New Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is my Chicken Tortilla Soup but with some revisions and it came out very yummy!  Some of my family ate it with cheese and I added some brown rice pasta to mine.  You could also eat it with some tortilla chips or more sour cream.  I used my mini food processor to chop up my onion, bell pepper, shallots, and cilantro.

Ingredients
1 cup onion finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped (I used yellow)
2 small shallots, finely chopped (or you could use green onions)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (or 2 cloves)
2-15oz cans petite diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
7oz can green chilies
4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup salsa
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp basil
salt to taste
2 lbs chicken breasts (leave out for vegetarian)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sour cream (I used light)

Directions
Crockpot directions
Put all ingredients except cornstarch and sour cream into crockpot.  Set crockpot on high 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours (it's best if you can cook it longer on low).  During last hour, mix together cornstarch, sour cream, and 1/2 cup water until well blended and add to pot.  Take chicken out and shred with forks or stand mixer and then return to pot and continue cooking on high with lid off.

Stove top directions
Put all ingredients except cornstarch and sour cream into a very large pot or dutch oven.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove chicken breasts from pot and shred with forks or stand mixer and return to pot.  Mix together cornstarch, sour cream, and 1/2 cup water until well blended and add to pot.  Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken.  Remove from heat.

Apple Craisin Salad

When I had my very first baby, Craig, one of the meals that was brought to us included this delicious apple salad.  I had to have the recipe.  Unfortunately she doesn't write down the amounts so I had to do it by taste.  I usually make this with walnuts as well, but it's delicious without them too.  You can add more sugar or less lemon juice to make it sweeter if you like, but I wanted to keep this lighter and with the sweet apples and craisins, it balances out well.  This recipe is for a single serving, but I have made it for a large group and everyone loves it.  You could use different apples as well.

Ingredients
1 apple (I like gala)
3 Tbsp craisins
1 -2 Tbsp walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup Kraft mayo made with Olive Oil (or another mayo if you prefer)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves

Directions
Cut up your apple into small chunks and put in a bowl.  Add craisins and walnuts.  In a jar or small bowl, mix together mayo, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and cloves.  Pour 1 Tbsp of mixture over apple salad and put the rest in the fridge.

WW points/Calories:  3 points for the whole salad or 174 calories (without walnuts)

Pudding Yogurt

I started experimenting with different pudding mixes and yogurt.  I love how creamy it comes out and with a higher protein content, they are more filling than a regular pudding made with milk.  I have tried pistachio, white chocolate, and cheesecake so far, and they are all yummy!  This picture is of the white chocolate pudding yogurt.

Ingredients
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt (I like Dannon all natural)
1 box sugar free, fat free pudding mix (so far I like white chocolate, cheesecake, and pistachio)

Directions
Using a whisk, mix yogurt and pudding mix together very well until blended.  Divide into 5 individual containers evenly.

Weight Watcher Points: only 1 point each!

Pineapple Pistachio Pudding

My mom came up with this recipe and it reminds of a watergate salad, or as my family always called it, "Green Junk."  :-)  It is a healthier, creamy option.  It is yummy and satifying.

Ingredients
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt (I like Dannon all natural)
1 package sugar free, fat free, pistachio pudding
1 can crushed pineapple in juice, drained

Directions
Combine all ingredients well.  Divide into 5 containers equally and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Weight Watcher Points: 2 points each serving!

Cherry Pie Pudding

This is so yummy and creamy and delicious!  I came up with it from the original Cherry Pie Fluff recipe, just using yogurt instead of cool whip.  I like this this is thick and has a higher protein level to keep you feeling full longer. 

Ingredients
1 can lite cherry pie filling (could use sugar free if you want)
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt (I like Dannon all natural)
1 box sugar free, fat free, cheesecake (or white chocolate) pudding mix

Directions
Combine all ingredients and mix very well until all blended together.  Divide into 7 different containers and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Weight Watchers Points: 2 points per serving!

