Crockpot Turkey Lasagna WW Plus+ = 8

Ingredients:

1 medium size onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 (15 oz) carton Low Fat Ricotta cheese
1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
12 dry lasagna noodles, broken in half
1 (10 oz) box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and squeezed dry

1 (26 oz) jar chunky style pasta sauce

Directions:

1. In a large nonstick skillet, cook onions and garlic over medium high heat for 4 minutes or until softened. Add turkey to skillet and cook, breaking up large chunks, for about 6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain fat. Season turkey with oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine ricotta and 1/2 cup of the Italian shredded cheese.

3. In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, layer 6 of the uncooked noodles, overlapping as necessary. Spread half of both the meat mixture and broccoli over noodles then top with about half of the pasta sauce and 1/4 cup water. Gently spread ricotta mixture on top and continue layering with remaining noodles, meat, broccoli, sauce and an additional 1/4 cup water.

4. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 5 hours.
Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top for last 15 minutes of cooking time or until melted.

Yield: 8 Servings Serving size= 1/8 of Recipe


WW Plus+ = 8 Per Serving

Nutritional Information:
Calories 333, Fat 14 g, Cholesterol 85 mg, Carbohydrates 24 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 27g

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Skinny, Mini Eggplant Parmesan Pizzas

All the yummy flavors of Eggplant Parmesan made into these NEW little pizzas. No traditional pizza crusts…The baked eggplant becomes the crust and then topped with pizza toppings.  So simple and really delicious. Each mini pizza has 76 calories, 3 grams of fat and 2 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. Makes a fun appetizer. Serve for lunch or dinner with a salad and you’re all set.  See serving tip below.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients for Eggplant:

1 (~10 oz) eggplant (un-peeled) cut into 8 slices (½ inch thick)

1 egg, I like using Egg-land’s Best

1½ slices multigrain or whole wheat bread, see shopping tips

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

Black pepper, to taste


Ingredients for Pizza Toppings:

½ cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce, see shopping tips

½ cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

8 teaspoons Parmesan cheese, grated


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking pan with foil. Coat the foil with cooking spray.

2. To make bread crumbs: Toast 1½ slices bread. Break into pieces (use crust too) and add to blender. Pulse into crumbs. It should equal about 1 cup bread crumbs.
Pour crumbs into a small bowl and mix in garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. In a small shallow bowl, add the egg and beat. Dip each piece of eggplant into egg then dip each side into the bread crumbs mixture to coat. Place each piece on the baking pan. Repeat with all 8 slices. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Remove eggplant from oven. Top each piece with 1 tablespoon pizza sauce, 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese. Place back in oven for 5-7 minutes until hot and melted.





Makes 8 mini pizzas


Shopping Tips
I used Milton’s Multigrain bread to create the bread crumb or use your favorite multigrain or whole wheat bread. If you don’t want to make your own crumbs, you could use 1 cup Panko bread crumbs, if desired.

I like Ragu, Prego’s or Classico pizza sauce. They comes in a small (14 oz) size jar. You could also use a jar of marinara sauce, if desired.



Serving Tip

Create a really fun meal, by serving with my Low Carb Salad on a Stick, Italian-Style. If you’d like to keep the entire meal vegetarian, just leave the salami off the salad sticks.

Weight Watchers (old points) 1

Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 2

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Skinny Chicken Parmigiana

Look on the menu of almost any Italian restaurant and you’ll see this popular dish.  I’ve remade it skinny compared to a restaurant recipe by using skinless chicken breasts, cooking in a small amount of reduced-fat butter, topping with reduced-fat cheese and just a small amount of Parmesan cheese. One delicious serving has 280 calories, 7.8 grams of fat and 7 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. One serving of Olive Garden’s Chicken Parmigiana has a horrific 1090 calories and 49 grams of fat! Check out the serving tips below for what to serve with this terrific classic.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (1 pound total), see shopping tip

½ cup Panko bread crumbs, see shopping tip

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper

1 egg white

1 tablespoon reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light

2 cups from a jarred spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce, see shopping tip

1 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded


Instructions:

1. Rinse the chicken breasts under cold running water and pat dry. Pound chicken breasts to flatten, see prep tip.

2. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well.

3. In another small bowl add the egg white.

4. In a large nonstick pan, melt butter. Right next to the cook top, dip each chicken breast in egg white and then into bread crumbs, to coat.  Repeat with all chicken breasts and add to hot pan. Fry chicken on each side, over medium heat, about 5-6 minutes, until chicken is done and no longer pink inside. Remove chicken to a plate.

6. In the same pan, add spaghetti sauce and heat thoroughly. Add cooked chicken back to pan and cover with sauce. Top each piece with ¼ cup shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, cover and cook until cheese is melted.

7. Using a spatula, remove each piece to a dinner plate.



Makes 4 servings (each serving 1 chicken breast and about ½ cup sauce)

Shopping Tips
Most supermarkets sell 1 pound packages of 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast. If you buy a 1 pound package with only 2 larger breast, just cut them in half.

Panko bread crumbs create a much crispier breading. You’ll find them in the baking aisle where other bread crumbs are sold.

I used Classico Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce. It has only 50 calories and 1 gram of fat for a ½ cup serving or use your favorite.


Prep Tip
To save time, many markets sell packages of already flatten chicken breasts. I found them at Trader Joe’s.

