Spaghetti Pie

I found this recipe which was posted by Risa here: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977288874  You can go there to check out the original recipe that was posted.  

Below you will find my version (I made a few changes).  I added some pureed veggies from the Sneaky Chef.  You obviously can just omit that though if you don't have it.  It is very easy to make and I put it all together last night so I just had to pop it in the oven when I got home from work today.  I love meals like this!! 
Healthy Spaghetti Pie
3 oz pasta (I used Ronzoni...I know, big surprise!)
1/2 lb sweet italian turkey sausage (2 1/2 links), removed from casings
1 cup pasta sauce
1/2 c low fat ricotta cheese
1/4 c orange puree (mix of carrots and sweet potatoes) --optional
1/4 c white puree (zucchini and cauliflower) --optional
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 c fat free grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9 in ch pie pan w/cooking spray.
Cook pasta as directed until al dente.  Drain and set aside.
Cook italian sausage in a pan, break up to crumble. 
In a medium sized bowl combine the pasta sauce, ricotta cheese, and the orange and white purees if using.  Add salt and pepper.  Add the cooked italian sausage and cooked pasta.  Mix well until all of the pasta is coated. 
Spoon the mixture into the pie plate and smooth the top.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. 
Bake uncovered for 25-30 min or until the center is heated through. 
Serve with extra sauce on the side, if desired. 

We all enjoyed this meal.  Brian and I each gave it a 4+.   To quote Brian, "This serves 4 normal people, or the two of us with some left over for lunch."  This was 5.5 points per serving.

Chicken and Pasta Soup

sWell ladies, Christine is back. I know it has been a while since my last post, but I will tell you it was worth it! I got a winner here. I found the original recipe on About.com, but of course I changed it a bit to fit what I had in my fridge. You will need:

*3 cans chicken broth (10.5 oz each) I added a 4th can.

*1 cup water

*2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (I put 3 frozen chicken breasts right in my crock pot)

*1 can diced tomatoes with juice (14.5 oz)

*1 cup chopped onion

*1/2 cup dice celery (no celery in my fridge, so none in my soup)

*1/2 teaspoon dried basil (I used a full teaspoon)

*1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

*dash of garlic powder

*1/2 cup ditali pasta (I could not find it at the store, so I used wheels. Plus, I added a full cup.)

*1 cup frozen peas/carrots (I used a whole bag of mixed veggies).

Add chicken, broth, water, tomatoes, onions, celery, basil, parsley, and garlic powder to your Crock Pot. I also added a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Oh, and some cracked black pepper too. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours. It was already 1:30 in the afternoon, so I cooked it on high for 4 hours. It was perfect timing. Then, cook the pasta as directed on the package. Add the cooked pasta and frozen veggies to the soup and cook in the Crock Pot for another 30 minutes or so. Bryan gave the soup 4 out of 5 stars. He said it needed a bit more flavor. I liked the soup as is and gave it 5 stars. Brad said 5 stars too, but he didn't really eat it. Sean LOVED it! My version of the soup serves 6 people. Each serving is about 2 cups. So, thats about 7 WW points. You could probably save a point or 2 by using whole wheat pasta, but Bryan does not like it so I didn't use it. Enjoy!

(Chicken Stew) I think I liked this...I might have ruined it!

Tonight I made Chicken Stew for lunch this week.  It was super easy.  I love the way this looks and smells.  I can't decide if I like the taste of the rosemary or not.  Is that a bad sign?  Now I probably should preface this by saying I didn't have 2 of the herbs so I substituted them with things that I had.  I might have ruined it by doing that.  I'm taking this to one of my teaching assistants tomorrow and making her eat it. : )  I'll post her reaction to it later.


Chicken Stew (from Taste of Home cookbook)
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts but into 1 inch cubes (I don't like big pieces of chicken so I shredded mine)
2 cans fat free chicken broth
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 tsp paprika (totally forgot to add this)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp rubbed sage (didn't have any so substituted rosemary)

1/2 tsp dried thyme (didn't have any so substituted oregano)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1/4 c cold water
3 tbsp cornstarch


In a 5 qt. slow cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.  (This was NO where near long enough for the vegetables to cook.  I turned it down to low and cooked for another hour and a half)
I might have forgotten to do this last part.  ha ha  This was not my night.  Mix water and cornstarch until smooth.  Stir in stew.  Cook, covered 30 min more or until vegetables are tender. 


The recipes says serves 10, nope, try 5.  I'll let you know tomorrow or Tuesday what Judy thinks!!
Update: Judy and I both gave this 3 stars.  We don't think the rosemary was a good switch, as it's too over powering.  We both liked the shredded chicken better though.  There's promise to this recipe, but not quite there yet.  I have to try again and see if I can fix it! 