Light Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

I set out to find a delicious light dressing.  I love my Nana's poppy seed dressing, but it is not really diet friendly.  I am doing Weight Watchers and needed to find a yummy dressing.  This is more than I could have hoped for.  I am not a huge salad person.  I like a good salad, but I'm not one to go order one at a restaurant usually or anything.  I LOVE this dressing!  I will eat this on a diet or not!  I have been eating it almost every day on a salad, sometimes twice a day.  My favorite combo so far is romaine, sunflower seeds, and craisins with this dressing.  I actually went to the store and bought 2 other light dressings that I found a website had rated as some of the top best light dressing.  I do not even want to touch those now due to this dressing.  It is a sweet and creamy, delicious dressing!  I know this would be wonderful on a spinach and strawberry salad.  I've also put grilled chicken on my salad and it's yummy that way too!  It is also super easy to make!

Ingredients
1/2 cup light mayo (I like to use the Kraft one made with Olive Oil)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk (1% or fat free)
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions
Combine all in a small jar, put on lid, shake vigorously until combined.  Store in fridge.

Weight Watcher Points/Calories: 2 Tbsp is only 1 point or 61 calories!

Easy Cheesy Tortellini

Made this last night and it was delicious and a big hit in our house.  Tortellini is one my favorite pastas.  Cheese filled little pastas, 2 of my favorite foods combined.  :-)  I made this similar to my two timin pasta since that is such a big hit in my house.  I found the original recipe, which I modifed, on allrecipes.com.  I will definitely be making this again.  It's so easy.  I did lighten it up since I'm on a diet by using 1/2 the amount of mozzarella it called for and light alfredo.

Ingredients
2 - 19oz frozen packages of tortellini
24oz Spaghetti sauce (I used Ragu traditional)
1 jar light afredo sauce (I used Classico), watch for egg-free if needed
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
4oz Mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil your tortellini until they all float to the top (which I found is a lot longer than the package says), drain and return to pot.  Add all ingredients together to the tortellini and mix well.  Pour into sprayed 9x13 dish and bake 20-30 minutes.

Weight Watcher Points: depending on your sauce, 1/12 of the pan is 6 points.

Delicious Broccoli Cheese Soup

So I've been playing around with my Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup, and I modified it a little bit to come up with this recipe, and it is absolutely delicious!  Best of all, it is only 1 Weight Watcher Point per cup and it doesn't taste like diet food.  My friend and her mom absolutely loved this soup and wanted the recipe.

Ingredients
6 cups chicken broth
2 lb frozen bags of broccoli florets or about 10 cups
cooking spray
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
8oz reduced fat velvetta cheese, cubed
1/4 cup cornstarch (leave out for low carb)
6 Tbsp light sour cream
1 cup water

Directions
Spray large stock pot with cooking spray.  Sautee onion on medium heat until tender.  Add chicken broth, broccoli, garlic powder, and salt to pot.  Bring a boil and then cook on medium, covered, 15-20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, 1 cup water, and sour cream until completely blended. Add corn starch and sour cream mix and cubed cheese to soup. Bring to a low boil and then reduce immediately to a simmer. Stir constantly until all cheese is melted and soup thickens.  Makes about 12-14 cups.

Weight Watcher Points: 1 point per cup or about 99 calories

Banana pineapple mango smoothie

This has become my new favorite breakfast.  I drink it every morning, and it is very satifying, delicious, and only 4 WW points!

Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 cup diced frozen pineapple and mangos (I found a huge bag at Sam's, by Dole)
1 cup almond milk
1 packet stevia or spenda

Directions
Blend all ingredients well in a blender and enjoy!  So yummy and good for you!

Weight Watcher Points: 4 points for the whole thing!

Two ingredient banana muffins

A while back I made Banana Spice Muffins with overripe bananas and spice cake mix.  My mom recently started making muffins a lot for my nephews (with a lot of major allergies) with vanilla cake mix and bananas.  The kids all love them, and they are so easy.  I made these with strawberry cake mix and bananas.  I also made chocolate cake mix with bananas for my church one Sunday (mostly because we have a child who had a lot of allergies), and they were a big hit!  Use any cake mix you think would go well with bananas and enjoy.  Just watch for allergens in your cake mixes if you need to be aware of them.  One tip, if you don't have enough bananas, you can add in a little applesauce if your cake mix it too dry.

