Mexican-Style Brown Rice Casserole

Course: main meals PointsPlus™ Value: 8 Servings: 6 Preparation Time: 12 min Cooking Time: 30 min Level of Difficulty: Easy

Like a burrito in a bowl, this dish is great for parties. Serve a big salad on the side.

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	4 cup(s) cooked brown rice
	1 1/4 cup(s) salsa
	1 tsp Durkee Ground Cumin Seed, or other brand
	15 oz canned refried beans
	10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
	4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced
	1 Tbsp chili powder
	10 oz chopped frozen spinach, or collard greens, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl
	3/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided
	2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional; for garnish)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 2-quart rectangular, round or oval baking dish with cooking spray
  
  
• In a large bowl, combine rice, salsa and cumin. Spoon 2 cups of rice mixture into prepared baking dish and spread out to evenly cover bottom of dish.
  
  
• In another large bowl, combine refried beans, corn, chili peppers and chili power. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.
  
  
• Squeeze out any excess water from spinach or collard greens and then spread on top of bean layer; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  
  
• Place casserole on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro (if desired), cut into 6 pieces and serve.

I couldn't find mild chili peppers at our store and I didn't have any cumin, but it was pretty good without those two ingredients. I also used chopped fresh spinach in it.

Callie said that it was the best, Mike said that it was okay, and I liked it alright. We ended up putting it in tortillas with a little bit of sour cream. Added a few more points, but I thought that it was better that way.

Turkey Wraps

1 1/2 tsp olive oil mayo
1/2 tsp mustard
dash of salad supreme seasoning
1 cup spinach
2 oz sliced turkey meat
1/8 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tortilla

Mix mayo and mustard together. Spread on the tortilla and sprinkle with the salad supreme. Put spinach and cheese on. Top with turkey. Roll up tightly and cut.

With my two point tortilla, this entire wrap was only 5 pointsplus.

I ate it with 1/2 cup sf applesauce and 1/4 cup ff cottage cheese for a delicious 7 point lunch.

Sweet Potato and Squash Bake

1/2 pound sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 pounds acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tsp oil
1 TBSP unpacked brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375*. Coat 8 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

Place sweet potatoes and squash in pan and drizzle with oil and sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss to coat well.

Bake with a lid or tin foil for about 35 minutes. Stir a few times while cooking.

Makes 6 -- 1/2 cup servings.
3 pointsplus per serving.

Yummy!

The squash baked a lot faster, so that is why I put to cut it smaller.

Mug Brownies

Mug Brownies

3 Tbs quick oats
2 Tbs German Chocolate cake mix (I used a different chocolate one)
1/4 cup water
6 chocolate chips

Mix well in a mug. Microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds.
1 point

I love these. Bryan has loved them as well. I think that he eats more of mine than I do!

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice

4 large egg whites
1/2 cup chopped scallions (both green and white parts)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
12 oz uncooked chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup carrots, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice, warm (not cold out of fridge)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add egg whites and cook, until scrambled, stirring frequently, about 3 to 5 minutes; remove from pan and set aside.

Recoat skillet with cooking spray and place back over medium-high heat. Add scallions and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken and carrots; sauté until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Stir in reserved cooked egg whites, cooked brown rice, peas and soy sauce; cook until heated through, stirring once or twice, about 1 minute. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Makes 6 servings. 3 pts a serving.

filling foods: egg whites, scallions, chicken breast, carrots, brown rice, peas

Kim's wonderful brownies

Wow these are good! We made them yesterday and they were gone so fast! The boys kept saying 'oh these are so good' as they enjoyed.

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c agave syrup
1/2 c flour
1/2 c egg whites (about 4)
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder

Mix all above ingredients in food processor (I used my blender, and had to just stir a little with a fork at the end) til smooth.

Then add
6 TB mini semisweet chocolate chips--stir them in

Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish and preheat oven to 350. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes til toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 1 hour til room temperature so the frosting won't melt away. (I put ours in the freezer for a little while)

Frosting
6 oz fat free cream cheese
1/4 c agave syrup
2 TB vanilla
Stir these together and spread on cooled brownies. The orig recipe says cut into 12. I cut them into 20 squares and 25 would have been a fine size too.

