HG's Chili-rific Cheeseburger

I have never in my life had a chili burger but according to my husband they are pretty freaking fantastic!!! I decided to give them a try after finding this pretty fabulous recipe in my hungry Girl cookbook. It was delicious!! Here are the details:


Ingredients:
1 small hamburger bun
3 oz of lean beef, patty form1 slice fat-free American cheese
 
2 tbsp. low-fat veggie chili 
4 pickle slices/chips 
2 tomato slices 
1 onion slice 
1 tbsp. mustard


Instructions:

• Split bun in half and toast lightly. 
• Layer pickles, tomato, and onion on the bottom half of the bun. 
• Cook  patty  in a pan with nonstick spray, brown and cook until desired  
• Place burger over the veggies on the bun's bottom half. 
• Prepare chili according to package directions. Top the burger with the chili and then the cheese slice. 
• Put the mustard onto the top half of the bun. Plop the bun top over the cheese and chili patty. 

We had the Alexia Harvest Medly Potatoes for the side which really made the dinner even better! 

Burger= 7PP

Potatoes  3oz= 2PP

HAPPY EATING!!

BLT Soup

Tonight I did not feel like cooking. I was even tempted by my hubby to order pizza but I decided I would be better off making a simple dinner:): So decided to make chicken salad and soup. I found this awesome soup recipe on...where else HUNGRY GIRL!! She rocks. This recipe was very easy and quick to make AND SOOOO DELICIOUS!! Here are the details: 


Ingredients: 
2 slices center-cut bacon or turkey bacon
1 slice light bread
1 clove garlic, halved widthwise
1 cup chopped tomato (about 1 large tomato)
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium tomato soup with 4g fat or less per serving
2 cups roughly chopped spinach leaves
Optional: fat-free sour cream


Instructions: 
Prepare bacon in a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray or on a microwave-safe plate in the microwave. (Refer to package for cook time and temperature.) Chop or crumble and set aside.

Toast bread slice and gently rub both sides with cut sides of garlic clove halves; discard clove halves. Cut bread into 1-inch squares and set aside.

In a nonstick pot over medium heat on the stove, cook and stir chopped tomato until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add tomato soup and stir. Bring to a low boil. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.

Serve topped with bacon and garlic-toast squares. If you like, top with sour cream.


Makes 2 servings

1 1/4 cup of soup= 5 PP

YUMMY! The fresh tomatoes really made the soup! 

Happy Eating!

1-2-3 Alarm Chili

A cold front blew in last night and so I thought it would be a perfect night for crockpot chili! Lucky for me, there was this chili recipe in my new Hungry Girl cookbook I received for Christmas:) We didn't get to come home form lucy because as mentioned yesterday we work at a university and first day of classes is tomorrow! So we prepared everything before we left for work! It turned out AWESOME AND IT WAS FILLING!! This is the best chili I have made in a while as I was starting to doubt my chili making abilities! Here are the details: 

Ingredients: 

• One 29-oz. can tomato sauce
• One 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• One 15-oz. can chili beans (pinto beans in chili sauce), not drained
• One 15-oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen sliced or chopped carrots
• 1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels
• 2 bell peppers (different colors), chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 - 3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, sauce reserved
• 2 tsp. chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 lb. raw lean ground turkey
• Optional: salt

I didn't put those ingredients because we simply didn't have them:) But it came out great!

Instructions: 

1. Combine all ingredients except turkey and salt in a large bowl. Add 2 tsp. adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers. Mix to combine and coat all of the beans and veggies with sauce. 
2. Put turkey in the bottom of a crock pot and break it up into small chunks. Top with the mixture from the large bowl, and mix well. 
3. Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours. 
4. Stir to distribute turkey. If you like, add salt to taste. 

It was great! It was 4PP for one cup which is ALOT of chili! I added 2 tbsp of cheese and 1 tbsp of sour cream. I also cooked corn muffins and they were yummy and only 3 PP!! 

I thought I would eat another bowl but it was very filling!!

HAPPY EATING!!

Hungry Girl Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

This is a very busy time for my husband and I. We both work at a college and the beginning of semester so I knew we would both be very tired when we came home today SO I dececded it would be a crock pot night!! Boy that was a great idea...if I must say so myself!  And what makes it even better is that my husband put everything together while I was working through lunch! What a sweetie:) Here are the details: 


Ingredients: 
1 1/2 lb. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste


Instructions: 

1. Place all ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot. Stir until mixed. Add chicken and coat well with the sauce.
2. Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours OR on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.
3. Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the sauce.
4. If you're serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with red pepper flakes. Eat up!

