Crock Pot Cream Tomato Soup

Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

This creamy, rich tasting tomato soup is made in the slow cooker, with tomatoes, herbs, milk and Pecorino Romano cheese, plus the cheese rind for an added flavor boost.
Last night for dinner, we had a big bowl of this soup with some grilled garlic bread and a simple garden salad. For lunch, I usually like to have a small cup with a half sandwich (whole wheat grilled cheese – yum!).
Thanks to my parents, I'm real picky when it comes to soup. I grew up in home where we had homemade soup practically every night. Almost always dinner usually started a meal with a bowl of soup (not something I was always happy about as a kid) but I always loved when mom made her tomato soup.
Her recipes are usually more labor intensive than mine, I much prefer quick and easy. This slow cooked tomato soup, comes pretty close to her original, without all the extra work.  I always cook my vegetables on the stove, I think it gives you the best tasting results. You can do this the night before to save time in the morning. What really makes the soup over the top in my opinion, is the cheese rind (you toss it after the soup is done). I always freeze them after I use up my cheese, just to make soups, but don't worry if you don't have one the soup will still turn out fine.
You can also make this on the stove top: just simmer it in a big pot on low for about 1 1/ 2- 2 hours. If you want to use fresh garden plum tomatoes, as I often do in the summer when I need to use them up, I just blanch them in a big pot of boiling water until the skins crack, then remove them and peel the skins off.
This soup freezes well, so don't worry if this makes too much, you can make it and freeze it in small containers for quick meals on busy weeknights.
And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6  • Size: 1-1/2 cups • Points +: 5 pts • Smart Points: 7
Calories: 177 • Fat: 10 g • Carb: 17 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 8 g • Sugar: 8 g
Sodium: 600 mg  • Cholest: 21 mg
Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable for vegetarians)
• Parmesan or Romano cheese rind (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 3/4 cups reduced fat (2%) milk, warmed
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add the oil, celery, carrots and onions; cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden. Add to slow cooker.
Pour the juice of the tomatoes into the slow cooker, then roughly crush the tomatoes with your hands; add to slow cooker. Then add chicken (or vegetable broth), the cheese rind (if using) thyme, basil, and bay leaf.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, until the vegetables get soft and the flavors blend. Remove the cheese rid and, using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth (or you can carefully do this in small batches in the blender).
Melt the butter over low heat in a large skillet and add the flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot soup, then add the 1 3/4 cups of warmed milk and stir until smooth. Pour back into the slow cooker and stir, add the grated Pecorino cheese and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.
Cover and cook on low 30 more minutes.
Makes about 9 1/4 cups.

Chicken Barley Soup

Warm up with a bowl of this Chicken and Barley Soup! My entire family loves this including my five year old, and the leftovers are better the next day!

This week's forecast – snow, snow and more snow! Making soup is my way of dealing with February and the cold. I like to use chicken on the bone when making soup because it adds more flavor. If you prefer to use water instead of broth, that is fine too, just add salt to taste.

Make a big pot of this, and freeze the leftovers if you wish! Enjoy and stay warm!

Chicken Barley Soup
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 1/2 cups  • Points+: 6 pt • Smart Points: 5
Calories: 262 • Fat: 4 g • Carb: 24 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 31 g • Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 744 mg (without salt)  • Cholest: 83 mg
Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-1/2 lbs skinless bone-in chicken breast (makes 14 oz cooked)
• 7 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2/3 cup dry barley
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Heat a large heavy pot or dutch oven on medium heat. Add the oil, carrots, onion, celery and garlic to the pot and stir.
Add chicken, broth, parsley, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer covered over low heat until the chicken and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken, shred or cut the meat, discard the bones and return the chicken to the pot along with the barley, adjust the salt if needed and add fresh ground pepper. Simmer an additional 40 minutes, until the barley is cooked. Discard the bay leaves and serve. Makes about 9 cups.

Bacon Topped Turkey Meatloaf w/ BBQ Sauce

Bacon Topped Petite Turkey Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce

If you like the smoky-sweet flavor of BBQ sauce AND the taste of bacon, then you'll love these petite turkey meatloaves with some hidden zucchini inside!
I'm reviving this from the archives because I made a batch of my homemade BBQ sauce to make for pulled pork, and had extra, perfect for making these meatloaves. I made them in a petite loaf pan but you can also make them in a muffin tin.

