Slow Cooker Greek Chicken

"I don't like food that's too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I'd buy a painting." - Andy Rooney 

I had my parents over for dinner on Saturday night and adapted a recipe I found on Slender Kitchen. The flavors melded together perfectly to create this amazing dish.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 6 servings, 6 weight watchers points plus. 244 calories, 6g carbs, 9g fat, 37g protein.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Chicken Breast
• 3 T Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped
• 1/4 c Sliced Black Olives
• 1.5 c Artichoke Hearts, Cut in Half
• 1/4 c Capers
• 6 oz Fat Free Feta
• 1.5 t Dried Oregano
• 1 t Garlic Powder
• 2 C Fat Free Chicken Stock
• Salt and Pepper, to Taste

Instructions:

1. Combine Red Peppers, Black Olives, Artichokes, Capers, Oregano and Garlic Powder in a bowl.
2. Place half of the mixture on the bottom of a slow cooker.
3. Top with Half of the Fat Free Feta.
4. Season Chicken with Salt and Pepper and place on top of the mixture in the crock pot.
5. Add Remaining Fat Free Feta.
6. Top with remaining mixture.
7. Pour Chicken Broth over the chicken.
8. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours until chicken is cooked through.
9. Serve with 1 chicken breast and 1/6 of the mixture.
10. Enjoy!

After adding 1st layer, Chicken and Feta

Ready to cook

Giuliana waited patiently for it to finish cooking.

Baked Sweet Potato Cornmeal Fries

I found this recipe on Laaloosh and HAD to try them, I was not disappointed. I served this along side Harissa Eggs In Purgatory for dinner one night and it was fantastic. Plus, the dinner was only 5 points plus total!

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 4 servings, 3 weight watchers points plus. 129 calories, 24g carbs, 2.5g fat, 2.5g protein

Who loves Sweet Potato Fries?!

Ingredients:

• 2 large Sweet Potatoes, sliced into 1/2" thick sticks (I used my Professional Multi Chopper from Williams Sonoma.)
• 1/4 c Cornmeal
• 2 t Olive Oil
• 1 T Garlic Powder
• 1 T Onion Powder
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Once the Sweet Potatoes are sliced, Put them in a bowl of cold water stir for a minute and let sit for 10 minutes.

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

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of those comfort foods that has been a staple in most households for ages. EmilyBites has come up with one that fits into the comfort food AND is healthier. I used the barbecue sauce that I posted a couple weeks ago and it is perfect. Plus a serving size is 2 slices!

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 6 weight watchers points plus. 239 calories, 11g carbs, 9g fat, 30g protein

Ingredients:

3/4 lb 95% Lean Ground Beef

3/4 lb Extra Lean Ground Turkey

1/2 cup Chopped Onion

7 T Barbecue Sauce, Divided

1 T Mustard

1 1/2 t Chili Powder

1 t Garlic Powder

1/2 t Salt

1/2 t Black Pepper

12 Fat Free Saltines, Crushed

1 Large Egg

8 Strips Turkey Bacon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Taco Seasoning

Are you at home and have a taste for tacos but you don't have the packet? Here is a way to make the taco flavors without the packet. I found this on Allrecipes.com and it has been my go to mix ever since. If you like it a little spicier you can add more red pepper flakes but be careful you can go overboard really quickly.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 0 weight watchers points plus. 8 calories, 1g carbs, 0g fat, 0g protein, 208mg sodium*.

Ingredients

1 T Chili Powder

1/4 t Garlic Powder

1/4 t Onion Powder

1/4 t Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 t Dried Oregano

1/2 t Paprika

1-1/2 t Ground Cumin

1/2 t Sea Salt

1/2 t Ground Black Pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and use as you would a standard taco seasoning packet.

*Note: Most Taco Seasoning Packets range between 265-480mg sodium.

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.

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.