1/2 cup of chicken = 4 PP ( I only had 1/4 cup and it was enough!)

This is the picture from the HG site:) 

I put mine between Italian Bread and 1 piece of FF cheese and it was GREAT!! I LOVED IT!

Happy Eating!

BBQ Beef Cups

For dinner tonight I made something that tasted quite nice ALTHOUGH it was little spicy for me:) But that was my husband's fault (it is easier to blame him than to take the blame myself:)! He bought Texas Style BBQ sauce instead of regular....good thing he is cute:) Here are the details:

Ingredients:
14 oz of lean (96/4) ground beef
1 small onion diced
2/3 cup of BBQ sauce ( I try to use anything less than 45 calories:) 
Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls

 Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees 
2. Brown the meat and diced onion 
3. Roll out the crescent roll dough and pinch together the precut  dough into 12 squares In a muffin pan place each square into a cup size mold,
4. Evenly divde the meat up into the 12 squres (it came out to 1 1/2 TBSP per cup.  
5. Bake in oven for 16 minutes or until bread it golden brown! 

 1 BBQ beef cup= 3 PP

I had 3:) 

My dinner was complete with mashed potatoes and green beans! I was very full and satisfied. This will def. be a meal during the summer time pool BBQs! Can't wait!

Happy Eating!

HG's Alternate Ultimate Omelette

Today we woke up extra early (for Sunday) and headed to church and helped my generous father make breakfast for the church.  We made taquitos and fruit. I had every intention of eating the taquitos and the fruit (and tracking them:) But after running around, burning my hands and only having 3 minutes to get to our seats, I thought I would wait and cook this omelet recipe I saw on Hungry Girl this week- check it out here!


Ingredients: 


Filling
1 frozen meatless or turkey sausage patty with 80 calories or less (like the kind by Morningstar Farms or Jimmy Dean)
2/3 cup of Jimmy Dean crumbles
1 slice center-cut bacon or turkey bacon
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
1/4 cup diced tomato

Omelette
3/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
3 tbsp. shredded fat-free cheddar cheese


Instructions: 


Prepare sausage patty and bacon in a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray or on a microwave-safe plate in the microwave. (Refer to packages for cook times and temperatures.) Chop or crumble and set aside in a bowl.

Bring a medium skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and pepper. Cook and stir until softened, 3 - 5 minutes. Transfer veggies to the bowl with sausage and bacon. Add tomato, stir, and set aside.

If needed, wash and dry skillet. Remove from heat, re-spray, and bring to medium heat. Add egg substitute and let it coat the skillet bottom. Cover and cook until solid enough to flip, about 3 minutes.

Flip egg and top one half with filling. Sprinkle filling with cheese. Cover skillet and cook until cheese melts, about 1 minute.

Fold egg over filling and transfer to a plate. 


I didn't take a picture because it was 12:30, I hadn't eaten anything and was kinda hungry! This was my first omelet to ever make and it didn't quite "look" like an omelet but it TASTED FANTASTIC!! There was SOOOOO MUCH FOOD! It kept me satisfied until 5:00 and that was after 1 work out and a 3 mile walk with my mom!! I will def. be making this more often!!


Happy Eating!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This weekend was full of 2 yummy dinners and 1 delicious breakfast! It is amazing how awesome these meals were and amazing low in points plus values. So let's begin: Saturday night I cooked a delightful dinner that I must admit I was a little weary when I started making it. SO my best advice is to cook it with skepticism and then when you are done, smile and think: WOW THIS WAS GREAT!!




Ingredients:

One 9.75oz. (or 10oz.) can 98% fat-free chunk white chicken based in water, drained and flaked

11 1/5 oz. of chicken breast, cooked and cut into chunks:) 

One 10.75oz. can 98% fat-free cream of celery condensed soup 

2/3 cup frozen bite-sized mixed veggies

1/2 cup salsa Six 6-inch corn tortillas 

1 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese, divided 

Optional: salt and black pepper

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2.  In a large bowl, combine chicken, soup, veggies, and salsa. If you like, add salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside. 
3. Spray a baking disk with nonstick spray. 
4. Break tortillas in pieces about the size of tortilla chips. Lay half of the tortilla pieces along the bottom of the cooking dish.
5. Evenly layer half of the chicken mixture over the tortilla pieces. 
6. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Lay remaining tortilla pieces over the cheese. Top evenly with the rest of the chicken mixture, followed by the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until edges are brown and crispy. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, until sauce thickens.
7.  Eat up! Makes 4 servings.

