Italian stuffed zucchini

Oh, man, you guys. It's been a rough one, I tell ya! The long weekend was great, but I may have celebrated ISU's first win of the season a little too heartily. I also seem to be having a nasty bout with my allergies this week. I'm talking ice pick to the ear, throat swelling up type of shizz. It's super fun. But not to worry, I decided to come back to you all...I could never leave you :)

 

This recipe was made for us at the lake a few weeks ago by Dani, the neighbor...remember, she's the one who makes the WIDZ? Yeah, well it turns out she's also a pro at zucchini. And then Mallory brought me two of the biggest honkers you've ever seen from her garden, and I was all whispering in the veggie's ears "I know exactly what's happening to you two" and then laughing an evil witch cackle. I have fun.

 

Anywho...get zee ingredients and get started!

 

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats (adapted from skinnytaste.com)

Servings: 8 • Size: 1 boat • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 153 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 12.8 g • Carb: 9 g • Fiber: 2 g • Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 372 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups marinara sauce
• 4 (31 oz total) medium zucchini
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 lb ground turkey  
• 1/2 cup part skim shredded mozzarella (Polly-O)
• 8 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 T italian seasoning
• 1/2 can mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4" thick.

Brown your turkey and add mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, italian seasoning to the skillet to cook. When done, add marinara sauce and parmesan cheese. Scoop mixture into zucchini shells and cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle fressh mozzarella on top for 10 minutes more cook time. Slice and serve!

 

 

I mean...even the boys were raving about these.  And you know that's like getting a 2 year old to like their veggies. Oh, did I just say that? I didn't mean it, fellas! Honest...

 

Bangin' Grilled Shrimp Skewers

Sit down. Take off your socks. Because the knowledge I am about to impart upon you is going to knock you off your feet AND knock your socks off. It happened to me when I put my first little bangin' shrimpy in my mouth. True story. Mama told these shrimpies to knock you out. Mama said knock you out.

P.S. They're not bad for you. I knowwwwwww! Where have these been all my life?? I found them hiding over at Gina's Skinny Taste, you know, my fave WW blog evah evah. I've told you about her before. The spinach and cheese lasagna rolls came from her. Yeah, she's pretty much a god. Plus, check out her food photos...but not before lunch unless you enjoy torture. I've had these shrimp skewers in my pile to try for longer than I care to admit now that I know how easy they are. What, you don't have a pile 2 foot high of printed recipes you want to try in the corner of your kitchen? Me either. I was kidding. Don't leave me...

It just so happened the stars aligned and I had everything I need to make these ready to go and on hand. We haven't made dinner this fast in....well, ever. Main man manned the grill after I skewered the shrimpies, while I made the sauce lickety split. Sauce them up after you take them off the grill and whammo-blammo-cadabra (or whatever it is magicians say)...dinna is served, my lords. You're welcome. I finally stopped curtsying earlier this week.

Ingredients:

2 T light mayo (I used olive oil based)
2 T scallions, chopped fine (I didn't have any so skipped this part)
2 T Thai sweet chili sauce
1 t Sriracha (or to taste, I used more like 1 T)

40 large raw shrimp, shelled and deveined, sprinkled with fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

Combine the first group of ingredients. Set aside. Soak wooden skewers in water so they don't burn on the grill. Heat a clean, lightly oiled grill to medium heat, when the grill is hot add the shrimp, careful not to burn the skewers. Grill on both sides for about 6-8 total cooking time, or until shrimp is pink and opaque. Set shrimp on a platter and quickly brush with sauce. Serve immediately, it gets cold quickly.

We made Main Man's favorite side lately...the baked parmesan tomatoes...to round out the meal.

 

Best part? The fat stats.

