turkey chili.

since the weather decided to get chilly (no pun intended) again this week, i decided to bring out the slow cooker & make some delish turkey chili! best part is that it makes the house smell amazing all day!


2 lbs lean ground turkey
1 small can tomato paste
1 can kidney beans
1 can canelli beans
1 can diced tomatoes
16 ounces chicken broth
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
salt & pepper to taste

You can also add red & yellow peppers, jalepeno peppers to your taste, more spices to your taste, hot sauce to taste. If you like a really meaty chili add 1 or 2 browned lean turkey sausages (casings removed) for an extra 1 point per serving.

Brown turkey chili in a non-stick pan. Put all ingredients into crock pot & set on low for 5-6 hours.

POINTS: 4 points for 1 heaping cup.

greek tomato & feta chicken.

this dish was super yummy & light! i'm a huge fan of feta cheese so finding a fat free version made my day!

4 - 3 ounce thin sliced chicken cutlets
1 teason dried oregano
salt & pepper
olive oil spray
1 can diced tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup diced cucumbers
1/4 cup fat free feta cheese
fresh mint for garnish

Sprinkle chicken with oregano, salt & pepper. Spray a large skillet with olive oil spray. Brown chicken over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from pan. Keep warm on a serving dish.

Re-spray pan & add tomatoes, lemon adn garlic to pan. Cook over medium-high heat until tomatoes are soft, about 3 minutes.

Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cucumber, feta and mint.

POINTS value: 3 for 3 ounces of chicken, 1/4 cup sauce, 1 Tbsp feta & 2 Tbsp cucumber.

I served this over 1 cup of cous cous for 3 points.

soda pop chicken.

i debated trying this recipe for a while becuase it sounds so disgusting, but it's so simple that i had to give it a shot! surprisingly, it was amazing. so good that the hubs ate seconds & asks for me to make it all the time now. we're even going to use it as a marinade this weekend instead of in the crockpot.

4- 4 ounce chicken breasts
1 can diet soda
1 cup of ketchup

Place all ingredients into crock pot. Set to low and cook for 5-7 hours.

POINTS: 4 per 4 ounces of chicken

hummus.

i whipped up this hummus with some things i had around the house. super quick & super easy!

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained & rinsed
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves of garlic)
2 Tbsp fresh dill or cilantro
1/4 cup water
pinch of chives
salt & pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until creamy (about 2 minutes).

POINTS value: 2 for 1/3 cup.

Serve with veggies, whole wheat tortillas or toasted sandwhich thins.

Sorry the photo isn't prettier! I had to put it away beofre I ate it all!

1-2-3

so excited for Lisa Lilliens new Hungry Girl book "1-2-3"!

after skimming the recipes & finding point values for the ones that sound amazing, i am so ready to start cooking! i'm loving the section on healthy crock pot meals. everyone should have a crockpot & use it. so easy. those recipes look great.

also, it's great that she's starting to cook for more than one person. her other books focused a great deal on one serving recipes. altho they are easy to double, it will come in handy to families with more than one person watching what they eat.

i still have trouble finding a few things at times that you need for a lot of her recipes, but there are usually alternatives to these items. and there are things i'm still iffy on..tofu noodles? umm..

i do like how at the top of the page every recipe lists what equipment you will need. makes everyone life a lot easier! another thing that makes life easy..the microwave section! i'm a huge fan of nuking my food (must get that from my dad..the microwave master) & having some ideas using a coffee mug as the main equipment sounds great to me! the smaller the clean-up, the better!

look for some Hungry Girl recipe tests in the next few weeks!

bean salad.

i spent a good part of the day baking for a bake sale & it felt like i was just breathing in loads of fat. so i needed to make something super healthy to make up for it!

this salad can be served warm or cold, which is great to fit the salad to the season!

2 cans kennelli beans, rinsed & drained
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
2 hard boiled egg whites, chopped
1/2 tomato, seeded & chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1/2 red onion (or one full onion if smaller), chopped
1 Tbsp, red wine or sherry vinegar
freshly ground pepper & salt
1/4 cup parsley

optional ingredients: 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (i sprayed some EVOO) or lemon juice. 12 large green pimento stuffed olives (i'm not a huge fan).

Place beans in a large pot & cover with water. Bring to a boil. Add carrot, onion & celery. Reduce heat & simmer until beans & veggies are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Drain & let cool. **

Add egg whites, tomato, peppers, red onion, vinegar (or oil) & spices. Toss gently.

**If serving warm, drain beans & veggies then immediately mix with all of the ingredients. Serve warm.

POINTS value: 2 per 1 cup. 3 if using regular oil.

barbeque sweet potatoes.

this was a great side to burgers last night. there's two ways to make these - one on the grill & one in the oven. i don't have a grill yet so i used the oven and they turned out just fine, maybe just a little less crispy than they woudl be on a grill. but still oh so yummy! sorry for not having a photo, we were so hungry & ready to eat these that i forgot!

1 pound sweet potatoes, cut into strips
3 Tbsp ketchup (i like reduced sugar, regualr is packed with sugar)
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

If grilling - spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Heat grill to medium high fire.
Mix together ketchup, worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard & pepper in a small bowl.
Brush the potato slices on all sides with sauce. Grill potatoes 5 inches from heat, turning frequently, until browned on the outside & tender when peirced with a fork (about 8 minutes)

If baking - spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Set oven to 375 degrees. (If you are like me, you can pre-cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes to soften & lessen the time in the oven) Mix sauce ingredients. Brush sauce on all sides of sweet potatoes & place onto baking sheet. Bake potatoes for about 15 minutes if pre-cooked, 45 minutes if not pre cooked. You should be able to pierce the potatoes easily with a fork.

I made extra sauce for dipping as well.

POINTS value: 1 point per 1/2 cup.