Shepherd's Pie & Tuscan Bean Soup!

I have had a few recipes that we are trying from the new Weight watchers points plus recipe book. So far we have 2 that have turned out fantastic! I forgot to take a picture of the Shepherd's Pie. But instead I will just have to post the recipe for that one until next time we make it and we will make it again.

Shepherd's Pie (makes 6 servings)

WW Ppts: 6 pts a serving

1 1/2 pounds (3 potatoes was enough) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks.

1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt

2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley (I used 1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes)

3/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 pound lean ground beef (5% or less fat)

1/2 pound ground turkey (breast meat only)

1- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas (I used peas and carrots mix b/c it's what I had)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Put potatoes in medium saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain. With potato masher, mash potatoes until smooth. Stir in yogurt, parsley 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beef and turkey, cook breaking apart meat with spoon. Once fully cooked, drain off any fat.

4. Add tomatoes, peas, thyme, and remaining salt and pepper, bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

5. Spread meat mixture in 10 inch deep-dish pie plate or 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top. Bake until potatoes begin to brown and filling is bubbly about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

The only thing that I can think that would have made it any better. Is some brown gravy. But that is only b/c I'm used to Shepherd's pie with gravy. There are some low fat option out there that only use water to mix. Which I would have made except I didn't have any.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Tuscan Bean Soup was delicious, but I "bulked it up a bit". Without making it go way up in points, and it was worth it.

Tuscan Bean Soup (makes 4 servings)

WW Ppts: 5 pts a serving

2 tsp Olive oil

1 Onion, chopped

2 Carrots, diced

2 Celery Stalks, diced

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 - 15.5 ounce can Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups Chicken broth, fat free

2 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp crushed Rosemary

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 package of Tyson Ready Grilled chicken breast strips

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook stirring, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant. About 30 seconds. Stir in beans and broth. With potato masher, coarsely mash cannellini beans.

2. Stir tomatoes, basil, and pepper into soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until carrots and celery are soft but not mushy. Heat Chicken strips in microwave and then mix into soup.

3. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

New Year. Same goals.

The title pretty much says it all. For 2 years I have made New Year resolutions and actually stuck to them. Kinda weird. So this year they are going to stay the same. And I'm putting them out here in print for all to read.

1)Lose weight. I know everyone says that as their #1 resolution, but I'm 23 pounds from my goal weight and by December 31, 2011 I want to be able to say. I'm a Weight Watchers lifetimer. I WILL DO IT.

2)Keep Couponing. It may seem a little silly handing over my stack of coupons at the register every week. But at the end of 2010. I had saved $2,976... Not including the coupons I used at Bed Bath and Beyond (which there were several).

3) I've gotta take you back to December 30th, 2008. That was the last day I went through a drive thru. It was Chick-Fil-A. Grilled chicken sandwich and french fries. I know most fast food have "healthier" options, but I'm gonna be straight with you. I would always go with the best intentions. Then get to that magic little box to order and poof out of my mouth rolls my old standby's that got me 105 pounds overweight. So for 2009 my New Years Resolution was to go 1 year without going through a drive thru... and I've stayed true to it. 2010 rolled around and I honestly don't need it anymore. Yes I do sometimes still get the cravings for a chicken quesadilla from Taco Bell or Chick-Fil-A nuggets... but I know I've gone this long.. I can make it through 1 more meal without it.

My only addition to these goals is:

To try and do more stuff just for me. I haven't figure out the specifics on this, but I'm thinking it's going to involve more girls nights out. Pedicures, clothes shopping for just me. Take more time for just myself.

Christmas Season is here.

Apparently when December started, the Christmas season came on full blast, which meant, I have been forgetting to post my recipes. Sorry about that. Weight watchers also started their new Points Plus program. Which has consumed so much of my time refiguring points that I have forgotten.

For now, I'm still learning their new program, but am liking it. I in 3 weeks I had lost 3 inches around my middle, and anyone that has remotely seen me, knows I am a full on apple shape. So 3 inches off my mid section= a skinnier looking me. Even in the scale didn't budge. I WILL TAKE IT.

The past few years while on Weight Watchers I guess I have always been so worried about what I was going to eat, and what Christmas parties we were going to go to, what they were going to be serving.. The normal "dieters" worries that come with these holidays. That somehow I have always lost weight. Now don't roll your eyes. I wasn't saying it to brag. Simply that if I (a sweetaholic) can somehow manage to lose weight, than I'm pretty sure that most everyone can.

I promise when the new year starts I will bombarde you all with tons of recipes and if you have one that you think I might want to try, post me a link to it online, or e-mail me. I'll try just about anything (barring raw oysters-that's never going to happen again).