1 VERY LARGE piece = 7 PP

This is kinda messy but I was hungry and digging in:) 
Happy Eating!

Beefy Cheesey Burritos and discoveries (good and bad)

Tonight was great! I came home, made dinner, went to my parents house and relaxed in bed playing on the computer while watching Friends for the thousandth time! It was great however I had plans to work out but today at work I decided to try these energy strips you put on your tounge: 

I thought they were working great and pretty cool...except on the way home I started to get this nauseous feeling. I didn't feel good at all. Since I work at a college they were giving these away at the book store because it is the beginning of the semester...a coworker picked some up and I tried 2! I also discovered I am a pretty good sales woman as I got 8 people to try it too! I did give them the for warning I had no I idea what would happen. I also gave instructions that if they found me passed out on my desk to call my husband!! Luckily the side effects didn't hit until the way home, which of course my husband to the opportunity to let me know it wasn't good to try stuff like this and he is right (shhhhhh don't tell I admitted this freely). 


So I decided to forgo on my work out and make dinner....which was pretty freaking delicious! I did learn a couple things tonight: 

1. I don't like bison ground beef

2. I am super very happy that I use 96/4 gound beef. It taste sooo much better

3. I LOVE HUNGRY GIRL's new an innovated ways to cook things!!  

Here is the skinny: 


Tonight we had the HG Beefy Cheesy Burrito Supreme!


Ingredients: 
1 La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat Low-Carb/Low-Fat Tortilla, Large 
1/2  soy crumbles (like Boca Ground Burger or Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles) 
3 oz of ground beef (as mentioned above I used bison, I will use regular ground beef instead of bison)
1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 
1/2 wedge The Laughing Cow cheese, Light Original Swiss 
1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream 
1 tsp. taco seasoning mix
1/2 tsp. taco sauce 


Instructions: 


Good beef until brown, once brown,  add Laughing Cow cheese and taco seasoning mix and stir. After about 3 minutes add taco sauce.
Lay tortilla out on a large microwave-safe plate, and then warm it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Place the soy crumble mixture in the center of the tortilla. 
Cover the mixture with the shredded cheese. Place the tortilla, open-faced, in the microwave for about 40 seconds (until shredded cheese has melted slightly). 
Remove plate from the microwave, and place sour cream on top of the melty cheese layer. Then, wrap the tortilla up by first folding in the sides and then rolling it up from the bottom. With the seam side down on the plate, heat the wrap in the microwave for another 30 seconds. 
Enjoy!

1 Burrito = 9 PP 

This was GREAT...even with the bison:) It was cheesy goodness!! All I heard my husband say was: this tastes like TACO BELL!!!! He also said: I like eating meat that isn't so greasy! I am proud! He always asks me if you we can get the fatty meats but today we have a victory!! The rice is another story...it is spanish rice from HEB and while it was good, it was 5 PP for 1/3 cup!  You can get 1 cup of rice for 5 PP!!! A bad choice for sure...live and learn.  This burrito was fantabulous, scrumptious and will made again in our house!


And here is an adorable picture my mother took tonight of all the puppies (the curly hair one is mine and the other cuties are my parents (which includes me in the background:)  

Happy Eating!

Funyuns + Sour Cream and Onion Chips + Chicken= YES PLEASE!!

Tonight's dinner was AHHHH-MAZING.  Just think: Funyonions + Sour Cream and Onion Chips + Chicken= Pure Delicious!!!

Here are the details:

GOOD CHICK LOLLIPOPS! 