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

So Tracy, if you make this...you will need chips or crackers crumbled on top :) Because after my first few bites that's what I totally thought! Curt gave it 3 and I was feeling 3.5 because it was cheesy and I love my cheese! I think the problem I'm finding with my slow cooker is it makes the noodles too mushy...so it's too soft. Are you girls finding that?

8 oz SmartWise penne noodles, cooked and drained

1 lb ground turkey (extra lean), cooked and drained

1/4 tsp garlic salt

2 cans tomato sauce

pepper to taste

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup light cottage cheese

reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese to top for your liking

This was before it was all mixed up and cheese sprinkled on top.

(sorry for the blurry pic)

Combine meat, garlic salt, tomato sauce and pepper in a bowl. Combine sour cream and cottage cheese in a separate bowl. Layer half of noodles, sour cream mixture, and meat mixture in 3 quart slow cooker. Repeat. Cook on low for 3 hours. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

1 cup = 6.5 points

There were about 6 cups all together in the pot.

A thumbs up and a thumbs down (sort of) from our family

Tonight we had Jaime's Philly Cheese Steaks and Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese.  I couldn't find flank steak so I used flat steak (I think!) instead.  I made a similar marinate to what Jaime used and let it marinate for about 6 hours, then we grilled our meat.  We both gave our sandwiches 4 stars, but felt that the meat was still a little too tough for our liking.  I've got to work on finding a different cut of meat, or prepare it differently next time.  They were good though!  And as you can tell from the picture I did not use light hot dog buns.  It was delicious on the french bread!  We agreed we will definitely make that again.  (I'll post the marinade below)

Unfortunately neither of us enjoyed the butternut squash mac and cheese, although I liked it more than Brian did, and Chloe loved it!!  (Don't worry Jaime, we're going to try again!)  No one knew it had squash in it.  (Shhh, don't tell Brian) I could only tell because I could see it in the cheese, but that's only because I knew it was there.  Had I not made it, I wouldn't have known.  Sadly Allison wouldn't eat it, and Brian and I both gave this 2 stars....however we are going to make it again with some adjustments.  First, I WAY over cooked the noodles.  That made a HUGE impact on the taste.  I didn't like the taste of the nutmeg, it  took away the authentic mac and cheese taste.  So next time I wil omit it.  Finally, I put some crushed saltine crackers on top to give it some crunch and texture, and they went soft.  That didn't add anything to it, that's for sure.  Next time I will add it to half of the pan (just in case, and so we can compare) and only add it at the very end of the cooking time. 

Here is the marinade I used (found it online, sorry I can't remember where):
1/3 c soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp worchester sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 small onion, chopped fine (these pretty much cooked off because they were so small, Brian never knew they were there)

Another way to make meatloaf

Do you always fight over the end pieces of meat loaf like we do?  There's nothing better than the extra crispy edges!  If so, then this recipe is for you.  Meat Loaf Muffins are basically all edges, so you can stop rushing to the table to get the first piece.  And, you can totally adapt this to your family's personal preferences too! I think I got this recipe off of the ww message boards a couple of years ago...yes I have been a member that long, and no I have not lost the weight.  I'm hoping I'll lose it through osmosis of being a member.

Meat Loaf Muffins (1 lb serves 6, 2 muffins each)
1 lb ground beef, turkey, or chicken (I like chicken best, but it really doesn't make a difference)
1 box stuffing (any kind you want: chicken, turkey, cornbread, etc)
3 egg whites
1/2 c water

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Just take off your rings and do it with your hands.  But don't over mix it either.

Now here comes the hard part...if making right away, spray 12 muffin tins w/non stick spray. 

If freezing for later don't use the spray.  After you freeze them raw, they will pop out so you can bag them up. However, if you have the silicone muffin tins like I do (and if you don't, you need to get them specifically for this recipe!  Love them!), you don't need to spray the tins.  Nothing sticks to those.

Moving on...with the meat mixture, make 12 evenly sized balls.  Mine are usually a little smaller than a baseball.  Usually I'm out of mixture by the last one and I have to start stealing a little off of each of the others.  The ones in the picture are a little bigger than normal.  I used 3/4 lb of meat for that batch and only made 6 since I didn't want to get another muffin pan dirty.  Lazy!

If you are saving these for another day, go ahead and freeze them.  When I'm ready to make them I let them thaw in the fridge over night.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 min.  Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until browned.  Now those times are not exact.  I like my meatloaf BROWN and crispy so I usually let mine go 30 min, and then I cut one open to make sure it's fully cooked.  If so, then I uncover and keep cooking until they are nice and brown (as in the photo!)

