Strawberry, Blueberry & Banana Milkshake

Who doesn't love a wonderful creamy dreamy milkshake? I know I like one and for breakfast it is like having dessert to start my day. I love my new Ninja Master Prep Blender System as it completely pulverizes frozen fruit without any chunks in seconds without ever stalling or smelling like it is going to go up in flames! I bought 2 big bags of frozen strawberries and blueberries (no sugar added) and have been enjoying my smoothies/milkshakes each week and hope you will too.

Strawberry, Blueberry & Banana Milkshake: Serves 2-3

1C Frozen Strawberries
1/2C Frozen Blueberries
1 Banana - Fresh
1C Milk
1TB Honey

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and well, blend until it is nice and smooth. Split into a few glasses and enjoy!

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WW: 2 Points Plus / serving @ 2 servings
1 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings

Cheesy Hamburger Helper: Round 2

This week I seem to be all about convenience cooking! Last night I thawed some Mexican Chicken and tossed it over left over rice and tonight I am heading back to the Blue Box Mac and Cheese to speed my dinner along. I initially got the mac-n-cheese thinking I would do the original Cheesy Hamburger Helper a few weeks ago and low and behold I used the spinach for something else and tonight all I had in the freezer was some broccoli which seemed like a good idea to use as a substitute for me! If you are a fan of Cheesy Broccoli how could you not like this recipe, right!?



Cheesy Hamburger Helper Round 2: serves 3-4

1 Box Kraft 3 Cheese with Shells Macaroni & Cheese
1lbs Ground Beef - 93% lean
3/4C Onion - Diced
1 Garlic Clove - Minced
3-4C Broccoli (Fresh or Frozen)
2tsp Butter - melted
1/4C Milk
Salt & Pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta as directed. Drain and set to the side. Mix the butter, milk and cheese powder from the box together and set to the side.

While the pasta is cooking place the beef, onion and garlic in a large greased skillet over medium heat with some salt and pepper and brown the beef breaking it into small even pieces. While the beef is browning, set a steamer pot to boil with the broccoli in a steamer basket (see tip below if you do not have a steamer basket) with a pinch of salt, cook until fork tender. Remove the beef mixture to a colander and push down on the mix pushing as much liquid out as you can.

In the skillet place the cheese mixture over low heat and stir for a minute, add in the noodles and beef & broccoli and toss to incorporate. Serve it up and enjoy!

Steamer Basket/Pot Tip: So I know that not everyone has a handy dandy steamer pot (a pot with a built in steam basket for food) or a steamer basket that fits into a pot. Some options...if you have a metal colander you can set it inside of a larger pot, place some water in the bottom of the pot (1") then place your broccoli in the colander and cook - the colander acts as the steamer basket! or another option is to simply put your broccoli in a taller pot and put 1" of water in the bottom so the majority of the broccoli is out of the water and turn it on to boil - yes some of the stalks will be boiled, but most will be steamed.
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WW: 9 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
12 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings

Basic Shrimp & Pasta in a Tomato Sauce

Some days, like today, I just need a quick, simple dish that uses some of my pantry staples. A no-brainer recipe if you will. Today was a cold chilly day in Baltimore which resulted in me wanting my favorite comfort food - pasta. This recipe is delicious and simple with the shrimp cooked in the tomato sauce which #1 lets you keep one more pan clean, #2 infuses the sauce with the sweetness of the shrimp and #3 makes things just a little bit simpler - ie: the no brainer part of the recipe as promised.



Basic Shrimp & Pasta in a Tomato Sauce: Serves 2-3

6oz Pasta
1/2lbs Shrimp - Peeled & De-veined
15oz Can Tomato Sauce
2TB Tomato Paste
1/2tsp Dried Basil
1/2tsp Dried Oregano
1/4tsp Garlic Powder
1/4tsp Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. While the pasta is cooking put the tomato sauce, paste, and seasonings in a large saute pan and bring up to a light simmer stirring occasionally. 3-4 minutes before the pasta is finished cooking toss in the shrimp and give it a stir. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 3 minutes, give it a toss and add in the drained cooked pasta and continue to cook for a minute or two until the shrimp are completely cooked through. Turn off the heat give it another toss and cover with a lid and give the pasta 5 minutes to absorb all the goodness. Separate into bowls or plates and enjoy!