I love adding zucchini to the mix because it adds moisture to otherwise dry turkey. I've done this before in my turkey burgers and meatloaf cupcakes and it turns out great and no one knows it's in there! I've made this with both 99% lean turkey and 93% percent lean and we all like the 93% lean best. You can use either, the points remain the same. I used myhomemade BBQ sauce, but you can certainly use any BBQ sauce you like. If you are watching your sodium, you could cut back on the bacon or eliminate it all together. Hope you enjoy!

Bacon Topped Petite Turkey Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 5  Serving Size: 1 loaf • Points+: 7 pts • Smart Points: 8
Calories: 259 • Fat: 10 g • Carbs: 17 g • Fiber: 1.2 g • Protein: 25 g • Sugar: 7.6 g
Sodium: 940 mg
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup grated zucchini, all moisture squeezed dry with paper towel
• 2 tbsp onion, minced
• 2 tbsp diced red pepper
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (you can use gluten-free crumbs too)
• 1/4 cup Kansas City BBQ Sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1.3 lb raw 93% lean ground turkey
• 5 slices center cut bacon, cut in half
• 2 1/2 tbsp Kansas City BBQ Sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly spray the petite loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the zucchini, onion, red pepper, breadcrumbs, BBQ sauce, egg, paprika and salt. Add the turkey and combine until mixed through.
Create 5 equal loafs and place them into the loaf pan. Place the 2 bacon halves over each loaf and top each with 1/2 tbsp additional BBQ sauce.

Bake about 25 minutes or until cooked through. 

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs

Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs
From Skinnytaste Cookbook
Serves 6
(2 meatballs and 1/4 cup of sauce = 312 Calories)

Meatballs:

Cooking Spray or oil mister
1 1/2 pounds 93% lean ground chicken (I just used my Ninja blender to "ground" chicken breasts)
1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parley
1 large egg
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 (1 ounce) slices lean deli ham, cut into 6 pieces each
3 slices reduced-fat swiss cheese, cut into 4 pieces each (2.2 ounces total)

Sauce:

1 TBS unsalted butter
1 TBS all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup 33% less sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup 1 % milk
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large nonstick backing sheet with oil.

For the meatballs:  In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, egg, garlic, and salt.  Form 12 meatballs using slightly wet hands to prevent them from sticking.  Stuff each meatball by making a hole in the middle and placing one piece each of ham and Swiss cheese in the center.  Seal the meatballs well by pinching them closed. Place on the prepared backing sheet and bake 20 minutes or until almost cooked through.

For the Sauce:  Meanwhile, in a large, deep nonstick skillet with a fitted lid, melt the butter over medium heat. sprinkle in the flour and cook, whisking constantly for about 1 minute, then whisk in chicken broth and milk.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  Whisk in the mustard and lemon juice, and season with the salt and a pinch of black pepper; remove from the heat and keep covered.

When the meatballs come out of the oven, add them to the skillet with the sauce.  Cover and simmer the meatballs over medium-low heat until the meatballs are cooked through and the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

To serve, place 2 meatballs on each of the 6 serving plates and top with the sauce and parsley.

Pizza Logs

Pizza Logs

Source: Emily Bites Original

Ingredients:

8 egg roll wrappers (larger than wonton wrappers)

8 teaspoons store-bought pizza sauce

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

24 turkey pepperoni slice (I used Hormel)

4 light Mozzarella string cheese sticks, each cut in half horizontally to make two shorter sticks (I used Weight Watchers brand – recommended!)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly mist a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Pour some water into a small dish and set aside. On a flat surface, place an egg roll wrapper, corner facing toward you (like a diamond) and spread a teaspoon of pizza sauce horizontally across the center of the wrapper, leaving ½ inch or so of space on each side. Sprinkle a pinch of Italian seasoning across the sauce and add a row of 3 pepperoni slices over the sauce. Place half a cheese stick on top of the pepperoni. Fold the bottom corner closest to you up over the ingredients and give it a 90 degree roll. Fold the side corners in and tuck them as you give the filled section another 90 degree roll. Dip your finger in the dish or reserved water and lightly wet the edges of the remaining top corner of the wrapper. Finish rolling the filled pizza log over the wet corner so that it adheres. Place wrapped pizza log onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3. When all of the pizza logs are wrapped and on the baking sheets, mist the tops with cooking spray. Bake for 10-14 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the wrappers are golden brown. 

