What's Cooking?

Here's Your New Favorite Soup - Free-Style!

Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1-13 oz. can chicken breast, drained and shredded

Do Not drain any of the following cans:

1 can Ro-tel tomatoes

1- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 -4 oz. can chopped green chilies

1 -15 oz. can pinto beans

1-15 oz. can black beans

1-15 oz. can whole kernel corn

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into crockpot and stir.

Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.

Suggested garnishes: sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped avocado, chopped green onions, Fritos. 

A Couple More Seasonal Goodies, All Dressed up for Freestyle!

PUMPKIN PUDDING

• 1 1/2 c Fairlife Far Free Milk - 3 SPs
• 1/2 can 100% pumpkin - 0 SPs
• 1 package sugar/fat free vanilla pudding - 3 SPs
• Pumpkin pie spice to taste - 0 SPs
• Nutmeg to taste - 0 SPs

Top with light whipping cream if desired.  

3 TBSP = 1 SP; MAKES APPROX. 6 SERVINGS

1 Point - Mini Pecan Pies 

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp unpacked light brown sugar
• 1 package Athens Fillo Shells, Mini (15)
• 1 tbsp Brummel & Brown Spread Made with Yogurt
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ item(s) egg white(s)

Instructions

• Shells are precooked. Place on baking sheet.
• Mix melted Brummel & Brown in with all other ingredients EXCEPT pecans. Stir well. 
• Add pecans. Pour into shells. 
• Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 mins.

New to the Blog for Thanksgiving...

This recipe varies in SmartPoints values from 4 to 10 per 3" x 3 1/2" serving, depending on how much you lighten it up.  With regular butter and sugar-free Cool Whip, it comes in at 10 SPs.  If you use fat-free cream cheese, fat free margarine and FAT-free Cool Whip, it's 4 SPs per serving.

Using the serving size dimensions above, the recipe makes 12 servings in a 9" x 13" pan.  Enjoy!

Back for the Holidays!

Make the Crustless Pumpkin Pie with Kroger Carbmaster fat free milk instead of regular skim milk, and the SmartPoints per serving go down to 1, and SmartPoints for the entire pie are 4 - Enjoy!


Thanks to Sherry at Green Oaks!

Re-Discovered by an At-Work Member...

This may sound weird, but it was yummy and satisfying!

After hearing from a member that she had put one stick of the Weight Watchers Cafe Creations Pumpkin Spice creamer into plain oatmeal, I decided to give it a try while putting my own peculiar spin on it.  Here's what I used:

Light and Fit Greek Vanilla nonfat yogurt - 1 container - 2 SPs
Quaker Original instant oatmeal - 1 packet - 3 SPs
1 tsp olive oil - 1 SP
1 stick Cafe Creations Pumpkin Spice nondairy creamer - 0 SPs

Just mix together in a bowl and enjoy cold!  I used the olive oil (remember Healthy Oils?) to aid in the blending process, but you don't have to if you'd like to save a point...

I LOVE FALL!!!!!  

Couple more great recipes from Tarrant County members - Keep 'em coming, folks!

Don't have the SPs on this recipe, but it sounded waaay too good not to share!

Wanda’s Uncooked Chow-Chow (from her mother-in-law)

Ingredients

8 medium onions                                  3 red bell peppers                         

1 gallon green tomatoes                       Hot peppers according to taste

1 medium head of cabbage                  2 or 3 carrots

3 green bell peppers                             4 stalks of celery

3 pints white vinegar                            1 tsp pickling spice (tied in a cloth)

Juice of 5 lemons                                  4 tbsp dry mustard

2 tsp turmeric                                       1 tsp celery seeds

4 cups sugar

Directions

For the first group of ingredients:

Grind all ingredients.  Mix with 1 cup of salt and let stand for 1 hour.  

Drain well, squeezing off all juice.

For the second group of ingredients:

While the mixture of the first group is standing, mix the second group 
of ingredients.  Boil all together for 10 minutes and allow to cool.  
Pour over the ground vegetable mixture, then pack and seal.

Here are some of the latest creations from awesome Weight Watchers members in Tarrant County, Texas - you folks rock!

Sorry it took me so long to get this ab-fab recipe from a Saturday morning member posted!

Here's a Tasty Recipe to Feed a Craving for Italian Food (but Without Pasta!); Thanks to Doug from the Hurst Saturday 8:30 meeting!

A Couple of New Recipes to Round Out the Year...

Baked Zucchini Fries

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 zucchinis, ends trimmed, halved and cut into 1/2-inch strips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
• Stir bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a shallow bowl.  Whisk eggs in a separate shallow bowl.
• Working in batches, dip zucchini strips into egg, shake to remove any excess, and roll strips in bread crumb/cheese mixture to coat.  Transfer coated zucchini strips to the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake, turning once, until golden and crisp (20-24 minutes).

