French Toast with Blueberry Sauce

Sunday night dinner.  I had ambitions to make a veggie pot pie but really just got too lazy! Instead we whipped up this easy recipe using some fresh blueberries that I had bought at the store earlier in the day.  It turned out great and, it is always fun to have brinner! 

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 2 pieces and half of the blueberry sauce
Points Plus: 2pp
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Rating: 4 stars – Very Good

Ingredients
1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries
½ T. sugar
½ T. lemon zest
½ T. lemon juice
4 pieces low calorie bread
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 T. fat free milk
½ T. vanilla
Cooking spray

Instructions
Put the first four ingredients in a sauce pan and turn heat to low.  Cook for about 8 minutes, until the berries have broken down and the mixture is a soup like consistency (it is super easy to make a low cal berry sauce that is delish by the way!). Spray a griddle pan with cooking spray. Beat your egg, egg whites, milk and vanilla in a shallow bowl. Carefully dip each piece of bread into the egg mixture to coat, and fry for a few minutes on each side until the bread is golden brown.  To serve, place two pieces of French toast on a plate and top each with ½ of the blueberry mixture, which will be about 1/3 cup.  You could also top with 2 T. fat free cool whip for no additional points plus.

Tip
You could try this with any type of frozen or fresh fruit that you like. Blueberries will breakdown to a great ‘saucy’ consistency, but any fruit will be delish!

Party Skewers

Are you hosting a New Year's party?  Or are you going to one and you don't know what you should bring?  Well these quick and easy little skewers are the perfect party app!

Servings: 10
Serving Size: 2 skewers
Points Plus: 5pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:
1 jar green olives
10 oz. Gouda cheese
10 oz. summer sausage
Toothpicks

Directions:
Dice the cheese and sausage into 1/2 oz. pieces (yes they are a little small, but you just need a taste of each ingredient to make the skewer complete!).  Assemble each skewer by starting with sausage, then Gouda, then topping off with a green olive.  Arrange on a serving platter and you're done!

Tip:
You can easily susbsitute in other items if you aren't a fan of summer sausage or Gouda cheese.  You could sub in salami or prosciutto instead of summer sausage and choose your favorite cheese instead!

XOXO Megan

Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Brownie Bars

I don’t know how you could go wrong with Oreos + Truffles + Red Velvet Brownies + Chocolate + Chocolate Chips.  Which perhaps is why this holiday dessert is the bomb?  The red velvet layer gives these bars a fun holiday coloring, and the Oreo truffle layer is, well, super tasty.  These are a treat, with a high pp count, so enjoy and savor every bite! This recipe was originally found here, I made a few changes.

Servings: 40

Serving Size: 1 delicious brownie bar

Points per serving: 5pp

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 22-25 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Rating: 5 – Excellent!

Ingredients

1 Duncan Hines box Red Velvet cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 package Oreos

8 ounce package fat-free cream cheese

1/2 package (1/2lb) chocolate bark or about 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips)

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine cake mix, melted butter, eggs, pudding mix, vegetable oil and mix well until thoroughly combined (2-3 minutes on medium of electric mixer).

Spray a 9x13 with nonstick cooking spray. I like the baking variety that has flour in it. Then spread the red velvet brownie layer into the pan.  Don’t be surprised, this mixture is thick like a brownie.  Use a spoon to spread out evenly.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Watch very closely the last few minutes.  I actually baked mine for about 25 minutes, but a friend baked hers for 22 minutes and the edges burned.  Let cool completely.

Crush a package of Oreos in a food processor (or in a large plastic bag and rolling pin). Melt cream cheese for 15 seconds in a microwave to soften. Stir together crushed Oreos and cream cheese until blended smooth.

Carefully spread out Oreo truffle mixture on top of baked red velvet brownies. Use your hands to help press it down instead of spreading to avoid tearing the brownies. I then put this in my deep freeze to harden the Oreo layer prior to adding the top layer.

Melt chocolate candy bark (or chocolate chips) and pour over top Oreo truffle layer. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips while still warm.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares, or freeze.

