Open-Faced Hummus Sandwiches

Sometimes I am a mean wife and plan things that I know Husband won't like just because I want them and I make the meal plan. This is definitely one of those things. I had thought maybe, just maybe he might like it but alas, no dice. He couldn't even finish it. I, on the other hand, LOVED it. The whole thing ended up blowing up in my face when I could not restrain myself from eating the rest of his sandwich when he didn't finish. That'll teach me. So here's the thing about this recipe... If you like all of the ingredients you will absolutely love this if not you probably won't like it at all. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. We won't talk about what Husband would give it...

 

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 (1 1/2-ounce) slices sourdough bread
• 1 1/2 cups quartered grape tomatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 (8-ounce) container plain hummus
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Arrange bread on a baking sheet. Broil 1 minute or until toasted. (Or put it in the toaster like we did...)
3. Combine tomatoes and next 6 ingredients (through garlic). Spread about 1/4 cup hummus over each bread slice. Divide tomato mixture evenly among servings. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 358

Fat: 20.1g

Cholesterol: 7mg

Sodium: 811mg

Fiber: 4.3g

Protein: 12.3g

Copy Cat Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Ok, I totally took the wrong picture for this making it super difficult to blog. The good news: using the search bar you can find either of the recipes included in this post so it doesn't really matter. Husband is a HUGE Chipotle fan so he was on board for making it ourselves. I kept looking forward to this recipe and man did it deliver. Husband says they rival the burrito bowls of Chipotle but majorly prefers our pork carnitas to any of their meat choices. Take that Chipotle. We made the Pork Carnitas the day before on our regular crock pot day and since it always makes enough to feed a small army we planned these with the left overs. We used the rice cooker to make the rice since we are lazy and made the beans while it cooked. then we just layered, added some queso fresco and ate it with a few chips. Yum. Most definitely 5 out of 5 stars!!

Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice

Source: www.skinnytaste.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice
• 1/2 lime, juice of
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 3 tsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.
2. In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.

Amount Per Serving

Servings: 4 • Size: 3/4 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts

Calories: 201.0 • Fat: 3.4 • Carbs: 37.4 • Fiber: 0 • Protein: 4.0 g

Quick and Delicioso Cuban Style Black Beans

Source: www.skinnytaste.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 scallions
• 2 tbsp red bell pepper
• 3 tbsp cilantro
• 15 oz can black bean, do not drain
• 1/2 cup water or more if needed
• 1 bay leaf
• few pinches cumin to taste
• pinch oregano
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Chop onion, garlic, scallions, red pepper, and cilantro in a mini chopper of food processor.
2. Add oil to a medium-sized pot on medium heat. Add vegetables to the pot and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add beans, water, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover, simmer about 15 minutes stirring occasionally (adjust water as needed). Taste for salt and serve.

Amount Per Serving

Servings: 4 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts

Calories: 113.9 • Fat: 2.9 g • Protein: 6.8 g • Carb: 19.9 g • Fiber: 6.0 g

Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I am seriously kicking myself for not blogging this sooner since now I can't remember much about it. I do remember that everyone ate it and enjoyed it and I remember that we decided we would make it again substituting with smoked gouda to add another good flavor. We also substituted panko for the bread crumbs and froze half for another day. We had decide on 4 out of 5 stars so I guess that means it was pretty good.

Source: www.skinnytaste.com

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 12 oz high fiber elbows like Ronzoni Smart Taste
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp light butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 8 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1/8 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
• Pam butter flavored spray

Directions

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Spray a baking dish with buttered flavor Pam. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a large, heavy skillet, melt butter. Add flour and cook over low heat stirring with a whisk. Add onion and cook another 2 minutes. Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked macaroni and baby spinach. Pour into baking dish. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more buttered flavor Pam on top.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then broil for a few minutes to get the breadcrumbs golden.

Amount Per Serving

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts

Calories: 296.67 • Fat: 9.7 g • Protein: 15.8 g • Carb: 34.5 g • Fiber: 5.3 g

Crock Pot "Baked" Potatoes

Never making baked potatoes the old fashioned way again! Cooked perfectly!!! We did 8 small potatoes and it worked great. Nothing more to say. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: www.skinnytaste.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 medium russet potatoes
• aluminum foil
• Toppings (extra pts): light sour cream, fresh chives, bacon bits, broccoli, cheese

Directions

1. Wash and scrub potatoes until clean. Dry thoroughly. When dry, prick potatoes with a fork and wrap in aluminum foil.
2. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.

