Happy Wednesday yall!  Suzanne was out of town again this Monday and Tuesday, so we are being victimized tonight...

First things first - our first giveaway!  We put everyone's names in a bowl that commented (either here or on facebook) and the winner of the one year subscription of Cooking Light magazine is..... CYN!!!  Congratulations Cyn - shoot us a message at suzanneroan@aol.com with your address and we will get you all set up!

April  made the lasagna this morning, so all we had to do tonight was put together the salad and make some delicious garlic toast.

Slow Cooker Lasagna
from the WeightWatchers Website

1 pound uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)

1 small onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving, 8 Points each.

Suz: Soooo delicious.  I've never had the no-cook lasagna noodles before.  They almost melted into the dish, which sounds weird but was really good.  Amazing comfort food!

April: It was a lot of fun to make. We don't normally use beef but we went for it this time. I didn't have tomato sauce so I had to use paste instead and added 12 oz of water to try to make up for it. The flavor of the sauce was soooo yummy. I think I would use it again outside of this dish... very tasty. It was pretty easy to make and it cooked a lot faster than I thought. WORTH your time... totally.
 

Suzanne's Chopped Salad

 

1 bag shredded iceburg lettuce

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

1/2 english cucumber, finely diced

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons bacon bits
1/3 cup blue cheese vinaigrette (from the produce section)

 

Combine in a bowl.  Right before serving, toss with salad dressing.  Serves 4-6 people, about 3 points each.

 

Suz: I had a similar salad to this at the Cheesecake Factory, although I am certain it had a whole heck of a lot more calories and fat.  Easy to throw together, and would be really good with grilled chicken on top.

 

April: YUM YUM YUM... nice blend of texture and taste... very good!
 

We've got some ideas for our next giveaway, which will be coming in the next couple of weeks, so keep checking back to see what we're up to!  Have a great Halloween this weekend and don't eat too much candy! ;)



...and after!  I think she likes it!



Maggie before lasagna...





Meatless Monday

***This is your last week to enter to win a year's subscription to Cooking Light Magazine!  Comment on this or last week's post to be entered - winner will be announced on next week's blog.

Looking back at our recent posts, we noticed that we've gotten in a chicken rut.  So this week, we've decided to follow the new "Meatless Monday" trend and go for our own vegetarian recipes.  The weather has been really back and forth, and this pasta dish is somehow light and hearty at the same time - a little bit of summer (with the fresh tomatoes) and a little bit of winter (with the roasted veggies).

The chocolate muffins/cupcakes are a recipe that Suzanne got in her first time around with WW - it was one that was up on the board at a meeting one Saturday morning.  You truly can't taste the pumpkin in these, and you can substitute any type of cake mix for the chocolate - spice cake would probably be really good with this.

 

Roasted Vegetable Pasta 

from WeightWatchers Online

1 medium zucchini, diced    

1 medium sweet red pepper(s), seeded, cored and diced    

1 large onion(s), thinly sliced    

2 Tbsp olive oil    

1/2 tsp table salt    

1/4 tsp black pepper    

1 large tomato, chopped    

1/4 cup basil, chopped    

2 cloves garlic, minced    

1 Package Smart Taste Spaghetti, 12 oz    

1/2 cup feta cheese    

1.Preheat oven to 450F. Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.

2.Toss zucchini, bell pepper and onion with 1 tablespoon oil in a large roasting pan or a large baking sheet with sides. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables, stirring every 5 minutes, until tender and browned, 10 to 20 minutes.

3.Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

4.Cook pasta until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to the bowl with the tomatoes. Add the roasted vegetables and toss well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve, passing feta cheese separately.

Makes 6 servings, with a Points value of 6.

Suz: Yummy and easy.  Used parmesan/asiago/romano mixture instead of the feta (still left over from the unfortunate incident at Kroger last week).  Next time, I will use a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh, to give it a little sauce-ish.

