Low Calorie BLT Chicken Salad

 

Low Calorie BLT Chicken Salad

This was just a quick lunch idea that I just randomly threw together, ingredients are approximated. It was really good and I love having something that I can throw on some bread for lunches.

- 1 container already shredded rotisserie chicken

- 2 stalks celery, chopped

- 1/4 red onion

- 1 container cherry tomatoes

- 1 box already cooked bacon

- 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt

- 1/2ish cup non fat mayo

- salt, pepper, dill

- I also added low sugar craisins to mine, but I didn't mix it in because no one else wanted them in theirs

HelloFresh Cheddar Grilled Cheese & Creamy Tomato Soup

 

HelloFresh Cheddar Grilled Cheese & Creamy Tomato Soup

Grilled cheese & tomato soup is one of my fav meals, but I wouldn't normally get it from Hello Fresh since it's so simple to make at home. But it was offered for like $5 as an add-on, not as one of the dinner options. I figured $5 for a quick lunch is great.

But this is incredible. It's the best grilled cheese & tomato soup I've ever had. The herb butter really makes it, and they actually gave slices of Sargento cheese. Sourdough is always the best for grilled cheese, and the soup was thick and flavorful. I would definitely get this every time I see it if it is like $6 and under lol. Maybe $7. 

                                               Click here for the recipe card from Hello Fresh

Easy Bread Machine White Bread

 

Easy Bread Machine White Bread

I FINALLY figured out how to make fluffy white bread! All the recipes always call for the water to be 110 degrees. I actually read the label on the yeast I've been using, and it said to heat the water to 120-130! That seemed to make all the difference, I guess the yeast wasn't getting as activated as it should have before because my bread is usually pretty dense. The only other difference I made is that I used 2 1/4 tsp yeast instead of a packet. I used the 3 hour bread setting for 1.5 loaf.

Next time I'll try adding some garlic, my sons loves to make garlic toast.

Click here for the Best Bread Machine Recipe from AllRecipes

Cumin Lime Black Bean Lentil Salad

 

Cumin Lime Black Bean Lentil Salad

Terrible picture, I just wanted to save the recipe before I forgot. It's loosely based on the recipe linked below. I chopped up 4 little cucumbers, 2 bell peppers, 3 jalapenos, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, and 1/4 red onion. I also added 1 can black beans and 1 can of lentils. I forgot I wanted to add some corn, so I'll do that tomorrow. I also forgot to order cilantro so I added some squeeze tube cilantro to the dressing mix. 

For the dressing mix I did 1 tsp oregano, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, pepper, a giant glob of jarlic, about a tbs of tube cilantro, 1 lime, 1 tbs dijon and some avocado oil to help it go a little farther. I might add a scoop of greek yogurt when I have a bowl of it tomorrow too just for extra protein.

The flavor is so good! I love the dijon and the extra seasoning. I find sometimes that veggie salads like this can be bland so this is the first time I doubled the seasonings, and I'll be doing that again. 

Click here for the Black Bean Lentil Salad with Cumin-Lime Dressing recipe by The Garden Grazer

Another pregnant bell pepper!

For snack I had some with a side of cottage cheese, really good and filling!

Chipotle Shrimp Stew

 

Chipotle Shrimp Stew

   This was born out of wanting to make a veggie soup with what I had on hand. I never would have thought to put shrimp in but I really needed to use it up. I didn't even have a spare onion so I had to use onion powder, and the edamame was because I thought I had chickpeas and I didn't and I needed protein.

Ingredients:

- Frozen corn, edamame

- 2 chopped carrots

- 2 chopped celery stalks

- 5 mini bell peppers

- 1 bag medium shrimp

- 1 can cannellini beans

- A bunch of handfuls of kale

- 1 jar Cholula chipotle salsa

- Salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin

- 1 bay leaf

I cooked the shrimp until it was almost done, then I just simmered everything together for like an hour. It's super delicious but sooo spicy lol. I have to add a dollop of greek yogurt (more protein) to kinda cool it down.

Bang Bang Chicken with Thai Quinoa Salad

 

Bang Bang Chicken with Thai Quinoa Salad

This was so good! I did make a couple of changes just to make it a little lighter. For the Bang Bang Chicken I swapped out half the mayo for half greek yogurt, and I used sugar free Thai chili sauce. I cooked it in the oven but it would be so good on the grill! For the quinoa salad I added a bit more sriracha, added a cucumber and I used a bunch of mini bell peppers that I already had. 

I love having salads like this to grab for lunch!

Click here for the Bang Bang Chicken recipe by Simple Home Edit

                        Click here for the recipe for Thai Quinoa Salad by Tastes Better From Scratch

White Bean Pumpkin Turkey Chili

 

White Bean Pumpkin Turkey Chili

I made a few substitutions of what I had on hand. Instead of 2 lbs ground turkey, I used 1 lb and 1 roasted sweet potato. I also used 1 can of black beans in place of 1 of the white bean cans, and I threw in a few handfuls of kale. I also added salt and pepper because the recipe didn't call for it for some reason.

