The Best thing about a crock pot is, the nights you are too tired to think about cooking, it’s done for you. This recipe for Crock Pot beef with broccoli is pretty simple and you only need a few ingredients, all of which you probably already have in your pantry. I ended up adding broccoli both in the beginning and then again at the end because it did not have enough broccoli for my liking. So with that said, next time I will add ALL the broccoli at the end. It cooks down way too much when added in the beginning.
This is also a BIG recipe, but I freezes really well. I put individual containers in the freezer for dinners and lunches.
Ingredients
4 lbs Top round London broil
2 Cups beef broth
1 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBS sesame oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup cornstarch
Instructions.
Thinly slice the beef and place in the crockpot.
In a small bowl, combine beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and sesame oil.
Pour mixture over the beef, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (depending on your slow cooker)
Mix the cornstarch and a little bit of water, stir to combine. Add to the slow cooker and mix well.
Add the broccoli. Cover and cook for 30 more minutes on high.
This recipe for Jambalaya is so simple and easy. By using instant rice and both cooked sausage and chicken it cooks up in 20 minutes. It’s a perfect one-pot meal for busy weekdays. You can use any brand of chicken sausage you like, I used Al Fresco’s Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage. If you would like it less spicy, just use a regular chicken sausage or turkey kielbasa.
Ingredients
2 tsp. canola oil
½ cup diced peppers
½ cup diced onions
2 small celery stalks diced
6 oz. Andouille Chicken sausage
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Bay leaf
1/8 tsp. salt
6 oz. cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
1 tsp. creole seasoning
¾ cup instant brown rice
1 ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup water
Instructions
Dice the chicken sausage up into bite size half moons, by first slicing down the center and then dicing into pieces.
Heat oil in a large skillet, add onions and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the sausage and cook until the sausage starts to brown, about another 5 minutes.
Add the rice and seasoning.
Then add the chicken stock and water. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until rice is cooked.
Stir in chicken and diced tomatoes
Cook for another couple minutes to heat everything through, then remove the bay leaf.
Dice the chicken sausage up into bite size half moons, by first slicing down the center and then dicing into pieces.
Heat oil in a large skillet, add onions and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the sausage and cook until the sausage starts to brown, about another 5 minutes.
Add the rice and seasoning.
Then add the chicken stock and water. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until rice is cooked.
Stir in chicken and diced tomatoes
Cook for another couple minutes to heat everything through, then remove the bay leaf.
Here is a great recipe for a hearty cheeseburger casserole. It’s family friendly and filling. Using low fat cheeses and healthy request mushroom soup its keeps the fat content relatively low but it is still a delicious and comforting dish. A real “stick to your ribs” type of meal.
Ingredients
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 LB 95% lean ground beef
4 oz. tomato paste
1 TSP Italian seasoning
2 -15 oz. cans Diced tomatoes with roasted garlic
5 oz. whole wheat penne or rotini, cooked
½ cup part skim shredded mozzarella
¾ cup shredded cheddar
¼ cup 2% milk
1-cup healthy request cream of mushroom soup
Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350.
Brown the ground beef with onion and peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper
Drain the mixture and stir in the seasoning, tomato paste and diced tomatoes
In a separate pan, add the milk, cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup cheddar and ¼ cup mozzarella.
Stir until thickened
Mix together the cheese mixture, ground beef mixture and pasta.
Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and pour the mixture in
Top with ¼ cup shredded cheddar.
Bake for 30 minutes
Enjoy!!
Nutritional Information
6 Servings
8 Weight Watchers points plus
305 calories; 8.4g Fat; 4.1g sat fat; 56mg cholesterol; 31.4g carbohydrates; 6.2g fiber; 9g sugar; 26.8g protein
** Nutritional information calculated through weight watchers online recipe builder and caloriecount.com, some data might not be accurate
Cheeseburger Casserole
8 Weight Watchers Points Plus
Ingredients
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 LB 95% lean ground beef
4 oz. tomato paste
2 TSP Italian seasoning
2 -15 oz. cans Diced tomatoes with roasted garlic
5 oz. whole wheat penne or rotini, cooked
½ cup part skim shredded mozzarella
¾ cup shredded cheddar
¼ cup 2% milk
1-cup healthy request cream of mushroom soup
Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350.