Serving suggestion: Serve with additional pizza sauce for dipping if desired (not included in nutrition calculations)

Yields 8 pizza logs. WW P+:  2 per pizza log (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)

Nutrition Information per egg roll from myfitnesspal.com: 97 calories, 13 g carbs, 2 g fat, 7 g protein, 1 g fiber

Barbecued Turkey Joes

Barbecued Turkey Joes
Weight Watchers Points - 9
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
1/2 medium uncooked bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 medium uncooked onion, chopped
18 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup barbecue sauce
4 mixed grain hamburger buns

Brown turkey in skillet for about 8-10 minutes.  Drain off liquid, Add peppers and onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.

Add barbecue sauce and cayenne pepper; heat thoroughly, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.

Top bottom half of buns with turkey mixture; cover with top half of bun and serve.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Slow Cooker Lasagna
10 Weight Watcher Points per serving
Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked 93% lean ground beef
1 small uncooked onion, chopped
1 clove garlic clove, minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
6 item uncooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiana Reggiano

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking p meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5 quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture, top with half of ricotta mixture.  Repeat with another layer of finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours.  Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture.  Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.

You can add zucchini to the mix or mushrooms.

Skinny Chicken Pesto Bake

Skinny Chicken Pesto Bake- 6 points

2 (16 oz total) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and fresh pepper to taste
4 tsp Basil Pesto
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
6 TBS shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

Wash chicken and dry with a paper towel.  Slice chicken breast horizontally to create 4 thinner cutlets. Season lightly with salt and fresh pepper.

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with foil or parchment for easy clean-up.

Place the chicken on prepared baking sheet. Spread 1 tsp of skinny pesto over each piece of chicken.

Bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.  Remove from over; top with tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese it melted.

I did this without tomatoes and it was amazing. Loved it.

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Servings - 8
Serving size- 1 boat
WW Points - 4 points

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups marinara sauce
4 medium zucchini
1 tsp. oil
1/2 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
14 oz lean Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing
1/2 cup part skim shredded mozzarella
8 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4" thick.  Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside.

Place 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 12" baking dish, and place zucchini halves cut side up.

IN a large saute pan, brown sausage, breaking up as it cooks into smaller pieces until browned; set aside.  Heat oil and add onion, garlic, and bell pepper.  Cook on medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent.  Add chopped zucchini, season with salt and pepper and cook about 2-3 minutes.  Combine with sausage and cook a few more minutes.

Using s spoon, fill each hollowed zucchini with 1/3 cup cooked sausage, pressing firmly.  Top each with 2 TBS each of sauce, 1 TBS each of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 tsp each of parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork & Roasted Broccoli w/ Parmesan

Servings: 8

Serving Size- 3 oz pork + 2 TBS sauce

Points Plus - 5 (not including the bun)

2.5 lbs boneless pork loin roast

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp Hickory liquid smoke

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt (I used regular)

1 cup BBQ sauce

Directions:

Place pork in the slow cooker and season with salt, vinegar, garlic powder and liquid smoke.  Cover and set to high for 6 hours.  (I did mine on low and it turned out amazing).  Remove pork and transfer onto a large dish.  Reserve all the liquid into a cup and set aside.

Shred the pork with two forks and put it back into the slow cooker along with 3/4 a cup of the reserved liquid and the BBQ sauce.  Cook on high for one more hour. (I did low for another hour).

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan 

(depending on how much cheese you eat-changes the ww points on this one!)

1 head of broccoli (I usually need to do 3!)

1 TBsp olive oil

Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

2 TBS grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel outer layer o the broccoli stalks.  Cute the broccoli lengthwise keeping stalk and broccoli florets intact.  (The long broccoli spears should resemble trees).  Arrange in single layer on baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil adn season with salt and pepper to taste.  Toss to coat and roast until nicely carmelized about 15 minutes.  Turn broccoli over and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.  Cook until the Parmesan melts, about 5 minutes.  Yummy!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies - WW

These are very rich and yummy and perfect for a little chocolate fix that I usually need.  If you are able to make 40, then they are 1 PointsPlus Weight Watchers but if you make 24 (like I did) they turned out amazing and are 2 PointsPlus each. Perfect amount of points and a perfect snack.

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp table salt
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar, granulated
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini (I used regular)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat cookie sheets with cooking spray. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.  Combine flour, backing soda and salt in a large bowl.  Beat butter and brown sugar with mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating well.  Add cocoa and egg whites, beating well.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended.  Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 1 1/2 inches apart (if doing 24, just do them the normal cookie distance apart). Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (some reviewers said 9).  Cool on pans 2 minutes or until firm.

Cream of Zucchini Soup

This was another healthy soup I was trying. I LOVED it. Very healthy and very easy. This one really suprised me. I am not a huge zucchini fan but thought I would branch out a little and am glad that I did. Yum!!!

