Creamy Tomato Shrimp Pasta

On Pinterest I keep seeing these delicious looking pastas, they are covered in cheese, cream and decadent sauces and while I would totally love to have a bite of these dishes there is NO WAY I could eat a whole plate of it and not feel like I ate a cinder block. I decided I had to have a healthy version and one day it just clicked...I could mix my creamy alfredo sauce with my homemade tomato sauce and make my own super decadent sauce with zero guilt.



Creamy Tomato Shrimp Pasta: Serves 4

Cream Sauce:
3TB Cream Cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
1/3C Milk
1/3C Chicken Stock
1TB Corn Starch
4TB Parmesan Cheese

Tomato Sauce:
28oz Can San Marzano Tomatoes
2 Garlic Cloves - Minced
1 Bay Leaf
2TB Basil (2tsp dried)
1TB Oregano (1tsp dried)
1tsp Sugar
Salt & Pepper

8oz Pasta
1lbs Shrimp - Peeled & De-veined
1 Zucchini - Chopped
1 Small Onion - Chopped
1tsp Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set to the side.

In a large saute pan place the olive oil over medium heat and then add the zucchini and onions and cook until the zucchini has started to soften, add all the ingredients in the tomato sauce over medium heat and allow it to cook for 5 minutes then with either a fork or a potato masher gently break up the tomatoes and keep the sauce simmering - stirring occasionally - for approximately 20-25 minutes to allow it to reduce and thicken. Once the sauce has reduced add the shrimp to the sauce and cook the shrimp until they are fully cooked through and no longer translucent. Remove the sauce to the drained pasta pot and mix with the pasta.

Don't bother cleaning the pan, just put it right back on the stove. Mix together all the ingredients in the cream sauce and pour into the saute pan and turn it over medium heat and with a spoon continually stir as it will thicken quickly as it warms. Once it has reached a nice gravy consistency toss it into the pasta pot and mix with the other ingredients, top it with a lid and let it sit for 4-5 minutes to let all the flavors meld together then serve and enjoy!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving

Roasted Acorn Squash with Bacon & Goat Cheese

Acorn squash is a vegetable that I just started to eat in the last year or two and I think I am trying to make up for 20 something years of not eating it! I love it roasted or in soup and most of the time eat it right out of the skin once it has been roasted with some olive oil, salt and pepper. But while going through pinterest I saw a recipe for sauteed butternut squash with goat cheese and I decided that I had to do this with acorn squash, bacon and goat cheese! I'm not sure I am going to be able to have it "just" roasted anymore!



Roasted Acorn Squash with Bacon & Goat Cheese: Serves 4

1 Roasted Acorn Squash
2oz Goat Cheese
2 Slices Bacon

After you have roasted the squash carefully scoop it out of the flesh and set it to the side. In a large saute pan cook the bacon till crisp then remove to a paper towel to absorb any excess grease. Pour the grease in the pan out of the pan then return it to the stove without wiping the rest of the grease out of the pan. Add the squash to the pan over medium heat with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper and let it absorb the remaining bacon grease, crumble the bacon and goat cheese into the pan and toss it all together, remove from the heat serve and enjoy!

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WW: 3 Points Plus / serving

Hash Brown Crash Potatoes

Last July I shared the original Hot Crash Potatoes recipe from The Pioneer Woman and this July I am sharing another rendition of it! I use these spices for my hash browns and was quite happy with them as crash potatoes - the left overs were great warmed up with a poached egg on top the next morning too :)



Hot Crash Potatoes: Serves 3-4

1-3/4lbs Small Red Potatoes (approx 1-2″ in diameter)
1TB Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1tsp Paprika
1/2tsp Garlic Powder
1/2tsp Onion Powder

Scrub and clean the potatoes, then place in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are very fork tender. Basically to the same level that you would want them to be to mash. I had approximately 2″ diameter potatoes and once they came to a boil I cooked them for approximately 10-12 minutes. Once cooked drain and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Now for the fun part! With a fork or a potato masher lightly push down on the top of each potato which will cause it to break open and spread out. Mix all of the seasonings together then lightly brush the tops of each potato with the Olive Oil then sprinkle liberally with the seasoning mix.

Place in a 375° oven for 30-35 minutes. The skin of the potatoes will be beautifully crisped that you would think they were fried, while the inside of the potatoes are smooth and wonderful all by themselves. It is the best of a french fry, baked potato and mashed potato all in one.

