Honey-Mustard Chicken Strips

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch strips
• 3/4 cup plain dried whole wheat bread crumbs

Makes 6 Servings (about 4 strips per serving)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil.
2. Whisk together mustard, honey, and soy sauce in a medium bowl until smooth. Add chicken and stir until coated evenly. Spread bread crumbs on plate. Coat chicken strips, one at a time, with bread crumbs.
3. Arrange chicken strips on prepared baking sheet; spray with nonstick spray. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. You can have your 'fast food' and eat it too but in a healthy way. If you loved chicken nuggets whenever you go to the fast food joint, you'll love these treats. The Dijon mustard and the honey add a touch of sweetness to the chicken. Also, the fact that these chicken strips are baked make them flavorful and succulently juicy. Serve these treats with your favorite homemade BBQ sauce and everyone will be happy. 

Green Chile & Cheddar Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground skinless turkey breast
• 1 small zucchini, shredded
• 1/3 cup dried whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced fire-roasted green chilies, drained
• 1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 4 whole wheat sandwich thins

Makes 4 Servings (1 burger per serving)

1. Combine turkey, zucchini, bread crumbs, chili powder, and cumin in a large bowl. Shape into 4 (3/4-inch-thick) patties.
2. Spray nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add patties and cook until browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into side of patties registers 165 F, 4-5 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, mix chilies and cheddar in medium bowl.
4. Top burgers evenly with cheese mixture. Reduce heat to low; cover skillet and cook until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Serve burgers. onion and tomato in sandwich thins.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Tastier than Takeout. Who doesn't love a good cheeseburger once in a while? The folks at Weight Watchers have done it again with these gourmet cheeseburgers. These cheeseburgers are packed with vegetables, heat and flavor you'll even forget they're good for you. I highly recommend adding minced garlic, a tablespoon of tomato paste, salt & pepper to make these burgers more flavorful and to absorb the heat from the chilies.

Lemony Pork Piccata

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
• 1 1 /4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (1/4-lb.) lean boneless pork loin chops, trimmed & pounded to scant 1/4-inch thickness
• 3 tsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup minced shallots (about 2 large)
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. capers, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp. freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Makes 4 Servings

1. Mix together flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper in a large shallow bowl. Coat pork with seasoned flour, shaking off excess.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of butter and the oil in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and keep warm.
3. Add broth, shallots, lemon juice, capers, and garlic to skillet. Bring to boil over high heat, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and whisk in remaining 1 teaspoon butter until melted and sauce is smooth.
4. Return pork to skillet, turning to coat with sauce until heated through. Place pork on 4 plates and spoon sauce evenly over. Stir together parsley, Parmesan and lemon zest in cup; sprinkle over pork.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. It's a different take on an Italian classic. It's got a nice flare to it. Even through the recipe calls for the pork to be pan fried, broil the meat because broiled or grilled meat always tastes better than pan-fried meat.

Spinach with Parmesan Bread Crumbs

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1  1/2 lbs. spinach, stemmed & torn, rinsed under cold water & spun dry
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Makes 4 Servings (3/4 cup per serving)

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in Parmesan. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.
2. Add 1/4 teaspoon oil to skillet. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add half of spinach, in batches, tossing and adding more spinach as each batch wilts. Continue cooking and tossing, until spinach is tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to bowl. Repeat with remaining 1/4 teaspoon oil and spinach.
3. Return spinach to skillet and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring over low heat, until spinach is heated through. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with seasoned crumbs.

WW POINTS VALUE: 1 pt.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. This side dish is quick, easy and delicious.  You can serve this with any protein if you're in a bind and it will make dinner easier. The combination of spinach and Parmesan is really nice and comforting.

