Hawaiian Kielbasa

This is the cookbook that I've gotten some new recipes from. Cutted and pasted the cover because see the top left corner? That's the Hawaiian Kielbasa; I didn't take a picture because I didn't have faith it would ever make it to the blog.

3 lbs. kielbasa; cut into 2 inch chunks

15 and 1/4 oz can crushed pineapple

18 oz bottle barbecue sauce

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. ground ginger

1 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder

Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Mix well. Cover and cook on low setting for about 2 hours, until warmed through, or on high setting for about 30 minutes. Makes 10 to 15 servings.

I changed this a bit....I halved the amount of meat and other ingredients. This recipe is originally an appetizer to share with friends so Curt and I didn't need that much. We also served it over rice to make it a full meal. It was okay. Cs in both of our books; I'd make the rice and beans kielbasa 100 times before this one.

Rice & Beans with Keilbasa

Two things before the recipe:

1. I must only cook when I'm on summer leave or maternity leave; I see a trend in my posting.

2. I love my new camera and how "decent" this photo turned out with one click!

1 lb. kielbasa; cut into bite-sized pieces

4 to 5- 16 ounce cans red beans; drained and rinsed

2- 14 and 1/2 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 onion; chopped

hot pepper sauce to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours, or on high setting for 4 to 5 hours. Prepare rice and serve atop. Serves 6 to 8.

I really enjoyed this; thinking I'll have it for leftover lunch today. Curt gave it a 6 ou of 10 and then said he'd give it a B. Huh? 6 out of 10 is a 60%/D. I'm going to have to talk to him about his grading.

Easy, Cheesy Ravioli Bake

Dijon Chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup; low fat, low sodium version

1/4 cup water

2 TBSP lemon juice

1/4 cup dijon mustard

2-3 garlic cloves; minced

frozen, skinless chicken tenders or breasts

Combine the top 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Place frozen chicken in slowcooker and cover with sauce. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Serve over hot rice. 4 stars.

BBQ Meatloaf & A Little Trick

http://threecookingmamas.blogspot.com/2011/02/bbq-glazed-meatloaf.html

Here is a spin-off on one of Tracy's meatloaf recipes. Hers called for catsup which I did not have in the house; who doesn't have catsup in the house? I don't know but I didn't. So I substituted the catsup with BBQ sauce since that was the name of the recipe; LOVED it! We gave it 5 stars.

My little trick that I read about on another blog was to put the loaf in the pan and place in the slowcooker and follow the directions. This was a great trick and resulted in an extremely tender meatloaf. We will definetely do this again. I've made it on top of aluminum foil balls and enjoyed it this way much, much more.

Kielbasa Apple Kabobs

I loved this dinner!!! The only thing that would have made it better, would have been if I had pepper (like the recipe calls for) and red onions! Definitely making this one again!! Brian ate plain, grilled kielbasa for dinner, but the girls ate it and enjoyed it as well! The glaze is very mild, and if you aren't a fan of cranberry juice, you can barely taste it. Had I not known it was in there, I don't know if I would have been able to guess that's what the liquid was!

1/4 cup sugar (I used splenda)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup cranberry juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 pound smoked turkey kielbasa, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
2 medium tart apples, cut into wedges
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (I ran out so I had to omit)
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (I omitted)

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cranberry juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread sausage, apples and peppers. Grill, uncovered, over indirect heat for 8 minutes or until heated through, turning and brushing with glaze occasionally. Yield: 8 servings.

Kale Chips

My mom gave me this recipe, and since I'm basically roasting every vegetable imaginable right now, I figured it wouldn't hurt to give this one a try. I have never eaten kale before (and if it's in my chinese food, I normally pick it out/around it).


But the kale was inexpensive, this required no additional ingredients to be bought and she claimed it would be like kettle potato chips.  She was wrong. : )  However, I still loved it! Chloe wouldn't touch it and after much protesting Allison finally tried it and claimed that it wasn't so bad, "but it's a leaf."

No this does not taste like a potato chip. But it does have the crunch of potato chips so I don't mind pretending. You can't eat this at work though because it is a little messy (who wants little green chip crumbs stuck in their teeth at work??)

Kale (Just the leaves. Cut around the stemmy veins too)
Olive Oil (I used about 1 tsp)
Sea salt

Wash the kale and pat dry w/a paper towel. Mix with olive oil and toss to coat. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 5 minutes, the flip the leaves (ahem, kale) over. Bake about another 5 minutes, but keep an eye on these so they don't burn.  Remove from pan, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Carrot-Pineapple Smoothie

If you don't subscribe to Real Simple Magazine, you really should consider it! It is one of my favorite magazines to read. This month, there were 10 new smoothie recipes (many of which I would love to try!) and since fruits and vegetables are 0 pts. on weight watchers, this is a recipe I hope to eat on a more regular basis.


I was a little afraid of drinking carrots. But I have to admit, I really liked this smoothie!! I'm going to have to run to Sam's Club this week to stock up on pineapple and bananas!!

3/4 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup ice (I omitted since my pineapple was frozen)
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (I actually squeezed my own!)
1/4 cup chopped carrot (I microwaved in a little water first so it would soften them up)
1/2 banana

1.Place the pineapple, ice, orange juice, carrot, and banana in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth and frothy.