Brown the ground beef with onion and peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain
Stir in the seasoning, tomato paste and diced tomatoes
In a separate pan, add the milk, cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup cheddar and ¼ cup mozzarella.
Stir until thickened
Mix together the cheese mixture, ground beef mixture and pasta.
Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and pour the mixture in
Top with ¼ cup shredded cheddar.
Bake for 30 minutes
Nutritional Information
6 Servings
8 Weight Watchers points plus
305 calories; 8.4g Fat; 4.1g sat fat; 56mg cholesterol; 31.4g carbohydrates; 6.2g fiber; 9g sugar; 26.8g protein
** Nutritional information calculated through weight watchers online recipe builder and caloriecount.com, some data might not be accurate.
Several years ago after my grandmother past away, my mother and aunt put together a family cookbook with all my grandmother’s recipes (and other family recipes). My grandmother was such a wonderful cook, one of the best in my opinion (excluded my mother of course). Her recipes were always a pinch of this, a dash of that, etc. So putting together the cookbook was interesting, having to re-cook everything to get measurements to write down. The one recipe we have yet to completely master is her Zeppolis, I swear she left something out and is laughing at us. Hers were perfect and we had them with Christmas dinner every year. They were more like a fry bread then the sugary ones you get on the boardwalk. I WILL NOT give up! I will get that recipe right if it’s the last thing I do.
Anyway, I am getting off track. She, like most Italian grandmothers cooked from love, not health and it was ok to have “some meat on your bones”. Now that I am older and much more health conscious, I have decided to slowly go through my grandmother’s cookbook and remake everything I can, just a little bit healthier. I have already posted our minestrone recipe, which was from the cookbook. The second is her rolled chicken Washington. This one is a good one folks. Even my picky pants son ate his whole piece. That’s an accomplishment with that one.
Rolled chicken Washington is best prepared the night before and baked the next night.
Ingredients
6, 5 oz. chicken breast
1 ¼ cup reduced fat shredded cheddar
½ cup finely diced mushrooms
2 TBS. light butter
2 TBS white whole-wheat flour
½ cup fat free half and half
½ cup whole-wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup white whole-wheat flour
¼ cup non-fat milk or almond milk
Equipment
Skillet
1 Baking dish (or pie pan) coated with cooking spray
1 Baking dish, foil lined, coated with cooking spray
Finely dice your mushrooms and melt butter over medium high heat.
Add Mushrooms to the melted butter and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add Flour to the mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Whisk in half and half, cook until thick.
Stir in cheese. Cheese, cheese o’glorious cheese….eeeh-um sorry.
Pour into a baking dish coated with cooking spray and chill until firm. It looks a little strange, I know but its got cheese in it. How bad could it be right?
Divide the cheese mixture into 6 sticks. Pound out your chicken breast into thin cutlets and take 1 piece of the cheese mixture and lay it on top of the chicken cutlet.
Roll the chicken cutlet.
Dust the chicken in flour, then dip in milk and roll into breadcrumbs. Shake off excess breadcrumbs. Cover and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.
Pre-heat your oven to 375. Place chicken in a foil lined baking dish coated with cooking spray.
* I forgot to foil mine this time, BIG mistake. Warning, Cheese will leak out.
Lightly coat with cooking spray and bake for 35-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees. Flip the chicken halfway through baking time.
Enjoy!
Nutritional Information
Makes 6 Servings
8 Weight Watchers Points+ Per serving
319 Calories; 10.7g Fat; 3.6g Sat Fat., 109mg Cholesterol, 12.9 Carbohydrates; 1.5g Fiber; 2.2g sugar, 39.4g protein
Rolled Chicken Washington
Ingredients
6, 5 oz. chicken breast
1 ¼ cup reduced fat shredded cheddar
½ cup finely diced mushrooms
2 TBS. light butter
2 TBS white whole-wheat flour
½ cup fat free half and half
½ cup whole-wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup white whole-wheat flour
¼ cup non-fat milk or almond milk
Equipment
Skillet
1 Baking dish (or pie pan) coated with cooking spray
1 Baking dish, foil lined, coated with cooking spray
Instructions
Finely dice your mushrooms and melt butter over medium high heat.
Add Mushrooms to the melted butter and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add Flour to the mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Whisk in half and half, cook until thick.
Stir in cheeses.
Pour into a baking dish coated with cooking spray and chill until firm.