(click here for a pic)

Ingredients

12 ounces chicken breasts, raw, skinless, boneless, evenly cut into six strips

1 ounce Funyuns onion flavored rings , 15 pieces

1/2 ounce sour cream and onion potato chips (recipe calls for the Pringles Light Sour Cream & Onion fat-free potato crisps, 7 crisps)

2 tablespoons liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 dashes garlic powder

2 dashes salt

6 wooden skewers

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Carefully slide each chicken strip lengthwise onto a skewer. Set aside.
• In a large sealable plastic bag, combine Funyuns, Pringles and seasonings. If you like, add extra seasonings to taste. Seal the bag and crush the chips until they're mostly reduced to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer the seasoned crumbs to a plate, and set aside. Pour egg substitute into a small bowl, and set that aside as well.
• Prepare a large baking sheet by spraying with nonstick spray.
• Take a chicken skewer and dunk it in the egg substitute -- use a spoon to distribute the egg substitute over all of the chicken. Gently shake the skewer to remove any excess liquid, and then lay the skewer in the seasoned crumbs. Rotate the skewer, pressing it into the crumbs, until it is evenly coated. Use your fingers or a spoon to add and pat crumbs onto any bare spots on the chicken. Transfer to the baking sheet, and repeat with all other chicken skewers.
• Bake in the oven for 18 - 20 minutes, carefully flipping skewers about halfway through cooking, until chicken is cooked through and coating is crispy. Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then enjoy!

1 serving= 1 skewer= 5 PP

It was great! Hungry- Girl really hit it out of the park with this recipe!  I had 2 skewers and it was plenty! We also had fries which was 4 PP for 3 ounces! Dinner was so great and I was sooo hungry and it was plenty of food.  


However, I did realize the importance of working out after you have everything prepared. I didn't work out tonight as we got home from work later. So instead of working out I snacked...and snacked....and snacked....well you get the 

point. BUT I still counted all my points and I didn't deprive myself of any food so snacking for the win!! :)

Happy Eating!

It was a great day...even if it was Monday & I had to work:)

Today was the first day of tracking my WW points....when I woke up  I felt like this: 

Mid-day and after my 3rd banana I realized remembered that it felt so good to eat the correct portions and feel satisfied all day: 

When I came home and began prepping dinner: Hungry Girl's Chop Chop Beef Stir Fry, brown rice and salad...get the recipe here!

Get the recipe! 

Here is how my dinner turned out: 

Stir Fry- 7 PP

1 cup of Brown Rice- 5 PP

2 1/2 cups of Lite Caesar Salad- 3 PP

I began to dread my work out which I had not done since NOVEMBER!  I got a new work out game: Fit in 6 and it kicked my butt AND it was SATISFYING!!  

I stayed within my points and had a yummy Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich! DELICIOUS!!

Our dinner was fabulous and I hope I AM SORE tomorrow and I will know in 9 short hours!

PS: Yes that is 9 hours, a girl's gotta sleep in order to loose this weight faster and it was a long day at work which most people in America had today off...bitter party of 1!

Day 3: Neato-Chili Frito Burrito

My husband bought a Frito Stuff Burrito from Sonic one time and I have to admit it looked tasty. I am a sucker for Fritos and chili! SO it was fantastic when I found this AWESOME recipe! Here are the details:

Ingredients

1/3 C of low-fat turkey or veggie chili

1 medium- large high fiber flour tortilla with about 110 calories

2 tablespoons with FF cheddar cheese

10 Fritos

Instructions

Microwave chili for about 1 minute

Microwave tortilla for about 10 seconds

Spoon chili down the tortilla and cover with the cheese and then top with the fritos

Wrap tortilla like a burrito  and place burrito seam side down on the plate and microwave until hot- about 30 seconds!

ENJOY: 

1 Burrito: 5 PP

** When I was looking on WW online tools I saw that the SONIC burrito is 18 points and it is the same size...I think mine is WAY BETTER!**

~Happy Eating!

Day 2: Nacho-rific Stuffed Chicken

AS mentioned in LOTS of my posts, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mexican Food. Being a Corpus resident my entire life this is a no brainer. I have learned that I can have all the punch and zing AND FABULOUSNESS as the fattening versions they serve all around town.  On Tuesday I decided to try the Nacho-rific Stuffed Chicken.  Here are the details

Ingredients

1/2 cup of FF refried beans
1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
4 wedges of the Laughing Cow Cheese- Swiss
1/2 cup Fiber One Original Bran Cereal
8 LF Baked tortilla chips, crushed
1 tsp of taco seasoning mix
2 dashes of cayenne pepper
4 five oz of boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup of taco sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray a large baking pan with nonstick cooking spray

To make the filling, combine the beans, shredded cheese and cheese wedges. Mix and set aside

In a food processor grind the cereal to a breadcrumb consistency.  Add crushed chips, taco seasoning and cayenne pepper.  Mix well, set on plate and set aside.