It's so good! You can't even taste the pumpkin, it really just adds a creaminess to it. I think some corn and chipotle powder would also be good. I've been trying to have high veggie & protein soup on hand for lunches lately. 

I also made a side of cornbread, I haven't tasted it yet but I'm sure it's good....it's cornbread lol.

Click here for the White Bean Pumpkin Turkey Chili recipe from Skinnytaste

Click here for the cornbread recipe from BudgetBytes

Caesar Protein Chicken Veggie Pasta

 

Caesar Protein Veggie Pasta

   This is super good! 

I just used:

- 1 rotisserie chicken

- 1 bag of mini cucumbers

- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes

- 1 box Barilla protein pasta

- 1 bottle Bolthouse caesar dressing

- 1/4 red onion

- Juice of 1 lemon

- salt, pepper, garlic powder, dry dill

Not pictured:

- Chopped lettuce

I just chopped and mixed everything together. Next time for a higher protein/lower calorie option I might try half a bottle of Bolthouse with half greek yogurt and extra seasoning to make up for the loss of flavor. Bolthouse is already low calorie but more protein is always good. The lettuce I'm adding per bowl so it doesn't get soggy.

I love love love this and need this in my fridge at all times now. 

Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps

 No pic because it was just a wrap, but I wanted to save this for when I'm looking for super simple but easy recipes. Everyone loved it and it's perfect for a day I have to work late or I'm just over it. The only change I made was that I used already made honey mustard, and I added pepper and a little cayenne for a little bit of spice.

Click here for the Honey Mustard Chicken Wrap Recipe by Nourished by Nic

Quick Sandwhich 6 Points

                                                  A quick sandwhich on the fancy china
 

- 2 pieces Sara Lee 45 Calorie Bread. 2 points

- 1 slice Velveeta. 1 point

- 3 oz Oscar Mayer Cracked Black Pepper Turkey lunch meat. 1 point

- 1 tbs Kraft Reduced Fat Mayo. 1 point

- Up to 8 Ritz Crisp and Thins Cream Cheese & Onion Chips. 1 point

- 0 point foods: lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, black pepper

 

  I know 6 points is a lot for just a regular sandwhich, but I was headed out the door and hungry so I needed something super quick.  You could easily make this a more filling meal with 0 point sides like salad or veggies!

Hot Chicken Dip 2 Points

   I just threw this together really quick for a 3 point lunch. All points are 0 unless noted.

Hot Chicken Dip

- 1 can of chicken

- 1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt

- 2 tbs Bolthouse Farms Ranch (2 points)

- A bunch of Frank's Hot Sauce

- Seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.

  Break up the chicken chunks with a fork, then mix everything up. I had this with 1/2 a large cucumber (0 points), and 14 Ritz Crisp & Thin Salt and Vinegar chips (2 points). Since the half a cucumber was over a cup of veggies, I earned a point making this meal 3 points instead of 4. 

5 Point Lunch with Trader Joe's Items

 

  This whole lunch was 5 points, I only counted the points for the Turkey Corn Dog from Trader Joe's, everything else was zero points. Here is the breakdown:

- 1 Turkey Corn Dog. 5 points. I microwaved it for 30 seconds to get the inside heated, then I air fried it for 2 minutes. It was perfectly crunchy and delicious.

- About a cup of zig zag butternut squash. I sprayed it with cooking spray and tossed it with Trader Joe's Everything but the Elote seasoning. I then air fried at 400 for 7 minutes, shook everything, then air fried for 4 more minutes. 0 points. Super delicious, and if it was cheaper for the amount you get, I'd be buying it all the time.

- Salad mix with 1/4 cup mozzarella (0 points), a couple shakes of Everything but the Elote seasoning (I'm obsessed), about 2 tbs Walden Farms Chipotle Ranch dressing (yuck, I'm not picky at all but this is terrible, I'm trying to use the bottle though) and some Plantain Croutons for 0 points for what I used. Oh, also some cherry tomatoes from my parents garden. 

- Sugar Free Ketchup. This is a little over a tbs and I didn't use the whole thing. 

Filling and yum :)

Mississippi Pulled Chicken, Brown Rice and Steamed Broccoli 5 Points on Blue

 I absolutely love Mississippi Pulled Chicken/Beef. I love the hint of spicy from the peppers and the gravy mixture is just so savory.....it's the best. I cooked up a batch of it in the Instant Pot for lunches throughout the week, I don't usually use my Instant Pot because half the time I never get it right and get "burn" notices. But this recipe worked perfect. 

I cooked 2 cups brown rice and chopped up a head of broccoli for the week. When I wanted lunch, I just tossed some broccoli in a bowl with a little water for a few minutes until steamed. I served it with a 1/2 cup rice and mixed it all together, perfection.

- 5oz Mississippi Pulled Chicken. 2 points.

- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice. 3 points.