Divide the cheese mixture into 6 sticks. Pound out your chicken breast into thin cutlets and take 1 piece of the cheese mixture and lay it on top of the chicken cutlet.
Roll the chicken cutlet.
Dust the chicken in flour, then dip in milk and roll into breadcrumbs. Shake off excess breadcrumbs. Chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.
Pre-heat your oven to 375. Place chicken in a foil lined baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Light spray with cooking spray and bake for 35-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees. Flip the chicken halfway through baking time.
Nutritional Information
Makes 6 Servings
8 Weight Watchers Points+ Per serving
319 Calories; 10.7g Fat; 3.6g Sat Fat., 109mg Cholesterol, 12.9 Carbohydrates; 1.5g Fiber; 2.2g sugar, 39.4g protein
I made my salmon with Balsamic Glaze the other night and of course I had way too much salmon. But I had planned on using the left overs to experiment with some salmon cakes. Glad I did. They were better then the Balsamic Glazed Salmon. These were really really good, and very satisfying. I had them for lunch and was not hungry again until dinner. If you know me at all, that is REALLY rare. Not much fills me up, I am always hungry. The aioli sauce has quite a kick to it, you can cut back on the hot sauce, or leave it out entirely. I had the salmon cakes for lunch with the aioli, then had 1 for dinner over a big salad with balsamic dressing, both equally delicious.
The points breakdown can vary. You can make 6 cakes (3 servings) for 9 point with the aioli, 7 points with out the aioli. Or you can make 4 larger cakes and the points value would be 6 for 1 cake with or without the aioli (Can’t figure out that one folks, but it is, what it is).
Ingredients
For the Salmon Cakes
2 Garlic Cloves
½ medium red bell pepper, diced small
12 ounces Cooked Salmon (you could use canned)
½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs, divided
2 TBS. chopped parsley
2 diced scallions (about ¼ cup)
2 TBS Hellman’s low fat mayo
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. old bay seasoning
For the Aioli
3 TBS Hellman’s low fat mayo
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 tsp. lemon zest.
¼ tsp. Siracha or hot pepper sauce (depending on taste)
1 tsp. capers
salt to taste
Equipment
Mixing bowl
Baking sheet
Cooking Spray
Preheat your broiler. In a small skillet coated with cooking spray sauté the pepper for about 4 minutes, add garlic and sauté for another minute.
In a mixing bowl, break up your salmon into large chunks.
Add the bell pepper, garlic, and scallions.
Then add mayo, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and mix well.
Add ¼ cup panko and parsley, stir to combine.
Form into either 6 small or 4 large patties.
Place remaining ¼ cup panko into a pie plate or shallow bowl and coat each crab cake with panko.
Place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Lightly coat them with cooking spray.
Broil for 10 minutes total, flipping halfway through, until they are crispy and golden brown delicious
For years I was scared to eat salmon, I kept saying I didn’t like it. I don’t know why, I never tried it. Up until a few years ago, a piece of salmon never past my lips. I think, like most people, did not want to eat it due to the fat content (I had the same fear of avocados) silly me. A lot of people feel this way; they don’t want to waste the fat or “points” (on WW) on salmon. But it really is very beneficial, it’s rich in omega-3, which can lower your risk of heart disease and help arthritis. It has also been known to aide in fat loss, eating certain fats can make you lose fat. Who would’ve thought!
I know I have a good recipe too when Tom, who complained all day that we were eating fish for dinner, ate every last bit of his salmon. It’s a super simple recipe, and uses my favorite new sauce, balsamic glaze. You guys have to try this stuff; it’s so darn yummy. And its versatile, it’s good on both dinner and desserts. My neighbor and I had it over strawberries the other night and it was Delish!!
Ingredients
24 oz. salmon (whole or 4-6 oz. fillets)
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
2 TBS honey
1 TBS Dijon mustard
½ TBS olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1 Bunch of asparagus
2 tsp salt
Salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
Equipment
1 small pot
2 baking sheets
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey.
Place balsamic mixture in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. You will end up with a little shy of 1/2 cup.
Place the salmon on a baking sheet. Brush the salmon with ½ TBS olive oil and season with salt, pepper and ¼ tsp. garlic powder. (I made extra salmon so I could make salmon cakes with the left overs)
Trim the asparagus. If you hold the asparagus at either end and bend it half, it will snap in the right spot.