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WW: 11 Points Plus / serving @ 2 servings
7 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings

Product Review: Near East Long Grain & Wild Rice

Sometimes when I am making a typical meal of protein, vegetable and grain/starch I will use a Near East product for my side dish. They have great products that I like to use when I am in a pinch. They are flavorful and I feel give a decent 4 servings (even if the box says 3 you can easily get 4) and require very little babysitting.

In fact this recipe is so easy you bring some water and oil to a boil, add the rice and season spice and turn down to a simmer until it is finished - approximately 30 minutes later.

These can be found with other boxed rice dishes, typically near the canned goods in your grocery store. I also enjoy their Rice Pilaf and Couscous.

Lemon Chicken

I keep seeing recipes for Lemon Chicken and I have to say it is a meal I have never had, but I love chicken and I love lemon so how could I go wrong? I searched multiple different recipes and landed on one from the blog 'Annie Eats' because it sounded the least complicated and involved ingredients I had on hand, I only did some slight modifications from her recipe! It was pretty good and is a meal I would make again. I am already planning to use the left overs in some other recipes which should be pretty tasty!

Lemon Chicken: Serves 4-6

1/3-1/2C Fresh Lemon Juice
1TB Lemon Zest
1/2tsp Dried Thyme
1/2tsp Dried Rosemary
2-3 Garlic Cloves - Minced
Salt & Pepper
12-14 Chicken Legs or Thighs

Remove the skin from the chicken and place all of the ingredients in a gallon size zip lock bag and seal it tightly and turn over and over to get all the marinade evenly over the chicken. Put in the refrigerator for 1.5-2 hours, turning once halfway through. After the chicken is done marinating place on a greased wire rack on a cookie sheet and place in a 425° oven for 45-60 minutes, turning every 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5-10 minutes covered in foil, then serve and enjoy!

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WW: ~5 points for 2 drumsticks. The size/type of your chicken will change your point values so be sure to weigh. Essentially the marinade is about 1 point total.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Last week my sister hosted one of our Christmas family gatherings and she served a wonderful meal of Crab Souffle, Broccoli Casserole and Twice Baked Potatoes. My mom brought both Key Lime Pie and Peach Cheesecake Pie for dessert, lets just say we had a wonderful time with our family and a great time around the table. A new dish on the table for my family was the Twice Baked Potatoes that my sister came up with. They were delicious, creamy and cheesy and with some bacon crumbled in a perfect addition to the table.

Twice Baked Potatoes: Serves 8 - 16

4 Large Russet Potatoes (approx 3/4# each)
1C Whole Milk
1/2C Sour Cream (she used Daisy's Light)
4 Slices of Bacon - Cooked Crisp & Crumbled
3oz Sharp Cheddar - Shredded
1/4C Green Onions - Chopped
1/4C Parmesan Cheese - Grated
Salt & Pepper

Clean and dry the potatoes and pierce all over with a fork. Place on a sheet of aluminum foil in a 350° oven for approximately 75-90 minutes (when pierced with a fork the consistency should be soft inside). Remove and allow to cool to warm so you can handle the potatoes. Cut each potato in half length wise and with a large spoon scoop out the flesh of the potato into a mixing bowl leaving a 1/4" of potato in the skin. Set the skins to the side and mix the flesh of the potato, milk, sour cream, bacon, cheddar, green onions and salt and pepper together until evenly mixed. Scoop the mixture into the skins and top with the Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 350° oven for 25-35 minutes until the tops start to brown. Remove from the oven and serve!

Tip: You can make these the day ahead and refrigerate prior to baking for the second time. They may require a little more time in the oven as they will be warming up from the refrigerator.

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WW: 7 Points Plus / serving @ 8 servings
3 Points Plus / serving @ 16 servings - half a potato skin

Key Lime Pie

Growing up my mom would make this pie and it would be gone within a day or two. It is simple to make and extremely tasty, your family will think you slaved over this dessert for hours when in reality you whipped it together in 2 minutes and after a chill in the fridge you were ready to serve! We had this for on our of Christmas gatherings and it was as good as I always remembered.

Key Lime Pie: Serves 8-12

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2C Lime or Lemon Juice (Fresh or Bottled)
1tsp Vanilla
8oz Sour Cream
(1) 6oz Pre-made Graham Cracker or Nilla Pie Crust
Cinnamon

In a mixing bowl mix the milk, juice, vanilla and sour cream until completely and evenly mixed. Pour into the pre-made pie crust, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving.

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WW: 9 Points Plus / serving @ 8 servings
7 Points Plus / serving @ 10 servings
6 Points Plus / serving @ 12 servings