Weight Watchers and Twin Cities Live

Ken and I have been doing weight watchers now for about six weeks. We both really want to lose weight before our wedding and Jamaican Honeymoon. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to cook. We usually cook three or four meals on Sunday. I pack them up and send half home with Ken for the week and we eat those all week. We have made many really good recipes on our diet. I thought I would share some with you.

Ken's cousin, John Hanson, hosts a weekday talk show called Twin Cities Live. This past week Ken submitted a Fried Rice Recipe that I had made and they choose to make it on the air. Ken had a few seconds on air to talk about the dish. They called me Mare N. (Like Karen.) ;( I wonder how many other people in his family think that is my name?

Recipes!! -- I am going to post our 6 favorites from our 6 weeks on the diet.

Chicken Fried Rice
3 points for one cup

Cooking Spray
4 large egg whites (I use 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg.)
1/2 cup scallions, chopped, green and white parts
2 medium garlic gloves, minced (I use 3 or 4, we love garlic)
12 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I use a little less chicken because of the egg yolk. And add in fresh mushrooms. I also have a food scale which really helps me measure the oz of meat.)
1/2 c carrots, diced (I use the magic bullet for this.) ;)
2 cup cooked brown rice, regular or instant, kept hot
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed (GROSS! We don't add these)
3 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce

1t - 1T Very Hot Chinese Mustard (Because we make this days before we eat this I add this after it is re-heated. I love things hot and spicy. Start with a teaspoon and work the heat level up.)

Coat a large nonstick skilled with cooking spray and set pan over medium high heat. Add egg and cook, until scrambled, stirring frequently, about 3 to 5 minutes, remove from pan and set aside.

Off heat, recoat skillet with cooking spray and place back over medium high heat. Add scallions and garlic, saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and carrots; saute until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Stir in reserved eggs, cooked brown rice, peas and soy sauce; cook until heated through, stirring once or twice, about 1 minute.
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Asian Meatballs
4 points for 8 meatballs - I put these over cooked brown rice to make it a meal.

10 oz ground skinless turkey breast
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and minced
4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1/3 c fine dried bread crumbs
2 T minced water chestnuts (GROSS! I leave these out. I added 2 more tablespoons of green peppers.)
1 egg white
1 T low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c sweet and sour sauce
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, lightly combine the turkey, pepper, scallions, bread crumbs, water chestnuts, egg white and soy sauce. Shape into 32 equal balls; place on pan. Bake until cooked through and browned, about 15 minutes.

In a microwavable bowl combine the sweet and sour sauce and applesauce. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir in the meatballs.
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Spaghetti w/ Spinach and Cheese

Makes only 2 servings, so I suggest doubling the recipe because you will want leftovers. Oh, it's 8 pts per serving.

2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of spinach, cleaned and torn
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c minced basil ( I used a tablespoon of dried instead.)
3/4 c shredded part skim mozzarella cheese.
1/4 t black pepper
2 c hot cooked spaghetti
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Chicken (Ken has about 15 more points than me. So I added cooked chicken to his. He LOVES this recipe. So the chicken must be good in it.)

Spray a large nonstick skilled with cooking spray; heat. Add the shallots and garlic; cook, stirring as needed, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the spinach, tomatoes and basil; toss lightly. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the spinach is wilted, 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the mozzarella cheese and pepper; toss to combine. Place 1 cup of the spaghetti on plate. Top with the spinach mixture ans serve, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
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Arroz con Pollo - (This recipe we like because it has a kick to it.)
7 points for 4 servings

2 t olive oil
1 c long grain rice
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c low sodium chicken broth
1 - 10oz can tomatoes with green chilies
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t ground cumin
2 c cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup thawed frozen green peas (GROSS! I leave these out.)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the rice, onion and garlic; cook, stirring as needed, until the onion is softened and the rice is lightly browned, 5-6 minutes.

Add the broth, tomatoes, oregano and cumin; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring once or twice, until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the chicken and peas; cook, covered, stirring as needed, until the peas are cooked and the chicken is heated through 3 to 4 minutes. Fluff the mixture with a fork before serving.
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Chicken Tetrazzini
8 points for 2 servings

2 t unsalted stick margarine
2 celery stalks, diced (I left these out. Not gross. Just didn't have any.;)
2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
1 T flour
1 c skim milk
1/3 c reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/3 c cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 c cooked elbow macaroni
1/2 c frozen green peas (GROSS! I left these out.)
7 fat free saltine crackers, crumbled (We left these off because we couldn't find them at the store.)

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large nonstick skilled, melt the margarine. Add the celery and scallions, cook, stirring as needed, until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in the milk and cook stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens, about 3 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted.

Stir in the chicken, macaroni and peas; cook, stirring as needed, until heated though and the peas are thawed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a 1 1/2 quart casserole; top with the cracker crumbs. Bake until the crackers are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
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Cider-Dijon Chicken
4 servings. 8 points per serving

1 t margarine
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 - 4oz chicken breasts (I had some already cooked cubed chicken in my fridge. So I made this recipe with cubed chicken instead of whole breast. So instead of putting the chicken on top of the rice I mixed everything together and served.)
2 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
2 T Dijon mustard
3 T flour
1/2 c apple cider or juice (I used light apple juice and the flavor was still really good.)
1/4 c nonfat sour cream
1/4 c minced parsley (I used 1 T of dried instead.)
4 cups hot cooked brown rice

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the margarine. Add the garlic and cook, stirring as needed, until lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Add the chicken, mushrooms, broth and mustard; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the flour with enough of the cider to make a paste, stir in the remaining cider. Add to the chicken mixture; cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and parsley; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve the rice, topped with chicken and sauce.
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Let me know if you make any! Enjoy!!!