Tip

I keep all holiday treats, and regular treats for that matter, in my freezer.  That way, they are not staring at me in the face.  I actually tend to forget about them!  My plan for all the holiday treats we have posted this week is to serve them for company, as my husband and I are hosting Christmas Eve and NYE.  I saw a great idea on another food blog (which I can’t remember at the moment).  The author suggested putting zip lock baggies by your treat table, and encouraging guests to pack up a bag to bring home with them.  I am for SURE going to do this on NYE, to get the house cleaned out for the start of the New Year.  But for now, enjoy these treats that only come about but once a year!

XOXO - Katie

Senegalese Peanut Stew with Spinach and Sweet Potatoes

Do you have a bunch of sweet potatoes in your fridge like I do, left over from your summer CSA?  This is a great recipe to use those up, and better yet, the recipe has peanut butter in it!  This is a pretty rich stew, but is also filling and has a unique flavor.  Originally a Weight Watchers recipe found here.

Servings: 6

Serving Size: 1 2/3 cup

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: about 40 minutes

Rating: 5 stars - Excellent

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 medium Onion(s), uncooked, chopped
1 medium Pepper, green, chopped
½ pound(s) Potato(es), sweet, raw, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium Carrots, uncooked, peeled and thinly sliced
2 clove(s) Garlic, fresh, minced
2 Tbsp Ginger root, raw, fresh, minced
½ tsp Cloves, ground
½ tsp Salt, table
¼ tsp Cayenne pepper
4 cup(s) Broth, vegetable, reduced-sodium
6 Tbsp Peanut butter, natural, creamy-variety
8 cup(s) Spinach, uncooked, leaves, stemmed, packed, chopped

Instructions
Coat a large saucepan (Le Creuset!) with cooking spray and warm. Add onion and bell pepper, cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sweet potato, carrots and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the ginger, cloves, salt and cayenne and cook for 30 seconds.

Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly, stirring once in a while, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Tip

There is nothing worse that gross, overcooked spinach.  Anytime I have a recipe that calls for spinach I don’t actually cook it with the rest of the soup.  I pull out my fav soup cup, fill it with spinach, and pour my soup over that.  The hot soup cooks the spinach and I don’t have to be scared of how my spinach will hold up for the leftovers!

Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos

Who doesn’t love nachos??  However, they can be high in points and unhealthy.  This recipe attempts to fix that!  Replace the chips (and carbs) with mini bell peppers instead and top with regular nacho ingredients and shredded chicken.  Delicious!!

I found this recipe on the Heat Oven to 350 blog

Servings:  4

Size:  1/4 of the nachos

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time:  10 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very Good  

Ingredient List:

1 tsp. vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 green onions

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 tsp. chili powder

1 cup salsa

Salt & pepper to taste

1 pound mini bell peppers

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar-monterey jack blend, reduced-fat

1/4 cup black olives, sliced

1/2 large tomato, diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.  In a large skillet, heat oil and add garlic and green onions, cook for a few minutes.  Add in shredded chicken and chili powder; mix well until the chili powder evenly coats the chicken and onions – cook until the chicken is warmed through.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salsa and season with salt & pepper to taste.  Prepare the pepper nacho chips by cutting off the tops of each pepper and slicing in half lengthwise to form chips.  Place the peppers on a large cookie sheet.  Scoop the chicken mixture onto each mini pepper and then top with shredded cheese and black olives.  Bake the chicken nachos in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Before serving, top the nachos with tomatoes and fresh cilantro.

Tip:

Make the chicken in your crock-pot the night before you want to serve this recipe!  Crock pots are a great tool in making prep for entertaining easy!

XOXO Megan

Roasted Red Potatoes

A side of oven-roasted red potatoes is a great complement to any meal!  They work as a great side dish, not to mention how delicious they are.  I could eat the whole batch of these if I’m not careful.  Make sure you practice portion control when making these!

Servings: 6

Size:  1/6 of the serving dish

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  30 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

3 lbs. baby red potatoes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Fresh rosemary, chopped
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Wash and chop the potatoes into small wedges, about 1-1 ½ inch size.  In a large baking dish, spread out the potato wedges evenly across the bottom.  Brush with olive oil until evenly coated.  Sprinkle the fresh rosemary on top of the potatoes and generously season with salt & pepper.  Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, checking to make sure they are crisping up and browning.  Roast for additional time if desired.

Tip:

You may want to turn the potato wedges halfway through the roasting time to make sure all sides get a nice even brown.