April: I loved the flavor of the vegetables!!! YUM! I feel that it needed a little more liquid/sauce on the spaghetti  because it left the noodles a little dry.

Chocolate Cupcakes  from the Cary, NC WeightWatchers location

1 package dry mix chocolate cake    

15 oz Libby's Solid Pack Pumpkin (NOT pie filling)

Mix cake mix and pumpkin until thoroughly incorporated.  Bake in cupcake tins according to package directions.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.   

Makes 12 cupcakes, with a Points value of 4 each.

  

Suz: Just like I remembered - the texture is different than regular cupcakes, but these are a delicious alternative to higher calorie cakes.  Alden helped me make the cupcakes tonight :)

April: VERY Good. Alden begged for two, but we said no :O)

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight and a Giveaway

OK readers, we've got a challenge for you - we want to know how many of you are really checking in every week to see what we're up to... So we've come up with a plan: comment on a post and you'll be entered to win a year's subscription to Cooking Light magazine, Suzanne's new favorite.  All you have to do is comment on our post - do the recipes sound good to you? have you tried it or something similar? do you have a suggestion or recipe to offer?  Go on, tell us what you think.  We'll put all of your names in a hat and we'll announce the winner on our October 25 blog .  You can enter once a week for the next 2 weeks.

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After a weekend of eating some less than healthy treats, we were ready for a relatively light, fresh dinner that wouldn't take a long time to put together.  Luckily, Suzanne had seen this take on chicken milanese on the WW website last week and decided to pair it with some cous cous for a quick, delicious meal!

Chicken cutlets, as they are called in my house, are one of my major weaknesses.  This definitely lightens up the dish (usually, you fry the chicken in olive oil), so I am interested to see how this turns out!

Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 bunches arugula

1 cup red onion(s), thinly sliced

1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz pieces

1 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large egg(s)
1/4 cup parsley, fresh, minced

1/2 oz romano cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)

1/3 cup dried bread crumbs

4 spray cooking spray, divided

1 Tbsp butter, divided

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1 large egg white

In a small bowl, whisk together first four ingredients; set aside.

In a large salad bowl, combine arugula, onion and tomatoes; set aside.

Place chicken between two sheets of wax paper; pound until 1/3-inch-thick. Rub salt and pepper into both sides of chicken.

Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, whisk together egg, egg whites, parsley and cheese.

Dip chicken into egg mixture; turn to coat. Next, dip chicken into bread crumbs, shaking off any excess ingredients. (You want to coat the chicken very lightly, not cover it with a heavy crust.) Set aside and repeat with remaining chicken.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat. Melt half of butter in skillet (do not allow it to burn); add two pieces of chicken. Cook chicken until coating is golden, flipping once, about 7 minutes; remove to a paper towel and cover loosely to keep warm. Off heat, recoat skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat. Melt remaining butter in skillet; cook remaining pieces of chicken.

Toss salad with dressing. Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice and serve topped with salad. Yields 1 piece of chicken and 2 cups of loosely packed salad per serving, with a Points value of 6.

Suz: I made a couple modifications to this recipe - replaced the romano cheese with parmesan (after quite an eventful trip to the Kroger) and I left out dredging the chicken in flour before the egg wash (It added a whole extra point and the chicken came out plenty crusty.  I loved this meal!  Simple, and a new twist on something that I've made a million times.  The salad was nice and peppery from the arugula and tart from the lemon in the dressing.  April and I ate pretty much all the salad by ourselves...

April: I am really excited about our upcoming comments. Dinner tonight was wonderful!!! Simple dinner... well it seemed simple I watched Suz do it! I loved the lemon dressing.. don't recall having anything like it before. It was just enough to not make the salad heavy, but it gave it plenty of flavor. All the flavors blended well together for a nice refreshing dinner.

So, we hope to see you in the comments and have a great week!

