Baked Ziti Casserole

When I was doing weight watchers i managed to find some pretty amazing recipes on the online forum.  This is one of them.  Unfortunately, i like to make it with ground meat instead of turkey breast and this is why the calorie intake is higher than usual.



WW

Baked Ziti Casserole

To streamline the recipe, we skipped the traditional step of browning the meat before it's combined with the rest of the ingredients; it cooks fully as the casserole bakes. This recipe easily doubles to feed a crowd; bake in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish for 35 minutes.

YIELD

 4 Servings

CATEGORIES

 pasta, casserole, 300cal

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INGREDIENTS

• • 6 ounces uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
  • 2 cups Basic Marinara
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Asiago cheese, divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
  • 6 ounces ground turkey breast
  • Cooking spray

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INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.
  3. Combine pasta, Basic Marinara, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 2 tablespoons Asiago, salt, pepper sauce, and turkey in a large bowl. Spoon into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Asiago. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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NOTES

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

CALORIES 362 (26% from fat); FAT 10.5g (sat 5.5g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 26.3g; CHOLESTEROL 39mg; CALCIUM 311mg; SODIUM 546mg; FIBER 3.5g; IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41g 

Crockpot Taco Chicken Bowls

OMG this is amazing.  I serve it with white rice.

Taco chicken bowls

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 10 mins

Total Cost: $10.66

Cost Per Serving: $1.33

Serves: 9

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs. chicken breasts
• 1 (16 oz.) jar salsa 
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
• ½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• ½ Tbsp cumin
• ½ Tbsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 
• ¼ tsp salt
• to taste cracked pepper
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar

Instructions

1. Add everything except the cheese to the slow cooker along with ¼ cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.
2. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.
3. After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is definitely another favorite of mine from skinny taste.  It is perfect during lent.  The only thing is that it does take more than usual for this casserole to prepare.  I tend to like my casseroles one to three and its done.




Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 6 • Size: 1/6th • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 318 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 27.3 g • Carb: 34.3 g • Fiber: 3.6 g    


Ingredients:

• 6 oz no-yolk noodles (Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, or brown rice pasta for gluten free)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, minced fine
• 3 tbsp flour (gluten free use rice flour)
• 1 3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1 oz sherry (optional)
• 10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 cup frozen petite peas (thawed)
• 2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water, drained (I used albacore)
• 4 oz 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar (I used Cabot)
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions:

Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large deep skillet. Add onions and cook on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat 

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spray 9 x 12 casserole with butter flavored cooking spray.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined, increasing heat to medium and whisking well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. When boiling, add sherry, mushrooms and petite peas, adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer on medium, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 7 to 9 minutes). Add drained tuna, stirring another minute.

Remove from heat and add 1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar and mix well until it melts. Add the noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated. Pour into casserole and top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray and top and bake for about 25 minutes. Place under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp (careful not to burn).

Kid-Friendly Turkey Taco Chili

I am really not sure if this is kid friendly for my kids, but it definitely friendly to me. I have been on a kick lately on using my crockpot and this is such a perfect recipe to make on a Sunday morning and have it ready for the week.  It is really low on calories too which is amazing.  I found this recipe on my favorite website Skinny Taste.  She seriously has some amazing recipes.

Crock Pot Kid-Friendly Turkey Chili
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 5  • Size: 1 cup  • Old Points: 6 pts • Weight Watcher Points+: 6 pt 
Calories: 226 • Fat: 3 g • Carb: 21 g • Fiber: 3.5 g • Protein: 31 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 688 mg • Cholest: 59 mg

Ingredients:

• 1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced fine
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 10 oz can Rotel Mild Tomatoes 
• 8 oz small can plain tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the turkey, season with salt and cook, breaking up with a spoon until turkey browns and is no longer pink; place into the slow cooker. Add the oil to the skillet and sauté the onion, garlic and bell pepper over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes. Spoon over turkey into the slow cooker and stir in corn and tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, paprika and salt, mix until well blended. Pour chicken broth into the crock pot and add the bay leaf.

Cover and cook on HIGH 4 hours or LOW 6 hours. Serve with desired toppings.

Easy Crock Pot Sausage & Cheese Tortellini

Amazing recipe.  Another pinterest find.  I have to say with this one i would wait until the last hour to include the tortellini just becaue it gets a little too mushy if its kept in there the entire time in the crock pot.

This is where the recipe can be found: Recipi

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. Italian Sausage (I use sweet sausage just because I can not tolerate too spicy)
• 20 oz. Frozen Three-Cheese Tortellini 
• 32 oz. Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 Cans Diced Tomatoes – seasoned with basil, garlic & oregano
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese 

1. Take your cream cheese out of the fridge, and let it sit while you quickly brown your meat.

2. Add the sausage and tortellini to your Crock Pot. Pour the tomatoes, liquid and all, and broth over the top. Add your cream cheese to the Pot in chunks.

3. Give your Crock Pot a good stir to get everything evenly distributed, making sure the liquids are adequately covering the tortellini.

4. Cook on LOW for a total of 4 1/2 hours. Stir at 2 hours, and again at 4 hours, removing the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking. This will give the sauce some time to thicken up.