A Couple of Last-Minute Dessert Recipes to Lighten Up Your Turkey Day...

A "Hungry Girl" Recipe That Looks Delicious (A Member Had a Portion of it for Lunch in a Meeting This Week...)

Here are couple more great recipes from May meetings...

Member Recipes from the April Recipe Swap Challenge – At Last!

I know it seems forever ago that we all turned these in for inclusion here on the blog, and I apologize for the length of time it took to get them all compiled and in a format that you could access easily.  Here we go!

• Click on this link to view and/or download all the recipes in one PDF file: http://graysondesign.com/pdf/aprilmemberrecipesall.pdf
• If you aren't shown the actual file after clicking on the link, then simply check your computer’s Downloads folder to access the file and save it to whatever location you like.  Or, you can simply open the file while it is still in the Downloads folder and print it from there.

Thanks to all those who contributed to this collection, and for your patience while we worked through the technicalities of bringing you these fabulous creations from your fellow Tarrant County Weight Watchers members.  I’m fairly certain you will find that they were worth the wait!  Now – the only thing left for you to do is to go forth and tantalize your palate with some new and delicious taste sensations!

Here are a few more that were turned in after the original document was created:

From Sandy in the Hurst Thursday evening meeting:

From SkinnyTaste.com (This one will be a bit easier to read once it's printed out):

From HungryGirl.com:

Love Quinoa, But Need Ways to Jazz it Up?  Read On!  Thanks to Carolyn...

Thanks to Darwin, Who Brought Us These Recipes from Australian WW Weeklies!

 

 

A Fabulous Cold Summer Soup from Cathy in the Hurst Saturday 8:30 Meeting! (And she even put it in the Recipe Builder for us...!)

 

From the Cover of the June 1 Weekly - The Recipe You Were Asking For!

Cucumber Sliders: In a small bowl, blend 2 Tbsp low-fat (1%) cottage cheese, 1 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream, and 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped chives; season with pepper. Spread onto thick rounds of fresh English cucumber.
Enjoy!

From Hurst Thursday Evening!

From One of My Wonderful At-Work Members!

Morning “Get it all in” Smoothie

Ingredients:
½ cup Frozen Strawberries
½ cup Frozen Pineapple
½ cup Frozen Blueberries
1 Banana
1-2 cups Fresh Spinach
½ cup Light Orange Juice (1 point)
¼ cups Light Cranberry Juice
1-2 tsp healthy oil
Honey (optional)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender and process until desired consistency is reached. Additional liquid may be required for some blenders, and water or up to another ½ cup of the light orange juice may be used (1 cup of light orange juice = 1 point).

Fresh ingredients may also be used instead of frozen, but the consistency will be different. Any of the ingredients may be substituted for a different fruit and/or vegetable of your choice; however, broccoli is not recommended as a substitute for spinach. J

Enjoy! J

Some Fabulous Finds from an At-Work Pre-Thanksgiving Pot Luck!

Nancy’s Taco Soup - Wonderful whether it’s hot or cold outside!

Serves about 15 at 5 PointsPlus per 1/2 cup serving

Ingredients

	1 medium uncooked onion(s), chopped
	1/2 pound(s) uncooked 95% lean ground beef, browned
	2 cans pinto beans
	2 cans white corn
	1 can water
	1 can tomato sauce
	1 pkg Taco Seasoning
	1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
	4 oz Peppers, Green Chile

Instructions

Brown ground beef with chopped onion; rinse and drain. Add all other ingredients in a large pot and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat or in a crock pot for several hours.

Per Requests from Members - A Blast from the Past!

Another Recipe from Carrollton - Woo-Hoo!

From a Previous WW Cookbook

(You may have to print it off to get it in a usable size - Sorry about that!)

2 Recipes from Carrollton

 

 2 Taste-Tested Recipes from the Hurst Saturday 8:30 Meeting

This may sound a little crazy, but give it a try!

Sauerkraut Salad

Serving Size = 1/2 c

Makes 6-8 servings

Less than 1/2 PointsPlus per serving, so - ZERO!

Ingredients:

     2 cans sauerkraut

     1 1/4 c Splenda

     1/4 c apple cider vinegar

     1 tsp mustard seed

Combine and bring to boil in a sauce pan; set aside and cool.

Add:

     Drained sauerkraut mixture to:

     1/4 c olive oil

     1/2 c chopped celery

     1/2 onion chopped fine

     3/4 c of each:

           Red bell pepper

           Yellow bell pepper

           Orange bell pepper

           Green bell pepper

     1 small jar pimientos

     5 or 6 radishes, sliced

Leave in refrigerator overnight, and serve as an appetizer or salad.