XOXO Megan

Chicken Dumpling Soup

Did you know how easy making homemade chicken soup is?  Like, with a real whole chicken?!? (well it is) This is soup is filling and full of veggies (from our CSA no less!) I tried a new dumpling recipe this time around, and although it wan't as good as my grandma's recipe, it was pretty darn good! The perfect comfort food to help settle my nerves, as I start a new job today!

Servings: 8
Serving size: 1 cup + 4 large dumplings
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour + 30 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:
SOUP
1 whole chicken, rinsed
1 onion
Salt and Pepper
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup white celery, diced
1 cup scallions, diced
1 can chicken stock
1 chicken bullion cube

DUMPLINGS
1 cup flour + more for rolling
1/4 t. baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
1 T. butter
1/2 c. milk

Directions:
Put rinsed chicken in a dutch oven and cover 3/4 of the way with water. Add white onion, salt and pepper.  Bring to a slow boil and loosely cover and cook for 35 minutes, or until chicken falls off the bone. When cooked remove chicken from pot and let cool for 30 minutes. After chicken has cooled remove and shred 3 cups, place them back into the pot. Add carrots, scallions and celery, re-bring to a boil.

To make dumplings, mix flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork.  Add milk and stir to combine.  The mixture will form a sticky ball.  Put flour on a cutting board, place dough on board.  Roll out thin, about 1/8 inch.  Using a knife or pasty cutter, cut into 32 small squares.  Add dumpling squares to your pot of soup, loosely cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Tip:
This recipe only calls for 3 cups of shredded chicken.  Save the rest of the chicken for sandwiches, salads, etc!

XOXO Katie

Mint, Cucumber and Bubbly Vodkas

This is a light, summery drink that is oh so good!  My friend Jessica made this as our signature cocktail for my bachelorette party last weekend.  I love any cocktail that involves a simple syrup and I especially love ones with champagne.  I LOVE champagne!! 

*This recipe came from the MN Monthly magazine.

Servings: 1

Size: 6 oz.

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty: Medium (just because of the simple syrup) 

Prep Time: Syrup - 25 minutes; Cocktail - 2 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredients:

Ingredients for 1 drink:

1 1/2 oz. Prairie Vodka

3 oz. honey-mint-cucumber simple syrup

2 oz. champagne

Simple Syrup:

1 cup honey

2 cup water

Handful of mint leaves

1 6-inch cucmber, grated
Pinch of sea salt

Directions:
Prepare the simply syrup by simmering the honey with water and mint leaves until reduced by half or about 20 minutes.  In a small bowl, grate the cucumber and add the pinch of sea salt; let stand.  When the syrup is reduced, pour over the grated cucumber.  Cool to room temperature, then strain into a jar and chill.
Note: The simple syrup will last you through multiple cocktails. The pp value above is for just one drink. 

To prepare one cocktail, add the drink ingredients into a chilled glass.  We chose to use stemless wine glasses.

Tip:
The lemon zester I mentioned in this post would work GREAT for grating the cucumber for the simple syrup - test it out when you make this summer drink!

XOXO Megan

Portuguese Kale Soup

What better to do when it is 100 degrees outside than make soup!  I am not sure what I was thinking besides that I needed to try my hand at duplicating Au Bon Pain's Portuguese Kale Soup ASAP.  So I did! I love this soup (at any time of year apparently).  We got kale in our CSA last week and this afternoon the wheels in my brain got turning.  I realized I had all the ingredients for this (very) hearty soup on hand, so completely made up this recipe which turned out to taste really similar to my chain favorite.

Servings: 4
Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:
1 medium size rustic potato, chopped small
3 cups raw kale, de-stemmed and rinsed
1/2 cup red onion, chopped small
1 cup navy beans, rinsed
2 links Trader Joes garlic turkey sausage, cut into small pieces
1 T. olive oil
32 oz. chicken stock
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
1 T. fresh garlic, chopped
Dash of red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large stock pot.  Add potatoes and onion and sautee about 10 minutes. Add garlic and sausage, stir. Add kale and cover for 2 minutes, allowing kale to slightly wilt.  Add stock, navy beans, bay leaf, red pepper, salt and pepper to taste.  I added an additional bouillon cube because I like salt and I don't love the taste of canned or boxed stock.  Bring to a slow boil, set a lid on so that the pot is covered but not sealed.  Cook about 45 minutes, until kale is cooked through. Put in your favorite soup bowl and enjoy!