- About 3/4 cup broccoli. 0 points.

Here is the recipe for the Mississippi Pulled Chicken - by The Pound Dropper

 

 

 

 

5 Point Lunch Including Starbucks

I get up at 5am every day to get my oldest ready for school. Normally I go back to bed at like 7am after he's all dropped off and I get home. But the past few days I've started to immediately come home and go work out on the treadmill for 30-40 minutes. What's happening to me?? Who am I?? No but seriously, it's been nice and I feel better, hopefully I can keep it up.

My youngest, Zach (he's 10) usually wakes up around 6am as we are getting ready, either we are to loud or the dogs are playing and that wakes him up. Since we were up and ready after I worked out, we decided to go to Target! I wanted to find some warm clothes for us, but Target's clothes have not been good lately, Walmart's been having way cuter clothes.....no idea what's happening with that. But I picked up these Ritz Crisp & Thins that are 13 for 2 points, or 18 for 3! We also stopped at Starbucks, which is rare because the only Starbucks near us is inside the Target, no drive thu's nearby unfortunately. I got a venti cold brew with sugar free vanilla and cold foam. I'd never had it before, it's delicious and only 2 points! 

So when we got home I cut up an apple and had this for a lunchy snack thing. Filling and yummy.

- 13 Crisp & Thins Cream Cheese & Onion. 2 points.

- 1 Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb Wedge. 1 Point

- Starbucks Cold Brew with Sugar Free Vanilla and Cold Foam. 2 Points. Could be zero points if you don't get the cold foam.

- 1 Apple. 0 Points

Easy 4 Point Lunch with Boxed Soup

                                                  Easy 4 Point Lunch

  I like to have boxed soups on hand because most of them are only 2 points for a cup. That way no matter what I 100% have something to eat that's low points!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of Pacific Vegetable Lentil & Roasted Red Pepper Soup. 2 points.
- 1 slice of Sarah Lee 45 Calorie Bread. 1 point.
- 1 slice of Velveeta. 1 point.
- Sprinkling of garlic powder.

Heat one cup of soup. Sprinkle garlic powder on toast and top with cheese, then toast until done.

What I Eat in a Day for 16 Points

I get 23 points on Weight Watchers Blue Plan, so here is what I had yesterday that turned out to be 16 points for the whole day. I did have a coffee with Premier Protein Caramel shake for 2 points.

Click on the meal to be taken to the recipe.

- Breakfast is the Power Protein Fruit Bake for 4 points, and I had 1 point worth of Sugar Free Italian Sweet Cream coffee creamer.

- Snack was an apple with Maple & PB dip. 1 point.

- Lunch was leftover Slow Cooker & Gravy over Carba-Nada Noodles. 6 points.

- Snack was a small cup of iced coffee mixed with a Premier Protein Caramel Shake. 2 points.

- Dinner was a Filled & Fueled Salad. 2 points. 

  I love how easy Weight Watchers is and I really truly don't feel deprived or hungry.

Filled and Fueled Salad for 2 Points

                                              Big Delicious Salad
                                                              2 Points on Blue

  I was starving and almost just caved in to reheat some leftovers, but I decided a big filling salad sounded much better. You could make it zero points if you left out the cottage cheese and just use salsa and lemon juice for dressing.

  I discovered this O'Dang Hummus Ranch dressing at Walmart and it's delicious, only 1 point per 2 tbs!

Ingredients:

- 3 cups greens. I used a mixture of spring mix and romaine. If I had some kale I would of use that to kick up the nutrition. 0 points.
- 3 oz Tyson Blackened Chicken. I just microwaved mine but next time I'll try it in the toaster oven. 0 points.
- 1/4 cup chickpeas. 0 points.
- 1/4 cup pinto beans. I would of preferred black beans but I was out. 0 points.
- 1 tbs chopped onion. 0 points.
- A bunch of hot banana peppers, I used a bit more then 1/4 cup. 0 points.
- 1/4 cup Kraft Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese. 0 points.
- 2 tbs salsa. 0 points.
- 1/3 cup low fat cottage cheese. 1 point.
- 2 tbs O'Dang Hummus Ranch Dressing. 1 point.
- I did add a sprinkling of hemp seeds for extra nutrition.

Just mix it all together and be filled and fueled :)

White Bean Tuna Wrap

White Bean Tuna Wrap

2 Points on Blue

This is a great filling to make to have on hands for super quick lunches. It's fresh and cool and crunchy :)

Ingredients
Serves 4.

-  1 can of tuna in water, drained. 0 points.
-  1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed.  points.
-  2 tbs greek yogurt. 0 points.
- 1/2 tsp each of dill, onion powder, pepper and garlic powder.
- 1/4 tsp salt.

  Mash it all together like you'd normally make tuna salad.

To make the wraps:

-  Ole Mexican Ole Xtreme Wellness! Tortilla Wrap
-  Spinach
-  Tomato
-  Pepperoncini
-  1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese