Crockpot Potato Soup

It may be hot as you know what in the state of Florida, but that did not stop me from trying this crock pot potato soup.  

I love me some potato soup.  This one isn't full of fattening cream, either.  So there is a plus.  I'm trying to cut down on carbs, big time.  But I had this big ol' ten pound bag of baking potatoes that I could not let go to waste.  I hate wasting food, and unfortunately, my family and I waste a lot.  That's going to change!  

So, I made a big batch and froze what we did not eat for a later dinner.  

Original recipe can be found budget bytes

It super simple.

Crock pot Potato Soup

3lbs baking potatoes (any potatoes,really)

6 c. chicken stock

1 onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 c. milk ( I use 2 %)

1/4 c. flour

salt

black pepper

Cut up your potatoes (after you've scrubbed them good, you can peel if you'd like, I like the skins, so I left them on).  Add your chopped celery, onion, garlic, black pepper and chicken broth.  Cook on high 8 hours.  I think mine actually cooked for 6.  

Whisk your flour in your 2 cups of milk and add to soup.  Stir and let sit for 30 minutes, it will thicken. Then mash with potato masher, blender or immersion blender.  Add salt to taste.  Those immersion blenders are the best!  

All done!  Top with your favorite potato toppings!  I used cheese, bacon bits and a dab of sour cream.  

Easy Peasy! 

~Allie

Southwest Chopped Salad

So, ever since I have started weight watchers I have been craving, craving salad.  Weird, right?  I should be craving sugar, chips, all that junk food.  Nope, it doesn't help that pinterest has all these yummy recipes out there!  So I found one for this southwest chopped salad.  So I had to try it.  I'm not big on cilantro, but let me tell you.  This dressing was divine! 

Yummy looking, right?  

The salad had greens in it, fresh corn (I had left over corn on the cobb), 1/2 cup of black beans, one orange pepper diced up, 1/2 a pint of cherry tomatoes halved, four green onions chopped, and then I topped it with 1 oz tortilla chips. This made a lot of salad, so when I put it in the recipe builder for weight watchers I put serving size 6, at 1 1/2 cups.  That would equal 1 point, for the salad.

Now the dressing is super green and made with greek yogurt.  Yum! 

This is the original recipe from the garden grazer.

Now for the delicious dressing! 

My version of creamy cilantro dressing:

an entire bunch of cilantro

1 lime

1 tsp. honey

1/2 low fat greek yogurt

2 garlic cloves

1/4 olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar

dash of salt

I threw it all in the blender and viola.  Easy peasy.  I put this in the handy dandy weight watchers recipe builder.  It makes maybe a cup of dressing. I used two tablespoons on the salad.  3 points.  

So, really four points for this yummy salad is quite good.  I did add 3 oz. of chicken, so it bumped it up to 7 points total.  

Any other salad ideas out there?

~Allie

*I am in no way a spokesperson for weight watchers, nor do I know if these points values are correct.  I use the recipe builder on the weight watchers website that I input all the measurements of ingredients I use.  They do the configuring for me.  

Asian Beef with Snow Peas

I found a new recipe I just had to try out.  We love our chinese food in this household, but going to buffets was bad for our wallets and our waistlines! ha.  So when I saw this I thought, I have to make this! It was super easy and I could finally use my wok, I have been caring around for years, just never used.  My first asian dish was a success!

I even measured everything out because that is what you do on weight watchers.  1 cup of brown rice= 5 points.  3 oz. steak= 3 points, brown sugar= 0 points, soy sauce= 0 points

I figure 8 points for this dish.

I got this recipe from an exert of my better home and gardens magazine from all recipes.  They are advertising for their new magazine.  I like it because it gives the original recipe, but then tells you what they did differently and what users did differently as well.  

So I doubled up my sauce and finished it off with sesame oil. 