Snap Pea Salad

My favorite way to eat vegetables right now is to roast them with a little olive oil. But sometimes I just want a new way of eating them. I LOVE snap peas (especially roasted!), so when I came across this recipe in my family circle magazine, I ripped it out and saved it...for today!


Warning: Do not eat this while watching tv and sitting on your couch! The juice from the snap peas squirt all over!! :) This was yummy. The combo of mustard and vinegar is quite refreshing.

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (I was out of balsamic so I used rice wine vinegar)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (I used dried)
1 1/2 pounds sugar snap peas, strings removed
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella nuggets), drained (I omitted)
1 cup slivered baby carrots
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (I omitted)
1/3 cup cup slivered red onion (I sauteed mine first)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly. Stir in oregano. Cover and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add snap peas and simmer 4 minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
3. Place snap peas in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, bocconcini, carrots, olives and red onion. Toss with 1/3 cup of the dressing.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese; WW version

Shredded Beef Sandwiches; Super Delish and Super Easy!

5 points from Curt!

3-4 pound chuck roast

1 packet of Good Seasons Italian seasoning mix

1 packet of McCormick au jus

Mix both packets of seasonings into two cups of water.

Pour over meat in slow cooker.

Cook on high 6-8 hours or I did on low for 11 hours.

Shred with a fork.

3 oz = 6 WW+ points

Yum Yum Brownie Muffins

Yum Yum describes this PERFECTLY!!
I came across it on a random person's personal blog who found it here.

www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/367

10 stars; 5 from each of us!

And get this Curt couldn't tell how healthy it was!

1 Box of devil's food cake mix

1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)

Mix the two ingredients together; don't add any eggs, water, milk, etc to the mixture.

It will be super thick but that's okay.

Bake in sprayed or lined muffin tins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

1 muffin = 5 WW+ points

P.S. Tracy--Brian will never know there's pumpkin in here!!!

Build Your Own Nachos; Thanks for the idea Melisa!

5 stars for me...I felt like I was at Taco Bell and loving it!

So mine were 21 points but you could totally lower the points depending on how much you use of the different toppings. I had points to use and I went for it!

Actually I would eat a little during the day to have this again in bulk!

Baked Tostitos; 3 pts for 13 chips

taco meat; 4oz=4pts

fat free refried beans; 1/2 c= 2 pts

light sour cream; 2TBSP=1 pt

reduced fat shredded cheese; 1/4 c=2 pts

lettuce

salsa

tomatoes

And this girl ate them! She never eats anything! She probably has the correct portion too; at least compared to mine! LOL!

Cheeseburger Pasta

Thought of you Tracy when I came across this one :)

1 & 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
3/4 lb ground turkey meat

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 can no salt added diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

2 tablespoons mustard

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon steak seasoning
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

3/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

chopped green onions optional

--Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook meat and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain meat. Drain noodles and combine with meat mixture in pan.

--Stir in tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, steak seasoning, and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

--Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted. Top with green onions if desired.

Makes 4 servings; WW+ points is 11 pts.

2 stars from each of us. Not yummy at all. I didn't give it a 1 because I didn't gag on it but I did not enjoy it nor did Curt. I did use sweet relish and the whole time I ate it I was thinking this is too tangy; not sure if a dill relish would work better or to lessen the amount as well as the amount of ketchup. The website gave it 4.5 stars so I'm suprised Curt and I are so way off from that. Try it and tell me what you think...

www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/family-favorite-cheeseburger-pasta

BBQ Glazed Meatloaf

Attention meatloaf fans: MAKE THIS! We LOVED this one! This is definitely going on next month's menu...at least once. LOVED IT! See how nice and crispy the bottom and the edges got? Mmmm....and no, I didn't share the ends!


I made this on my freezer cooking day, formed into the meatloaf shape, and then froze it in my silicone loaf pan. When it was frozen, I popped it out and bagged it up. This time, I let it defrost in the fridge for 2 days before making it, next time I'm going to try making it still frozen. It is supposed to cook for 6-8 hours on low, but we are gone for about 9 1/2 hours so this cooked a little longer than it should.
I found this recipe on weightwatchers.com. It was extremely quick and easy to prepare and low in points.

1 1/4 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
1/3 cup(s) dried bread crumbs, seasoned
1/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup(s) onion(s), minced
1 large egg(s), lightly beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 tsp packed light brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Heinz Spicy Brown Mustard, or other brand (I used yellow mustard)

Fold a 24-inch length of foil in half lengthwise. Fit into the bottom and up the sides of a 5–6-quart slow cooker insert. (Forget all that math...just pull off 1 or 2 medium sized pieces, ball them up and place the meatloaf on top!)

Put the turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, egg, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix with hands until well combined. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place on the foil in the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the meatloaf juices run clear or an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 165°F, 3–4 hours on high or 6–8 hours on low.

Combine the ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture over the meatloaf, spreading it smooth. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the glaze is heated through, about 30 minutes longer. (I added the sauce when I put it in the crockpot and let it cook w/the meatloaf all day. Then when I came home, I whipped together a little more and added it on top of that. I just let it cook until everything else was ready. Who has 30 more minutes to wait??).

