Chicken Gyro

Behind Pizza and Pasta with Vodka Sauce, a good Gyro is my favorite food but it is always covered in grease and a unhealthy sauce. I found this recipe on Slender Kitchen and plan on making it again and again. At only 6 points plus per Gyro this can be completed as a meal by just adding a side salad.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 6 weight watchers points plus. 258 calories, 26g carbs, 10g fat, 14g protein. (Does not include Tzatziki Sauce)

Makes 8 gyros!

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Chicken

1 Medium White Onion, divided

1/2 T Marjoram

1/2 T Ground Rosemary

2 Garlic Cloves

1 t Salt

1/2 t Ground Black Pepper

8 Tortillas

1 Large Tomato
1 Batch of Skinny Tzatziki Sauce

Skinny Tzatziki

I have made many different versions of this sauce but most were not very successful. Once I found out the secret was in straining not only the yogurt but also the cucumber this created a nice thick sauce to put on my Chicken Gyro which I will post tomorrow!

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 0 weight watchers points plus. 21 calories, 3g carbs, 0g fat, 3g protein.

8 Servings

Ingredients

8 oz Fat Free Greek Yogurt

1 Small Cucumber

2 Garlic Cloves

Juice of 1 Lemon

1/2 t Dried Dill

1 T Chives, Chopped

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

1. Peel and seed the Cucumber.
2. Grate the Cucumber on the large holes of a box grater.

Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

I forgot that I left my car in the driveway last night instead of the insulated garage and it was completely frosted over this morning (brrrr!) I wish I had this in the crock pot for dinner tonight instead of a couple weeks ago. It would be great to come home to a nice warm and already made bowl of chili to warm me up. I found this on Skinny Taste a while back and waited for a cold day to make it.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 6 weight watchers points plus. 262 calories, 21g carbs, 3g fat, 37g protein.

Makes 9 - 1 cup servings!

Ingredients

2 lb 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey

1/2 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Small White Onion, Chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1 t Chili Powder

2 Bay Leaves

2 t Ground Cumin

1 t Oregano

2 (15 oz cans) White Northern Beans, Drained and Rinsed

15 oz can Pumpkin Puree (Make sure it is not pumpkin Pie Filling!)

4.5 oz Can Chopped Green Chilis

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps

I love tacos so when I saw this recipe on Skinny Taste I had to try it! She has found a blend of spices that made me not even miss beef tacos. I changed the type of lettuce because I like Bibb lettuce better than romaine and I added the toppings into the calculations so that nothing is left to the imagination.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 7 weight watchers points plus. 279 calories, 13g carbs, 7g fat, 42g protein. (2 Tacos equal 1 serving.)

2 tacos per serving! I was full after that.

Ingredients

1-1/3 lbs 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey

1 t Garlic Powder

1 t Ground Cumin

1 t Chili Powder

1 t Paprika
1/2 t Salt

1/2 t Dried Oregano

1/2 Small White Onion, Chopped

1/4 c Red Pepper, Chopped

3/4 c Water

4 oz Canned Tomato Sauce

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

It has definitely turned colder over the past week and it has finally become Chili Weather!!! I love how versatile chili is. You can add and subtract just about any ingredient to make it fit your taste. I made this last night and I think I am done tweaking it (for now at least.) This chili does have a little kick to it so if you do not like spicy food cut the red pepper flakes in half. The other great part about this recipe is it makes a TON of food it comes close to filling my 6qt crock pot. This makes 10 servings at only 7 points plus (including toppings!)

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 7 weight watchers points plus. 314 calories, 45g carbs, 3g fat, 30g protein.
(To cut the carbs in half eliminate the beans and double the ground turkey.)

Ingredients

1.25 lbs 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey Breast

1 Medium Onion, Chopped

2 Small Red Peppers, Chopped

28 oz can Whole Plum Tomatoes (I use Tuttorosso)

1.5 c Frozen White Corn

2 - 10.75 oz cans Condensed Tomato Soup. (I used the Campbells Healthy Request.)

2 - 15 oz cans Kidney Beans, Drained

15 oz can Black Beans, Drained

2 T Chili Powder

1 t Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (Use half to cut the heat.)

1/2 T Garlic Powder

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

I love, love, love  Buffalo Sauce. So when I ran across this recipe for Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs on Emily Bites I couldn't pass it up. These meatballs were a great side for my Cheddar Beer Risotto which I will post soon. I am planning on creating a sandwich out of them soon but just wanted to try the flavors first! Makes 12 meatballs at 2 points plus per meatball.

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Chicken Breast (I generally put 1 lb of chicken breasts in the food processor and grind it up.)

1 Medium Carrot (shredded on a box grater.)

1 Medium Stalk of Celery (shredded on a box grater.)

1/2 cup Plain Dried Breadcrumbs

2 Eggs

2 T Skim Milk

1 t Garlic Powder

1/3 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese

12 oz bottle of Buffalo Wing Sauce

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except wing sauce.

Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potatoes

As you might guess from this blog I love to cook! Because of that I look forward to the holidays because it gives me a chance to plan a menu and cook for family and friends. I am probably one of the few people that looks forward to entertaining because I get to plan a meal. That being said I have actually started looking at recipes for the holidays. We all eat so heavy during the holidays and then not surprisingly the biggest month for gym membership signups is January. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to enjoy our meal without so much guilt that we had all that food? That is my goal for this year to make a healthy meal that doesn't make you feel that sense of regret later. Don't get me wrong I am still going to eat too much food but at least if it is a bit healthier I wouldn't feel as guilty. To start off this season I found my potato recipe on my first try!

I found a recipe on Emily Bites that is to die for and it makes 12 (1/2 cup) servings at only 3 points plus per serving. Goat cheese mashed sweet potatoes have a creamy almost velvety texture from the goat cheese while still being slightly sweet from the sweet potatoes. They are amazing!

Ingredients

3lbs Sweet Potatoes

1/2 cup Fat Free Half and Half

3 T Light Butter

2 oz Goat Cheese

1/2 t Rubbed Sage

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Peel and cube the Sweet Potatoes.