Salsa Pineapple Chicken

1 pckg Ready to Eat Grilled Chicken Breast Fillets
16 oz Salsa  in whatever flavor you desire
16 oz Pineapple Tidbits in own juice
1/4 c Dry Ranch dressing mix
Fat free Chicken Broth
Package of ready to cook brocolli
Package of ready to cook sliced carrots
Small crock pot

Pour a bit of salsa and couple spoons of pineapple tidbits and juice in bottom of crock pot.  Layer on chicken breast, carrots , brocolli.  Sprinkle ranch dressing mix on top, pour on remaining salsa, pineapple tidbits and juice and then add chicken broth till post is full and all ingredients are juicy.  Smash and lift so that the top ingredients get incorporated into pot.  Let cook 6-8 hours.

Chicken Soup

I have a small crock pot so I have to make this two nights running to use all the ingredients. When I make the second pot I freeze it in individual serving containers.

Mix these first in the crock pot:

1 box Chicken Broth

1 pkg dry Ranch Dressing Mix

Spices to taste: Cumin, Paprika, Oregano, Garlic, Celery Salt

Stir together break down the dressing mix and blend spices,


Now you can add the chicken and veggies,

1 can ranch style beans

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (not rotel, just del monte these are not spicy, you could use rotel if you want the heat)

2 ears of fresh corn/cob cut from the cob

2 small zucchini cut in bite size pieces

1/2 pkg ready to steam green beans cut into bite size pieces (take handful and cut across 2-3 times)

1/2 pkg matchstick carrots(these are the shredded looking ones)

1/2 pkg angel hair cabbage

1/2 pkg baby spinach chopped

1/2 rotisserie chicken shredded off the bone

Be sure to stir after each addition. Do not drain the beans or the tomatoes. This will fill a small crock pot to the brim. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. I usually put it all together in the evening and let it cook all night. Could put together early morning and it will be ready by evening.

If you have a large crock pot you would be able to utilize all the ingredients at one time. Be sure to add another box of chicken broth, I think the rest will be fine unless you want more beans / tomatoes, you could add another can of each of those, and maybe one more ear of corn.

*I have taken a piece of laughing cow swiss cut into pieces and heated into bowl of soup, stir thoroughly when heated.

Baby Spinach Salad

Pkg of Baby Spinach Leaves....I bunched a handful together and sliced across them to make the salad more edible, I like the smaller pieces.

Pkg of AngelHair Cabbage

Ultimately Sweet Fresh Corn Cut off the Cob

Fetta Cheese

Dried Fruit/Nut Mix...Raisins, Golden Raisins, Cranberries, Cherries, Blueberries, Walnuts, Almonds

Salad dressing to taste....Lite Ranch, Balsamic Vinegar, Rasberry Vinegarette, all are good individually or mix the ranch with either of the other two makes a good combination too. 

Things I have added in combination or just used what I had on hand at the time, I have enjoyed this salad many different ways and am still creating new ways to devour it:
Cottage Cheese (a really great combination with the fetta)
Brocolli
Fresh Green Beans cooked crisp tender
Zucchini (raw, cut up in bite size pieces)
Rotisserie Chicken
Turkey
Tuna
Salmon (single serving in the foil package works great)
Follow your taste buds and use what you have on hand.  Great way to get out of the lettuce and tomatoe salad routine.

I have made a small plate just for one and large container for a whole gathering of people.  When making for one the spinach and cabbage stores well and lasts for days in the fridge.

Fruit Compote

1 tbsp evoo
One granny smith apple (chopped)
1/2 med onion (chopped)
1 jar mandarin oranges (drained)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water

Sweat the onions and apple in the evoo (saute in butter if you want them softer), add the raisins and currants, mix and add the pineapple juice and wine. Reduce by half. Mix the cornstarch and water and add to mixture stir until thickened then add mandarin oranges and gently mix all.

This recipe was shared with me by my Aunt Carolyn. She developed this recipe with what she had on hand for a special dinner that she fixed for me. It is delicious and was served with pan seared pork chops, penne pasta, colorful lettuce/tomato salad. We had Lime-Cool Whip Pie for dessert. Yum!!!!!