With the help of the foil, lift the meatloaf from the slow cooker and transfer to a platter. Discard foil and cut the meatloaf into 6 slices. Yields 1 slice meatloaf per serving.

1/6 of the meatloaf = 4 ww+ pts.

Healthy Chicken Fiesta Soup

Must be winter because a lot of the posts have been soups in the past couple months.

Here's another and I quite enjoyed it even though I forgot have of the seasonings! I give this a 4; Curt's sick (and he got both babes sick as well!) so he can't taste anything.

1 lb ground chicken meat, browned

1 (14.5 oz) can of Great Northern beans; rinsed and drained
1 (16 oz) can chicken broth

2 garlic cloves; minced

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 bay leaf

1 (4 oz) can diced, green chiles

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

2 cups frozen corn

Add chicken, beans, broth, garlic, salt, lime juice, bay leaf, chilies, and tomatoes to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add in oregano, ground red pepper, and corn and stir. Cover and cook for another half hour. Ladle into bowls and serve with cilantro, cheese, and sour cream if desired.

1 cup = 4 WW+ points

(without cheese or sour cream)

**In green are the seasonings that I forgot to add or didn't have on hand.**

Chunky Tomato Soup

I came across a link online to download a free ebook from Betty Crocker with soups, stews and chili. There are MANY recipes I hope to eventually make, but most are not super healthy. This one though I knew would be a good addition to my sandwiches at lunch and be filling and get in several servings of vegetables.


I don't LOVE this recipe, but who loves a vegetable soup with nothing else added?? Not me...hence the need to join WW. : ) You will notice by the ingredients listed in red, that I added quite a few more veggies to this to make it more filling.

2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil (I used 1 tbsp)
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped carrots (I used 1 1/2 c)
1/2 c chopped parsnips
1/2 c shredded cabbage
1 c chopped broccoli
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cans (28 oz ea) plum tomatoes, undrained (I used two 14 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes)
2 c water
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
28 oz vegetable broth

In a 5-6 quart dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, parsnips, and broccoli. Cook 5-7 min, stirring frequently, until carrots are crisp-tender.

Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes (breaking up if using plum tomatoes), water, cabbage, basil, pepper and broth. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour stirring occasionally.

My version is 1 ww+ pt per serving or 4 pts for the entire pot!  (That is, if you are not counting in the vegetables...which I DO NOT!)  Otherwise it would be 9 pts for the pot.

A Weight Watchers Version of Tracy's Easy Chicken & Rice

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter -- I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light

1/4 cup flour

3 chicken boullion cubes

2 cups skim milk

3 cups, cubed chicken cooked-- I used Hormel's precooked, sliced chicken

2 cups brown rice

1 bag of frozen corn

1/2 bag of frozen peas
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Mix in boullion cubes and flour. Gradually mix in milk. Continuously stir until boiling. Take off of heat and add in the chicken, corn, and peas.

Layer rice in bottom of buttered square casserole dish (I used spray Pam for 0 points).

On top spread the chicken/vegetable mixture. Top with cheddar cheese.

Bake covered in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

My Notes:

So I changed this recipe only slightly from Tracy's. I used 2 cups of rice instead of 3 to lower the amount of carbs and added in the vegetables that wasn't in the original recipe.

I also used 1/2 cup of cheese instead of a full cup.

We were fine with these changes!

This recipe was 10 points for a quarter of the pan and I counted it towards 2 veggie servings!

It was a bit salty to me so I would give it a 4 and think about using less boullion.

Apples and Pears over Sweetened Ricotta

I found this recipe on the weight watchers website, and I LOVE it!  In fact, I'm eating this right now.  I love it! This is yummy!! (But I love ricotta!)


Ingredients:
1 small apple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small pear, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tsp of your favorite no calorie sweetener like stevia, Equal, Splenda, etc. – adjust for taste
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
splash of vanilla

Directions:
Place apple, pear, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of your favorite no calories sweetener in a small sauce pan. Cover and cook over medium heat until somewhat soft, about 4 to 5minutes. (I microwaved this for about 2-3 min to cut down on the prep/mess).

Meanwhile, combine remaining sweetener, cinnamon and vanilla with ricotta in a small bowl. Serve hot fruit over ricotta.

WW+ pts = 1

Salsa Soup

I was struggling to find something healthy, filling and low points for lunch today and through a bunch of random clicks through other people's posts/blogs, I came upon a link for Salsa soup. It sounded a little gross (the thought of eating salsa as a soup that is!), yet hopefully healthy, I decided to take a look at it. Then I looked in my pantry. And I was amazed that I had all of the ingredients on hand to make a half batch! Which worked our perfectly because it totally filled my smaller crockpot and gave me lots of leftovers for lunches.


Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 (16 ounce) can dark kidney beans
2 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15 ounce) can of chicken broth
2 (10 ounce) cans of Rotel, undrained 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:
Place the onion, kidney beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.


Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Soup (12 servings) w/out cheese, sour cream or tortillas = 4 ww+ pts per serving