Tip:
I LOVE this soup cup! (as seen above)

XOXO - Katie

Green Pepper, Onion & Mushroom Omeletes

Similar to Katie's post yesterday... it is important when you have company to plan out some healthy meals (it will benefit your guests just as much as it does you!).  Last week my family was in town for the 4th of July and I planned a meal of veggie omelets for us to start our day with a healthy, protein-packed breakfast.

Servings:  4

Size:  1 omelet

Points Plus:  5pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  15-20 minutes

Rating: 5 stars – Excellent

Ingredient List:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 package sliced mushrooms

8 eggs

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash and chop the green pepper and onion.  In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil and add all the veggies.  Sauté the veggies until they are tender, about 5-10 minutes.  Whisk eggs in a small bowl – 2 eggs at a time. In a small sauté pan, pour in your eggs to begin cooking the omelet over medium heat.  Cook the eggs until almost set, and then add your veggie filling.  You will be adding about 1/3 cup of filling.  Once the omelet is filled, fold over in half with a spatula.  Cook for another 30 seconds or so and then remove from the pan and serve immediately with fresh ground pepper and salt.  Repeat this process for your other omelets.

Tip:

Add a little splash of milk to your eggs when whisking – this will make for fluffier omelets!  Also, feel free to sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top of your finished omelet for extra garnish and flavor.

XOXO Megan

Supreme Pizza

Homemade pizza is one of Paul and my favorite meals to make together!  Actually this was the first meal we ever cooked together on our 4^th date. J  We make a lot of different pizza varieties, but here is a recipe for a modified version of supreme.

Servings:  8

Size:  1 slice of pizza

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time:  15-20 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very Good

Ingredient List:

1 can of Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough, classic style crust

1 8 oz can pizza sauce (my favorite brand is Pastorelli)

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

16 slices of turkey pepperoni

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup shredded mozzarella, park-skim

1 cup shredded cheddar, reduced-fat

Directions:

Open the can of pizza dough and shape into a pizza shape, gently working the dough outward on a lightly greased pizza pan.  Evenly spread the can of pizza sauce on top of the crust, spread almost to the edges of the dough.  Sprinkle oregano over pizza sauce before putting in the oven to pre-bake the crust.  Cook the crust according to the directions on the package.  It works best to start cooking the crust with just the sauce and no toppings to result in a crispier pizza crust. Bake the un-topped pizza crust for 5-7 minutes.  While the crust is baking, prepare your onions and peppers.  Take the pizza out and top with cheese first, then your veggies and finally place the slices of turkey pepperoni on top.  Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown.

Tip:

At only 5pp per slice, don’t feel bad if you eat 2 slices of this supreme pizza.  I typically end up eating two slices when we make this!

XOXO Megan

Moroccan Couscous

This is a tasty, somewhat spicy, veggie packed side.  In an attempt to utilize as many CSA veggies as possible as fast as possible, this recipe was inspired by this week's box.  Cubed squash, onion (my fav) and zucchini paired with some Moroccan inspired spices make this dish really delish!

Servings: 6

Size: 1 cup

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List: 

2 cups peeled butternut squash, cubed

1 yellow onion, diced

1 large zucchini, cubed

1 T. olive oil

1 1/2 stock of your choice

1 T. Smart Balance light butter

1 t. McCormick - Moroccan Seasoning (mixture of cinnamon, cuman, coriander, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, paprika and turmeric)

1 cup uncooked couscous

4 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
Lettuce and/or spring mix, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Place quash, onion and zucchini on a rimmed sheet pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 20 minutes, string after 10.  Increase oven temp to 400 degrees and roast for an additional 10 minutes.  While veggies are roasting heat stock in a large pan and add McCormick seasoning. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and let steep for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes bring to a boil again, sprinkle couscous into stock mixture, stir, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.  When veggies are done remove lid from couscous and fluff with a fork.  Add veggies over couscous and toss.  Serve over copped lettuce and top with chopped scallions!

Tip:

For additional protein consider adding some roasted chicken.