Coat the asparagus with 2 tsp. olive oil, season with salt, pepper and 2 minced garlic cloves.
Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet
Add both the fish and the asparagus in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
*If you are using fillets you will need to decrease the cooking time to 10 minutes for the salmon. Add the asparagus for 5 minutes then put salmon in the oven.
Place fish on platter with asparagus and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey.
Place balsamic mixture in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Place the salmon on a baking sheet. Brush the salmon with ½ TBS olive oil and season with salt, pepper and ¼ tsp. garlic powder
Trim the asparagus. If you hold the asparagus at either end and bend it half, it will snap in the right spot.
Coat the asparagus with 2 tsp. olive oil, season with salt, pepper and 2 minced garlic cloves.
Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet
Add both the fish and the asparagus in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
*If you are using fillets you will need to decrease the cooking time to 10 minutes for the salmon. Add the asparagus for 5 minutes then put salmon in the oven.
Place fish on platter with asparagus and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Lasagna? Yes please. Any type of Mexican food? Of course!! Combine the two and it’s just about the best darn combination there could be. Mexican lasagna, its hearty, filling, cheesy, yummy. I used refried beans, but if you don’t dig refried beans you could use black in its place. The best part, this gets better with time. So you could make it ahead of time. I made it for dinner on a Tuesday and had left overs Wednesday, and I really do think it was better the second day.
Ingredients:
1lb 95% lean ground beef
1 green pepper
1 onion
6 whole-wheat tortillas
1 can fat free re-fried beans
1 ½ cup shredded low fat Mexican blend cheese
1 packet of taco seasoning (or make your own, 2-3 TBS depending on taste)
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
Equipment:
9×13 baking dish
1 large skillet
cutting board and knife
Preheat your oven to 350.
To make the filling:
Dice your onion and tomato
Heat skillet over high heat, add ground beef, onion and peppers. Cook until browned, crumbling while cooking.
Drain any fat, yuck
Add Taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and chilies.
Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
To assemble the Lasagna:
Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Take two tortillas and spread 1/3 of the refried beans on them. Place them on the bottom of the baking dish.
Spread 1/3 of the ground beef mixture on top of the re-fried beans.
Layer ½ cup of the cheese.
Repeat 2 more times, ending with a layer of cheese
You know how we do Friday night pizza night at our house, well plain pizza does get a little boring. So at times I like to try something a little different. I have to be careful though because my boys wont eat everything. When I was routing through my freezer, I found some extra turkey links I had left over from something or another. Sausage and onion just seem to go naturally together, and so was born Sausage and Caramelized onion Pizza.
I used sweet Italian sausage, but hot would be equally as delicious. The onions get super sweet when you cook them down. They just take a while, so you just need some patience. You could prep the onions ahead of time to cut down on your cooking time. You can also use store bought dough, instead of homemade. However, it may change the points+ value.
In an effort to save some money and for health reasons, I decided a while back to try to make at least 1-2 meals a week meatless. Now, this can be really challenging, you know with the veggie-phobe I married, if veggie-phobe is even a word it takes a lot of pouring through recipe books and looking online to find a recipe that Tom might eat. I stumbled across this recipe for black bean tacos on Self. I decided to give them a try and added them to our weekly meal plan.
Well the day came to make them, and Tom called on his way home and asked what’s for dinner. When I told him, I just heard his voice deflate “oh, ok…” ugh. To be honest, I was a little skeptical too. But I pushed through, and boy am I glad I did. These are GOOD. And Tom not only ate them, but also had seconds. WOOHOO! These are spicy; you can tone down the spice by the amount of jalapeno you add (you can also remove seeds and ribs). Black beans are such a good meat replacement in these; you almost don’t even notice you are not eating meat.
Ingredients
1 ½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained well
¼ cup rolled oats
¼ yellow corn meal
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp. salt (divided)
½ tsp. black pepper (divided)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (or canned, drained and rinsed)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small jalapeno, minced
2 medium scallions, sliced
Juice from 1 lime
¼ cup cilantro
8 corn tortillas
*** If you use regular corn tortillas, the points+ value is 7. I used crunchy and that made them 9 points+
Equipment Needed
Food Processor
Baking sheet
Small bowl
Cutting board and knife
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
To make the corn salsa:
In a small bowl, add the corn, jalapeno, bell pepper, scallions, ¼ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper.
Squeeze limejuice over mixture, stir and set aside.
To make the tacos:
Chop your garlic in the food processor.
To the food processor, add black beans, rolled oats, corn meal, chili powder, and ¾ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Process until well combined. Stop a few times during the processing to scrape down the sides (uh um…turn processor off first)
Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and crumble the black bean mixture on the pan. Yes, I know it kind of looks like dog food.
Cook for 15 minutes until they become crispy.
Break up the pieces with a spoon until crumbly and resemble ground beef.
Cook for 10-15 more minutes. While black beans cook, warm your tortillas. If you sing crunchy, just warp in foil and place in oven. If you are using regular tortillas, heat in a skillet with non-stick spray.
Divide the bean mixture between tortillas and top with corn salsa
Enjoy!
Nutritional Information
4 servings, 2 tacos per serving
7 Weight Watchers points+ (for corn tortillas)
9 Weight Watchers points+ (for crunchy shells)
321 calories per serving, 3 g fat (0 g saturated), 60 g carbs, 13 g fiber, 14 g protein
Spicy Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
1 ½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained well
¼ cup rolled oats
¼ yellow corn meal
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp. salt (divided)
½ tsp. black pepper (divided)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (or canned, drained and rinsed)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small jalapeno, minced
2 medium scallions, sliced
Juice from 1 lime
¼ cup cilantro
8 corn tortillas
*** If you use regular corn tortillas, the points+ value is 7. I used crunchy and that made them 9 points+
Equipment Needed
Food Processor
Baking sheet
Small bowl
Cutting board and knife
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
To make the corn salsa:
In a small bowl, add the corn, jalapeno, bell pepper, scallions, ¼ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper. Squeeze limejuice over mixture, stir and set aside.
To make the tacos:
Chop your garlic in the food processor.
To the food processor, add black beans, rolled oats, corn meal, chili powder, and ¾ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Process until well combined. Stop a few times during the processing to scrape down the sides (uh um…turn processor off first
Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and crumble the black bean mixture on the pan.
Cook for 15 minutes until they become crispy. Break up the pieces with a spoon until crumbly and resemble ground beef.
Cook for 10-15 more minutes. While black beans cook, warm your tortillas. If you sing crunchy, just warp in foil and place in oven. If you are using regular tortillas, heat in a skillet with non-stick spray.
Divide the bean mixture between tortillas and top with corn salsa
Nutritional Information
4 servings, 2 tacos per serving
7 Weight Watchers points+ (for corn tortillas)
9 Weight Watchers points+ (for crunchy shells)
321 calories per serving, 3 g fat (0 g saturated), 60 g carbs, 13 g fiber, 14 g protein
Last week my husband requested Chicken potpie; he does not request meals that often (I am usually on my own when it comes to planning the meals) so of course I worked it into our weekly meal plan. Then I got coupon for a Perdue oven roaster, Hooray! (I love me some coupons) It was like the stars aligned to make chicken potpie. So I decided the make my perfect garlic roast chicken and use the left over to make the requested chicken pot pie.
Well, the day came to make chicken potpie, I was going to make it all from scratch. The filling, you know sautéing the onions, making a rue; Also planned on making my own pie crust. WELL that didn’t happen. All you mommies of 2 years olds will understand. My son was having a “rough” day, if I left a 1 inch radius of him he would scream relentlessly. So I did what any mom would do and sat there by his side and stressed over dinner. So I called my husband and told him to pick up biscuits. I would change my plans and make quick and easy biscuit chicken pot pie. It comes together so quick (you don’t even need to defrost the veggies) so Tom could cuddle with TJ while I quickly whipped up this recipe. Crisis Diverted.
Ingredients
4 Reduced fat homestyle biscuits.
6 oz roasted chicken, diced into bite size pieces
½ cup frozen green beans
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup frozen peas
½ cup healthy request cream of chicken soup
1 cup healthy request cream of mushroom soup
Equipment Needed
Deep Skillet
8×8 baking dish
Pre-heat oven to 350. In a deep skillet add the 2 soups and chicken and heat over medium heat.
Add the vegetables, let cook for about 5 minutes or so, until warmed through
Spray and 8×8 baking dish with cookig spray and add the chicken mixture.
Take each biscuit and stretch it out until it’s about half the original thickness, place the biscuits on top of the chicken mixture.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the biscuits are browned and the filling is hot and bubbly.
