Zucchini And Squash Ribbon Pasta

This beautiful dish, with its elegant ribbons of zucchini and squash, swaps out carb-heavy pasta noodles for vegetables. Top it with a sprinkle of crunchy walnuts and cheese for a presentation that will blow away your dinner guests.

Ingredients:
1 whole zucchini, washed
1 whole yellow squash, washed
1 whole cob or about 1/2 c. raw, fresh corn kernels
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small shallot, julienned
1/4 c. pecans, coarsely chopped
1 lemon, zested
1/4 c. pesto
Parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated
rosemary and thyme to taste
A few tbsp. olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Cut the ends off the squash and zucchini. With a conventional hand peeler, peel the squash long ways into ribbons. Set them aside in a bowl. In a skillet, heat up a few tbsp. olive oil and proceed to sauté the garlic and shallots. Once softened, add corn kernels to the pan and sauté for about a minute or two. Add the squash and zucchini ribbons and toss it all together. Add the pesto as well, making sure everything is evenly coated. Once the squash and zucchini have cooked a couple minutes, add the pecans, lemon zest, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss together. Serve with cheese on top.

Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos

Easiest Crock Pot Chicken Salsa Verde
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 3 • Weight Watcher Points+: 3 pt 
Calories: 145 • Fat: 2 g • Carb: 5 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 26 g • Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 415 mg (without the salt) • Cholest: 0 mg 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs raw skinless chicken tenders
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• 16 oz roasted salsa verde

Season chicken with garlic powder, oregano, cumin and salt and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cover with salsa verde, cover and cook HIGH 2 hours. 

Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas:

• 3/4 cup shredded red cabbage
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice (or more to taste)
• 5 cilantro leaves
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups easy crock pot chicken salsa verde (warmed) 
• 6 tostada shells 
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced fat Mexican Cheese 
• pickled jalapeño slices (optional)

Superfood Triple Berry Chia Pudding

This recipe is from Skinny Taste

I really enjoyed this as a tasty and healthy treat!

Superfood Triple Berry Chia Pudding
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 2 • Size: about 1 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Weight Watcher Points+: 2 pt 
Calories: 110 • Fat: 5 g • Carb: 12 g • Fiber: 7.5 g • Protein: 4 g • Sugar: 3 g
Sodium: 64 mg • Cholest: 0 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond/coconut milk beverage (used Almond Breeze)
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 5-6 drops Nu-Naturals liquid stevia (or sugar/honey to taste)

Directions:

Combine the Almond Breeze almond-coconut milk together with the chia seeds and fruit in a glass jar with a lid. Cover and shake well, set aside for 15 minutes. Give it another good shake then refrigerate overnight or at least 5-6 hours.

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Adapted from The Holzmanns

Approximately 400 calories each. I think next time I will use even less sour cream and try it vegetarian.

Ingredients

• • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• • 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• • 2 Serrano peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced
• • 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• • 8-10 flour tortillas
• • 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
• • 2-3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
• • optional garnish: fresh cilantro, sour cream, and/or shredded cheese
• Avocado Cream Sauce Ingredients:
• • 2 Tbsp. butter
• • 2 Tbsp. flour
• • 2 cups chicken broth
• • 2/3 cup sour cream
• • ½ tsp. cumin
• • ½ tsp. salt
• • ½ tsp. garlic powder
• • ¼ tsp. pepper
• • 2 California avocados, peeled and pitted
• • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• • juice of one lime
• Instructions
  1. First make the avocado cream sauce:
  2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, salt, garlic powder and pepper, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps.
  5. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Add avocados, cilantro and lime juice, and pulse until smooth and well-blended. (Be very careful blending hot liquids — the heat will expand! So be sure to remove the lid occasionally so that the heat can escape.)
  6. Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.
  7. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, Serrano and jalapeno, and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are cooked and translucent.
  8. Remove from heat.
  9. To assemble the enchiladas, place a tortilla on a flat surface.
  10. Spread a tablespoon or two of the avocado sauce down the middle of the tortilla. Then layer on some of the vegetable mixture, shredded chicken and cheese.
  11. Carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
  12. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
  13. Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining avocado cream sauce, then cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through and begin to harden.
  14. Remove from the oven, then serve individual enchiladas drizzled with the remainder of the avocado cream sauce. You can also garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream.

Lighter Sweet and Sour Chicken

From Iowa Girl Eats but I changed a few things.

Serves 4. I doubled it.

About 250 calories per serving

without rice

For the Stir Fry:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil, divided
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large white onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into coins
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• sesame seeds (if desired)
• white or brown rice, for serving

For the Sauce:

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3 Tbsp. red pepper chile sauce
• 3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice (or orange juice, or any kind of citrus juice)
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions

• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large deep-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then add to skillet. Saute for about 5 minutes, flipping occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink on the inside. Remove chicken and set aside.
• Add an additional 1 Tbsp. oil to the skillet, then add in the onion, peppers, carrots. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender yet still a bit crisp. Remove vegetables and set aside.
• Add ketchup, red chili pepper sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and white pepper to pan, and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the fruit juice and cornstarch until it has dissolved. Then add the mixture to the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add back in the vegetables and chicken, and stir until evenly coated.
• Remove from heat and serve over rice, garnished with sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days.

No Sugar, No Butter Cookies

These are from the Bread Geek. These makes about 12 so I would double this.

Heat oven to 350

2 tsp ground flax seed

6 Prunes

1/4 C. Golden Rasins

1/4 C. Pecans

1/3 C. shredded coconut

Process these together in a food processor. Put in bowl and add 1/4 C.  natural yeast starter (thebreadgeek.blogspot.com she has some great classes and you can get your own starter for wonderful breads and desserts, or you can get a starter by mail), 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 egg, and mini chocolate chips to taste. 

Drop gold dollar sized bits on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I forgot to use the egg and parmesan and it was great. That would lower the calories if you want to try it like I did.

Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 10 • Serving Size: 1 roll • Old Points: 4 pts • WW Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 258.5 • Fat: 8.4 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 11.5 g • Carbs: 30.5 • Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 208 g (without salt)

Ingredients: 

• 10 (9 oz dry) lasagna noodles, cooked
• 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 5 cups spinach, stems removed, chopped fine
• 8 oz mushrooms, chopped fine
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 15 oz part skim ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, whisked
• salt and fresh pepper
• 3 oz (10 tbsp) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350°. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place spinach in a food processor and pulse a few times until chopped.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden, about a minute. Add spinach, salt and pepper and sauté about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms to the pan, cook until soft, an additional 5-6 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper.

Combine cooked spinach, mushrooms, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out cooked lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of mushroom spinach mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
Ladle 1 cup of sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, until cheese melts.