XOXO - Katie

Breakfast Bento Box

I eat some pretty cray (ie: non-traditional) things for breakfast to keep my foods interesting.  My favorite is almost anything mixed with cottage cheese.  Tomatoes, sliced up hard boiled egg, cucumbers, you name it!  Starbucks makes some pretty delicious bento boxes.  They are a mixture of low point and perfectly portioned snacks all in one box made for mixing and matching.  My fav is the chicken and hummus one, but at over $5 per box I rarely want to splurge for this tasty breakfast.  So, I made my own, and even put it in a rectangular glass container so that it felt special and fancy while I was eating it at work!  This is a spin-off of the chicken and hummus box, but as you can imagine the combinations are endless!

***I realize a normal person might eat this meal for lunch, so feel free to try that too!

Servings: 1
Size: 1 bento box
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minues
Cook Time: 0 minues
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:
3 little cuties
1 T. hummus
1/2 c. 1% cottage cheese
1 c. raw carrots
1/4 whole wheat pita cut into triangles
1 string cheese

Directions:
You really just measure and package people! Imagine, you can really dip everything together, and then eat the little cuties for dessert!

Tip:
Add an egg or 1 T. of peanut butter to increase the protein (and the pp value). As mentioned, the possibilities are endless, but this cute breakfast keeps me full all morning and also makes me feel like I am going to the local coffee shop to pick up a quick start to my day!

XOXO - Katie

Parmesan Baked Spinach

Our first CSA came with about 2 lbs of fresh spinach.  Delicious, yes, but that is a LOT of spinach.  I knew that I had to think of a dish to cook up a large amount fast, before it went bad.  Who better to look for inspiration from than Julia Child!  This spinach side dish was really good, like, I wanted to lick the dish as well as use the ingredients with a veggie besides spinach.  Will have to experiment with that.  Anyways,

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking - by Julia Child

Servings: 2

Size: about 1 cup

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Rating: 5 - Excellent 

Ingredient List: 

1 lb fresh spinach, cleaned with the stems removed

1 T. unsalted butter

1 T. flour

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup beef stock

1 T. panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (could also use Swiss but I didn't have any on hand)
Spray butter

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375. Add spinach to large pan that has a lid. You will be really surprised how much 1 lb of spinach takes up! It filled up my entire 9 qu. Le Creuset. Add about 2 inches of water to bottom of pan and heat, covered, until spinach is steamed.  Keep an eye on the spinach so it doesn't burn.  I used kitchen tongs to stir a few times during the cooking process. Drain spinach in a colander and use another bowl to press down on the spinach while still in the colander in order to strain/drain so there is minimal water left in the spinach. Fill another bowl (perhaps the one used to press on the spinach) with cold water and add spinach to that to stop the cooking process. Let 'chill' for about two minuets.

Wipe out original pan and melt butter in.  Add spinach and sautee for about 3 minutes until all butter is absorbed.  Sprinkle four evenly on spinach and sautee about 1 minute to slightly cook flour.  Add in stock, mix together and let sautee about 3 minutes more until most liquid is absorbed.  Turn off heat and add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Put spinach mixture into a small baking dish and top with panko breadcrumbs, remaining cheese and a few spritzes of spray butter OR use your misto with olive oil (this may increase pp). Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and browned.

Tip:
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a FAB cookbook.  As I explore it further I wonder how many of Julia's other recipes can be 'lightened up' while retaining flavor.  Stay tuned on that one! The cookbook includes some challenging recipes, but also recipes that could easily be made by the beginner chef. 

Fried Wild Rice

Have you ever thought about stir frying wild rice?? I haven't...until today!  This is a simple twist on traditional fried rice, and like many recipes you find on EAT ME, it can be customized based on what is in your fridge. I experimented with an interesting spice combo and I think the dish turned out great.

Servings: 2
Size: About 1 1/4 cup
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooke Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:
1 box wild rice
1 egg
1/2 cup peas
1 cup raw onion, cut in long stips
1 cup raw carrot, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes, curry powder, garlic powder & cinnamon
Low sodium soy sauce, optional

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions.  Prep veggies. Spray a medium sized wok. Start with carrot and  sautee about five minutes.  Add onion and sautee for 3 minutes more.  Add peas, garlic and spices and sautee for about 2 more minutes.  Remove wok from heat and spray a small sautee pan.  Scramble egg and cook it until, well, it resembles a scrambled egg! Add scrambled egg to veggie mixture and return to stove. When rice is cooked add one cup to veggie mixture and sautee for about one more minute.

