Italian Sausage Cheese Tortellini Soup

I wanted a bowl of soup with Italian sausage and cheese tortellini so I essentially made Zuppa Toscana and substituted the potatoes for cheese tortellini. This turned out really good. Cheese tortellini and Italian sausage go really good together.








Italian Sausage Cheese Tortellini Soup

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14, 1 cup servings 5 WW points per servings

1 lb. Perdue Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage Links
1 1/2 ts. red pepper flakes
1 large onion, diced
2 Tb. real bacon bits or turkey bacon
2 ts. minced garlic
10 cups water
5 chicken bouillon cubes, low sodium
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups whole wheat cheese tortellini
1/4 bunch kale, chopped

Take each sausage link and remove the casing. Discard casings and place the loose sausage, onions, garlic, and bacon bits into a skillet. Cook the sausage mixture, breaking up the sausage as it cooks, until the sausage is cooked through. Drain the meat mixture.

Place in a dutch oven. Add the 10 cups water and 5 chicken bouillon cubes. Bring to gentle boil. Add the wheat cheese tortellini and cook for 7 minutes. In the last 3 minutes of cooking the tortellini add the kale and heavy cream. Serve with garlic bread sticks.

Chicken Alfredo Egg Rolls

I am having way to much with egg roll wrappers. I decided to throw together a delicious chicken Alfredo filling and put in an egg roll wrapper. I'm not a huge fan of jarred Alfredo sauce but when we were at Sam's Club the day before Super Bowl they had samples and I was able to try Bertolli's and it isn't so bad. Pair it with Tyson's cooked diced chicken and other yummy stuff and you have yourself a 30 minute meal.




Chicken Alfredo Egg Rolls
a Lacey creation

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10 egg rolls, 5 WW points per egg rolls

10 egg rolls
1 jar of Bertolli Alfredo sauce
2/3 cup mozzarella
2 T Parmesan
2 bags Tyson diced chicken

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

In a bowl mix together the Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, and chicken. Take an egg roll and spread 1/4 cup of the mixture on it. Roll up the egg roll and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the rolls. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

Hearty Wheat Pancakes

I'm having an obsession with pancakes lately. Especially with hearty wheat ones like from Denny's and the ones I had at the Rise and Dine diner a few weeks ago. I think I hit the jack pot with these. These pancakes are hearty, with a lovely cinnamon flavor, and are slightly chewy. If you want light and fluffy then these are not for you. If you want something you can sink your teeth into and filling then try these out. I loved them. Unfortunately Will did not. I can't always please him.

I will warn you that the batter is really thick. Once you get the batter on the skillet you have to spread it out with a spoon. If you want the batter runnier add more buttermilk. But I'm not sure what it would do to the texture.

Hearty Wheat Pancakes
adapted from Food.com

10 pancakes, 5 WW points per pancake
15 pancakes, 3 WW points per pancake

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2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups oatmeal or oat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups (pint) low fat Buttermilk
2 T light butter, melted
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 1/2 T honey

Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, spices) in a large bowl. Beat the eggs together until thoroughly blended and partially stiff in a smaller bowl. Add all other wet ingredients (buttermilk, butter, honey) to eggs, mix well. Slowly add wet mixture to dry, folding in until thoroughly blended. Let sit for 10-20 minutes. Scoop up batter in 1/2 cup fulls for bigger pancakes and 1/4 cup fulls for smaller pancakes. Cook on lightly oiled or nonstick skillet until both sides are golden brown. These are thick pancakes, so be sure to check and sometimes flip back and do the same side twice.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

This picture doesn't do this soup justice. You can't see all the chunks of tomato, carrots, onion, and celery that made it so yummy. It also has fresh grated Parmesan melted in it. The only thing that I think would have made it better would been a little bit of tomato paste. I think it needed a stronger tomato flavor. Other than that Will and I both enjoyed it.






Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
adapted from 365 Days of Slow Cooking

10 (1 cup) servings, 5 WW points per serving

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2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 reduced sodium chicken bouillon cubes
4 cups of water
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup light butter
2 cups fat free half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken cubes, water, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).
4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Skinny Zucchini Ziti

I got this recipe from my cousin Stephanie. She got it from the website Skinny Crock Pot which I think goes by Skinny Ms. Slow Cooker now because Crock Pot got upset they were using their brand name. I really liked this dish. My only complaint was the noodles were a little mushy. The recipe says to cook for two hours on low or until the noodles are Al Dente. I told Will to unplug this when he got up today but I'm not sure what time that was so I have no idea how long this cooked for. This would be great to cook in a slow cooker that has a timer that shuts off but I only have one that has a timer that goes from cooking to keep warm. I think that keep warm might still cook and the noodles were well done. Other than that I enjoyed it. Will said it was just okay. But I can't please him all the time.

