DeLITEfully Baked Apples

I was craving a sweet but wanted to keep it healthy... I tried this little recipe and it was DELISH! I added the cinnamon to the recipe and added a TON - I also added nutmeg. And Anthony insisted on making whipped cream to go with... so, that's delicious too, but it's good by itself! 

Delightfully Baked Apples
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/2 apple with topping • Points +: 4 pts • Smart Points: 5
Calories: 152.8 • Fat: 6.3 g • Protein: 1.1 g • Carb: 26.4 g • Fiber: 3.4 g

Ingredients:

• 2 large apples, cut in half
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• 4 tbsp quick oats
• pinch of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Cut apples in half and remove core and seeds with a small pairing knife or spoon.

In a small bowl combine butter, brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon. Spoon on top of the apple halves and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. 

White Bean, Kale, and Sausage Soup

This comes together in 30 minutes and was very delicious! The beans make it creamy and it's pretty healthy! My girls even gobbled it up!

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 ounces smoked sausage links, such as kielbasa or andouille, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups chicken broth or stock, divided
• 8 ounces kale, tough stems removed and finely chopped/shredded
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 (15-ounce) cans white beans (such as Cannellini, Great Northern, or Navy), rinsed and drained
• A few dashes hot pepper sauce
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Shredded Parmesan cheese OR crumbled feta cheese, for garnish

Directions

1. Place a large pot over medium heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in pot, swirl to coat, and add sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the sausage is browned. Remove sausage to a paper towel-lined plate, pour a bit more oil in the center of the pot, and add minced garlic. Stir and cook for about 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant and light golden brown.
2. Pour 4 cups chicken broth/stock into pot and stir in kale, bay leaf, and garlic powder. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Place about 1/3 of the drained beans in a blender or food processor along with the remaining 1 cup chicken broth/stock. Puree until smooth.
4. Once kale is tender, add whole beans, purreed beans, and browned sausage to the pot. Season with dashes of hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper, to taste. Stir and simmer for a few minutes until heated through. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Easy Chicken Orzo Soup

This was really, really easy and very yummy! Earlier in the day I cooked the chicken thighs in the oven with salt/pepper and olive oil.

makes 7 cups
1 cup = 125 calories

Ingredients

• 4 cups reduced sodium fat free chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 10 medium baby carrots (diced)
• 9.5 oz cooked boneless skinless chicken thigh (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon dried sage
• 2/3 cup uncooked tri colored orzo pasta
• 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. In a large pot combine the broth, water, onion, carrots and chicken and bring to a low boil.
2. Add all the seasonings and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the uncooked orzo and simmer until soft, stirring occasionally.
4. At this point the soup could be done (I'm almost embarrassed at how easy this is!) If you want, squeeze  the juice of 1/4-1/2 of a lemon into the soup at this time. My husband wasn't a fan and preferred it without the lemon but I thought it added a little something extra and would definitely be missed. So you choose. Try it without first and then add a little bit at a time to taste. That's it. Simple and delicious. The best kind of meal!

MediterraneanVeggie Sandwiches

This is SOOO yummy! Everyone should make it this week! My girls don't like complicated sandwiches like this, so to make it kid friendly, I just gave them sliced veggies on their plates with a piece of toast.

Ingredients- For two Sandwiches

• 4 slices of Dave's Killer Good Seed Bread
• 1/4 cup hummus of you choice {try this Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipe}
• 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbles
• 3/4 cup matchstick carrots
• 4 tomato slices
• 12 cucumber slices
• 1 cup alfalfa sprouts, washed

Instructions

1. Place the four slices of bread on a large cutting board and spread a layer of hummus one one side of each slice of bread.
2. Sprinkle the crumbled feta on one half of each sandwich then top with matchstick carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and finally the sprouts. Place the other half of the bread on the sandwich and cut in half.
3. Enjoy!

