I'm baaaaaack!!

So, I made it through vacation and hopefully didn't do too much damage!  I took a quick look at the scale this morning and I don't think I gained anything but I won't know for sure until I go to my WW weigh-in on Thursday.

It's tough to stay healthy on vacation.  I did really well the first few days.  As soon as we got to our condo I went to the store and got a few healthy foods and lots of fresh fruit.  We went out to one of my favorite restaurants ever and I got chicken....while my children ordered my favorite filet mignon!  I must say the chicken was phenomenal though!!

I was doing so well until we went to this restaurant called "Four Kegs" that had been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives--that Guy Fieri show.  Friends had recommended it and the specialty there is stromboli.  I had to try it, right?  I did the best I could--the veggie stromboli--but we could hardly call it health food!  It was sooooo good!  I am glad that restaurant isn't anywhere near home!

Veggie Stromboli--worth every point!

Then there was the problem of poolside nachos that my kids had to get whenever we were swimming.  These too were very good...and anyone who knows me knows that nachos are my kryptonite!  We got them twice....and the whole family shared....I didn't eat them all alone.  That may or may not be a rum and diet coke next to them (no, I didn't share that!  But I did get DIET Coke!)

Poolside nachos with  Rum & Diet Coke

Then there was the day that Evan and I went exploring while my hubby and Connor were off riding ATVs in the desert and shooting guns.  Evan and I found ourselves at the Paris Casino.  We decided to try the restaurant up in the Eiffel Tower there.  We had a great meal and I really enjoyed the time with him alone.  But the food?  Not real healthy.  Fantastic....but not low-calorie!  We both had this amazing creamy French onion soup.  It was different than anything I had ever had before.  If you are ever in Vegas, I would recommend it.  And I had the French BLT tower....also very good!

Creamy French Onion Soup at Paris--Amazing!

French BLT tower at Paris

Despite the photographic proof of my indulgences, overall I still think I did pretty good.  I did a lot of walking and definitely didn't go completely crazy with my food intake like I would have in the past.  One thing I noticed--when I ate this bad food I felt gross!  Bloated, upset stomach, and just yucky!  I honestly couldn't wait to get home and get back on track.  My system felt like I needed to detox from the crap.  I got home yesterday and I kept track of points yesterday and was already way below my points for the day.  I really wanted to make sure that I didn't let this little splurge get me off track.  I can't say that I didn't enjoy eating those foods but it does feel good to NOT be eating them.  And I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have thought.  Thursday is my weigh-in and then I will see how much damage I did.  I am optimistic that it won't be too bad though.  It was interesting to see how my body reacted to the unhealthy stuff after just a couple months of healthy eating.  Definitely makes me want to keep going!

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

I love anything with a Mexican flair so these are one of my favs!!  We just had these tonight!

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:
     3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips (I used about 1 lb.)
     2 tablespoons olive oil
     1 teaspoon chili powder
     1 teaspoon cumin
     1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
     1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
     1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes (drained)
     1 large onion, sliced
     1 red bell pepper, sliced (seeds removed)
     1 green bell pepper, sliced (seeds removed)
     12 small flour tortillas

Toppings:  cheese, cilantro, salsa, sour cream (whatever you like!)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9x13" pan with non-stick spray.
• Place chicken strips in the baking dish.  
• In a small bowl mix olive oil, chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic powder and pour over chicken and stir to coat.
• Add the tomatoes, peppers and onions and stir to combine.
• Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are fork tender.  
• Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings!

Makes 6 servings of 3 Smart Points each.  I used Trader Joe's whole wheat low-carb tortillas which are 1 point each.  Hubby and the kids used regular tortillas.  So delicious!

I also used a bag of Trader Joe's frozen pepper and onion mix instead of cutting up my own.  I'm all about easy!

Weigh-In: Week 10

Just a quick update because I am getting ready to leave on vacation and I haven't started packing!!  I can't go to the regular evening meeting tonight because I am going to see Blake Shelton!!  Love Blake!!

This week's loss:  -3.8 
Total Loss to Date: -36.2

I was happy with that!!  :)

I am nervous about leaving on vacation for a week.  I am going to do my best to stay on track but I suspect there will be some deviations from the usual plan!  I should be doing a lot of walking so that will help.  My goal is that when I weigh in 2 weeks from now that I don't want to have gained at all.  <fingers crossed>

Riced Cauliflower

Whoever came up with this idea is a genius!  Such a simple (and obvious!) idea but genius nonetheless!

