Chicken Taco (Crock Pot)

A couple weeks ago I popped into Subway for lunch and noticed they had a new sandwich on the menu – a Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt. I ordered my typical black forest ham sandwich, but my mother ordered the Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt. Upon sitting down to eat out lunch she gave me a small piece to try … and I my taste buds were thoroughly amazed. So amazed that I wanted to try to recreate the dish at home in a way that was “point friendly” for me.

I knew going into it that it wouldn’t be exact … but if I could come close, it’d be a success.  And I have to say, it was pretty darn successful! I used taco seasoning and ranch seasoning over fajita seasoning. The meat mixture was flavorful and was perfect in a sandwich while the next day it was perfect over salad.

The closest I could come to Subway’s flat bread was to use Flatout Foldit’s. My local grocery store only had Flatout’s everything flavor in stock, so that’s what I used.  I picked up a bag of Frito’s and added just a few to my sandwich.  Whereas in classic Subway fashion, I chose to use my own toppings: pepper jack cheese lettuce and tomato.

Serves 8. 4 Points Plus Values. 2/3 cup serving.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds raw boneless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
• 1 medium uncooked onion, sliced
• 1 medium (or 2 small) uncooked bell peppers, sliced
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 packet ranch dressing seasoning
• 1 cup Chi Chi’s Salsa, medium

Add onions and peppers to the bottom of a crock pot. Place the chicken breast over the vegetables. Sprinkle with steak seasoning, garlic powder, taco seasoning and ranch dressing seasoning. Top with salsa – cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-9 hours.

After about an hour of cooking stir together all ingredients and allow cooking down together.

When the dish is done, turn off the crock pot and remove the chicken from the pot. Place chicken on a plate and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to the crock pot and stir to combine with the vegetables and sauce.

Allow to cool for roughly 20 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a tad before serving.

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Fire Roasted Vegetable Soup

I’m typically not a person who reaches for soup on a cold day, but lately my taste buds have been gravitating towards soups/stews.  So while the weather has been less than stellar in my area, I decided to try out one of the frozen Smart Ones soups I had tucked away in my freezer.

I have tried vegetable soups in the past, and for the most part they’re not usually my “forte” because of the tomato base. So that thought in the back of my mind was the main reason I held off on giving this soup a try sooner. I heated the soup in the microwave per the directions and enjoyed this along with my dinner.

I have to say … the soup is pretty darn good! Although with the name “fire roasted vegetables” I assumed that simply meant vegetables that have been charred over an open flame. Well … that’s the case in one aspect, but “fire” in this instance also means this soup is spicy! I certainly wasn’t expecting the heat but it ultimately made the soup that much more delicious. It certainly wasn’t that plain ole tomato base that I’m not a big fan of.

Each bowl is 60 calories or 1 points plus value.

Chobani Flip Key Lime Crumble

When Chobani Flips started popping up on my local grocery store shelves, I in turn started seeing them posted all over social media outlets. I admit, I was intrigued by some of the flavor options but in a way, talked myself out of purchasing right away because in the past I have found Chobani Greek yogurts to be a lot sourer than my taste buds enjoy. I admit, I had found a few flavored Chobani yogurts that I enjoyed, but overtime even those began to make my face pucker.

Just recently while at the store, I spotted the Chobani Flip Key Lime Crumble which is the flavor I initially wanted to try first but couldn’t find. This particular flip is a delicious blend of key lime low-fat yogurt which comes with a side of graham crackers and white chocolate bits. The yogurt itself is mildly sour on its own, but once the graham crackers and white chocolate bits are folded into the yogurt it becomes a deliciously yummy experience. All the flavors blend together perfectly and make for a scrumptious breakfast, snack, or even a dessert.  Way to go, Chobani!

A container is 180 calories or 5 points plus values.

Limited Edition Marshmallow Crispy Oreo’s

A couple weeks ago I popped into the grocery store simply to pick a few things up that I needed. On my way up to the cash registers I caught a glimpse of an Oreo display and did a double take. Initially I thought they were the limited edition lemon Oreo’s but upon closer inspection I realized they were the brand new Limited Edition Marshmallow Crispy Oreo’s.