Melt 2 TB Mini Choc chips and drizzle them on top. Or--we tried grated orange zest on part of it. Both were so good!

These are definitely good enough to take somewhere to share. The cream cheese topping is soft and kind of pudding consistency so you can't stack them on a plate cause they will goo on each other. They are so yummy!

And they are lots different nutritionally than the ones we have all made and loved for years.
Have fun!

The whole pan of brownies has 29 points (including the frosting). 1-2 points for each brownie depending on how they are cut.

Renata's Salad

Renata Salad

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained well)
1 medium cucumber (peeled and diced)
1 cup super sweet frozen corn
3/4 cup chopped green pepper (it was 1/2 of a large pepper)
2 scallions chopped (both green and white)
1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (about 2 tomatoes)
1/2 cup Kraft Free Catalina dressing

optional: celery, kidney beans, chicken chunks, basically anything that sounds good

(filling foods: black beans, cucumber, corn, pepper, scallion, tomato)

You can crush baked tortilla chips on it, use it for a salsa dip, or just eat it plain.

11 points for the entire salad

1 1/2 points for 1 cup serving

Chicken Teriyaki with Broccoli

Chicken Teriyaki with Broccoli

	2 medium garlic cloves, minced
	1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
	4 medium scallions, chopped (green and white parts)
	1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
	2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
	2 cups cooked brown rice, regular or instant, kept hot
	4 cups broccoli, fresh, florets, steamed

(filling foods: chicken, scallions, chicken broth, brown rice, broccoli)

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add garlic; cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add chicken; cook until golden brown on all sides, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Add scallions; cook until soft, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add broth and teriyaki sauce; simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.

Spoon 1/2 cup of cooked rice into each of 4 shallow bowls; spoon about 1 cup of chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of broccoli over each serving.

4 servings. 5 points a serving (including the rice)

I added steamed carrots on the side.

My kids ate this so well. I couldn't believe it. Bryan ate almost as much chicken as I did. I think that I only had a little more than 1/2 cup chicken on mine, not the full cup it calls for.

Pomegranate Apple Salad

To help keep the squirting of the seeds down, put the halves of pomegranates in a bowl full of water. It helps immensely to keep the mess down (and the white parts float).













Pomegranate Apple Salad

1 cup skim milk
1 small package sugar free vanilla pudding
1/4 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cool whip free
1 pomegranate
4 or 5 apples chopped

Mix milk, pudding, and powdered sugar until thick. Fold in cool whip. Add apples and the pomegranate seeds.

The sauce part makes an excellent dip for any fruit. Yummy!!

21 points total for the whole salad. I didn't measure exactly how much it makes, but I am guessing that would make about 10 3/4 cup servings.

2 points for 3/4 cup.

Eggs with Spinach

Spinach Eggs
2.5 points or 4 points (depending on the eggs)

1 tsp oil
1/2 onion chopped
1 cup (or more) fresh spinach chopped
3 egg whites slightly beaten (or two egg whites and a whole egg)
1/8 cup fat free shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Saute' chopped onion in oil. Add chopped spinach and cook until it starts to wilt. Add eggs. You can either scramble them or make an omelet. Add cheese at end.

YUMMY breakfast with an easy serving of veggies added!

Fruit Salad

Sorry no picture, but sooooo good. It could easily be a dessert!

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple in its own juice
1 small box instant banana cream sugar free-fat free pudding
3 small apples cored and cut up
1 cup red grapes-halved
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 8 oz cool whip free

Mix pineapple and juice with pudding
When mixed well-add apples, grapes and cool whip
Fold in marshmallows last.

Makes 9-1 cup servings
1 point per cup!!!!

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Another one without the picture but I thought it would be helpful to have this recipe before thanksgiving and when we eat it at Thanksgiving I'll try to get a picture.

1 point per serving 8 points whole pie
[don't eat the whole pie, I'm told you don't want to experience that :-)]
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 12 oz can evaporated skim milk
3/4 cup egg substitute or 3 egg whites
1/2 t. salt
3 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. vanilla
2/3 c. splenda ( or another sugar substitute you like)
combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into a 9 inch sprayed pie pan bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then 325 degrees for 45 minutes. If you eat two servings that is two points and a serving of fruits and veggies.