Donburi (Aka... Asian Haystacks!)

chicken breasts (diced - as many as you need for the number of people you have)(also yummy with dumplings instead!)
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Sesame Oil
Garlic Powder
Veggies that are good fresh (Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Carrots, Sprouts, etc. etc.)
Rice (Brown or White)
Lettuce/Spinach (whatever greens you like in your salads)
Kewpie Toasted Creamy Sesame Dressing (Can buy on amazon or I'm sure any asian market - it's Japanese - this is the best choice - any Sesame dressing will do though)
Sriracha Sauce
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
Optional: Ramen Noodles, Chow Mein Noodles, Boiled Eggs... just have fun with the toppings!

Okay, so with all of these ingredients it sounds a bit complicated, but once you have the dressings, they last forever, and it's so easy to throw together! Here are the instructions:

Cook the chicken in soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to taste (I drizzle the soy sauce and rice vinegar until all of the chicken has some on it, but not so much that there's an inch of sauce. The sesame oil I just do a few drizzles over the whole thing.) Sprinkle with garlic powder.

While the chicken's cooking (or before if you want easy easy prep) slice all of the veggies in thin stick-like pieces (except the tomatoes I just dice). Then set everything out in bowls hawaiian-haystack style.

To put it all together, pick if you want a bed of rice or lettuce, put that on the bottom, and then just layer everything else that sounds good to you. Drizzle ALL three of the dressings for the most fantastic flavor, unless you can't stand any spice at all, and then skip the Sriracha. The Thai sauce is honestly not very spicy, especially if you just mix a little in. And it adds SO MUCH to this dish, so really really try not to skip it. Then dig in! Your taste buds will dance! And the great thing is that this is an easy crowd-feeder because everyone can build it how they like it.

Balsamic Chicken and Veggies

One Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Yield: About 3 - 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Italian salad dressing (I recommend using Kraft light Italian it's the perfect consistency for this and it's what I used)
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
• 1 1/4 lbs chicken breast tenderloins
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed of tough ends, chopped into 2-inch pieces (look for thinner stalks. Green beans are another good option)
• 1 1/2 cups matchstick carrots
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Directions

• In a mixing bowl whisk together salad dressing, balsamic vinegar, honey and red pepper flakes, set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then place chicken evenly in skillet. Cook about 6 - 7 minutes, rotating once halfway through cooking, until chicken has cooked through (meanwhile, chop asparagus and tomatoes). Add half the dressing mixture to skillet and rotate chicken to evenly coat. Transfer chicken to a large plate or a serving platter while leaving sauce in skillet. Add asparagus and carrots to skillet, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer veggies to plate or platter with chicken. 
• Add remaining dressing mixture to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes to chicken and veggies and drizzle dressing mixture in pan over top (or return chicken and veggies to pan and toss to coat).
• Recipe source: adapted from BHG

Spicy Tuna Bowls

Courtesy of budgetbytes.com--- my favorite recipe site!

As a warning.. this is a very UNIQUE recipe! The first time I REALLY liked it. The second time I hated it! haha! So i'm trying it a third time and we'll see! Taylor loved it both times.

SPICY TUNA GUACAMOLE BOWLS

SAVEPRINT

PREP TIME

15 mins

TOTAL TIME

15 mins

Total Cost: $7.45

Cost Per Serving: $1.86

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups cooked rice (I used brown jasmine rice) $0.50
• 1 medium cucumber $0.95
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame $0.82
• 1 medium carrot $0.14
• 2 (5 oz.) cans chunk light tuna in water $1.98
• 8 oz. package guacamole $2.50
• ¼ bunch cilantro $0.22
• 4 Tbsp sriracha hot sauce $0.34

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dice the cucumber and shred the carrot (use a large box or cheese grater). Cook the edamame according to the package directions (microwave on high with a few Tbsp of water for 2-3 minutes). Drain the tuna and roughly chop the cilantro.
2. Place ¾ cup of cooked rice in the bottom of each bowl. Top with ¼ cup edamame, ½ a can of tuna, ¼ cup guacamole, a handful of diced cucumber, a pinch of shredded carrots, and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. Drizzle sriracha over top, then serve.

NOTES

The bowls stay good refrigerated for about three days when stored in air-tight containers.