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WW: 6 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings
4 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings

Spaghetti & Meatball Muffins

I just love spaghetti. Plain and simple, when I am not in the mood to come up with something new and I just want my comfort food, 9 times out of 10 I will make spaghetti. After making Chicken Taco Muffins & Chicken Pot Pie Muffins I realized it was time I made Spaghetti and Meatball Muffins. This doesn't quite look like your traditional Spaghetti & Meatball dinner, I used pearled couscous and broke the ground beef up but the flavors are all there. This is a fun meal to make with your kids and an even funner meal to eat!



Spaghetti & Meatball Muffins: 12 Muffins

1C Bisquick
1 Egg
2/3C Milk
1/2lbs Ground Beef (I use 93/7)
1/2C Pearled Couscous
1/2C Parmesan Cheese
1 Bell Pepper - Chopped
1 Small Onion - Chopped
1C Tomato Sauce
1TB Basil (or 1tsp dried)
2 Garlic Cloves
1/2tsp Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper
1tsp Olive Oil

Mix together the Bisquick, egg and milk and split into 12 greased muffin tins. Brown the ground beef in a large saute pan with the olive oil, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper. Drain the beef and return it to the pan with the basil and tomato sauce.

While the beef is browning bring 1-1/2C of water to a boil, add a little salt then stir in the couscous and reduce to a simmer, uncovered, letting the couscous absorb the water. Once it is fully cooked add it to the beef and tomato mixture with the Parmesan cheese and give it a big stir to fully incorporate it all. Scoop the mixture into the muffin tins and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until the Bisquick is set. Remove from the oven and let them sit for a minute or two then carefully scoop out and enjoy!

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WW: 3 Points Plus / 1 muffin
6 Points Plus / 2 muffin
9 Points Plus / 3 muffin
13 Points Plus / 4 muffin

Chicken Yakisoba

On Pinterest I find myself drawn to many of the same blogs over and over for great recipes and this was no exception. This recipe comes from Budget Bytes - a blog after my own heart - awesome food, cheap ingredients! As usual I modified it to my tastes and what I had on hand but the majority of the recipe is from budjet bytes and I must say it was quite delicious, filling and something I will have again and again. Check your ethnic aisle at the grocery store for plain ramen noodles, if you can't find them get the packets that you probably lived off of in college and just discard the flavor packet!



Chicken Yakisoba: Serves 4-6

1/2lbs Chicken Breast - Chopped
1/2 Head Cabbage - Sliced
1 Large Onion - Sliced
1 Bell Pepper - Sliced
2 Carrots - Shredded
1 Small Crown of Broccoli - Chopped
2" Fresh Ginger - Grated (approx 2-3TB)
8oz Ramen Noodles
1/4C Soy Sauce
1/4C Worcestershire Sauce
2TB Ketchup
1TB Sriracha
1TB Sugar
1-1/2TB Sesame Oil

In a large heavy pot (or wok) place 1tsp of sesame oil over medium heat with the ginger, let that cook for a minute then add the chopped chicken and stir around to coat in the ginger. Let it cook until the chicken has cooked through and is no longer pink inside. Remove it to a bowl and set to the side. In the same pot add a tablespoon of the oil with all of the vegetables and give it a good toss - it will look like a TON of vegetables but do not worry it will cook down. Every few minutes give it a stir until the vegetables are cooked through to your desired of doneness (I like them to still have some crunch to them!)

While the vegetables are cooking bring a pot of salted water to a boil, drop the ramen noodles in and with a fork carefully stir them around to break them up. Cook for 2-3 minutes until al dente, drain, toss with the remaining oil and set to the side.

Mix the remaining ingredients together and once the veggies are done add the noodles to the pot, add the sauce and cook another minute or two to marry all the flavors together. Remove from the heat, cover for a few minutes then serve and enjoy while testing your chopstick skills!

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WW: 11 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
7 Points Plus / serving @ 6 servings

Maryland Crab & Shrimp Alfredo

For my Sister's birthday we went to a Crab House and got a half bushel of steamed crabs. Mmmm I love Maryland Steamed Crabs!! All that Old Bay and deliciousness. What we didn't eat we brought home and the next day I picked the meat out of the remaining crabs and decided to use it in this recipe which turned out so well I am going to have to get some more and do it again!



Maryland Crab & Shrimp Alfredo: Serves 4

8oz Pasta
1/2lbs Shrimp - Peeled & De-veined
1/2lbs Blue Crab (cooked)
1/2C Chicken Stock
1/2C Milk
1.5TB Flour
1/4C Cream Cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
1/4C Parmesan Cheese - Shredded
Old Bay
1tsp Olive Oil
1/2-3/4lbs Fresh Spinach

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta until it is al dente. Drain and set to the side.

