Oven-Roasted Balsamic Brussel Sprouts

We had a wonderfully healthy dinner tonight. Pat was busy painting the basement all day, while I ran errands. It was great to sit down and enjoy a nice dinner together. We made steak, southwestern potatoes, and balsamic brussel sprouts. It was so nice to eat a healthy meal, especially since this baby has me eating a lot of random foods these days. I got this recipe from Our Best Bites, I must say they were wonderful! I am not a brussel sprout lover by any means, but this recipe sounded tasty, so I decided to chance it. I am glad we did, they were delicious and oh so easy to make.

Oven-Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts

1 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, divided

3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling before serving

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Rinse sprouts in cool water and then chop off the tough ends. Pull any straggly leaves off the sprouts and then chop each sprout in half. Place in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, 1 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, and the freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle it over the chopped sprouts and then toss to combine. Spread the sprouts out evenly over the baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the sprouts are tender-crisp.

Remove from oven, transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with the reserved tablespoon of vinegar, and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Weight Watchers Plus Points (per serving): 3

Caprese Pasta Salad

So Pat requested pasta for dinner, for whatever reason, pasta is not my favorite dish. However, I had just gone to the grocery store and picked up some fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes to make a caprese salad, which I love. I decided to combine the two to make both of us happy! I didn't use a recipe for this, just threw some ingredients together. It turned out to be a delicious meal! I even served it with a side of caprese salad. 

 

Caprese Salad

Spaghetti noodles-cooked until el dente

4 roma tomatoes-cut into cubes

1 mozzarella ball-cut into cubes

Fresh basil leaves-chopped and diced

minced garlic-as much as your heart desires

**Combine above three ingredients with olive oil and a few dashes of salt, pepper, and baslamic vinegar, let sit for an hour for the best taste. **

Combine spaghetti noodles with remaining ingredients, mix together, and let sit for at least twenty minutes before serving for full flavor. I served it right away, but it was much better today after the olive oil mixture was able to soak into the noodles and give it even more flavor. 

Peanut Butter Cup Bars...YUM!

I found this recipe and had to try it. My love for Peanut Butter Cups is borderline disgusting. Being pregnant, there was no chance I'd see this recipe and not try it. It was tasty, but very sugary! I only ate a little tonight because our wonderful neighbors dropped off some amazing chocolate cake for us tonight! I figured I shouldn't overindulge otherwise I'll be up all night and I'll be getting kicked by baby girl all night as well. She already does a good job of practicing her kickboxing skills when I am trying to fall asleep, I don't need it to last longer. :) 

Another great recipe from Our Best Bites

No Bake Reece's Peanut Butter Bars

1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 lb (3 1/2 C) powdered sugar
1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 C (2 sticks) real butter, melted
1 12oz bag chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark, you pick!)
2 tsp shortening

In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter and butter and beat until combined.  Press into a parchment (or waxed paper or foil) lined 9x13 pan.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth.  Pour chocolate over peanut butter mixture and spread out evenly.  Place pan in the fridge just until chocolate is set and then cut into bars.  Tip:  If the bars chill until the chocolate is too hard to easily cut, use a sharp knife and score the cuts first, then gently cut through.  Can be stored in the fridge or at room temp.  They will stay firmer if stored in the fridge.

*Tip:  Love this tip from one you readers!  Instead of adding shortening to the chocolate topping, add a scoop of peanut butter.  That will prevent the top from getting solid and it will taste yummy!

Sloppy Joes and Baked Zucchini Fries

My new favorite site, Our Best Bites, posted a recipe for Zucchini Fries and I just had to try it. I am so glad that I did, they were delicious! I paired them with sloppy joes and we were all happy! The picture isn't the best, but I promise, the taste is amazing! Give these a try, you won't be disappointed.

Baked Zucchini Fries

Our Best Bites

About 1 lb. zucchini
**1/2 c. Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs  (I used regular panko, see the note below)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (the crumbly stuff, not shreds)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

If you have regular Panko, you can make it Italian by doing the following: just add 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp. onion powder to 1/2 c. plain panko bread crumbs and you'll be good to go. Either way, mix the bread crumbs with the parmesan cheese and set them aside.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves (so you'll get 16 planks per zucchini).

Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield "meatier" fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.

Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don't want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they'll soak up moisture from the egg and won't stick to the zucchini. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately with Pizza Sauce or Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Weight Watchers Points:
2 (for 8 servings) or 3 (for 6 servings)

 

Sloppy Joes

All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3 teaspoons brown sugar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Southwest Pasta Salad

So I stumbled upon a new favorite blog, Our Best Bites! I just may have to purchase their cookbook at this rate. I have spent way too long looking at their website, which isn't a good pass time for a pregnant woman. It makes me hungry all the time! I saw this recipe and knew I had to try it! It was fairly simply and didn't make me feel guilty about eating a lot of it since it has so many tasty veggies. In my mind, I'm just helping my baby girl get her veggies. :) Give this recipe a try, you won't be disappointed!

Southwest Pasta Salad
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 lb bowtie pasta
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 roma tomatoes, diced or about 3/4 C or halved cherry tomatoes
1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 C sliced green onions
1/2 C frozen fresh corn
zest from 2 limes(I skipped this)
1/2 C Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese (or you could sub grated jack, cheddar or pepperjack)

Dressing:
6 Tbs fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes) ( I used bottled lime juice)
1/4 C white wine or rice vinegar
4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tsp sugar (add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter)
3/4 C canola oil
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro


To prepare dressing place Boil pasta in salted water until cooked.  While it's cooking, prepare dressing.

First zest your limes and place the zest in a large salad bowl.

Place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender.  (Basically everything except the cilantro and oil)  Process until smooth.  With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated.  Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool.  Place the pasta in the large salad bowl with the lime zest.  Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn (no need to thaw the corn),  and chicken if desired.  Toss with dressing.  Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste.  For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving.  Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top.  Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.

Makes about 4-6 dinner sized servings or 10-12 side servings

3 Bean Turkey Chili

It is Superbowl Sunday, so I had to make something, even if we decided to just watch it at home.  Chili is always a good choice, but I decided I wanted to try a new recipe, one with a lot of beans and turkey. Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipe was the winner! It was delicious, I am looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Crock Pot 3 Bean Turkey Chili
 Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 10.8 oz • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 206.3 • Fat: 1.4 g • Protein: 16.8 g • Carb: 31.8 g • Fiber: 9.0 g  

• 1.3 lb (20 oz) fat free ground turkey breast
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (4.5 oz) can chopped chilies, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, undrained
• 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, undrained
• 1 (15.5 oz) can small red beans, undrained
• 2 tbsp chili powder

Topping:

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro for topping
• shredded cheddar to top (extra pts)

Brown turkey and onion in a medium skillet over medium high heat until cooked through.
Drain any fat remaining and transfer to crock pot. Add the beans, chilies, chickpeas tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili powder mixing well.
Cook on high 6-8 hours.
Garnish with onions, cilantro and cheese and enjoy!