 

Bangin' Grilled Shrimp SkewersSkinnytaste.com

Servings: 2 • Serving Size: 2 skewers(10 shrimp each skewer) • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 280 • Fat: 9.5 g • Protein: 37 g • Carb: 8.4 g • Fiber: 0.1 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 330.9 mg

Grilled cabbage

I was not a little surpised, or a teensy bit surprised, or even slightly surprised that Main Man loved this as much as I did. I was greatly, vastly, EXTENSIVELY suprised that he liked this as much as I did! Cabbage? No butter? Healthy? Get real. And it did get real...fast. Mrs. Nobiling served us these little foil babies for a side to smoked ham and it was heavenly. Like they were made to go together. Like they were twins separated at birth, but not identical twins, because they aren't the same but they compliment each other so well they are the perfect amount of different. Have I lost you yet? Get a little smoked ham on your fork, now fork some cabbage up with it, and take a bite. SEE WHAT I MEAN?!?! Now we're speaking the same language. We had a great time catching up with the Nobilings and their little lover boy Keltyn...AND she served us one of the best meals we've had in a while. I mean, could it have been a better night? Not in my book...even if I didn't have my good camera, my purse camera battery was dead, and my cell camera was all I had to get a snapshot of this glory...it all worked out in the end! :)   

 

1 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp real bacon bits

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper (more or less to taste)

1 Medium Head of Cabbage

Mix the olive oil, bacon bits, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to make the marinade.  Prepare the cabbage. Rinse it under water and remove any yucky loose leaves.

Cut the head in half on the core..then cut the halves in half again…to make quarters. Lay each wedge on a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap it up in. Spoon about 2 tbsp of the marinade on top making sure to get it in all the nooks and crannies. Wrap each wedge and bake for 20-30 minutes. I say 20-30 becuase they will continue to cook once you pull them out and I like mine still crunchy. Do what you please, though. Some in the comments section of this original recipe have cooked them up to an hour for softer cabbage.

Fat Stats: (4 servings)

80 calories

2 g fat

1 WW point

15 g carbs

4 g protein

 

Buffalo chicken wraps

You want this, and you want it now. Believe me.  Super simple, easy to keep in the fridge for leftovers that are just as good as the originals, and under 500 calories for dinner.  What else do you want? You could cover it with glitter if you need more, but I'm happy with what I've got!

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 stalks celery
2 T Frank's hot sauce
4 cups lettuce
4 large jalapeno cheddar tortillas
8 T Ken's light ranch

The original recipe called for 2 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, and 2 oz blue cheese as well. I'm not big on blue cheese and the other stuff seemed like overkill, I just wanted a simple buffalo chicken wrap!

Bake the chicken breast in the oven until there is no pink left. Slice into small pieces and add Frank's hot sauce, mix well. Add diced celery to the chicken for crunch and then layer it on a tortilla. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and light ranch before rolling up into a wrap. Done. Yep, you're done. And I bet it's gone in less time than it took to roll it up. 

Main Man: "That was really good for you?"
Me: "Yeppers"
Main Man: "Wow...I'm really full too. Good work, wife."

He makes me smile. And so do these wraps. Get yoself some smiles!  :)

Fat Stats:
450 cals
10 g fat
7 WW PP

I am entering this recipe in the MrFood.com easy weeknight meals contest!! We'll see how we do :)

Chocolate pumpkin muffins

What's that you say? Chocolate muffins with only 3 (actually only 2 if you so choose to be like me) ingredients. Twist my arm....okaaaaaaaaay, I'll do it. Oh and they're only 1 Weight Watchers point per cupcake? Twist it again. That's enough...no need to get rowdy.

1 boxed chocolate cake mix (I used sugar free)

1 small can of pumpkin puree

6 ounces chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, mix together the cake mix and canned pumpkin with a fork or a mixer. Add chocolate chips and load up your muffin tins! Batter is dense and does not rise much so these can be filled all the way to the top. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out  clean.

Easily the simplest muffins I've ever made...but we all know I don't bake much. Either way, these were very dense and filling so it seemed decadent but didn't give you the Catholic guilt for ruining your diet afterwards. Git on dis!

Oh, and just a tip....don't store them in an airtight container until they've sat out (at least overnight) to let the moisture escape. I left them in a tupperware hot outta the oven until a few days later at the lake and they got a teensy bit moldy from the moisture inside the container. The one I had right outta the oven was delectable though...

1 pt per cupcake (2 pp per cupcake)

Ham asparagus panini with garlic pepper mayo

Did you read that last part? Garlic pepper mayo? Read it again. You want this in your life....rather, you want this in your mouth. The original recipe called for prosciutto, but I didn't have any on hand and it's a little pricey to be honest. Ham does juuuuuust fine, I tell you!