In a large saute pan place the olive oil over medium heat and toss in the shrimp with about 1/2tsp of old bay. Stir it all together and cook the shrimp, flipping once until cooked through and no longer translucent. Remove the shrimp to a bowl and cover to keep warm. Add the spinach to the saute pan and add about 1/2C of the pasta water (or if you have drained it already a 1/2C of regular water will do just fine!) sprinkle some old bay onto it and wilt it down over medium heat. Once the spinach is fully cook remove it to a colander and use a spoon to push out as much of the liquid as possible, add it to the bowl of shrimp.

In a blender (or with a fork and some elbow grease) mix together the milk, chicken stock, flour, cream cheese, parmesan cheese and approximately 1/4-1/2tsp of Old Bay. Put the mix into the saute pan and turn over medium-low to medium heat and stir constantly while it thickens. Once it has thickened to a gravy like consistency add the pasta, shrimp, spinach and crab meat to the pan, toss it all together to heat it through, remove it from the heat, cover with a lid and let it sit for 4-5 minutes to let all the flavors mix together.

Cook pasta.... cook shrimp in a pan tossed with olive oil and some old bay (peel them before hand). Mix together the milk, stock, flour, cream cheese, parm, and some old bay. Cook the spinach in a pot with about 1/2C of the pasta water to wilt it down...drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Drain the pasta and put to the side, put the milk mix in the pasta pot and cook over medium heat till it thickens up, add the pasta, shrimp, crab and spinach to the pot and toss to coat it all.

Split into bowls, sprinkle with a little Old Bay for color and serve!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving

Pepperoni Pizza

I can't believe it has been about three months since I last made a pizza! I think I just wasn't willing to wait for dough to rise on a weeknight and wasn't thinking about it on weekends. Well I solved that problem today, I set my dough to rise around 10am and didn't bake it until 7pm! I actually knocked it down once and let it rise again - still delicious. Today I knew I wanted a pepperoni pizza but I wanted one that would be really filling. In the past I would of loaded up my pizza with tons of cheese and smothered it in pepperonis but today I wanted a healthy pizza, yes healthy and pepperoni in the same sentence. I had just bought a big bag of spinach and had some onions and tomatoes that needed to be used and I couldn't think of a better way to make my pizza healthy and filling than to use all of these ingredients.



Pepperoni Pizza: 8 slices

1 Pizza Dough Batch
1C Tomato Sauce
1/4tsp Garlic Powder
1/4tsp Onion Powder
2TB Fresh Basil - Chopped
Salt & Pepper
2oz Turkey Pepperoni
1 Large Onion - Thinly Sliced
1tsp Olive Oil
1C Cherry Tomatoes - Sliced in Half
1/2lbs Fresh Spinach - Rinsed & Dried
4oz Mozzarella - Shredded (part skim)

Make the Pizza Dough - warning it takes only a few minutes to make but it takes a few hours to rise! Fast forward a few hours... dough is just about ready to stretch onto the pizza pan, so for now we will make the onions. Chop the onions and toss into a skillet with the olive oil and a pinch of salt, cook over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes stirring every other minute or so until nice and golden brown and caramelized. Remove from the heat and set to the side. Now to make the pizza sauce, mix the tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper and the basil together.

Time to assemble! Stretch out the dough on a greased pizza pan and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes, spread the sauce on top of it then add the spinach, half the cheese, the pepperoni, tomatoes, onions then the remainder of the cheese on top. Place in a 500° oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust nice and golden. Remove from the oven, let it sit for a minute then serve and enjoy!

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WW: 5 Points Plus / slice

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

I don't think it is a secret that I love pasta, I could probably eat it every meal of the day and for a snack too. I am always looking for new sauces, new ways to incorporate vegetables and other delicious ingredients and today I got to use fresh basil from my balcony garden and that always makes me happy. This sauce takes about 30 seconds to make, no really, less than a minute! Get ready to make your family happy.



Roasted Red Pepper Pasta: Serves 4

12oz Pasta
1TB Olive Oil
1/4C Cream Cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
1/4C Parmesan Cheese - Shredded
1/2C Roasted Red Peppers (I used Jarred - in water)
1/2C Fresh Basil Leaves
Salt & Pepper

Place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente. Place the remaining ingredients in a blender (I added the salt after I had blended it as the cheese is salty) and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce over the finished pasta, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 11 Points Plus / serving

Chicken Shawarma

I love trying new chicken dishes, especially ones that are good hot, cold, in a sandwich, on their own, in a salad, etc. I found this dish on Cooking Light and boy am I glad, it is versatile, refreshing and filled with flavor. To me it screamed summer because I had it chilled with some fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and it only took about 15 minutes of time at the stove limiting the heat in my tiny apartment. The only substitution I made was to use lime juice over lemon because well I had lime!