Cream of Zucchini Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 2 pt
Calories: 65.3 • Fat: 1.0g • Protein: 3.5 g • Carb: 11 g • Fiber: 2.8 g


• 1/2 small onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 small zucchini skin on cut in large chunks
• 32 oz fat free chicken stock
• 2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
• salt
• pepper

Combine chicken broth, onion, garlic and zucchini in a medium pot and cook on medium heat.

Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Purée: Add the sour cream. Using an immersion blender, purée till smooth.

Stir in remaining ingredients, and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot.

Lighter Chicken Saltimbocca

I found this recipe at my new favorite Weight Watcher Recipes website. This site is awesome and has great pictures. http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010_05_01_archive.html
Next time I would not put the sage leaves in. I am not a fan of sage so I ended up just taking them out. This is very healthy and so yummy.

Lighter Chicken Saltimbocca
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 piece • Points: 3 ww pts
Calories: 155.2 • Fat: 4.3 g • Protein: 21.7 g • Carb: 4.5 g • Fiber: 0.2 g


3 (8 oz) chicken cutlet halves (24 oz total) , fat removed
3 (1.5 oz) slices paper thin prosciutto, cut in half
6 sage leaves
1/4 cup flour
olive oil spray
1 tbsp butter
salt and fresh pepper
3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
Cut each breast into two cutlets to make a total of 6. Pound each one to about 1/4".

Season chicken with pepper. Lay a sage leaf on top, then a 1/2 slice of prosciutto, fold over and lightly pound ends of chicken to seal.

Place flour in a shallow bowl and lightly dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.


Heat a nonstick frying pan. When hot, spray olive oil. Sauté chicken 1 minute on each side. You may have to do this in a few batches.

Remove chicken from pan and deglaze the pan with wine, scraping up any brown bits. Add chicken broth, butter and return chicken to the sauce. Finish cooking on low, 5 minutes. Serve this over a bed of wilted greens and top with sauce.

Low Fat Spaghetti Carbonara

I have tried several recipes for Spaghetti Carbonara and have enjoyed all of them. I continually found, however, that they were oily and had a lot of onions. I saw this recipe and decided to try it and it is now my favorite one. Plus, it is lower in calories so why not make it instead! Ben even likes this one and he does not enjoy pasta stuff.

1 egg plus 1 egg white
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (you can use Parmesan but the cheese flavor is less pronounced. I used the freshly grated Parmesan from Costco and it was very good)
1/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 TBS mayonnaise
2 oz Canadian bacon, chopped
2 slices bacon, chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp pepper
1/3 cup white wine (I usually just get the cheap white cooking wine and it still tastes good.)
Salt
1 pound spaghetti (Any long, thin pasta such as linguine or fettuccine will also work)

1. Bring 4 qts water to a boil in large pot. Process egg, egg white, cheese, evaporated milk, and 1 1/2 TBS mayonnaise in food processor, or blender, until smooth; leave mixture in food processor.

2. Cook both bacons in large non-stick skillet over medium heat until fat has rendered and bacon is browned, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to bowl; set aside.

3. Add garlic and pepper to fat in pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat, cover and keep warm.

4. Meanwhile, add 1 TBS salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, drain pasta, and return to pot. Toss pasta with remaining 1/2 TBS mayonnaise until coated.

5. With motor running, slowly add wine mixture and 1/4 cup hot pasta cooking water to egg mixture and process until smooth and frothy, about 1 minute. Immediately pour egg mixture over hot pasta and toss to combine, adding reserved cooking water as necessary to adjust consistency. Stir in crisp bacon and season with salt. Serve.

WW Chicken Salad Wrap

I am posting this more for my reference. I LOVED this recipe for a great healthy lunch and I want to be able to reference back to it easily. You can add apples and walnuts if you want to, but I like my chicken salad very simple. You can have this with lettuce for a salad or wrap it like I did. It is only 3 points a serving and 1 with the wrap (wheat tortilla) so it is a light lunch. Perfect with my new favorite Special K Crackers!

3/4 pound cooked chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces (I used the Costco Grilled Chicken so it was really easy and really good)
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/3 cup dill pickle finely diced (I used sweet relish because I like that better and it was good)
1/4 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
2 TBS reduced fat sour cream
2 TBS parsley, fresh, chopped (I just used dried and put less in)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh lemon joice
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Serving size is about 2/3 a cup.