I'm always on the lookout for fun panini recipes since I got my Griddler for Christmas. If you are in the same boat, check out the proscuitto caprese panini and the pizza panini that I've done in the past...both will knocks your flip flops off!  But neither of those has garlic pepper mayo on them...so I'm torn as to picking a favorite which means you'll have to try them all and let me know how you feel about life afterwards.

1 package of fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed and pieces cut in half lengthwise
2 T olive oil mayo (I used to use fat free on everything but have recently been reading about the health benefits of the olive oil kind so I'm switching it up)
1 clove fresh minced garlic
4 slices good bread (ciabatta, italian, or whatever...I used "everything" bread from Wal Mart that turned out great)
ham (however little or lot you want on each sandwich
2 slices low fat swiss cheese
1 cup baby arugula/spinach mix
fresh cracked pepper to taste
Olive oil spray (misto)

Preaheat panini grill and lightly spritz asparagus with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. When the grill is hot, shut the Griddler and grill the asparagus on both sides simultaneously for about 5 minutes until tender-crisp.

While this is happening, mix your mayo, minced garlic, and cracked pepper together to make the lovely garlic pepper mayo spread I spoke of earlier.

If you don't have a garlic press...get one. It's life changing. I use fresh garlic in everything and it makes a world of difference! I can't even stand the taste of the minced garlic in olive oil they sell at the store anymore...blech! This is an OXO and I got it HERE if you're interested. Moving on...

Spread it on your bread slices, and layer the cheese, ham, arugula/spinach, and finally the asparagus when it's done. Spray the outside of your sandwiches with the olive oil and throw them on the Griddler until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. As usual, if you don't have a Griddler, you can improvise with a grill pan or an actual grill as well!

Oh me, oh my...tell me that hint of garlic and spice of pepper doesn't need to go on every sandwich made in the world! Main Man was not thrilled with the idea of the asparagus ON the sandwich originally (even though he loves the stuff and we ate the leftover asparagus as a side to the sandwich because we cooked the whole bunch at once) but once he tasted it, he was no longer opposed.

This recipe came from Gina's Skinny Taste which means it included Weight Watchers nutritional value for those of you who are on the program...I love when blogs post the nutrition info (I'm working on it over here, people) so I'm always on top of her posts!

Fat Stats:
Serving size: 1 panini (this recipe makes 2)
WW points: 7
Points+: 9
Calories: 337.2
Fat: 9.2 g
Carbs: 45.9
Protein: 18.5 g

Cauliflower salad

If you remember, I went gaga over the whole cauliflower replacing potatos phenomenon recently when I tried the twice baked cauliflower and realized I could get a carb fix without actual carbs! If you still haven't tried that recipe, we're fighting.

Ok, we're done. Anyway, Mallory (who made the above recipe for me one night I went over for dinner) sent me the recipe to try this cauliflower salad instead of potato salad for my next get together. She said this was even better than the twice baked cauliflower, so of course I was pumped to give it a go. It really was easier than normal potato salad I've made from scratch and I loved the taste of it! I don't think most of the guys thought it qualified as a full replacement for actual potato salad, but luckily they all liked cauliflower anyway so it was enjoyed by all on Memorial day weekend. If you're trying to go carb-free, or even just cut down on carbs like me, this is a good one to try...

1 large head cauliflower, chopped
1 1/2 cups fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
3 tbsp. Hellmann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise
1/2 envelope dry ranch dressing/dip mix
2 tbsp. fat-free non-dairy liquid creamer
1/4 tsp. salt
6 hard-boiled egg whites, chilled and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup chopped chives
3 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. chopped dill
2 tbsp. chopped parsley, plus more, for optional garnish
Optional garnish: paprika

Place cauliflower in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1/3 cup water. Cover and microwave until soft, 6 - 8 minutes. Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, drain any excess water.

Put 2 cups of the cauliflower in a blender or food processor. (Set aside the bowl of remaining cauliflower.) To the blender, add mayo, sour cream, Dijonnaise, dressing/dip mix, creamer, and salt. Puree or pulse until blended. Don't worry if the puree isn't completely smooth. Set aside. To the bowl with the remaining chopped cauliflower, add all remaining ingredients. Add pureed mixture from the blender and lightly stir to coat.

Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Garnish with paprika and additional parsley, if you like. Mmmmm!