Chicken Shawarma: Serves 4

2TB Fresh Parsley - Chopped
1/2tsp Salt
1/2tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/4tsp Ground Ginger
1/4tsp Ground Cumin
1/8tsp Ground Coriander
5TB Greek Yogurt (I use Plain Fage 0%)
2TB Fresh Lemon (or Lime!) Juice
3 Garlic Cloves - Minced
1lbs Chicken Breast - Thinly Sliced
2TB Olive Oil
1TB Tahini
Cucumber
Tomato

Mix together the parsley, salt, red pepper, ginger, cumin, coriander, 1TB of greek yogurt, 1TB juice, and 2 garlic cloves. Let it sit together for a few minutes while you slice up the chicken, once the chicken is sliced add it to the mixture and toss it all together to evenly coat the chicken. Let it sit to the side and in a separate small bowl mix together the remaining 1/4C of yogurt, 1TB juice, 1 garlic clove and the tahini and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Place the olive oil in a large skillet (I did this in two batches so I could cook the chicken in a single layer - I put 1TB of olive oil in the pan at a time). Turn the heat onto medium and cook for 3-4 minutes then flip and cook until finished, approximately another 3-5 minutes. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining olive oil and chicken. Once it is finished cooking you can serve with sliced cucumber and tomato and a dollop of the sauce mixture.

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WW: 6 Points Plus / serving

Sauteed Summer Corn

One of the best things about summer is corn on the cobb, I was so excited when it started showing up in the stores and I grabbed 2 ears and was planning on just boiling them and eating in the traditional fashion. Then I was watching food network and Ina Garten was making a sauteed corn dish using fresh corn on the cobb and I thought "how great, the taste of fresh corn without all the mess". I made this tonight and it was very delicious, the corn takes on a wonderful grilled flavor and the onions completely caramelize adding to the sweet qualities of the corn. I'm already thinking how great this will be in corn pancakes!



Sauteed Summer Corn: Serves 4

2 Corn Cobbs (approx 2C cut off the cobb)
2TB Butter
1/2C Red Onions - Diced
Salt & Pepper

Carefully cut the corn off of the cobb (I found this worked best by placing a dish towel over my cutting board which stopped the kernels from bouncing off my board!). Dice the onion and mix with the corn kernels. Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Add the corn and onions to the pan with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper and give it a toss. Let it sit for a few minutes and stir and keep repeating this process for approximately 12-15 minutes. The onions will slowly caramelize and the corn will lightly toast and soften. Remove from the heat, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 3 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings

Roasted "Boiled" Dinner

Okay I totally missed Saint Patrick's Day didn't I? Oh well I'm not waiting until it comes around again to share this great recipe. One of my favorite meals is "Boiled Dinner" which was a smoke neck ham, cabbage, carrots and potatoes all thrown in a pot, covered in water and boiled until the cabbage and potatoes were cooked through. The meal is delicious because you fish out the different parts, smush it all together and enjoy - okay it may not be that great for people who don't like their foods to touch but for me it was just great. Today it dawned on me that roasted vegetables are so much tastier than boiled and I decided to do a one pan meal (okay two pans) instead of a one pot meal! This meal is fantastic, easy to put together and even easier to cook. Your whole family will love it!



Roasted "Boiled" Dinner: Serves 4-6

1 Large Cabbage - Thickly Sliced
1lbs Carrots - Sliced
2 Onions - Sliced
1lbs Potatoes - Cubed
14oz Smoked Turkey Sausage
2TB Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Put the cabbage in a large bowl and toss with 1TB of the olive oil and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper - place over one greased cookie sheet. Place the carrots and onions in the bowl and add 1/2TB of olive oil and salt & pepper and place on half of another greased cookie sheet. Lastly mix the cut potatoes with the remaining 1/2TB of olive oil with some more salt & pepper and place on the other half of the sheet pan. Place both trays in a 425° oven for 45 minutes, tossing the vegetables every 15 minutes, add the sausage spread out all over the cabbage and place back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked through and nice and caramelized. Remove from the oven, toss everything together, spoon into a bowl and enjoy!

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WW: 8 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
5 Points Plus / serving @ 6 servings