I was anticipating the release of these so I made sure to bring them home with me for a little taste testing and sharing with family/friends. I’m a fan of marshmallow crispy treats and I happen to quite enjoy the golden Oreo line so I had high hopes for these. What I have to say is unique about this line is that the frosting has gritty bits of crispy bits in it.  The bits certainly don’t make it as crispy/chewy as original marshmallow treats, but it certainly gives it a different texture, but it’s not overwhelmingly noticeable. Flavor wise these cookies are definitely sweet … I find one is quite enough, but if I’m really in a sweet/cookie mood two is all I need and/or can handle. They taste more vanilla than marshmallow … but nonetheless they are a nice different treat.  The effect is more “profound” if you pull one side of each cookie off and push the cream sides together to make a double stuffed cookie.

A serving is 2 cookies which are 140 calories or 4 points plus (2 points plus/cookie).

Cauliflower Pizza

I have heard so much about cauliflower pizza but was always a little skeptical. The typical gist when it first became an internet sensation was that the crust wasn’t crunchy enough. So I waited … and I finally found a recipe that I decided I’d give a try.  I changed up the recipe just a tad because I used what I had on hand and seasoned it a bit more with what I liked.

For the most part I followed the general recipeexcept I used reduced fat parmesan and did my own blend of spices within the pizza crust.

The most tedious part of this pizza was cutting up the cauliflower and pulverizing it in the food processor. Then again, I have a little peanut of a food processor so I had to do small little handfuls at a time. But once that was done, it was easy-peasy. Cooking the cauliflower in the microwave and straining the water out of it was simple. Although I will say, trying to get little rice size bits of cauliflower off a white kitchen towel was an interesting feat.  The greatest part?

The ENTIRE crust alone was only 8 points plus values! If the serving is cut down into 2, half the crust is 4 points plus values. Quite a drop in stats considering the calories/Weight Watchers points plus associated with pizza crust!  Here’s how I doctored my crust up a bit:

Ingredients:

–          ¼ cup reduced fat parmesan cheese

–          ¼ cup shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese

–          1 egg, beaten

–          1 small head uncooked cauliflower

–          ½ tsp salt

–          ½ tsp black pepper

–          1 ½ tsp garlic powder

–          1 tsp oregano

–          ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

When the crust was done I decided to top the pizza with ½ cup Barilla traditional spaghetti sauce (because it’s what I had on hand), 1/3 cup Kraft fat free mozzarella, 6 slices of Hormel turkey pepperoni, a few slices onions and peppers and some banana pepper rings. I returned the pizza to the oven just for the cheese to melt and when done, I cut it up to serve.

After all the toppings my entire pizza was 11 points plus values! Quite a steal considering 1 slice of your average take-out pizza is 7 points plus values.

Final verdict? The pizza was quite good … the crust wasn’t as crispy and crunchy as regular pizza crust and you could definitely tell it was cauliflower but it wasn’t bad.  Would I make it again? Sure, thing.

Garlic Naan Pizza

I originally purchased Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan after seeing it posted on Instagram (see that post here). Around that same time, I started seeing garlic naan pizza from a fellow instagrammer who has as much of a love for Trader Joe’s as I do.  That of course imprinted on my brain and I had wanted to try it since.  I finally got around to planning having garlic naan pizza … and having garlic naan pizza I did!

I always fawn over DiGiornio’s garlic bread pizza but now I can have my own version at home which is far less guilty – plus it can be personalized however I want it. Another great part is that my little personal pizza is done in a matter of minutes after a trip into the toaster oven.  So how did I assemble my pizza?

1 frozen garlic naan, 2 tbsp pizza sauce (I used Trader Joe’s), 1/3 oz Kraft fat free mozzarella, 4 slices Hormel turkey pepperoni, and a few sautéed peppers and onions. Delicious, simple and only 5 points plus values!

Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Tenderloin Dinner

It has been years since I have been to Cracker Barrel. Truthfully when I hear the words “Cracker Barrel” I automatically think southern style comfort foods which are not the healthiest choices.  Considering I haven’t been to the restaurant in ages, I pulled up their menu online and I have to say I was surprised they had healthier options available.  The one downside is they do not offer nutrition information on their website.  Although, thankfully Weight Watchers has a handful of the restaurants foods listed on their website/app with the associated points plus values.

I decided to order the Grilled Chicken Tenderloin Dinner which comes with 6 marinated grilled chicken tenderloins along with your choice of 3 sides. After scanning over the available side dishes, I opted to go with a side garden salad with fat free honey mustard dressing, a baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli.