Asian Beef and Snow Peas

1 1/2 lbs beef round steak (I bought the stir fry beef in the meat section)

1 c. snow peas (I just used a generous handful from the fruit stand)

6 T. soy sauce

4 T. rice vinegar

2 T. brown sugar 

2 t. cornstarch

1 T. veggie oil

1 T. minced fresh garlic

1 T. minced fresh ginger

Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside. (Those measurements are for double the sauce)

Head oil in wok and add garlic and ginger, stir fry for 30 seconds.  

Add beef to wok and stir fry for 2 minutes, or until evenly browned.

Add snow peas and stir fry for 3 minutes longer. 

Add soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Lower heat and simmer until thick, about 1 minute.  

I served it over 1 cup of brown rice and some spoonfuls of sauce over it, then sprinkled the beef and snow peas with some sesame oil.  It was yummy!  Next time I make it, I will marinate the steak for a couple hours.  

Any one else have some yummy, easy asian recipes??

~Allie 

**I put this in the recipe builder from weight watchers and for four servings it was 7 points, but I took the meat out and measured it at 3 oz.  If you were to take the entire dish and serve it up as 1 cup then I believe it would be 7 points, that includes a lot of sauce, more then 3 oz of beef and snow peas.  I will count it as 7 (plus the 5 from the rice) because I still need points for the day! 

Cherry Cake

I got this recipe from a weight watchers tracking journal back in 2010.  Back then a small piece was two points I'm not sure how many points it is today.  I am still counting two.  I don't know of any sites that you can put a recipe in and they will give you points values.  Maybe one day I will find one, but until then I am going to enjoy my cherry cake at two points. 

Its only two ingredients, its yummy (some parts sour, but I like sweet and sour) the crust gets nice and golden and sweet.  

One box of angel food cake and one can of cherry preserves.  I used lite comstock cherry preserves (pie filling).  Mix the two together, put in a sprayed 13x9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Easy Peasy! 

Enjoy!

~Allie 

New Recipes

I have been making some new dishes lately, haven't really kept up on taking pictures of them, but they sure were tasty.  What I did take pictures of I will gladly post in this post! 

First, we will start off with the cookie cups.  Who doesn't love sugar cookies?!  Why not make them in a cup fashion and put some fruit and cool whip in them, yes please.  But, first let me show you the failed attempt at them.......

Pinterest fail at its best!

Second batch, came out perfect!  They are easy peasy, I just bought the roll of sugar cookies in the store, tore off little parts and rolled it into a ball, pressed it into a greased mini cupcake pan and baked according to directions (maybe a few minutes less).  Once they are out, poke the middles and let sit for a few minutes.  Twist them out and fill er' up!  I cut up strawberries, pineapples and threw some blueberries in it.  You could be all fancy and make homemade whip cream and pipe it on.  I was in a rush and spooned it on.  Everyone loved them!  

6 can soup and then some

Found it on a blog called creativity through food.

I added some noodles and sour cream to make it creamy, instead of ranch style beans I use kidney (rinsed).  Then I pare it with some good 'ol cornbread! This has been made several times in my household.  We love it dearly and its super easy and quick!

Some Shrimp and Lemon Pasta, very lemony, very yummy.  Found at damn delicious

Scrambled Egg and Cheese Eggrolls with some country gravy.  These were fun, just made some scrambled eggs and piled it in my wonton wrappers, topped it with cheese and fried them up.  Delish and a nice change from the usual plain old scrambled eggs. 

Oh yeah, you know you've seen the pictures on pinterest.  Don't be discouraged. This is super easy!  Make some homemade meat sauce or use bottled which ever you prefer.  I made my own sauce and all though it came out a tad too sweet we still enjoyed it.  Lining the noodles up took only minutes and I went that extra mile and injected almost every noodle with some ricotta, because if I am going to have a ziti like dish I have to have my ricotta cheese baked in!  It was yummy, and so pretty to look at.  I just wanted to sit and stare at it!  

Until next time,

Allie