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