Lay chicken cutlets on a plate and spoon mix evenly between all of the chicken. Carefully roll each chicken over the filling and secure with tooth picks.

Cover each stuffed chicken with 1 tbs of taco sauce and carefully roll each chicken in the crumb mixture.  CAREFULLY transfer to baking pan.

Cover baking pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked and outsides are crispy

TADA!

1 Stuffed Chicken: 7 PP

It was very filling (thanks to the power food- refried beans!)

 ~Happy Eating!  

100 days of Hungry Girl's 300 under 300

Last week I purchased Hungry Girl's 300 under 300 and I fell in love with good/healthy eating all over again.  She has some awesome a recieps that seem too good to be true:)

Check it out here!

What I like even more about the book is she has pictures of her reciepes and the points plus values on her website.

Check it out here!

I have successfully competed 2 days and I will write about that later! Here's to channeling the Hungry Girl in all of us!

-Happy Eating!

Day 1: BLT Pizza

Day 1
My first cooking adventure with my girl 'Hungry Girl' began with making a BLT Pizza.  I was alittle apprehensive but let me tell you it was GREAT! Here are the details:

Ingredients

1 Pillsbury Pizza Crust- Thick

1/2 cup of light mayo

1/2 tsp of dry ranch dip 

12 slices of center cut bacon (the recipe calls for 6 but I added more since my husband LOVES BACON** and it did not add to the PP value)

Shredded Lettuce

2 Tomatos

Instructions

1. Bake the Pizza crust at 350 degrees until golden brown (about 15 minutes)

2. Cook the bacon in a pan or microwave ( I did it in the microwave and the mess in minimal)

3. Dice the tomatoes and chop of the lettuce

4. Mix the mayo and ranch dressing. Once mixed spread evenly on the bread crust.

5. Place lettuce on top of dip mix then tomatoes and top with bacon

6. ENJOY THE BEST BLT EVER!!

Serves 6- 6 PP per serving

Happy Eating!

Hungry Girl Spotlights

I have been coming more and more intrigued by her recipes.  Today she was ont eh Today show and I was able to record her segment. She has 3 great recipes which I will for sure be trying these for next week's dinners!

Check it out here!

- Happy Eating!

Queen of the Castle Sliders and Sweet Potato Fries

Who doesn't love sliders! This fat girl does! But one thing that I don't like is the amount of fat and carbs they are loaded with. This was another fabulous recipe that I found on HungryGirl.com! Here are the details:

Ingredients

4 oz. raw extra-lean ground beef

2 slices of Italian bread

1/3 cup chopped onion

4 hamburger dill pickle chips

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Optional condiments: ketchup and mustard

Instructions

Combine beef and seasonings in a small bowl, and knead mixture by hand until integrated. Divide seasoned beef evenly into four balls. Flatten and form each ball into a square patty on a plate. Using a knife, make four small slits on the top of each patty. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Bring a pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Spread onion out on the pan. Place the patties on top of the onion, slit-side down, and cover the pan. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes (no flipping necessary), or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, cut each slice of bread into four squares, for a total of eight pieces. (If you like, slightly toast bread first.) Feel free to spread ketchup and/or mustard onto four pieces. Set aside.

Once patties are cooked through, scoop each one along with the onion beneath it onto one piece of bread. Top each with a pickle chip and then another bread piece (or the other way around, if you want to be fancy!). Let cool slightly, and then slide 'em into your mouth!

9 PP for sliders

4 PP for sweet potato fries

Total: 13 PP for an awesome dinner!

- Happy Eating!

Sassy Saucy Ribwich

As mentioned in yesterday's post I found some awesome recipes. The first one we tried was the Sassy Saucy Ribwich. I paired this with Alexia Yukon Gold French Fries. This was a great meal after a fabulous day at the beach! Here are the details:

Ingredients:

1 Morningstar Farms Hickory BBQ Riblet(found in the freezer aisle)

1 Arnold Select/Oroweat Sandwich Thins roll or Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats roll (or alternative below)

3 hamburger dill pickle chips

3 thin slices onion

Instructions:

Prepare Riblet according to package directions. Meanwhile, split roll in half and lightly toast.

Stack Riblet, pickles, and onion on the bottom half of the roll. Finish it off with the top half.


TOTAL: 9 PP for sandwich

Prepare Fries according to the package.


Total: 3 PP for fries

ENJOY!

-Happy Eating!