork, stir in milk until batter just comes together.  Drop dumpling mixture with a teaspoon into chicken mixture.  Simmer, covered, about 6 to 8 minutes.  Add peas, and cook until dumplings are done, another 2 to 4 minutes.  Makes six 1 cup portions.

A lighter version of Wednesday's breakfast...

Having a Thomas' bagel thin instead of a large bagel saved 6 points! It dropped the bagel from 9 points to 3 points.

Add in 2 points for 2 tablespoons of 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Chive and Onion cream cheese, 1 point for 6 slices of Oscar Mayer 98% fat free mesquite turkey breast, sliced roma tomatoes for 0 points and I had a filling 6 point breakfast, including 1/2 of a large grapefruit.

I am making a trip out to the Whole Foods in Naperville today to get Makayla more of her dairy/soy free butter, yogurt and cheese.  Wish they would build one closer, but then I would really be in trouble.  Love their selection, but better quality ingredients also come with higher prices!

Drive carefully everyone!

Weigh in, week one...

Lost 6.8 pounds!

It's my first weigh in day! So a great salad for lunch was the way to go...

Lemon chicken with dill Greek salad

11 points
3 cups of mixed lettuce
1/2 sliced sweet red pepper
1/4 cup of feta cheese
10 small sliced black olives
1 green onion, sliced thin
1 3.5 oz chicken breast, pan grilled with lemon pepper seasoning
Torn dill for garnish
1 lemon, 1/2 juice, half wedged for garnish
1 TB of olive oil and 1/2 of juiced lemon for dressing

I lightly dressed the salad with the olive oil and lemon juice, and then squeezed the lemon wedges over the top for extra tartness and moisture.

First weigh in tonight at 6:30 pm.  Beyond excited!

Breakfast of Champions? Maybe not, but it got me through 2 stores worth of grocery shopping!

This morning I woke up HUNGRY, which is not usually the case, so I opted for a larger breakfast and a lighter lunch.

13 point breakfast:
Bagel - 9 points
1/3 less fat chive and onion cream cheese (4 TB) - 3 points
Oscar Mayer mesquite roasted turkey breast - 1 point
Sliced roma tomato with salt and pepper - 0 points

It was filling, yummy and quick!

Great use for the leftover turkey breast from last night!

Today's 10 point lunch:
Turkey-Apple Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

3 oz cooked skinless light turkey meat, shredded
1 medium stalk of celery, chopped
1 medium fresh apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 seedless raisins
1 TB pomegranate vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp sea salt, ground
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups romaine lettuce, torn
1/8 cup fresh dill, torn and tossed with romaine
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion

In a large bowl, combine turkey, celery, apple, raisins and green onion and toss.  In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, coriander, salt and pepper.  Add dressing to turkey mixture, toss to combine.  Top lettuce with turkey mixture.  Makes 1 serving.

This was a huge salad and very filing at 10 points for lunch.

Leftover turkey doesn't have to be gobbed with mayo to be yummy!

This morning an amazing thing happened!

We have been doing a token system with Makayla to encourage her to do chores and things for herself (Thank you Melissa and Doug for making a great one!), so while she was dressing herself in her bedroom I made us both breakfast.  Normally I don't have time to eat before she goes to school because I am running around like crazy getting her ready, but with some incentive she has been able to do a lot more for herself!

Anyways I made myself 1/2 c. of quick oats prepared with water, 1 packet of Stevia in the Raw, and 1/2 c. of frozen blueberries for 4 points total.  Makayla had Organic Honey Nut Cheerios with Rice Milk.

As I said I don't normally eat before she goes to school with her, but I was able to this morning and we sat at the kitchen table together and ate and talked, it was so nice!  Even nicer was not hearing Spongebob turned on immediately after she woke up.  In fact, she never turned the TV on at all.

Changing your menu not only helps you lose weight, it can change the way you handle food all together.

Tonight's Dinner was "Awesome" Roasted Turkey according to Miss Makayla...

I had a whole turkey breast in my freezer and decided today was the day to try and make it.  I googled instructions, made the rub of kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper, thyme and oregano, and popped in the oven.  For my first ever roasted turkey breast I would say it turned out AWESOME, just like Makayla said.

My 12 points plus value dinner for tonight was:

5 oz of Roasted Turkey Breast - Skin Removed after cooking (4ppv)
10 oz of Sweet Potato, Roasted (6ppv)
2 cups of Organic Green Beans with Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper (0 ppv)
1 Slice of homemade White Bread, Baked this afternoon (2ppv)

*I also learned that I just do not like the way bread looks when I bake it IN the bread machine.  Set it on Dough, Remove, Let Rise, Bake in Oven... It looks and tastes great.  Baking it in the bread machine, still tastes amazing, just doesn't look so pretty.  The top is always lumpy...  Try. Try and Try again!

A Sunday night quick dinner fix...

Tonight's dinner turned out well.  It was a new recipe that I got off the Weight Watcher's website and tweaked a little.  Makayla seemed a little worried, she doesn't like her food to touch (too funny!) and this is an all in the pot kind of recipe, but she loved it.

Lemon Chicken with Broccoli
Yields four 1 c. servings

2 TB of flour
1/2 tsp of table salt, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
12 oz uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups organic reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tsp minced garlic
2 1/2 cups uncooked broccoli cut into small florets
3 tsp lemon zest
2 TB dried parsley
2 TB fresh lemon juice

Coat chicken with 1 1/2 TB of flour, 1/3 tsp of salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook, turning as needed until browned lightly and cooked through (this took about 8 minutes). Remove from pan.

Add 1 cup of broth and garlic to the same skillet, bring to a boil over high heat, scrapping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.  Add broccoli, cover and cook 2 minutes

In a small cup, stir together remaining 1/2 cup of broth, 1/2 tablespoon of flour and 1/4 tsp of salt.  Add to skillet and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Cover and cook until broccoli is tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in chicken and lemon zest.  Heat through.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in parsley and lemon juice, toss to coat.

I served this over white rice and with mini pitas for a 14 ppv dinner
This includes 1 1/2 cups of chicken and broccoli, 1 cup of white rice and 2 mini pitas.

*In the future I will add a small amount of red pepper flakes to my plate for a little heat and possibly a little more lemon zest for extra flavor.  

The prep and cook time was about 25 minutes for this recipe.  Not bad!

Day One...

I am going to begin blogging about our meal choices, adventures and new ideas.

I recently began Weight Watchers and my daughter is allergic to dairy, soy, tomatoes, nitrates and food coloring.

Join me in making yummy meals that are kid friendly, interesting and healthy!