Day 56

 

I have 3 yummy, healthy recipes to share today.  I tried all three and I definitely plan on making each of them again.  

 

The first thing I made is the "Southwestern Chicken Salad".  There are a few things I plan on doing differently when I make it again.  I made it for the purpose of having something to eat for work.  Although I didn't add the dressing until I actually ate it, the other ingredients still were kind of soggy.  Next time I make it, I plan on prepping the ingredients and just combining them each morning when I fix my lunch for school.  Here's the recipe.

Southwestern Chicken Salad

(7 WW+ points)

1 head of lettuce, chopped 

2 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 can low-sodium black beans (rinsed)

1 can sweet yellow corn 

2 diced tomatoes 

(I forgot to buy tomatoes, so I used a can of ro-tel...still yummy)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 ripe avocados, diced

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

Dressing:

1/2 c. mayo

2/3 c. greek yogurt

1 tbsp. dry ranch seasoning

1 tbsp. taco seasoning

 I made "Skinny Spinach & Artichoke Chicken" for dinner tonight.  Although my boys turned their noses up at the green stuff, they still managed to clean their plates.  I'm excited that there is enough left for me to take to class tomorrow night.  The topping taste like Spinach/Artichoke dip.....which I LOVE!  (By the way, the "Emily Bites" blog is one of my favorite sites for healthy recipes.)

Spinach & Artichoke Chicken
Source: adapted from Add a Pinch

Ingredients:
8 (4 oz each) raw boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (2 lbs total weight)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped onion
14 oz can artichokes packed in water-based brine (not oil), chopped
10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (the kind that comes in a can)
½ cup shredded 2% Mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly mist a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2.    Lay the chicken breast cutlets across the bottom of the dish in a single layer (see photo above). Sprinkle them with salt and black pepper and place them in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
3.    While the chicken bakes, combine the yogurt and softened cream cheese in a large bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir together until everything is well mixed.
4.    Remove the chicken from the oven after the 15 minutes (it will not be fully cooked yet). If the chicken has released a lot of excess liquid at this point then drain it out or soak it up with paper towels and discard. Using a large spoon or a spatula, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the chicken in a nice thick layer. Place the dish back into the oven and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Yields 8 servings. WW P+: 6 per serving 

(P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per serving from myfitnesspal.com:

 232 calories, 6 g carbs, 8 g fat, 35 g protein, 2 g fiber

I pinned the 1 minute "cup"cake recipe a LONG time ago, but have never tried it.  At today's Weight Watcher's meeting, someone mentioned how good they were.  At only 3 points, it is GREAT for when you have a sweet craving but don't want to jeopardize your diet.  The recipe is easy.

3-2-1 Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of Angel Food Cake mix

1 box of cake mix (any flavor, your choice!)

Mix the two boxes of cake mixes together in a storage container or ziploc bag.  Get a coffee mug or some other type of microwaveable container.  Scoop 3 tablespoons of the cake mixture into the cup.  Stir with 2 tablespoons of water.  Microwave for 1 minute!

Yummy!

Remember........Everything 4:13!