Soup and Sammy

There is a definite chill in the air today, and it is really starting to feel like fall (finally)!  In honor of the change of seasons, we decided to do some warm, comforty-type foods tonight to fill our bellies but not expand our waistlines :)  According to Cooking Light, the soup can be made in 20 minutes and is perfect for a quick week night meal.  Once I found this recipe, it was just a question of finding a yummy sandwich to go with it.  Luckily, the panini recipe was at the back of the same magazine and April and I both love some buffalo chicken!

We're hoping to find some new and interesting crock pot recipes, so if you have one you'd like for us to try, send it our way!

Buffalo Chicken Panini

from Cooking Light Magazine, October 2010

1/4 cup hot pepper sauce, divided    

1 pound Chicken breast, skinless, boneless, raw, chicken tenders    

6 Tbsp reduced-calorie mayonnaise    

8 slices bread    

½ cup reduced fat blue cheese crumbles  

Preheat broiler; coat broiler pan with cooking spray. Combine 2 tablespoons hot sauce and chicken in a medium bowl, tossing to coat. Arrange chicken in a single layer on broiler pan; broil 4 minutes on each side or until done. Place chicken in a bowl; toss with remaining 2 tablespoons of sauce. Combine cheese and mayo. Spread 3 tablespoons cheese mixture on each of 4 bread slices; top each with 1/4 of cooked chicken and 1 bread slice.

Heat a grill pan over medium -high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange 2 sandwiches in pan. Place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently. Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until bread is toasted (leave skillet on sandwiches while they cook). Repeat with remaining 2 sandwiches.

Suz: I used the Louisiana Hot Sauce that April gave me a couple weeks ago - it is HOT!  I made these in my grill pan and I thought they were absolutely delicious!  The soup was the perfect accompaniment to the sandwich, it really balanced some of the heat.

April: Super spicy and good!!! The soup was great with it. Cook them together!!!!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

From Cooking Light Magazine, October 2010

1 ½ pounds uncooked red potatoes, about 4 6-ounce potatoes    

2 tsp olive oil    

1/2 cup onion, chopped    

1 1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth    

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour    

2 cups 1% low-fat milk    

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream    

1/2 tsp table salt    

1/4 tsp black pepper    

1/3 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese    

4 tsp Dole Green Onions    

2 Tablespoons Kroger Bacon Bits    

Bake potatoes in the microwave, about 13 minutes or until done. Cut in half; let cool slightly.

While the potatoes cook, heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; saute 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk; add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; stir often. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.

Arrange bacon on paper towels on microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Crumble bacon.

Discard potato skins. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. Top with cheese, green onions, and bacon. Yield 4 servings, 1 1/4 cups each. 6 Points per serving

Suz: Instead of making my own bacon, I bought bacon bits for this recipe.  This soup was one of my favorites so far - really quick and amazingly delicious!  Adding it to my make-again list!

April: My first remark was "this is fancy restaurant style" looks fancy and tastes great!

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

from WeightWatchers Comfort Classics: 150 Favorite Home-Style Dishes

Cake:

2 cups cake flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
3/4 cup granulated
3 tablespoons canola
1 large egg

1 teaspoon red food coloring

Frosting:
1 8-ounce package fat-free cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick spray.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.  Whisk the buttermilk, granulated sugar, oil, egg, and food coloring together in a medium bowl.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture; stir until well blended.

Scrape the batter into the pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.  Let cool completely in the pan on a rack.  Run a knfe around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan.  Invert.

To make the frosting , with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, yogurt, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth, about one minute.

Split the cake layer in half with a long serrated knife.  Place the bottom layer, cut side up, on a serving plate.  Spread the remaining cake layer on top, rounded side up.  Spread the remaining 1 cup frosting over the top and side of the cake.  Sprinkle the pecans on the side of the cake, pressing to adhere.

Serving is 1/16 of cake, points value of 4.

Suz: I liked the frosting, but wish there was more of it!  The cake ended up a little bit dry.

April: Why did I pick a cake???? sheesh I haven't been able to bake a cake lately at all... argh!!! Yes it was dry... The frosting was better than I thought it would be.