This is by far one of my favorite crockpot recipes and its very filling.  I found this recipe at Skinny Taste.  She has some really amazing recipes.

Slow Cooker Picadillo
Skinnytaste.com 
Servings: 11 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Weight Watchers Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 170 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 22.5 g • Carb: 4.5 g • Fiber: 1 g • Sugar: 1.5 g
Sodium: 237 mg (without the salt)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lbs 93% lean ground beef
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup diced red bell peppers
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup alcaparrado (manzanilla olives, pimientos, capers) or green olives
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 bay leaves
• kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Directions: 

Brown meat in a large deep skillet on medium-high heat; season with generously with salt and a little pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into small pieces. When meat is no longer pink, drain all the liquid from pan. Add the onions, garlic and bell peppers to the meat and cook an addition 3-4 minutes.

Transfer the meat to the slow cooker, then add tomato, cilantro, tomato sauce, 1 1/4 cups water, alcaparrado (or olives) [I usually add some of the brine from the jar for added flavor] then add the spices.

Set slow cooker to HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8. After it's ready, taste for salt and add more as needed [I added a little more cumin and garlic powder at the end as well since the crock pot tends to mute the flavors of herbs and spices]. Discard the bay leaves and serve over brown rice.

Makes about 5 3/4 cups.

Serve this with 3/4 cups brown rice for an 8 point meal and a salad on the side.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

This is one of my favorite Christmas desserts that I  make to give as gifts to people.  If you love brownies and peanut butter then this is definitely the desert for you.  I do not remember when I came across this recipe but since that day it has been a staple every Christmas.

I saved this address on my pinterest so that I can go back and see the recipe.  But honestly I have made this recipe so much that i have it memorized.  Here is the link Recipe for Brownies from Baked Perfection:

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Recipe adapted from Nestle’s Very Best Baking

1 box of your favorite brownie mix (I use the Ghiradella Brownie Mix)

1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 40 mini-muffin cups.

Prepare boxed brownie mix as directed. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (about 1 heaping teaspoon). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not then tap the centers with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.

Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still warm spoon about half a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan.

Nutella Gooey Butter Cake

This by far is my FAVORITE DESSERT.  I am nutella fan and the fact that this is a good mix of nutella and brownie (chocolate cake).  ITS HEAVEN is all I can say.  I found this recipe on Pinterest, which then took me to Tidy Mom.

This is the recipe from her BLOG

Nutella Gooey Butter Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

Nutella adds a delicious twist to a St. Louis tradition, where the cake becomes the crust and holds a gooey cream cheese and Nutella filling. It's a great addition to parties or potlucks and can be prepared up to three days in advance, getting better with time.

Ingredients

For the Cake
• 1 (18-1/4 ounce) Box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
• 1 large Egg
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
For Filling
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1 cup Nutella
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325° F and lightly grease 13x9-inch pan
2. Using an electric mixer, combine cake mix, 1 egg and melted butter until well incorporated. Press into bottom of greased pan with fingers.
For Filling:
3. Using an electric mixer, blend, cream cheese, 2 beaten eggs, nutella and vanilla. Then slowly and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
4. Spread filling over cake batter, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until edges are brown. (Do not overbake, the center should be a little gooey)
5. Dust with powdered sugar on top after cake has cooled.

Ranch Dressing

I found this recipe on Pinterest first and it sent me over to faboulusfoodblog.com for the recipe.

I have to say that it was not a favorite.  So i do not think I will make it again.

Ranch is so fattening!! Until now. This whole jar of ranch is only 1.75 grams of fat and 255 calories! 1 cup dannon oikos plain greek yogurt, 1 packet hidden valley ranch mix, 1/2 cup 1% milk. Whisk together, chill 1 hour before use. Perfect consistency and tastes better than bottled!

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps

I have to say this is one of my favorite recipes.  I saw this recipe on Skinnytaste.com and if you have never visited that site you must!  She has some amazing recipes on there and you will most likely see more of her recipes here.

Be prepared this was definitely messy dinner, but the mess is soooo worth it!  In the original recipe she says to use iceberg lettuce but I kind that the lettuce I keep choosing is not strong enough to support the turkey taco, that's why I changed it to show Romaine Lettuce Hearts.  You can choose any leafy green you wish. 

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps
Recipe from Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 • Size: 2 lettuce wraps • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 255 • Fat: 11 g • Carb: 6 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 30 g • Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 849 mg • Cholesterol: 108 mg 

Ingredients:
  

·                     1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey

·                     1 tsp garlic powder

·                     1 tsp cumin

·                     1 tsp salt

·                     1 tsp chili powder

·                     1 tsp paprika

·                     1/2 tsp oregano

·                     1/2 small onion, minced

·                     2 tbsp bell pepper, minced

·                     3/4 cup water

·                     4 oz can tomato sauce

·                     8 large lettuce leaves from Romaine Lettuce hearts

Directions: 

Brown turkey in a large skillet breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks. When no longer pink add dry seasoning and mix well. Add the onion, pepper, water and tomato sauce and cover. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

Wash and dry the lettuce. Divide the meat equally between the 8 leaves and place in the center of each leaf and top with your favorite taco fixins!