Poached Pears with Red Wine & Star Anise

Ingredients:

• 2 cups boiling water
• 3 red zinger or Raspberry tea bags
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1/2 cup granular sugar
• 3 (3-inch) orange zest strips, removed with vegetable peeler
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 star anise
• 4 (1/2 lb.) firm-ripe Bosc pears, peeled, halved, & cored
• 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp. coarsely chopped pistachios

Makes 8 Servings ( 1 pear half, 1 1/2 tbsp. syrup, 1 tbsp. yogurt, & scant 1 tsp. pistachios)

1. Pour boiling water into glass measuring cup or bowl; add tea bags and let steep 4 minutes. Remove tea bags and discard; pour tea bags into large saucepan. Add wine, sugar, orange zest, cardamom pods, and star anise; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Reduce heat to simmer and add pears; place sheet of wax papers on top of pears to keep them submerged. Cook, covered, until pears are just tender when pierced with a small knife, 30-35 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; uncover and let pears cool in wine mixture.
3. When pears are cool, with slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl; set aside.
4. Bring wine mixture to boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to about 2/3 cup, 10-15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let syrup cool to room temperature. Discard orange zest, cardamom, and star anise.
5. To serve, place 1 pear half, cut side up, in each of 8 serving dishes or dessert plates. Spoon syrup evenly over pears. Spoon yogurt evenly on top of or alongside pears and sprinkle with pistachios.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. This is what I call an elegant dessert and it's perfect for foodies. Pears cooked in wine is absolutely delicious. The combination of orange, spices, tea and wine is heavenly delicious. The pears and the flavors of the wine syrup will melt in your mouth. You can use almonds, walnuts, or even dark chocolate chips as a garnish in this recipe. If you don't have raspberry tea bags on hand, use any fruit-infused tea bags and a handful of fresh raspberries when cooking and they will work just as well.

Blue Corn Nachos

Ingredients:

• 36 baked blue corn tortilla chips
• 1 (15 1/2 oz.)  can pinto beans, rinsed & drained
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 lime

Makes 6 Servings (1/6 of nachos)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or 11-inch deep dish pizza pan with nonstick spray.
2. Arrange tortilla chips in single layer in prepared pan. Top evenly with beans, tomatoes, scallions, and jalapeno/
3. Crush remaining 12 tortilla chips and sprinkle on top; sprinkle evenly with Monterey Jack. Bake until heated through and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and squeeze lime juice over.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. Here's is a gluten-free taste of Mexico you can enjoy for lunch, dinner, or as a snack. Don't worry if these chips look messy. They are absolutely delicious and will quickly fill you up. I highly recommend adding garlic with hither vegetable mixture because garlic always makes everything taste better. Carnivores and vegetarians will devour these treats so make some extra servings.

Roasted Garlic Steak

Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 whole garlic bulb(s)
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried, crushed
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried, crushed
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless beef ribeye steaks or top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Makes 6 Servings

1. Using a sharp knife, cut off the tops 1/2-inch from each garlic bulb to expose the ends of the individual cloves. Leaving garlic bulb(s) whole, remove any loose, papery outer layers.
2. Fold a 20 X 18-inch piece of heavy foil in half crosswise. Trim into a 10-inch square. Place garlic bulb (s), cut side(s) up, in center of foil square. Sprinkle garlic with basil & rosemary; drizzle with oil. Bring up 2 opposite edges of foil and seal with a double fold. Fold remaining edges together to enclose garlic, leaving space for steam to build.
3.  For a charcoal grill, place garlic packet on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill about 30 minutes or until garlic feels soft when packet is squeezed, turning garlic occasionally.
4. Meanwhile trim fat from steaks. Season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper; rub in with your fingers. While garlic is grilling, add steaks to grill. For ribeye steaks, grill 11-15 minutes for medium-rare doneness (145 F) or 14-18 minutes for medium doneness (160 F), turning once halfway through grilling. For sirloin steak, grill 14-18 minutes for medium-rare doneness, (145 F) or 18-22 minutes for medium doneness (160 F) turning once halfway through grilling.
5. To serve, cut steaks into 6 serving-size pieces. Remove garlic from foil, reserving oil mixture. Squeeze garlic pulp from garlic cloves onto steaks. Mash pulp slightly with a fork; spread over steaks. Drizzle with reserved oil mixture.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the Sonoma Diet Cookbook. If you love Italian food or steak, this meal is for you. The aroma of roasted garlic and herbs is so heavenly delicious. Other herbs that can go with this dish can include parsley, oregano or marjoram. I highly recommend using a garlic press because the roasted garlic can get pretty messy. Any kind of steak can work in this dish and the steak will be succulent and juicy. I highly recommend serving baked kale chips or  sautéed vegetables along side this steak for an authentic steakhouse flare.