The salad was served first and was a classic mix of mixed greens. The salad dressing was of course the show stealer and was exceptionally delicious. When my entrée was served I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised at how good the grilled chicken tenderloin was! Typically I am very picky when it comes to getting chicken at restaurants – it’s either too rubbery, not cooked/seasoned to my liking, etc. But this was perfect. Aside from the few pieces of grizzle I found (only because I truly dissect my food when I eat), it was out of this world and the marinade that was used was fabulous. The sweet potato was delicious – cooked perfectly and the broccoli was steamed just right. The meal was flavorful, delicious and overall filling.

I actually enjoyed the meal so much that next time I go back to Cracker Barrel; it’ll be the exact meal I order.  The chicken tenderloin was 6 points plus, the salad dressing was 1 points plus, and I guestimated the sweet potato to be 3 points plus (it could have been 2, but I’d rather aim higher than lower).

McDonald’s Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken

While running a bunch of errands I was away from the house initially a lot longer than I anticipated. When my stomach started grumbling I realized it was well past lunch-time and I needed to eat something before a case of hangry set in. So pulling into McDonald’s parking lot, I parked my car and pulled up my Weight Watchers app on my phone. To avoid just ordering whatever sounded tasty on the menu I looked thru the menu on my phone for something that was point comfortable and ultimately decided on the McDonald’s Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken.

The salad itself is served as McDonald’s salads typically are – mixed greens and shaved carrots. It’s presented alongside fire-roasted corn, black beans, roasted tomatoes and poblano peppers, cheddar and jack cheese, chile-lime tortilla chips, and grilled chicken all alongside a fresh lime wedge. The salad is a pretty decent size, is pretty to look at due to the vibrant colors and is mighty tasty and filling. The salad has a little bit of spice to it, but there’s nothing overwhelming or uncomfortable about it.

The salad typically is served with Newman’s Own Southwest Dressing but I find that to be a little spicier than I prefer my dressing to be … so I opted to go with the Newman’s Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette. Drizzling about ¼ of the package over my salad, I found it to be more than enough.

The salad with grilled chicken is 290 calories or 7 points plus values. With my choice of dressing my whole meal was 8 points plus values. Quite worth it for lunch out on the go!

Trader Joe’s Chocolate Croissants

Whenever I’ve been in Trader Joe’s I’ve noticed one of their decadent desserts in the freezer section, but had always passed it by … until I finally bit the bullet and purchased the Trader Joe’s Chocolate Croissants. Low and behold I’m not sure why I ever waited so long.

The croissants are sold packaged in a box of 4 and are housed in the freezer section of Trader Joe’s.  They are certainly a dish one must plan to have because the croissants have to be placed onto a baking sheet to proof for 9-hours. I decided to sit them out overnight and I baked them off the following morning. The croissants have to be placed pretty far apart from one another because they do balloon do nearly triple the size when thawed and fully proofed. Since my oven is on steroids my croissants baked up to a fabulous brown color in 13 minutes.

I transferred the cooked croissants to a dish and allowed them to cool. A few hours after they were done I enjoyed one and they’re perfect. They’re flaky, soft, chocolaty and totally delicious. They’re rather decadent and one of the best chocolate croissants I have ever had (I want to be honest and say I do not have a local bakery/restaurant that sells homemade croissants so I’ve always had packaged chocolate croissants). They’re good the following day as well … although they’re at their peak of freshness anywhere from after baking to 4-hours into cooling.  Admittedly, they are that good that I’ve purchased another box to tuck away in the freezer!

Each croissant is 320 calories or 9 points plus values.

Eating Out @ The Chateau

I was asked if I’d be interested in picking up dinner at a local restaurant, The Chateau (if you’re unfamiliar it is an Italian restaurant). I knew what I would have ordered in the past (chicken parm with fried ravioli) but since I don’t just order impulsively anymore, I pulled up the menu on my phone. Browsing through it I noticed the restaurant had an “Under 598 calories” menu option. It intrigued me so I took a peek … and turned out that one dish in particular really stuck out to me.

Granted, I was in the mood for sirloin so sirloin is what I ordered. The great part is the menu gave the sirloin weight pre-grilling, which meant it would seemingly shrink 2-3 ounces on the grill which was exactly the case. Unfortunately my steak was cooked wrong (I wanted medium-well, I was served medium & since my order was a to-go order I couldn’t have it cooked to enjoy at once) so I took 2 bites of my steak and packaged the rest up to bring home to finish cooking off.

I ordered a side garden salad with Low Fat Zinfandel Vinaigrette as well as the grilled sirloin steak (8 oz – raw) alongside fresh grilled vegetables. Screw up aside while cooking – the meal itself was delicious.