If you have a Trader Joe's near you, run out and get this stuff!  Though that is actually easier said than done....it's almost always out of stock and people line up when the stores open to get it!  We had to call and have them save some for us when the shipment came in and even then they are putting limits on how much you can get because everyone (at least everyone on Weight Watchers!) wants it!

So basically it's just cauliflower that has been made into little pieces the size of rice.  You can eat it by itself or use it in place of rice--like with Chinese food or a stir fry.  You can use it in soup to take the place of pasta.  Lots of uses!  The best part?  ZERO SMART POINTS!!!

This stuff kept me under points after having a terribly unhealthy lunch that used up most of my points for the day.  Phew!  I was out at a luncheon and there was no choice of what to eat.  It was all high point stuff--a basket of cornbread, muffins and rolls, pot roast with gravy, chicken and biscuits, potatoes, veggies and fresh berry shortcake.  Yikes!  I did the best I could but I was hungry so I had to eat something.  I ate a little bit of everything and just figured out the points as best as I could.  I only ate the fresh berries off of the shortcake and someone else just wanted the cake so we traded and I took her berries and gave her my cake!  Why do I still feel guilty when I eat bad stuff even when I don't go over my points??  Hmmm...

Weigh-In: Week 9

Nine weeks.  That's like two months!  One-sixth of a year!  Still going strong...

This week's loss:  -4.4 
Total Loss to Date: -32.4

After last weeks .8 pound loss I was hoping for a good week so I was happy with 4.4 for this week!  I was a little concerned because of all of the meals on the road but I knew I had made good choices.  Makes me think that maybe I can do my upcoming Vegas trip without TOO much damage!!

Got some new bling this week.....my charm for losing more than 10% of my body weight!!  WooHoo!!

Added my 10% bling this week!!

Recipe: Crockpot Chicken Parmesan

I made this the other night for dinner and everyone in my family loved it!  It doesn't have the "crunch" of regular fried or baked chicken parmesan but it has all of the flavor.  And it's MUCH healthier!  I served it with the Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta which has added fiber and is a white pasta but has the health benefits of a wheat pasta.  I've tried to get my family to eat wheat pasta but they hate it!  This recipe is worth a try..


2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I actually used 5 small ones)
1/2 cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
1 TBSP olive oil
1 egg, beaten
sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
favorite jarred marinara sauce

Spread the 1 TBSP of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot.
Beat the egg with a fork in a separate bowl.
Mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the Parmesan cheese in another separate dish.
Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings.
Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crockpot.
Layer 2-3 slices or 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese on top (I used 1 cup and it was plenty, could probably even omit if you wanted), depending on how much cheese you like.
Cover chicken and cheese with entire jar of marinara sauce.
Close lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3. (Mine was done on low in less than 4 hours)
Serve with your favorite pasta.

Recipe: Ranch Chicken (or pork chops)

This is one of my kids favorites!!

Crockpot Ranch Chicken (or porkchops)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or boneless porkchops--my family likes both!)
2 cans 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch mix

Just mix the soup (undiluted) and ranch mix up in the crockpot.  Stick the chicken or porkchops in and cover w/soup mixture.  Cook on high for about 6 hours.  If you like a lot of sauce or are doing more than 4 chicken breasts or porkchops you might want to double the soup/ranch mixture.

I served it with brown rice and veggies.  Very yummy!  You're welcome.  :)

Recipe: Beef Enchiladas

I know you're all dying to know what was for dinner tonight.  <sarcasm>  My family all liked this and it was pretty quick and easy--I'm all about quick and easy!  No, not *that* kind of quick and easy...Sheesh!

Beef Enchiladas 

1 pound 93% ground beef  (I used 96% lean beef)
6 oz can tomato paste (I used about 9 oz. cause I thought the sauce was a little thin)
2 cups warm water
1 cup shredded 2% cheese (I used a 2% Mexican blend)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
dash each oregano, black pepper, coriander
10 soft corn tortillas

Brown hamburger. Add seasonings to warm water, combine. Add tomato paste. Mix well.  Warm up tortillas. Pour 1/2 of tomato mixture into the skillet with the hamburger. Add half of cheese. Stir to mix up the meat, tomato sauce and cheese. Scoop a large spoonful of the mixture onto each tortilla. Rollup the tortilla, enclosing the filling and place it seam side down in 13x9 pan. Pour remaining tomato mixture over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Recipe: Stuffed Bell Peppers

Another healthy recipe if anyone is interested.  I made these for dinner last night...

Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 large green bell peppers
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 lb 93% lean ground turkey (I used 96% lean ground beef)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can diced tomatoes (with italian seasoning is better)
tomato sauce--enough to cover bottom of casserole dish *I also poured some tomato sauce on top of each pepper after filling w/the beef/rice mixture.
2 TBSP canola oil
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes.  Place in casserole dish--the bottom of dish should be covered with a thin layer of tomato sauce.  In a pan, add canola oil and sautee the onions until translucent (5-7 minutes).  Add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Then add the ground turkey (or beef) amd brown.  In a large bowl, combine the cooked ground turkey or beef, brown rice, and diced tomatoes.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Scoop mixture into each bell pepper half.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. 

Makes 4 servings--296.2 calories each, 8.6g fat, 30.9g carbohydrates, 24.4g protein.

Recipe: Salsa Chicken

Made this over the weekend....SUPER easy and soooo good!  I served it with brown rice & veggies.

Salsa Chicken

boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 jar of salsa
shredded cheddar cheese

Sprinkle taco seasoning mix on both sides of chicken breasts and place in a lightly greased 9x13" baking pan.  Pour salsa over chicken and bake at 375 degrees until chicken is done (about 40 minutes).  For last 5 minutes of baking time sprinkle shredded cheese on top. 

(Delicious w/o the cheese too--I have to leave the cheese off for one of my boys who is anti-cheese.  How can someone hate cheese?  He can't be my child...)

Recipe: Peking Pork Chops

My crockpot and I are getting to be really good friends.  I am totally loving these easy meals.  And I *really* love that even when we're on the run my family is having healthy meals!

Peking Pork Chops

4-6 pork chops (I used boneless pork loin)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 clove garlic, crushed

Trim excess fat from pork chops and place in slow cooker.  Mix brown sugar, ginger, soy sauce, ketchup & garlic in a smal bowl and pour over meat.  Cover, turn to low and cook 4 to 6 hours, or until tender.

*I doubled the sauce but I really didn't need to.  I served it with brown rice and broccoli.  Everyone in my house really liked it!  This would be great with Trader Joe's Riced Cauliflower instead of the rice. :)

Recipe: Easy Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala is one of my favorites!!  I served it with yolk-free egg noodles and green beans.  Mmmm!!

Easy Chicken Marsala

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms  (I used more cause we love mushrooms!)
1/2 cup marsala wine

In a medium bowl, stir together the four, garlic salt, pepper and oregano.  Dredge chicken in the mixture to lightly coat.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Fry the chicken in the skillet for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned on one side.  Turn chicken over and add mushrooms.  Cook about 2 minutes, until other side of chicken is lightly browned.  Stir mushrooms so that they cook evenly.  (I cooked a little bit longer on each side)

Pour marsala wine over the chicken.  Cover skillet and reduce heat to low;  simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Marinara Chicken & Vegetables

Slow Cooker Marinara Chicken & Vegetables

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I only used 1 lb)
4 gloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 tomatoes, chopped or one 14.5 oz. can low-sodium tomatoes, drained
4 medium ribs celery, diced (1 cup)
2 small zucchini, diced (2 cups)
1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
18 oz. jar marinara sauce (I used 24 oz. jar)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme

Place the chicken in the slow cooker; add the garlic, tomatoes, celery, zucchini, and pepper.  Pour the marinara sauce over all, and sprinkle the basil and thyme on top.  Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 6 to 7 hours.  Before serving, shred the chicken with a fork.

I serve with smart taste (high fiber) spaghetti.  Would be good with spaghetti squash too!

Recipes: Cowboy Chicken & "Most Amazing Porkchops Ever"

For the crockpot lover in all of us... Still need to calculate smart points in these!

Cowboy Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar (about 2 cups) of your favorite salsa
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Put chicken in crockpot.  Mix all of the other ingredients together and pour over the chicken.  Cook in crockpot for about 6 hours on low.  Serve over rice.