MAKES 10 SERVINGS
 

PER SERVING (2/3 cup): 97 calories, 1.25g fat, 729mg sodium, 17g carbs, 3g fiber, 8g sugars, 4.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2*
 

Crockpot pulled pork sandwiches

Sometimes a recipe is good enough where it deserves to cut in line in front of the other recipes that are waiting to be posted to the blog. This was one of them! I headed to the Nobiling home last night to hang with their little bundle of love, Keltyn, and meet up with the Hofers and their little lover, Greyson.  Both mamas asked for the recipe after dinner, and I pretty much almost ate the plate while inhaling the sandwich, so I had to bump this recipe right up to the top of the queue.

I usually think of Winter food when I think of the crockpot...like crockpot ranch roasts or crockpot beef stroganoff, but what screams Summer more than BBQ sauce!?  This was a Weight Watchers approved recipe too, so it's basically a home run before it's even hit out of the park. Easier than pie and yummy to boot, plus very portable to bring to a friend's house to have baby time and a nice dinner that tastes like a lot of work but really only needed a few ingredients thrown in a crockpot all day.

2.5 lb boneless pork loin roast

2 t red wine vinegar

2 t Hickory liquid smoke (I didn't have any of this so I used Worchestershire sauce)

1 t garlic powder

1 t sea salt

1 cup your fave BBQ sauce (I usually like Famous Dave's Devil's Spit sauce but I know some people can't stand the heat so I went with the Rich and Sassy this time)

Mix all your ingredients up in a bowl, put the pork loin roast into a lined crockpot, and pour the sauce on top. Cook on low for 6 hours (shred the meat after 4 hours) so you have to smell the stuff while it cooks in your office all day and makes your tummy rumble.

Throw it on some wheat sandwich rolls, and you're in business! The crockpot was literally scraped clean...and it people weren't watching me clean up, I may have licked it. Don't look at me like that, you know you've thought of doing it before...oh, you haven't? Me either.

In other, cuter news....the reason for this dinner was to get a little baby boy fix from Keltyn and Greyson. Look how grown up and mature Keltyn's facial features are, he looks like a mini-adult...so flipping adorable!

Greyson getting a little love from the bottle so mommy could have a couple beers with the ladies :) His eyes are going to make girls melt one day!

Don't judge the slimy hair, I came straight from Kosama plyo day...and then I had to go play softball after that! Mondays really rock my energy level, I'll tell you. Keltyn likes to be snuggled all up into your body...pretty comfy to be hugged up to that little man, I'll tell you! We have to plan another night like this again soon, ladies....

Taco cups

I'm a little obsessed with cupcake shaped anything...I just think it's so cute to have individual sized lasagna cups, taco stuffed shells, or english muffin pizzas.  Cute=fun in my book, folks! So, obviously I've had these taco cups pinned to try for quite some time with some leftover wonton wrappers I had from making cheese ravioli a while ago, and this just happened to be the week to do it.

wonton wrappers
1 lb ground turkey/lean hamb/chicken
1 package taco seasoning
1 can black beans
salsa
shredded Mexican cheese
tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, taco sauce for toppings

Brown the meat and add the taco seasoning as you would normally do to make tacos. Rinse the black beans and add them to the skillet as well.

Spray your muffin tin so the wontons don't stick and layer a wonton wrapper in the bottom of each, a spoonfull of the meat mixture, a spoonfull of salsa, a sprinkle of Mexican cheese, and then another wonton wrapper. Repeat the layers a second time and end with the cheese on top.

Toss them in the preheated oven at 400 degrees for 8-12 minutes depending if you're going from warm to hot or from cold to hot (if you put them in the fridge to cook later in the week like I do). Keep an eye as some ovens cook quicker than others and remember these little buggers cook a lot quicker than a full casserole would...

Not too much work, tasted great, and isn't everything just inherently better when it's done in cupcake form??? These would be great to lay out for guests at a party, and not so messy as a normal taco would be...hostess with the mostest award, hands down! Wishing I would've had a little sour cream to plop on top but alas, they were yummy without the extra calories...

Weight Watchers Points Plus: 4 per cupcake (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per serving from myfitnesspal.com: 164 calories, 12 g carbs, 7 g fat, 12 g protein, 1 g fiber