*1 t. pumpkin pie spice = 1/2 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. ground ginger, 1/8 t. ground allspice or ground cloves, 1/8 t. ground nutmeg.

Black Bean Brownies

I know they sound awful and when I make them later this week I'll post a picture but I thought I would post the recipe first.

Black Bean Brownies
1 can black beans
1 box brownie mix
water

Drain and rinse the can of beans. Place the beans back into the can and fill with water. Pour water into brownie mix. Mash beans and add to brownie mix & water. Stir till mixed together don't over mix, brownies are better that way. Pour into a 9 X 13 sprayed pan. Cook according to the box directions.
I was surprised at just how rich these are.
Cut into 20 pieces. Enjoy.
1 brownie is 3 points. A regular brownie from the box is 4-5 points.

Rice and Beans

1/3 cup brown rice

1/3 cup black beans
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup sweet mini peppers
1/4 cup onion
1 tsp olive oil
1/8 cup fat free shredded cheese
1/3 cup salsa

5 points total

This was too much for me to eat, but the portions I wrote down is what is on the plate. I sauteed the onion and the peppers in the oil. YUM! That is my favorite way to eat my oils. This is one of my favorite meals of all time. My husband and kids roll theirs up in tortillas to make "tacos." They use ranch and BBQ sauce with theirs. This meal keeps me feeling very satisfied for a long time. I love it.

Spinach Salad

3 points


spinach ~1 cup
thawed frozen peas ~1/4 cup
carrots sliced ~1/3 cup
craisins ~1/8 cup
Kraft Catalina Free dressing ~2 tbsp


I eat this salad for my lunch quite often, and if I am eating it for dinner, I usually will add baked chicken or sliced sandwich meat to it to get protein. I cut up a lot of carrots at a time and put them in a bag in the fridge, so that it is easy to pull out. This is a great meal option if your points are running low, or if you just love salad.

Lasagna Soup

This was tonight's dinner and the kids did okay with it. It's not their favorite but I really enjoy it. The picture is what was left in the pot after feeding our family of 6. You can freeze this in 1 cup portions and have lunch or dinner for another day.

Lasagna Soup
1 pound hamburger (I use elk, it's lower in fat and better for you)
1/2 cup onion
Brown these two together.
Hamburger Helper Lasagna Seasoning mix
5 cups Water
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes-undrained
1 can (15 oz.) corn-undrained
Add to meat and Simmer 10 minutes
2 Tablespoons Parmesan
1 small zucchini
Noodles from the Hamburger Helper Lasagna Mix
Add and Simmer another 10 minutes or until the noodles are tender.

1 cup serving is 3 points.

Pumpkin Brownies

Okay let's start with a disclaimer it's hard to get a good picture of brownies. I didn't create this recipe we heard about it in our WW meeting and it can be found on the WW site. Enough said now on to the good part, the recipe.

PUMPKIN BROWNIES
1 box devil's food cake mix
1 can 100% pure pumpkin (I think it was 15 oz) not pumpkin pie filling.

Mix together, it will be thick, just keep at it. Spread in a 9 X 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cut into 20 pieces. My kids had no idea there was pumpkin in them.

2 points per brownie

Up and Running

Hey guys

I finally got this blog working, if you have suggestions, let me know.

Thanks-Laura

Chicken Cordon Bleu

POINTS Value: 7 Servings: 4 Preparation Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 40 min Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

	4 spray(s) cooking spray, or enough to coat chicken
	1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces
	3 oz Boar's Head Smoked Ham, or other brand, four 3/4 oz slices
	3 oz low-fat Swiss cheese, four 3/4-oz slices
	1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
	1/4 cup(s) honey mustard
	1/2 cup(s) seasoned bread crumbs, Italian-style

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
  
  
• Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4-inch thickness; remove plastic wrap. Arrange 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese on each chicken breast.
  
  
• Starting from shorter end of chicken, roll up breast into a tight pinwheel. Tuck in ends. Secure with toothpicks.
  
  
• Place flour, honey mustard and bread crumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Add chicken to flour; turn to coat. Transfer chicken to honey mustard; turn to coat. Place chicken in bread crumbs; turn to coat.
  
  
• Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Remove toothpicks and serve.