Ingredients
4 overripe bananas, mashed
1 cake mix (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, spice cake... or another kind if you want)

Directions
Mix bananas and cake mix together well.  No oil, no eggs, no water.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, fill sprayed muffin tins about 2/3 cup full, and bake muffins according to cupcake directions on back.  Remove from muffin tins, cool, and enjoy!  Makes 24 muffins.

Weight Watcher Points: 2 points a muffin

Banana Sour Cream Bread

Ok, don't get freaked out the name.....  my husband hates sour cream and had no idea it was in there, and I bet you won't either.  You don't taste sour cream at all.  This is moist and delicious and honestly, probably the best banana bread I've ever had!  It got gobbled all up at our church for breakfast and my kids loved it!  I found this on the top banana bread recipes on allrecipes and modified it for one bundt pan.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened*
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk**
3 very ripe bananas
8oz sour cream***
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray large bundt pan.  In a small bowl, stir together 2 tbsp white sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and then sprinkle all over bottom and sides of pan.  Cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar.  Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Mix in salt, baking soda, and flour.  Stir in nuts.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Lower fat version: 4 weight watcher points per 1/12th of the loaf (vs 6 per slice without nuts).  This also reduced the calorie content about 100 calories per slice!
Substitute:
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce*
1 egg + 1 egg white**
8oz light sour cream***

Crockpot Southwest Chili

This is very similar to my Santa Fe Soup as well as some of my other recipes, but my friend Becky made this for us one night for dinner and I had to have the recipe.  It was delicious! 

Ingredients
2 lbs ground meat (I used turkey)
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 can pinto beans, undrained
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
2 cans diced tomatoes w/ chillies
2 cans corn, undrained
2 packets dry ranch dressing
2 packets taco seasoning
1 can water (optional, I didn't add this)

Crumble up meat and add to crockpot and then add all ingredients to crockpot and stir well. Cook in crockpot on high heat 4-6 hours or low heat 8-10  hours.  Serve as is or top with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Weight Watcher Points:  If you use ground turkey or lean ground beef, only 3 points per cup!

Pineapple Mango Smoothie

I love smoothies!  My husband and my kids also love smoothies.  This one reminds of a virgin pina colata, and I've made it with and without 1-2 Tbsp shredded coconut.  It was good either way, but unless you have a really good blender, it does have a different texture with the coconut.  I think this would be really good with coconut milk instead of almond milk as well.

Ingredients
1 cup frozen diced pineapples and mangos (I got a big bag by Dole)
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I like Dannon)
1 packet of splenda or Stevia

Directions
Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Weight Watcher points: Ony 4 points for the whole thing!

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

I got the original recipe off skinnytaste, but I did modify it some.  I think it's an obsession.  I can't leave a recipe alone.  Maybe I feel I have to make it my own.  Either way, I had this on a Sunday afternoon for lunch, and it was yummy.  Put it all in the crockpot before church and it was done when we got home.  I love crockpot meals on Sunday.  I had my in laws over, and we all enjoyed it.  I did use chicken breasts instead of thighs since I don't like dark meat.  She suggests skin removed and bone in, but I didn't feel like going through the whole removing skin, and I couldn't find any breasts with bone in, skin removed.

Ingredients
2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
26oz jar traditional spaghetti sauce, watch for allergens
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese to put on top, optional

Directions
Dump everything into the crockpot, give a quick stir, and set on low for 8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.  Remove lid for last hour and keep on high.  Remove bay leaf and serve over pasta or rice and top with parmesan cheese if desired.  She includes another method that requires browning the chicken beforehand, so go to the link above if you want to see that.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I got this recipe off of skinnytaste, a weight watcher friendly blog that I enjoy.  I'm looking through the recipe now and realizing I didn't even make the spicy hoisin sauce to go with it.  Next time I want to try that since I forgot!  These turned out really yummy.  My kids didn't care for them on lettuce, so they instead ate them on soft taco shells.  I changed a few things, so you can click on the link above if you want to see the original recipe. I doubled this recipe for my family of 6, so cut it in half if only serving like 2 or 3 people.

Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken breast
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce (La Choy brand is gluten free), divided
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
lettuce leaves to serve in, iceburg or I used romaine for more nutritional value

Directions
Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in large skillet on med-high heat and brown chicken and garlic.  Combine soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and sugar in a bowl.  Add water chestnuts, green onions, and sauce to chicken and blend well and heat through about 1-2 minutes.  Spoon into lettuce leaves and enjoy!

I'm not positive on the Weight Watcher Points since I changed it up a bit, but I think it would be comprable.  She says each lettuce wrap with 1/4 cup of the mixture is only 2 points or 3 points plus.

Berry Green Smoothie

We love smoothies around here.  We really like them with peanut butter, but it really adds up in calories for me.  I love adding spinach to my smoothies because it so good for you, but you can't even taste it in a smoothie.  This one is packed full of nutrition and antioxidants, and it's not loaded with calories like many smoothies can be.

Ingredients
3/4 cup frozen sliced strawberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup vanilla low fat yogurt
1/2 cup almond milk (or you can use soy or cow's milk)
1 cup fresh spinach
1 packet of stevia or splenda

Directions
Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. 

Weight Watcher Points: 4 points for the whole thing, a nice tall glass

Low Carb Enchilada Casserole

Some of my closest friends are on Adkins, and they were coming over to dinner.  They love my chicken enchiladas, so I wanted to try to make something similar that they could enjoy on their diet. They LOVED it!  They all wanted the recipe, and my chef friend said it's the best thing he's eaten since he started Adkins.  :-)  It's only 5 1/2 net carbs per piece!  They said they didn't even feel like they were eating low carb.  :-)  I made it one night, and they requested it again when they came over a week later.  It is yummy with a lot of flavor!  I tried a little bite with no tortilla in it, and it was good.  If you aren't counting carbs, and need to do gluten/wheat free, use corn tortillas instead and you will need more of them since they are smaller.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cans (10oz each) red mild Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce
8oz shredded Mexican Cheese (I prefer 2% reduced fat)
4 Ole Mexican Foods XTreme Wellness High Fiber Low Carb tortillas (5 net carbs a tortilla)
10oz fresh spinach, chopped
4oz green chilies
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chopped onion and bell pepper and sautee 3-5 minutes.  Add chopped spinach and saute just until wilted.  In a large bowl, mix about 8oz Enchilada sauce, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, green chilies, and shredded chicken.  Add sauteed vegetables to the mixture and mix very well.  In a sprayed 9x13 pan, lay 2 tortillas to cover bottom of pan.  Pour 1/3 of the remaining sauce over top of tortillas and spread evenly over them to prevent drying out.  Layer half of the chicken mixture over top of this.  Place remaining tortillas over top, 1/3 of the sauce, and remaining chicken mixture.  Pour rest of sauce over top and sprinkle remaining cheese over top.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Divide into 12 pieces and each piece is only 5 1/2 net carbs.  :-)

WW Points: 3 points a piece  :-)

Cream of Chicken Soup

So I know this isn't the best picture in the world, but it's what I got.  I hope to replace it with a better picture in the future.  But for now, I wanted to get you the recipe.  Have you ever looked at how many added ingredients are in cream of "whatever" soups?  As I'm trying to eat less artificial stuff and now I actually cut gluten out of my diet due to some health issues, I needed to find a substitute for cream of chicken (or whichever kinds of soups).  I used this in my chicken pot pie, and it turned out great.  It is quite a bit thinner than the regular cream of chicken soup in a can, so just keep that in mind.  This recipe will replace one can of cream of chicken soup.  I did find this recipe on a gluten free website, but I left out the pepper.  Unlike the cream of chicken soup you buy in a can, this one is wheat free, gluten free, soy free, and artificial junk free.