Skinny Zucchini Ziti
from Stephanie from Skinny Ms. Slow Cooker

8, 1 cup servings, 5 WW points per serving

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1 jar Prego Light (you can use any kind of spaghetti sauce but it will make the point value more)
1 13.25 oz. box whole wheat penne, uncooked
2 cups fat free cottage cheese
2 cups skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 medium zucchini cut into 1/4" slices
1 T fresh oregano (finely chopped)
1 T fresh basil (finely chopped)
(I used dried Italian seasoning instead of the fresh oregano and basil)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large mixing bowl combine the cottage cheese, mozzarella, oregano, basil, and black pepper. In the slow cooker, spoon in a layer of Prego, penne, zucchini slices, and cheese mixture. Repeat layers ending with Prego. As you spread the cheese layer be careful to keep it away from the edge of the slow cooker about an 1". Cheese tends to burn if touching the sides while cooking. Cover and cook on low for approximately 2 hours or until penne noodles are Al Dente. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Chicken Capri Pasta

I found this recipe in the latest Kraft Foods magazine but you can find the recipe online as well. This recipe calls for the new Philadelphia cooking cremes. I thought it was pretty tasty but needed more sauce. Next time I will use two cooking cremes or add another block of cream cheese. Will didn't care for this meal but with more sauce I think it would have been really good.


Chicken Capri Pasta
adapted from Kraft Foods

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5 one cup servings, 5 WW points per serving w/o pasta
Pasta is 5 WW points per cup

2 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into strips
2 cups frozen broccoli florets
1 tub Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme (I would add another tub)
Cooked angel hair pasta (make how much you want to eat per serving)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

In a skillet lightly coated with cooking spray or olive oil cook the chicken until cooked through. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes or until broccoli is hot. Add the tub of cooking creme and cook for a few more minutes or until it is nice and hot. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Turkey Tostadas

I seem to be on a roll lately with making tostadas. But in my defense I get a package with at least thirty corn tostadas at Aldis and I can't let them go to waste. What I like about tostadas is you can make various kinds, chicken, beef, turkey, veggie, or plain cheese. If you aren't a fan of turkey feel free to use lean ground beef. To me turkey has more flavor than lean ground beef but that could just be me. I thought these turned out really good and they are only 5 WW points apiece. Can't beat that.




Turkey Tostadas
a Lacey creation

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5 WW points per tostada

1 package ground white turkey meat
1 package taco seasoning
1 can fat free refried beans
12 corn tostadas
2 cups reduced fat Mexican cheese


Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

In a skillet cook the ground turkey until no longer pink. Drain if there is any fat. Sometimes there isn't. Place turkey back in skillet and add the taco seasoning with 3/4 cup water. Leave on heat until heated through. Place the corn tostadas on a baking sheet. Heat the refried beans in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute. This makes it easier to spread. Evenly distribute the beans onto the tostadas. Place 1/4 cup of the turkey mixture onto each tostada. Use 1/2 cup cheese for every three tostadas. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with lettuce, tomato, salsa, or sour cream if desired. If you don't want to make up 12 at a time then don't. You can save the meat and beans for leftovers or freeze the meat for another time.

Crock Pot Asian Beef and Veggies

I made this last year for the first time and I loved it. Not only is it easy but it's pretty healthy to. When I made it this time I didn't have everything so I improvised, which I seem to have to do a lot. I substituted La Chow Original Stir Fry Sauce for soy sauce and I only had 1 pound of meat. The WW points are for these substitutions. I would imagine it would be a little higher if you used 2 pounds of beef.




Crock Pot Asian Beef and Veggies
adapted from Bluestar on The Tasty Kitchen

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8 one cup servings, 4 WW points per serving
Brown rice is 5 WW points per cup

1/2 cup water
1 cup soy sauce or La Choy Original sauce
2 pounds beef stew meat or 1 pound beef stir fry meat
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 cups packed brown sugar
6 cups chopped veggies of choice, make sure whatever you use can hold up to cooking in the crock pot for several hours. I used fresh stir fry veggies, fresh green beans, green peppers, and onions.

When I went to make this I discovered I was out of soy sauce so I used the La Choy and I think it turned out pretty good. I only had a pound of meat. If your not a huge fan of veggies like my hubby make sure you have two pounds of beef. It was fine for me but Will would have liked more meat.

In the crock pot place the meat, water, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar. You want the meat covered so it will get tender. Place the veggies on top of the meat mixture. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with rice.

Very yummy dinner and the crock pot does all the work. You can't beat that.