There are several ways to flatten a chicken breast. The most common way is to place 1 chicken breast in a plastic bag. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breast to flatten to an even thickness, about ½ inch thick. Another way I recently discovered, is to flatten it using a tortilla press! Place the chicken breast in a plastic bag and let the press do the pounding work. A tortilla press is made out of cast iron. You can buy it in a cookware store or places such as Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They sell for $19.95 and I used my 20% coupon!  I now use it often for flattening all kind of meats.


Serving Tips
Place chicken and sauce on top of a side of whole wheat spaghetti or Skinny Mash Potatoes, if desired.  I love to serve this chicken with a vegetable dish on the side. Steamed broccoli would be great or here’s my favorite vegetable for this dish.

Weight Watchers (old points) 6
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 7

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Skinny Garlic Green Beans

Are you looking for a simple yet tasty vegetable side dish? This one might just become a favorite. I first tasted a similar recipe at a place in the LA area called Koo Koo Roo. It’s a casual chicken restaurant offering the most amazing skinless chicken and many wonderful, healthy side dishes, like this one.  These green beans are very popular there so I’ve remade them a little skinnier. Each skinny serving now has 48 calories, 2 grams of fat and only 1 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. There’s so much flavor in such skinny facts!



Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans

2 cups water

1 tablespoon fresh garlic cloves, minced

1½ tablespoons reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light

¼ teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper, to taste


Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, add beans and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 8-10 minutes until tender crisp.

2. Drain beans and set aside.

3. In a nonstick pan, saute garlic and 1 tablespoon butter over low heat just until light brown.  Add beans and toss to coat.

4. Remove beans from heat and place beans in a serving dish.  Add ½ tablespoon butter and let melt over beans.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to taste.


Makes 4 servings (about ¾ cup each)


Food Fact
Green beans are unripe or immature pods obtained from the bean plant belonging to common fabaceae family. They’re referred to as “common beans,” probably because they all derived from a common bean ancestor that originated in Peru.


Healthy Benefit
Green beans are a very good source of vitamins, minerals, and plant derived micronutrients. They’re a very rich source of dietary fiber and contain excellent levels of vitamin A.


Prep Tip
There is nothing as bitter as burned garlic. It can literally ruin a dish. When a recipe calls for cooking garlic in olive oil do so over a very low heat and carefully watch the dish.


Weight Watchers (old points) 1
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 1

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Shrimp Bruschetta PointsPlus+ = 1

Ingredients

1 lb cooked peeled shrimp, coarsely chopped
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 mango, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp dried crushed red peppers
1/4 tsp salt
1 loaf French bread, cut into 32 slices
Olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix shrimp, cheese, mango, bell pepper, green onions, lime juice, allspice, thyme, red peppers and salt in a large bowl until well blended.

2. Place bread slices on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly toasted, turning once.

3. Spoon shrimp mixture evenly onto bread slices. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Yield: 32 Servings
Serving Size: 1 Piece per serving.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus+ = 1

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 53, Fat 1g, Carbohydrates 6g, Cholesterol 31mg, Sodium 130mg, Fiber 0g, Protein 5g


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WW Eggs and Hash Browns WW Plus+ = 5

Ingredients

1 (20 oz) package refrigerated shredded
hash brown potatoes

2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
1/2 tsp salt
1 dozen eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese
Fresh chives, optional

Directions:



1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a large baking sheet; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together potatoes,
the 2 beaten eggs, chives and 1/2 tsp salt. Shape mixture into 12 mounds (about 1/3 cup each) on a prepared baking sheet. Press the back of a tablespoon into each mound, making a nest. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly brown and set.

2. Meanwhile, beat together the dozen of eggs, milk, the 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper with a rotary beater.
In a 12 inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat; pour in egg mixture. Cook over medium heat without stirring until mixture begins to set on the bottom and around the edge.

3. With a spatula, lift and fold partially cooked egg mixture so uncooked portion flows underneath.
Continue cooking over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes or until egg mixture is cooked through but still glossy
and moist. Remove from heat.

4. Spoon about 1/3 cup of egg mixture into each potato nest. Sprinkle cheese over eggs.
Return to oven; bake about 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Optional: (If desired, garnish with chives).

Yield: 12 Servings
Serving size: 1/3 cup of potato mixture and 1/3 cup egg mixture.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus+ = 5 Per Serving

Nutrition Information:
Calories: 205.3, Fat 12.4 g, Cholesterol 266.3 mg, Carbs 11 g, Fiber 6 g, Protein 12.2 g.

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Lemon Thumbprint Cookies 1 Points Plus+

Ingredients:

1 1⁄2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup, scant, prepared lemon curd

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in egg, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. On low speed, beat in baking powder, then flour until incorporated. Cover and chill dough 1 hour. Place lemon curd into a small zip top food storage bag. Seal bag.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. You will need baking sheets lined with
non stick foil, liners or parchment paper.
Shape scant tablespoonsful of dough into balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. With index finger, make a deep indentation in center of each. Snip a tiny corner of zip top bag and pipe lemon curd into dough indentations to fill completely (about 1 tsp per cookie).

3. Bake 15 minutes or until cookie edges just begin to lightly brown.
Cool completely on baking sheets or wire racks. Dust cookie edges with powdered sugar before serving.

Weight Watcher Points Plus+= 1 Point per serving

Nutrition Information

Calories 93
Fat 4 g
Cholesterol 20 mg
Sodium 20 mg
Carbs 13 g
Fiber 0
Protein 1 g

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