Amount Per Serving

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 potato • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 4 (large is 5 points+)

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Yeah! Another crock pot meal that is super yummy! This had a little kick so I didn't give it to the kids but it wasn't too spicy for me and I'm a wimp. It was similar to a lot of the other taco soup type things we've made in the crock pot but it had a lot more flavor. Husband was a genius and used the fire roasted diced tomatoes which always make a meal better. We ate this with a few tortilla chips and it was great. 5 out of 5 stars and no complaints here!

Source: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/12/crock-pot-chicken-enchilada-soup.html

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups low sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1-2 tsp chipotle chili in adobo sauce or more to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 8 oz skinless chicken breasts 16 oz total
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions, for topping
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
• fat free sour cream optional

Directions

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft, 3-4 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth, tomato sauce and chipotle adobo sauce and bring to a boil. Add cilantro and remove from heat. Pour into crock pot.
2. To the crockpot, add drained beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano and stir. Add the chicken breasts; cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
3. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Add chicken back into the soup, adjust salt and cumin to taste. Serve in bowls and top with fat free sour cream, cheese, scallions and cilantro. You can also top with avocado or crushed tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Amount Per Serving

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups + cheese • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts

Calories: 260.9 • Fat: 6.6 g • Protein: 25.4 g • Carb: 29.9 g • Fiber: 6.7 g • Sugar: 4.1 g
Sodium: 572 mg (without salt)

Spinach Tortellini en Brodo

Ok, Husband and I disagree about this. I concede that it is good but I don't think it as good as our other tortellini soup recipe and he says it is better. I think he prefers this one because the other one has a tartness from the balsamic vinegar and this one has a more "chicken noodlie" taste. I obviously did like as we made it a few days ago and I just ate more for lunch today. That's the really good news... makes lots of leftovers. The other good news: it is surprisingly kid friendly. Thing 1 ate a little and then moved on to something else but Thing 2 kept on eating. I've actually given him this several times since we've made it but I mostly just fish the tortellini out and cut it up for him. Still, if I can make something for us and tweak it a little so the kids will eat it I'm a happy mom. As always we left out the celery. You can pretty much bet that if something contains celery it will be left out. It is my compromise with Husband. I get to keep olives if I give up celery. DEAL! Anyway, I really liked the freshness of this soup and it came when I had a yucky cold so it was a very welcomed dish. I will go with Husband on this one and give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Source: http://www.skinnytaste.com/

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tsp butter
• 2 stalks of celery, choppeds
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled & chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 small Parmigiano Reggiano Rind optional
• 18 oz spinach cheese tortellini Buitoni
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 cups baby spinach
• salt to taste
• Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Directions

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. When melted, add the celery, onion, carrot & garlic. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
2. Add the chicken broth, water, rind and increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. When broth boils, add salt (to taste), pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and add tortellini. Simmer until tortellini cooks to al dente.
3. Once cooked, remove the rind, and add the baby spinach. Stir to combine. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano!
4. Makes 12 cups

Amount Per Serving

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1-1/2 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 6 pts

Calories: 226.6 • Fat: 5.3 g • Carb: 33.8 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Protein: 11.3 g

Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

I'm not going to lie this was not my favorite. I think the problem was the spinach. I don't like frozen spinach. Next time I think we will use fresh spinach and wilt it ourselves which will hoping make it less soggy and more fresh tasting. At the very same moment that I was eating it saying "meh" Thing 1 DEVOURED his whole plate full and wanted seconds. That's an epic win. Not to mention Thing 2 (who is my not so picky child) not only ate it all up and had seconds but he did his little 1 year old happy dance while he was eating it so I knew that was a win. All in all this was considered a win in our house which is good because we split it and have a pan in the freezer. I will definitely substitute the spinach but as it is I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars. I didn't like it as much as I had hoped but the kids did and I would definitely eat it again.


Source: http://www.skinnytaste.com/

Ingredients

• 27 (9 oz) Barilla Jumbo Shells
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, choppeds
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb 99% lean ground turkey
• 32 oz crushed tomatoes I used Tuttorosso
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
• 8 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 egg
• 16 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed well
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions

1. Boil water and cook shells according to package directions, make sure to make them al dente.
2. Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in oil. Add turkey and salt and brown until cooked, breaking up in small pieces. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil, then simmer on low, covered, about 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375°.
4. In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, egg, spinach, mozzarella, and parmesan.
5. Once shells are cooked and cool, fill each shell with (about 2 heaping tbsp) cheese mixture and place on a large baking dish, or two smaller dishes, covering the bottom of the dish with a little sauce.
6. Top shells with half of the sauce, cover with foil and bake 40 minutes; uncover foil and bake 5 more minutes.
7. Serve with additional sauce on top.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 360.9 • Fat: 12.8 g • Protein: 28.4 g • Carb: 34.3 g • Fiber: 3.3 g

Servings: 9 • Serving size: 3 stuffed shells • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 9 pts