Tip:
A dash of cinnamon is an excellent addition to curry.

XOXO - Katie

Bacon Wrapped Filet Stacks

It is finally, maybe, grill season! This recipe is a fun and creative take on grilled filet, and helps you get in a veggie serving.  Impress your guests with these bacon wrapped filet stacks, that can be customized for your taste.  Also, who doesn't love meat wrapped in meat?  I actually barely ever cook with meat, but I will for sure make these again this summer.

Servings: 2

Size: 1 steak

Points Plus: 5

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredient List:

2, 4 oz lean and trimmed uncooked filets

4 slices uncooked reduced fat bacon

1 vadallia onion

1 green pepper

1 tomato

Salt & pepper

Toothpicks

Directions: 

Turn your (outside) grass grill on low. Salt and pepper steaks and seat aside.  Slice green pepper, onion and tomatoes in half inch slices.  Take two pieces of bacon and set on your work surface in an X.  Place one filet in the center of the bacon.  Top with onion slice, green pepper and tomato.  Bring bacon up around filet like a present ribbon, and secure on top of filet with a toothpick.  Repeat with second filet.  Place on grill and cook on low heat without flipping for 40 minutes (depending on how you like your steak).  Enjoy!

Tip: 

If you want you bacon crispy, consider placing under a broiler for a few minutes after removing meat from the grill.  For a few more pp add a piece of cheese to the top after cooking.  YUM!

XOXO - Katie

Chocolate Chip Scones

Scones are one of my favorite breakfast foods!  A warm scone and cup of coffee is perfect for a Saturday morning.  Here’s a great recipe I found on Skinnytaste for a lightened up version of chocolate chip scones.  The recipes calls for two kinds of flour – if you choose to just use all-purpose flour know that the pp value will increase. 

Servings:  12

Size:  1 scone

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  20 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

¾ cup cold buttermilk

¼ cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. chilled butter (it must be cold), cut into small pieces

¾ cup chocolate chips

Cooking spray

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1 ½ tsp. sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°.  Combine the buttermilk, ¼ cup sugar, vanilla and egg in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender, or you could use a fork, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Gently fold in chocolate chips.  Add the milk mixture, stirring until just moist.

Place dough on a floured surface and knead lightly four times with floured hands.  Form dough into a 9-inch circle on the baking sheet, about a ¾ inch thick.  Using a knife, cut dough into 12 wedges (make sure your cuts going all the way through to form 12 scones). Brush egg white over the top of the scones and sprinkle evenly with sugar.  Bake until golden, about 18-20 minutes depending on your oven.  Serve as warm scones with coffee!

Tip:

Cutting in the chilled butter into your flour mixture takes patience!  Keep at it and your dough will soon resemble the crumbly, coarse texture that is needed for scones. 

XOXO Megan

Southwest Chopped Salad

This salad is full of flavors and bright colors!  I love all the colors throughout; it definitely reminds me of summer.  I found the original recipe on Pinterest and I adapted it slightly by adding in some avocado.  The recipe calls for a homemade cilantro-lime dressing found here.  It sounded DELICIOUS, but I had to opt for a store-bought dressing for a few reasons. 

1. I’m moving soon and have already packed up my blender. 

2. Although the recipe says to make the dressing in either a blender or food processor, I really think it would work best in a food processor and unfortunately I don’t have one.  Hopefully sometime soon I will have this kitchen tool since it’s on my wedding registry :)

Servings: 6

Size:   1/6 of the salad

Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:

Large head of romaine lettuce

1 large orange bell pepper

5 green onions

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz. can of corn, drained

1 medium avocado, diced

Directions:

Wash and finely chop the romaine, bell pepper and green onions.  Wash and quarter the cherry tomatoes.  Open the cans of black beans and corn, drain and rinse. Dice the avocado.  Add all ingredients into a large bowl, stir to combine.  Toss salad with your desired dressing and enjoy!

Tip:

Don’t underestimate the size of the bowl you need to mix up this salad!  There are lots of veggies in this recipe and you will want a bowl big enough that you can really fully mix all the ingredients in.  Also, a little tip for really brining out the flavor or your avocado. Sprinkle some salt on top of your salad with fresh avocado - the salt will really heighten the taste of the avocado - yum!

XOXO Megan