The Big Apple French Toast Casserole

PER SERVING (one 4-inch square, about 1 cup): 204 calories, 4.25g fat, 577mg sodium, 30g carbs, 6g fiber, 8.5g sugars, 16.5g protein -- POINTS® value 4*

AHHHHHHHHHHH! Is it breakfast or dessert? This decadent morning-meal recipe is SO easy and ridiculously delicious. PLEASE make it ASAP. You'll FLIP!

Ingredients:
8 slices light bread (40 - 45 calories each with around 2g fiber per slice), cut into cubes
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
1 medium apple (preferably Fuji), peeled and diced
1 1/4 cups light vanilla soymilk
1 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
2 tbsp. sugar-free pancake syrup
2 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown), melted
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda), or more to taste
Optional: additional sugar-free pancake syrup, for dipping

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Place bread cubes evenly along the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle diced apple evenly over the bread. In a medium-large bowl, combine all other ingredients (cream cheese, soymilk, egg substitute, syrup, butter, cinnamon, and sweetener). If you like your French toast pretty sweet, add an extra packet of sweetener. Using a handheld electric mixer set to medium speed, mix until lump-free and smooth. Pour mixture over the bread and apple. Make sure bread is soaked in the liquid mixture. If needed, toss lightly to coat. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until egg mixture is pretty firm and cooked through. (Be sure not to overcook, as bread may burn.) Let cool lightly and cut into quarters. If you like, serve with additional syrup for dipping. Dig in!
MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Mixed Fruit, Dip, Cottage Cheese

Fresh Pineapple
Banana
Green Grapes
Cut fruit into bite size pieces, dollop some strawberry fruit dip on top, dollop some low fat cottage cheese on top of that.  Yummy!
I fix mine in a bowl that holds about 1 cup.  Doesn't take much fruit, fill about half, by the time you add the dip and cottage cheese you have a bowl full. 
Having some protein with your fruit helps negate the sugar dump you get from the fruit.

Romaine, Red Leaf, Fresh Corn, Tomato Salad

Romaine and Red Leaf Lettuce
Cut corn off the cob of incredibly sweet corn (very flavorful just cut off the cob uncooked)
Cut cherry tomatoes in half
Crumbled reduced fat Feta Cheese
Your favorite dressing and season with salt/pepper/oregano/cumin/garlic salt/ celery salt, whatever tastes good to you.

Strawberry Fruit Dip

This is delectible!  My favorite to eat with, on and in any kind of fruit.  So simple to make.

1 container FF Strawberry Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 container low fat strawberry yogurt
1/2 container low fat Cool Whip softened

Mix cream cheese and yogurt till smooth fold in Cool Whip till blended. You can let it sit for a while or just start consuming it because it will be so good.
Fruits I eat with this...grapes, cantalope, watermelon, strawberries, bananas, pineapple.
Enjoy.
If you are a WW points counter...3 tablespoons=1 point

Fighting Arctic Blast with Hot Veg Soup

Fresh and bountiful and made in a crock pot so when you wake up the next morning you can have delicious hot soup for breakfast if you want....what a great way to start the day! You could even have the stuff ready to throw into crock and have for dinner when you get home in evening.

I have one of the smaller style crock pots and I stuff it FULL of veggies, the lid barely stays down after getting it all in there, but the veggies cook down and then the lid sits right. This recipe is based on what I like so be sure to use the veggies you like.
Put in crock pot....

1 container of beef broth (4 cup size and I use the low sodium fat free)

1/2 of small sweet yellow onion

2 stalks of celery

1/2 orange, yellow or red bell pepper (any of these colors has a better flavor to me than green)

1/2 package brown gravy mix

1/2 package ranch dressing mix

Stir all of this together and then go with the bigger veggies:

1/2 package shredded carrot sticks

1/2 package shredded cabbage

1/2 package green beans (I cut these up a bit because the beans are long)

1 zucchinni

2 fresh incredibly sweet corn on cob, cut off the cob

1-2 cans of favorite diced tomatoes (your preference)

couple handfuls of fresh spinach

2 Bocca Original Vegan Burgers, chopped

Salt and pepper a bit while layering the veggies, you want it to have plenty of flavor.

Now kinda smash this down into the crock pot till you can get the lid on. Set on low and let it cook about 8 hours. I stirred it a couple times before I went to bed but you don't have to.

If you have the big crock you can just use all the ingredients. I made soup 2 nights and froze one batch in individual serving containers.

All of this takes about 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish, not a lot of cutting and chopping and it is all fresh and flavorful. Be creative and find your perfect soup of the day.