Part of the challenge I face is that I'm not only cooking for myself. I also have my husband and an 18 month old who eat the same dinners I do. Since this is a lifelong plan and not just a diet, it's important for me to find recipes that all three of us enjoy.
Mexican Meatloaf
Cooking spray
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground turkey
2 large egg whites
2 oz cornbread stuffing dry mix (approx. 1 cup)
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
4 oz. green chili peppers
8 oz. can enchilada sauce
1. Mix everything except 1/2 the enchilada sauce.
2. Shape into an oval.
3. Cook for 1 hour at 375.
4. Pour on the rest of the enchilada sauce.
5. Cook for 5 minutes.
The recipe makes 6 servings. Each serving has only 3 points.
Pea Soup
1 can of green beans, drained, rinsed and refilled to the top with fresh water
1 can of yellow wax beans, drained, rinsed and refilled to the top with fresh water
1 can of asparagus -- as is
1. Combine all three into a blender or food processor.
2. Heat up as much as you'll eat.
How easy is that??? And the best part, it's 0 points!! I added 16 turkey pepperoni that I cut up into small pieces to give it some protein and kick. The whole bowl of soup was only 2 points!
It's funny because there are no peas in the soup, but it tastes really good!
Turkey Chili
1 lb. ground turkey
1 chili packet from the grocery store (or your own combo of chili spices)
1/2 onion, chopped (optional -- my husband can't take the onions)
1 large can of tomato sauce (29 oz.)
1 can of kidney beans (15 oz. can) -- as is -- don't drain or rinse
1. Cook the turkey.
2. Mix everything in the crock pot.
3. Cook and simmer.
This recipe makes 6 large servings and each serving is 6 points. I add on some lowfat mexican cheese which adds an additional point.
Southwest Chicken
2 15 oz. cans of corn
6 chicken breast halves
16 oz. salsa
15 oz. can of black beans
1 cup low-fat mexican cheese
1. Pour 1/2 the salsa at the bottom of the crock pot.
2. Place the chicken on top of the salsa.
3. Dump the rest of the ingredients on top.
4. Cook in the crock pot.
5. Top with low-fat Mexican cheese.
This recipe makes six servings and has 7 points per serving. We also ate it with brown rice which was pretty good to mix in. The recipe turned out slightly soupy though. Next time we have to use a chunkier salsa and I'll have to try draining the beans and corn better. I was surprised that my daughter and husband quickly named this a favorite meal.
