Pasta shells with beans, greens, and sausage

Just another friendly reminder, I'm all over the place with product photography, yah I suck at it so don't cc this blog ;)

I made this for dinner tonight and it was soooooo good! I originally was going to use hot sausage but someone decided to cook it for himself a few days ago...not mentioning any names.

I guess it was better that he did because I used turkey sweet sausage and it actually makes for less points.

8 points per serving/makes 6 servings

Here's the ingredients:

3 cups small pasta shells
8 ounces sweet or hot italian sausage, casings removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried sage
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups torn spinach leaves
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions until slightly firm.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, then add the sausage and brown, breaking it apart with a spoon, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

3. Add the garlic and sage to the same skillet and saute' until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans, spinach, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the spinach is just tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the drained pasta, sausage, salt, and pepper. Simmer until just heated though, about 3 minutes.
I used 99% fat free chicken broth instead of the low sodium like the recipe called for. I think the next time I make it, I will probably use more broth because the shells did soak up the broth really quickly. Now I'm looking at the label on the 99% fat free and it's 960mg sodium. Hmmmm which is worse higher salt or less fat?

You just have to try this recipe, you won't be disappointed!

Per serving (1-1/2 cups): 413 calories
7g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 558mg sodium, 68g total carbohydrate, 7g dietary fiber, 20g protein, 107mg calcium

Chicken and Broccoli Pizza

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this tasted. I found the thin crust pizza shells in the pasta section of Walmart.

6 Points per serving/Makes 6 servings

1 tablespoon reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1 teaspoon low-fat (1%) milk
1/2 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package thin crust pizza crust
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and patted dry
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese


1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Spray a small baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. Combine the mayonnaise and milk in a medium bowl. Add the chicken; toss to coat.

3. Place the cornflake crumbs in a large zip-close plastic bag. Add the chicken and shake until coated. Place the chicken in the baking pan in one layer. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and browned, turning once, about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, spoon the ricotta cheese evenly onto the pizza crust. Top with the broccoli, parmesan cheese, chicken, and mozzarella.


5. Bake until hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Serve at once.

I used fat free mozzarella which was probably a mistake because it doesn't like to melt. So I would definitely use the part-skim which the recipe calls for.

Per serving: 295 calories
10g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 39mg cholesterol, 453mg sodium, 31g total carbohydrate, 2g dietary fiber, 20g protein, 230mg calcium

Day 32

I went up this week on weigh-in. Probably had something to do with Super Bowl Sunday ;)

That's ok. I'm back on track and expected this to happen now and then.

So I found this awesome recipe with zucchini (which I love) and had to try it. I LOVED it! Very flavorful and filling.

First you cut your zucchini in half and scoop out the pulp.

After sauteeing the onion and crushed garlic, you add the zucchini cut up.

Then the ground turkey. Which I couldn't find 99% fat free anywhere, so I got the best I could find.
This is where all the spices were added and that's when it started to smell sooooo good!
After the turkey mixture is cooled down, you fill the zucchini shells with it. Add a can of fat free chicken broth in the pan so the zucchini will cook without drying out. Oh and don't forget to sprinkle the breadcrumbs on too.
This is the final product. Wow I couldn't believe how great it tasted! Especially when it's only 4 pts. There is a difference of opinion as to what the serving size is. How I read it, 2 halves is a serving, but it doesn't seem right that it would only be 4 pts.? So I only had 1/2 just in case.

Day 22

Well it's pretty obvious I'll never get hired as a food photographer but that's not what this blog is all about now is it? Hey and check out that fancy pooh plate too!