Ingredients
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cube chicken broth bullion (or 1 tsp granules) (make sure allergen free if needed) (you could also make this with vegetable broth to be totally vegetarian)
1/4 tsp pepper (optional, I left this out)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small pot and whisk together.  Bring to a boil, reduce to medium, and stir constantly!  This will suddenly thicken and will burn quick if you aren't stirring constantly.  When it thickens suddenly, remove from heat and use in place of a can of cream of chicken or put in fridge for later use.

Weight Watchers Points: only 5 points for the whole thing which is a lot better than the cans.

Zucchini Bread

So I had never had zucchini bread before, but I am totally addicted now.  Now wait before you freak out after hearing "zucchini."  If you've never had zucchini bread, it's not what you might think.  No one in my family likes zucchini except me.  But, everyone loves this bread!  I honestly do not even taste the zucchini in it, as zucchini.  It's very similar to a friendship bread or banana bread type of taste.  I found the original recipe as one of the top recipes on allrecipes, but I modified a few things to make it healthier.  I reduced 1 cup of oil down to 2 Tbsp and replaced the rest with unsweetened applesauce.  I tried totally eliminating the oil once, and it was still delicious, but I feel the little bit of oil helps it be more moist.  I reduced the sugar by a little bit.  I add in 2 medium zucchinis, instead of just 2 cups, which is about 3-4 cups.  I also reduced the walnuts from 1 cup down to 2/3 cup, mainly to reduce the calorie content some.  I made these in bundt pans the first few times I made it (yes, I've had to make it a few times already), but I made them into muffins last night.  I honestly don't know if I would make this in loaf pans, only because with me adding all the zucchini in, it might overflow in loaf pans.  Two of my children like this without nuts, but the rest of us like it with nuts.

Ingredients
3 eggs***
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp canola oil***
2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 medium zucchinis, grated
2/3 cup walnuts (leave out for nut free or children who don't like nuts)

Directions
Spray either 2 bundt pans (I only have one, so I used an angel food cake pan for my 2nd one) or spray muffin tins.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Beat eggs, applesauce, oil, sugar, and vanilla together in large bowl.  Mix together flour, salt, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together and then add to wet ingredients and mix well.  Stir in zucchini and nuts and combine well.  Pour into prepared pans.  If using bundt pans, bake for 1 hour.  If making muffins, bake for 22 minutes.  Makes 2 loaves or 36 muffins.

Weight Watcher points: only 2 points or 99 calories per muffin!  (without nuts)

***OR.....  I played around with the recipe and made it even lower in points, calories, and fat
sub 3 eggs for 1 egg and 3 egg whites
sub 2 Tbsp oil for 2 Tbsp melted light smart balance or Olivio
makes the muffins only 1.5 points per muffin or 90 calories per muffin! (this also cuts the fat by over half!)

Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix Clone

We love Jiffy cornbread muffin mix around here, but it's got some ingredients in it that I wanted to avoid, so I decided to make my own, and I found this recipe online and it tastes just like Jiffy.  I don't think I will ever buy Jiffy again.  It's cheaper too.  I already read that you can combine all the dry ingredients and save them in baggies for later and just add oil, egg, and milk later.  On a side note...  I have been researching how to photograph food, so I'm hoping to start improving my photos and replacing some of the old photos I don't like as much.  This was my first "new" photo I took.  This recipe also works great with Mexican Corn Cake. (just leave out egg and milk for corn muffin mix)

Ingredients
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp canola oil

1/3 cup milk
1 egg

Directions
Combine first 5 ingredients with a whisk.  Whisk in oil until smooth and all lumps are gone. 

To make corn muffins, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add milk and egg to corn muffin mix.  Fill sprayed muffin tins half full.  Bake 15 minutes.  Makes 6-8 muffins.  Or, pour into a small casserole dish and bake 15-20 minutes.

Egg free: I've made jiffy corn bread in the past without eggs by using my flax seed substitute seen on the right side of the page.

Calories/WW points: 4 weight watcher points, 170 calories, .9g fiber, 6g fat, 25.7g carbs, 3.7g protein