This post is longer because I am combining two weeks worth.
I want to preface this by saying that finding Weight Watchers friendly meals is very easy. "Dieting" does not need to taste gross or be boring. I think you will agree after reading this post that the food I am cooking does not look like diet food.
On Monday, I made a new (for us) recipe from one of my favorite new blogs: http://www.skinnytaste.com/
Gina has the most yummy recipes on here and I have several of them pinned for future reference.
I made the Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole and it was mighty tasty! The only change I would make would be to not bake it as long as I did. My oven runs hot and so the casserole itself dried out a little. Even so, it was still yummy. Even Jason said "This is good! This is one of your healthy recipes right?".
This did take quite a bit of time to assemble and prep but I tried to have the ingredients ready to go ahead of time. I pre-shredded the cheese, chopped up the shallot, measured out the chicken stock and milk and filled the pasta pot with water. That way, all I had to do was dump and cook.
The serving size was large and I felt satisfied with my portion. I made sure and paired this with a salad, a glass of milk and an additional veggie so I was full after dinner.
Tuesday night I made one of my favorite light macaroni and cheese recipes. Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese. Yum! I like that it has the addition of tomatoes in it. I splurged and ate a hot dog because to me, macaroni and cheese isn't the same without a hot dog. I might be five years old.
Jack and Jason both approve of this meal so I will be making it again. It used to be one that I would make often while on Weight Watchers before. It has a relatively low Points Plus value for a good serving size. It is also super quick to make which is a huge plus for me.
On Wednesday night, I made another of our favorites: Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken Thighs. This is a famous recipe from Cooking Light and you will NOT be disappointed. Not only is it very easy to throw together, but it's amazingly delicious.
The first time I made this, I thought it was strange that the chicken only cooked for 12 minutes, and under the broiler at that! Trust me, your thighs will be cooked through in only 12 minutes.
If you are not a fan of chicken thighs, I imagine this recipe would work with chicken breasts. You would have to oven bake them however rather than cook them under the broiler.
Thursday night was a repeat recipe: Chicken Taco Chili. It was just as good this time as the last. And I got smart and froze half of it so we could eat it again another time (probably next week). And not to brag, but look at this meal:
That's a lot of food right? Well, it was only 12 Points Plus total. 5 for the chili, 4 for the corn muffin, 3 for the milk. The salad and peaches are Free. I was mighty full after this. Oh, and do you like my kid in the background eating? And the random crackers on the coffee table? Not sure why those were there.
On Tuesday night after Memorial Day, I made Salsa Chicken. I love this recipe because you can throw the chicken breasts in the crockpot still frozen and end up with perfectly cooked chicken later. I took the time to shred the chicken this time rather than keep the breasts whole. I am glad I did because I liked the recipe better this way.
We serve this over rice but I suppose you could eat it over noodles or even use it as a filling for a burrito. I add a little extra salsa on the top for some extra kick.
Wednesday was Linguini Shrimp Fra Diavolo. New recipe for us and it was good! Random grocery thought: The shrimp we got was only $1! Due to the grocery store doing a closeout on frozen shrimp, I picked up two pounds for a buck. So this meal was definitely budget friendly. Otherwise, that much shrimp generally costs $12.
We like spicy food in our family (even Jack likes spicy) so I added a bit extra of the red pepper flakes. This was extremely flavorful and had the perfect amount of zip. We have quite a bit of leftovers which is great. I love leftovers because let's face it, I am lazy and don't like to have to make lunch. I can just reheat something from the night before.
Look at the size of those shrimp! I splurged and had a tiny piece of bread with my dinner. I am of the mind that bread is required with pasta which makes no sense because they are both carbs.
Thursday night was a recipe that wasn't light or Weight Watchers inspired. I had all the ingredients and wanted to use them up so I made Lasagna Biscuit Cups. Look at how cute these little guys are!
I kind of messed up though. I bought Grands biscuits which are much larger than standard biscuits. As a result, I wasn't able to layer the ingredients. I only made one layer but these were still yummy! I ate one and stayed within my Points values. Next time, I will make sure to use the standard biscuits. I love how these can bake in a muffin tin. If Jack had enjoyed them, I would freeze the rest of them for quick dinners but alas, he didn't care for them. Darn picky toddler!
I am excited about our menu for the next couple of weeks. I already have the grocery list written out and will be making the following meals:
Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese (with hot dogs for the boys)
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Petite Turkey Meatloaves
Baked Chicken with sides
Enchilada Casserole
Chicken Taco Chili (from the freezer)
Spaghetti with Turkey Italian Sausages
Look for a snack post coming up. I have made a couple of fun and yummy snacks lately.
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