These Pepperoni Pizza Potato Skins were awesome! I wish I could have ate all of them LOL! My husband "the chef" put these together for me. These are definitely a great substitute for a slice of pizza. These are actually whole servings, so one of these would be 4 pts. Another substitute was my husband didn't use red pepper flakes but did use pizza & pasta seasoning on the sauce. Oh and I now see he didn't finely chop the pepperoni. I'm going to have to get on him about making my meals like the directions say ;)

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, baked, cooled completely, quartered lengthwise
A few sprays of nonstick cooking spray
2 oz pepperoni, finely chopped
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1/8 tsp dried oregano, red pepper flakes or garlic, or to taste
1/3 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese; shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degreesF. Thoroughly spray a baking sheet with a nonstick cooking spray.

Slice just the top portion (which is about two thirds of the potato flesh) off of each potato quarter. (You can save the potato flesh for later cooking, if you'd like). Layer two teaspoons of pizza sauce over each potato quarter; then sprinkle the pepperoni and cheese over the potatoes.

Gently place the potato skins on the baking sheet that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake until cheese melts and potatoes are hot, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Season to taste with red pepper flakes, dried basil, garlic or oregano.

Makes 4 servings.
Serving Size: 2 potato skins

Weight Watchers Points Value = 4 points

*Be certain to let the potatoes thoroughly cool before you cut them and scoop out the inside.


I also wanted to add that I got these recipes from a few blogs online. Unfortunately I can't give credit to those bloggers because I ran them off in word and I don't have any of the sites listed.

Day 11

Chicken Taco Salad

This was a great meal! The whole family enjoyed this one very much!

3/4 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cups (8 ounces) diced cooked chicken breast
1 (8 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
4 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups chopped fresh tomato
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups corn chex
3/4 cup chunky salsa
6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

In a large saucepan sprayed with olive-flavored cooking spray, brown onion. Stir in chicken, pinto beans, water and taco seasoning. Mix well to combine. Lower heat. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, combine lettuce, tomato and green bell pepper. Spoon hot chicken mixture over lettuce mixture. Top with cheddar cheese and corn chex. Toss gently to combine.

For each serving, place about 2 cups mixture on a plate and top with 2 tablespoons salsa and 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Serves 6

Per serving: 232 Cal., 4g Fat, 22g Pro, 27g Carb, 344 mg Sod., 5 g Fib

Healthy Exchanges: 3 Protein, 2-2/3 Vegetables, 1/3 Bread, 15 Opt. Cal

4 WW Points


I will add we didn't bother with the pepper because my husband and daughter don't like peppers.

Day 8

Today was my first weigh in. I lost 2.4 pounds. Not what I had hoped but nonetheless it was a loss not a gain, as my DH reminded me. Easy for him to say considering he's lost 7 pounds during the same time period.

I gathered a bunch of weight watcher recipes from the internet and each day we decide on what to have for dinner. My DH has been helping me out and making meals for the family to eat which is nice. Usually I'm the only one watching what I eat. This is called Crispy Chicken and it was very tasty! The ranch dressing gave it a lot of flavor. I really liked it as a matter of fact even the 10 year old picky eater liked it, that's a huge plus.

It's really easy to make too!

4 (4 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup fat free ranch dressing
1/2 cup cornflakes, crushed
spices of choice (parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.)
salt (optional)
cooking spray

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix spices, salt and cornflakes in a bowl and set aside.
Dip chicken in ranch dressing. Roll chicken in cornflake mixture.
Spray rack with cooking spray. Put chicken on rack on a cookie sheet. Cook until chicken is done, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Makes 4 hearty portions

4.5 WW Points

Day 3

Still not feeling that great. I made it through another day of weight watchers. It's actually not been bad at all. I'm not really craving anything. I'm not even eating all my points, which is really not a good thing. I'm leaving about 8 points at the end of the day but I'm not hungry nor am I feeling well so maybe that's why.

I still need to get my butt on the elliptical or go snowshoeing. I normally am good at working out when I'm dieting but I have been a real slug the last six months. I normally run all spring/summer but this year I had a really painful foot issue from running and it's totally ruined any drive to workout for fear the pain will come back. The plans are to go to Sneaker Plus get fitted with the correct running shoes for my pronation and get some inserts for my flat arches. Hopefully that will make a world of difference!