Tonight we ate these with hash browns (those are NOT just a breakfast food you know!) but I usually serve it with mashed potatoes.  Brian, Allison and I all give this recipe a 4.  Typically these are 3 pts. per muffin, but you probably want to double check your stuffing to make sure. 

Guest Post: Stuffed Pepper Soup

Mimi (my mom) came to visit yesterday and brought me some stuffed pepper soup.  I had it for lunch today and it was really good!  I'd definitely give it 4 stars.


1 packet (8.8 oz) rice (the microwaveable kind)
1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 c chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 jar (26 oz chunky tomato pasta sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 oz) beef broth


Prepare rice according to package.  Meanwhile, microwave peppers for a few minutes until tender.  In a pot saute onions and add ground beef to brown.  Drain grease and add peppers.  Stir in pasta sauce, tomatoes, broth and rice.  Heat.


This recipe serves 6 (2 pts for every 1/2 cup)


Personally, the next time I make this I would add more peppers (colored peppers too), another can of diced tomatoes to beef up the veggies, and a bit more broth.  The serving I had was not very "soupy" or liquidy.  I will definitely make this again.  Thanks mom!

It would be better with chips : )

I found this recipe on one of the WW message boards. I served this to Brian and my mom (who was visiting) and we all gave this 3 stars.  It's something we would eat again but not make on a regular basis.  However, Brian and I would give this 4 stars if we crushed some tortilla chips and added it on top.  Can you tell we like crushed chips on our food?  Yes, we do that often!  Chloe loved it though..well at least the part that didn't fall in her lap and she actually ate!
Texas trail beef macaroni (serves 8, yeah right!  Try 5!)

1 lb lean ground hamburger (I used ground turkey)
1/2 c chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 qt beef stock (4 cups)
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1/2 c water, as needed (I didn't need it!)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
3 c whole-wheat macaroni, uncooked (I used ronzoni spiral noodles)
FF sour cream, for topping
FF cheese, for topping

In a large skillet, brown beef with onions. Add all remaining ingredients (except toppings). Bring to a boil; cover, and cook 10 minutes, until macaroni is tender. Top with sour cream and/or cheddar.
For the ingredients I used, this was 6 points for 5 servings. 
Brian says this reheats well though.

Saucy Italian Roast

Tonight I made another roast in the crockpot.  I found the recipe on TOH (http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Saucy-Italian-Roast) and it got 5 stars.  Brian gave it a 4, I gave it a 3.5.  I'd make it again, it was super easy, took no real effort, and I always have the ingredients on hand. 

1 beef rump roast or bottom round roast (3 to 3-1/2 pounds) (I used boneless chuck roast)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained (we omitted)
1 medium onion, diced (I just cut into quarters)
1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine or beef broth
Hot cooked pasta

Cut the roast in half. (I didn't do this!  I didn't care!)
Combine the salt, garlic powder and pepper; rub over roast. (Also didn't take the time to rub it over the roast.  I just sprinkled on)
Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Top with mushrooms and onion. Combine the spaghetti sauce and wine or broth; pour over meat and vegetables. (I dumped a little of the sauce into the crockpot, then added the broth to the jar and shook it to mix.  I'm lazy...or don't care!)
Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender. (I cooked for 10 hours)
Slice roast; serve over pasta with pan juices. Yield: 10 servings.  (Try 3!)

We figured this is 5 pts for 5 oz.  (Minus the pasta)
Nutrition Facts: 1/3 pound (calculated without pasta) equals 218 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 1 g fiber

Easy Chicken Bake

Curt found this recipe on the back of a StoveTop Stuffing Box so we gave it a try.

Recipe
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken (We used the low sodium version)
1-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup (We used Healthy Request version)
1/3 cup Breakstone’s or Knudsen Sour Cream (We used the low-fat version of Daisy)
1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.
Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in 13x9-inch baking dish; top with the stuffing.
Bake 30 min or until chicken is cooked through.

Curt gave it 4 stars and I give it 3.5 or so. I liked it but really just wanted more mac n cheese.

This would serve 6 as well and I came up with 8.5 points for that serving.

There was quite a bit and the chicken was very tender.

You see the stuffing looks a little crispy on top...that's because I turned the stove off mid-way...not sure why and not sure when. So when I went to check on it the chicken was no where being done but the stuffing was. The chicken needed more time so the stuffing got a little crispy but not burnt tasting so all was well. I would make this again if Curt wanted it but it's not going to be one that I'll crave after.