Cajun White bean Soup

It was cold over the weekend. I mean like highs in the 50's here. So not cool (pardon the pun), but I wanted a little fall like weather. Somewhere in the upper 60's-70's... at least for a couple weeks. On the upside, I got to pull out this Soup recipe from the Cajun Encyclopedia. It made a HUGE potful, so we had my in-laws over to enjoy it with us.

It was a first for me, buying ham hocks... which for me I had always laughed at the odd pig parts that certain grocery stores carried, only this week to find myself looking for the "best" ham hock of the bunch... YEP, never thought I would have done that one. But it was so worth it.

The one thing about this recipe, is that you have to soak the beans overnight prior to cooking them. So it's not one of those throw together at the last minute recipe. But it's so good and worth the time spent on it.

Cajun White Bean Soup (makes 12 servings)

WW pts: 6 pts a serving

1- 1 lb package of dried great northern beans

2 ham hocks

1 link of smoked sausage, diced

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cups diced onions

2 cups diced celery

1 cup diced bell pepper (I used green)

1/4 cup minced garlic

2- 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, no salt added

water as needed

1 bay leaf

salt and cracked pepper to taste

Presoak dried beans overnight. Drain and wash beans again before cooking. In a 2 gallon pot (or largest you've got), heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions , celery, peppers, garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, then add drained tomatoes. Add sausage and cook 3-5 minutes more. Then add ham hocks. Stir in beans and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for about an hour. Once beans begin to become tender, mash them against the side of pot to create creaminess. Season with bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer approximately 1 1/2-2 hours, continuing to stir and mash beans occasionally. Soup is ready when it has reached the creamy consistency of cream of mushroom soup. I think I let ours cook 5 hours, adding a little more water about 1/2 way through.

I heart face weekly challenge: Orange

I heat faces weekly challenge this week is Orange. When I saw that I instantly knew which picture that I would choose. This has been my desktop picture, well since the day I shot it.

This was my sons first Halloween costume. The first time that I got to choose his costume and just ooh and ahh over those chubby cheeks sticking out from the fuzzy little tiger costume. This picture makes me smile on a daily basis.

For more entries of orange check out:

Greek Spinach Veggie Burger

Better Homes and Gardens is the inspiration for tonight's dinner. My In-laws always give me their leftover magazines. One of the recipes that I thought sounded interesting. I was actually kind of wary about it, but I figured if I could learn to eat brussel sprouts, then I could try a spinach burger... and to my surprise, it was really good.

We put the patties on an Arnold's Sandwich Thin & had roasted potato fries on the side.

Greek Spinach Veggie Burger (makes 4 patties)

WW pts: 6 pts a patty

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried dillweed

1 cup Stove top stuffing, dried mix

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1- 10 oz. package frozen chipped spinach, thawed and well drained

1/2 cup fat free feta cheese

In Medium bowl, combine oil, garlic, oregano, dillweed and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir in stuffing mix to coat thoroughly. Stir in eggs, spinach and feta, mix well.

Shape into 4 1/2 inch thick patties. Heat griddle or large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add patties, cook 3-5 minutes per side or until browned and heated on each side.

I made a mixture of plain fat free yogurt, dillweed, pepper, oregano and garlic salt to go on top of the burgers. Then added a little bit of mustard on top burger too. It was delicious!!!

Jumbo Shrimp in Creole Mustard Cream

If you've read my previous blog posts then you know about the "Cajun Bible" or by it's original name Cajun and Creole Encyclopedia. Every recipe that we've tried or had at our friends house has been delicious. Tonight is no different. I was kind of wary about this recipe, because the original had heavy cream and a whole stick of butter. But reducing both of those, didn't seem to make a difference in taste. But with all the changes it brought the "point value" way down!!!

Jumbo Shrimp in Creole Mustard Cream (makes 6 servings)

WW pts: 7 pts a serving

3 Dozen Shrimp, peeled and deveined.

2 Tbsp Creole Mustard

3 Tbsp butter, sliced

1/4 cup chopped chives

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1 tsp tarragon

1/2 cup Sherry

2 Tbsp whole wheat flour

1 cup fat free half and half

1 cup Fat free chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked per package directions

In a large sauce pan melt 2 Tbsp butter, making sure not to brown or burn the butter. Place shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, just so they start to curl and turn pink. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add chives, onions, bell peppers and tarragon to pan. Saute 3-5 minutes or until veggies are wilted. Add Cooking Sherry, to deglaze pan (scrape all stuff off the bottom of the pan) and cook until 1 Tbsp of liquid remains. Sprinkle in flour and stir. Whink in creole mustard, whipping cream and chicken stock until sauce thickens. Bring to a boil (low) and whisk in remaining butter. Add shrimp and cook until heated through. On plate, place pasta, then shrimp on top, spooning the extra sauce onto the shrimp.

We served it with a spinach salad, and it was a great compliment to the pasta dish!!!