Light berry cobbler

Whoever said that calories don't count on your birthday was probably turning 21.  The older you get, the more your birthday calories seem to count.  But, that's ok because I made this delicious dessert that satisfied my need for birthday cake just fine!

Ingredients

2 (12 oz) bags frozen berries.  I used mixed, but you can do whatever you'd like

1 box white cake mix

2 cans clear diet drink (I used sprite zero)

Non-stick spray

Spray your pan and add your berries

Sprinkle white cake mix on top

Pour about 1.5 cans of the clear drink on top, wetting most of the cake mix.  Don't stir together.

Bake on 350 for about 45 minutes.

This was absolutely delicious!!  4 WW points for 1/16th.  About 140 calories.  

Original Recipe:

http://livingachangedlife.blogspot.com/2011/04/recipe-review-berry-cobbler.html

Southwest chicken chowder (crockpot)

Super easy and super yummy.  Sorry for the lack of pictures, but we played in a tennis tournament this weekend and things were rushed and hectic when trying to get this in the crockpot Sunday morning.  

Ingredients:

2 (14.5 oz) cans fat free chicken broth

1 (15 oz) can black beans

1 (15 oz) can cream style corn

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 chopped onion

2T chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 2 peppers)

1/2 cup fat free milk

1t chopped garlic

1/4t ground cumin

1.5 lb raw or frozen chicken breasts

1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

cilantro, salt, and pepper to taste

Ok, are you ready for these super hard instructions?  Throw all that shit in a crock pot except the cilantro, sour cream, and potato flakes.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Shred chicken.  Add everything else. 

It's seriously that easy and it was a big hit at the house.  Add a little shredded cheese if you would like.

163 calories or 4 WW points for a whole cup of this!  Makes ten servings so we will be having this again tonight for dinner.

I got the original recipe from here:

http://www.hungry-girl.com/weighin/show/2180-healthy-soup-recipes-blt-soup-spicy-southwest-chicken-chowder#chowder

Hungry Girl is a great place to get wonderful and easy recipes.  I recommend signing up for their newsletter as well.  It always has great food finds!

Next Weeks Menu

I menu plan on Fridays so that I can grocery shop on Sunday mornings and have everything I need for the week.  Next week I plan on making a spicy southwest chicken chowder, something I am calling Pizzadillas, and also a light berry cobbler (because Tuesday is my birthday!).  I figured it would be helpful to post my grocery list for the things needed for this recipes.  That way if you want to make these your grocery shopping will be super easy!  I like to make mine grouped by the sections of the grocery store so I don't forget things and have to go back.  I like to be quick and efficient when I get in there.  TWSS...

Meat
Turkey Pepperoni
1.5lb chicken breast

Dairy
Light Italian blend cheese
Laughing Cow

1/2 cup plain light soymilk

fat free sour cream

Produce
Poblano
Red Onion
Mushrooms
Black Olives
Green Bell Pepper
Red Bell Pepper
Garlic
Cilantro

Misc
Pizza Sauce
Two 14.5-oz. cans (about 3 1/2 cups) fat-free chicken broth
One 15-oz. can black beans
One 14.75-oz. can cream-style corn
2 tbsp. chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 2 peppers)
Instant mashed potato flakes
2 (12oz) bags frozen berries
1 can diet 7-up
1 box white cake mix

Bread
Light Flatouts

Biscuit enchilada goodness

Last nights dinner was super easy and pretty cheap to make.  It made 6-8 servings depending on how you wanted to do the calories.  I thought we could make this last for lunch this weekend, however, Jon ate 3.5 of the 6 pieces.   That's how you know it's good.

Ingredients

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 can reduced fat biscuits

1 1/4 cups shredded low fat cheese

1 poblano

1 bunch green onions

taco seasoning (my taco seasoning is homemade and in that Tupperware container with the blue top)

Start out by browning the ground meat with the chopped poblano.  When the meat is about half way done I added 2T of homemade taco seasoning.  This is the equivalent of about half a pack. 

If you don't know what that black tool is, you are missing out.  It is from pampered chef and you use it to make your ground meat very fine when browning it.  I believe it is called a "mix n chop." Change your life and buy one.  

This is what it looks like when it is done.  Look how fine that ground meat is!

Remove from burner and add the tomato sauce and enchilada sauce.

Now comes the hard part...opening the can of biscuits.  It's just not my forte.  Usually I make Jon do this, but he was not home.  After unsuccessfully peeling back the paper, I resorted to beating it on the edge of the counter.  Hard.  The can of biscuits exploded on both sides and those two metal pieces flew off.  A piece of biscuit can shrapnel hit me in the arm.  It was tough times in the Mitchell kitchen. 

Anyway, you add the mixture to a casserole dish and break each biscuit into about 8 pieces and throw them all in there.  Throw it in the oven on 350 for about 25 minutes.

When it's done, it will look something like this...

Add your cheese and throw it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.  Top with green onions.

Maybe not the prettiest dish.  We ate while watching Top Chef from last night and I must say my plating left a little to be desired, but it was DELICIOUS.  The best part is that it was super filling!!

I ate it with cucumbers and tomatoes and Jon had a full blown salad.  YUM!

By my calculations the whole recipe is around 2550 calories.  That means:

Cut into 8 servings=320 calories per serving

Cut into 6 servings=425 calories per serving

Cut into 6 servings=7 weight watchers points per serving

Cut into 8 servings=5 weight watchers points per serving

I've changed the recipe up a good bit, but this is the original recipe I adapted from:

http://livingachangedlife.blogspot.com/2011/04/recipe-review-bubble-up-enchilada.html

I also think I may try to do something similar to this, but with turkey pepperoni, pizza sauce, and italian cheese blend with plenty vegetables!

Recipe-Lasagna Soup

It's been awhile!  Happy New Year to everyone.  Obviously, I haven't been writing much, but decided I would use this blog as a helpful tool for some things.  My NY resolution this year was to cook more at home, try new recipes, and eat out less (shooting for 1-2 times a week).  Although, my priorities have been shifting and changing, health and fitness will always be up there on the list for me.   I made a soup last night and posted the picture on instagram.  Quite a few people were asking for the recipe.  I must have sent it to 6-7 different people.  With that being said, I thought it would be helpful to post new recipes I try out here and review how they tasted.  Whether or not you are trying to lose weight in 2015, everyone can use new, quick, easy, and healthy recipes!


Lasagna Soup
2t olive oil
1lb extra lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32oz) container chicken broth
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2t salt
1/2t red pepper flakes (this makes it pretty spicy, so hold back if you arent a fan)
4 ounces broken whole wheat lasagna noodles (I used simply balanced organic from target)
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
3T parmesan cheese
1/2C reduced fat shredded mozarella

Instructions
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Add ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and minced garlic.  Brown ground meat.

Add broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add noodles, bring back to a boil until noodles are soft.

Remove from burner.  Mix in both cheeses and basil.

Serving is 1 cup:
225 calories
23g protein
7g fat
17g carb
2g fiber
If you are doing weight waters it is 6 points per cup

This soup was delicious.  We had it with whole wheat breadsticks and a salad.  

Here is the link to the original recipe I used:  http://thedeenbros.com/index.php/recipes/recipe_detail/bobbys_lighter_tastes_like_lasagna_soup/