Avocado and Black Bean Salad

"Cooking for people is an enormously significant expression of generosity and soulfulness, and entertaining is a way to be both generous and creative. You're sharing your life with people. Of course, it's also an expression of your own need for approval and applause. Nothing wrong with that." - Ted Allen

Looking for an alternative to the standard side dishes or dips? Look no further. I found this recipe on Skinny Taste and made it for the Super Bowl Party we attended. The freshness of the lime paired perfectly with the creaminess of the avocado and the crunch of the cucumber. Some people ate this as a side salad, I liked it with tortilla or pretzel chips. No matter how you eat it the flavors and textures meld together extremely well.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 10 servings, 3 weight watchers points plus. 103 calories, 14g carbs, 5g fat, 4g protein

Ingredients:

• 2 Avocados, Diced
• 3 Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• 1 Seedless Cucumber, Peeled and Diced
• 15.5 oz can Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed
• 3 T Red Onion, Diced

Salsa Verde Chicken Southwestern Stuffed Baked Potato

Potatoes are so versatile, you can create just about any type of meal you want from the. This one is a meal by itself or a half can be paired with a salad or another side dish. I found a recipe on Laaloosh and combined it with a recipe on SkinnyTaste and made it a few weeks ago.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 4 servings, 10 weight watchers points plus. 415 calories, 54g carbs, 6g fat, 37g protein

It is much more filling than it looks

Ingredients:

• Salsa Verde Chicken
• 1 1/2 lbs raw boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1/8 t oregano
• 1/8 t ground cumin
• 16 oz salsa verde
• Potato
• 4 Medium Russet Potatoes
• 1/2 c Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

Taco Cupcakes

Emily Bites is the site that inspired me to start this blog and this is the type of recipe that inspired me. These get made in a muffin pan and are perfect for portion control. Each cupcake is 4 points plus and packed with flavor!

Ingredients

1-1/2 t Chili Oil

1/2 lb 95% Lean Ground Beef

1 T Taco Seasoning

3/4 c Canned Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed

16 Wonton Wrappers

5 T + 1 t Salsa Con Queso

1 c Chunky Salsa

1 c Reduced Fat Shredded Mexican Cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

I LOVE Mexican food so when I ran across this recipe on Emily Bites I had to try it. I combined it with a corn soup to complete the meal. I will post that recipe later. I made the soup yesterday and chilled it overnight for today. Today I prepped all the ingredients before I started cooking to make a quick easy cooking process. The Enchilada Skillet is 8 points plus for 1/6 of the skillet.

My Complete 14 pt meal

Ingredients

1.5 lbs Frozen Chicken Breasts

3 cans Red Enchilada Sauce

1 t Canola Oil

1 Small Onion, Diced (I used a small vidalia)

3 Garlic Cloves, Minced

3 T Chili Powder

1/2 t Salt

2 t Cumin

2 t Sugar

15 oz Can tomato Sauce

1/2 c Water

1-1/4 c Canned Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed

8 - 6 inch Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Bite Size Pieces

4 oz can Chopped Green Chilies

1-1/2 c Reduced Fat Shredded Sharp Cheddar

Directions

1. Place frozen Chicken Breasts in slow cooker and cover with Enchilada Sauce
2. Cook on high for 4-5 hours
3. Take Chicken out of the slow cooker and discard remaining Enchilada Sauce.
4. With two forks shred chicken
5. Heat Oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add Onions and cook until softened.
6. Add Garlic, Chili Powder, Salt, Cumin, and Sugar and stir to mix.
7. Add Tomato Sauce and Water, stir to mix and simmer until thickened.
8. Add Chicken and Black Beans, stir to mix.
9. In a separate pan add cut up Tortillas and spray with cooking spray stir until heated through.
10. Add Tortillas, Green Chilies, and 1 c of the Sharp Cheddar
11. Mix until well combined
12. Top with remaining Sharp Cheddar and Cover until cheese is melted on top.

I used a 4qt Crock Pot

I love shredding Slow Cooked Chicken it is sooooo easy.

I made the Tortillas into about 3/4" x 3/4" pieces

All my Prepped Non-Canned Ingredients

Simmering the sauce before adding the Chicken and Beans

Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas

One of my main focuses when cooking is healthy foods. My wife is doing Weight Watchers and I have found that the best way that I can be supportive is by cooking meals that not only fit within the program but also are tasty because otherwise we both fall off the wagon and start eating more junk food. I have found that not only has it be a benefit to her program but I feel much better as well. For those of you who are also doing weight watchers, I will post the points for a recipe whenever I have them. (Which is most times.)

Recently, I have been really inspired to use Mexican flavors in my food. This recipe is one that I made from www.SkinnyTaste.com but Tammy and I both felt as if it was missing something so I made my own little addition that we both feel brings it all together and only adds one point per tostada. Black Bean Hummus inspired by Spark Recipes.

I need to work on my photography and presentation skills but I swear it tastes great!

6 ww points plus per tostada (we generally eat 2 for a meal.)

Ingredients and Directions:

Black Bean "Hummus"

2 Cans Black beans, Drained and rinsed

1 small onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic minced

2 T ground cumin

1 1/2 t olive oil

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 c salsa verde

1. Place drained and rinsed black beans in the food processor and pulse a few times to start to chop up the beans.