WW Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

We had this tonight and it was really, really good. The kids LOVED it and they never like whatever I cook. It is so easy. If you do not like mushrooms, do not do the mushroom part with the chicken broth and thyme. If you like mushrooms, they are really good on chicken and some rice. YUM!!! Oh...Allyson- these are only 3 points per serving!

2 tsp vegetable oil
3 TBS balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz pieces. (I actually did chicken tenders. The kids like those better.)
2 cups mushrooms, small sliced
1/3 cup canned chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crumbled

In a skillet, heat 1 tsp oil.

In a medium bowl, mix 2 TBS of vinegar, the mustard and garlic. Add chicken and turn to coat.

Transfer chicken and marinade to skillet. Saute' chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm.

heat remaining teaspoon of oil in skillet. Saute mushrooms for 1 minute. Add broth, thyme and remaining TBS of vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are deep brown, about 2 minutes longer.

Serve chicken topped with mushrooms.

Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

This was soooooo good! Ben LOVED it and the kids even ate it. Plus, it is only 4 WW points per serving. I could not stop after 1 serving though...so 8 points is more realistic! Enjoy.
Oh- and I found that Costco sells pork tenderloin in what looks like 2 rolls but it is really 4! They are about 1 pound each and all 4 were only 11 dollars! I now am set with 3 more in the freezer.

1 lb- 1.5 lb pork tenderloin
1 oz envelope dry onion soup mix (I used the entire envelope)
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine (you can buy cooking red wine near the vinegar. I am sure it would be good without this too.)
3 TBS minced garlic
3 TBS soy sauce

Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with contents of soup packet. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top-turning the pork to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, cover and cook on low for 4 hours. I actually did 6 and it made it tender like pulled pork. So good! Serve with cooking liquid on the side.

WW Crusted Honey Mustard Chicken

Ben said he liked this one! He couldn't even tell it was a weight watchers recipe. That is always a good sign.

1 spray(s) cooking spray
2/3 cup(s) lite honey mustard dressing
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dill, freshly chopped
1 medium scallion(s), finely sliced
1 cup(s) cornflake crumbs
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz pieces

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a shallow pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine honey mustard dressing, salt, pepper, dill and scallions; remove 1/3 cup and set aside.
Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken into dressing mixture and then cornflake crumbs; place in prepared pan.
Bake until chicken is golden and no longer pink in center, about 15 minutes.
Drizzle remaining dressing mixture (the 1/3 cup that was set aside) over chicken breasts and serve. Yields 1 piece of chicken and about 1 1/3 tablespoons of dressing per serving.

WW Mini-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, so these are definately not my favorite chocolate chip cookies but it made Ainsley so happy to make cookies again and lick the bowl. They were actually really tasty and you can have 2 cookies for 1 point (which is awesome!!!) It definately filled that little craving I had today.

POINTS® Value: 1
Servings: 24
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Go ahead and grab a handful of these bite-size cookies. They might be little, but they pack a big chocolate punch.

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar, dark-variety
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp table salt
1 large egg white(s)
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a medium bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar. Add vanilla, salt and egg white; mix thoroughly to combine.
In a small bowl, mix together flour and baking soda; stir into batter. Add chocolate chips to batter; stir to distribute evenly throughout.
Drop rounded half-teaspoons of dough onto one or two large nonstick baking sheets, leaving a small amount of space between each cookie. Bake cookies until golden around edges, about 4 to 6 minutes; cool on a wire rack. I would check them before you pull them out. Mine were far too undone-I will do it for longer next time. Yields 2 cookies per serving.

Notes
Indulge your craving for an intense chocolate experience. Buy a 3-ounce bar of fine chocolate with a percentage of 75 or higher on the label. The percentage indicates the combined amount of cocoa bean and added cocoa butter in the chocolate. The higher the percentage, the greater the chocolate taste and the less sweet the product. Chop up the bar and use it instead of the chocolate chips (could affect POINTS values).

WW Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

Philly Cheese Steaks Sandwiches
POINTS® Value: 10
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 22 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

We created a cheese steak sandwich for nearly half the calories of this usually fat-laden Philadelphia specialty.

Ingredients
1 medium onion(s), thinly sliced
1 tbsp sugar
1 pound(s) raw lean flank steak, cut into 8 thin slices
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 medium mixed-grain hamburger roll(s)
1/2 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Coat a large, nonstick skillet with olive oil cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add onion and sugar and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove onion from pan; set aside.
Add steak to skillet and sauté until browned and cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and cook until liquid is absorbed.
Slice rolls in half. Divide steak evenly between rolls and top with onion and cheese. Wrap in foil, transfer to oven and bake until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.