Most Amazing Porkchops Ever (No, I didn't name them!  They were good but I think "most amazing ever" is a stretch!! LOL)

4-6 porkchops (boneless or bone-in)
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 package onion soup mix
1 package dry pork gravy mix
1 1/2 cups lowfat chicken broth

Put porkchops in crockpot.  Mix remaining ingredients together and pour in crockpot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve with rice or yolk free egg noodles.

Recipe: Baked Portabella Mushrooms

Love me some mushrooms!!!  Only points are in the olive oil...

Baked Portabella Mushrooms

Large portabella mushroom caps
Extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
garlic powder
thyme

Just brush both sides of mushroom caps generously with olive oil and season with the rest of ingredients.  Bake at 400 degrees until heated.  That's all...

Recipes: Rosemary Roasted Potatoes & Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

2 large baking potatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick (I did mine a little thinner)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in large bowl; toss to coat.  Spread potatoes in single layer in shallow baking pan (I used cookie sheet). Bake 15 minutes or until tender, turning once.

*I doubled this recipe, cut them a little thinner and baked a little longer so they were kind of crispy.  Everybody LOVED them!  Kids thought they were like French fries!


Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

4 teaspoons brown sugar (you might want a little more, I didn't measure)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 clove garlic (I used more cause we love garlic!)
2 tablespoons salted butter

Melt butter in a frying pan then brown the garlic in the butter (I used extra garlic and sliced the cloves up in the butter).  Add chicken breasts to butter and garlic and cook thoroughly.  When chicken is fully cooked add brown sugar on top of each breast.  Allow the brown sugar to melt into the chicken (about 5 minutes).

Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef & Mushrooms

Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms

1 pound lean beef stew meat
1 can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 packet dry onion soup mix
8 oz. fresh mushrooms (whole or sliced, your preference)

Brown meat in skilled over medium-high heat.  (Recipe says you can skip this step and it'll still be great but I did it anyway).  Place meat in crockpot.  Place mushrooms on top of beef.  Combine soup water and soup mix and pour over mushrooms and beef.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

**I doubled everything EXCEPT the beef because I love mushrooms and my kids like lots of gravy.  I used about 1 1/4 lbs of stew meat.  It turned out great!  Boys probably would have liked more meat so next time I might double that too.  I think that if I hadn't doubled it wouldn't have been enough for our family of 4.

Recipe: Key West Chicken

Another favorite of ours... Will update it with a pic the next time I make it!

Key West Chicken

6 tablespoons soy sauce (I used the low-salt kind)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (I was out of fresh garlic so I used a couple teaspoons of the dried "Garlic, Garlic" from Tastefully Simple...will use fresh next time!)

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a shallow container, blend soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, lime juice and garlic.  Place chicken into the mixture, and turn to coat.  Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes (I did a couple hours). 

Cook on grill!  (It said to lightly oil the grill grate but we forgot!)

Recipe: Skillet Chicken Cordon Bleu (5 SP)

Tried another new recipe tonight.  We all loved it!  If you're looking for something different and healthy to try, I would suggest giving this a try.

Skillet Chicken Cordon Bleu--Yummy!
One piece of chicken, 1 cup of rice and fresh asparagus= 11 Smart Points.

Disclaimer:  This is not an original recipe.  I found it on smartpointsrecipes.com.

Skillet Chicken Cordon Bleu

Makes 4 servings, 5 Smart Points each.

Nutritional Information:  

Calories:  258

Fat:  10 g

Saturated Fat:  3 g

Protein:  37 g

Carbohydrates:  6 g

Fiber:  0 g

Sugar:  1 g

Ingredients:

• 4 thin boneless, skinless cutlets (about 4 oz each)
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour (gluten free flour works too!)
• 1/2 tsp. butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 2/3 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 4 thin slices low sodium deli ham
• 4 slices light Swiss cheese such as Alpine Lace

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Place the flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge the chicken with flour on both sides, shaking off the excess (keep the remaining flour).
3. In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, dijon mustard and 1 tsp of the reserved flour.  Whisk until smooth.
4. Melt the butter and olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken.
5. Cook 2 minutes (I did much longer!) on each side, until slightly golden, then transfer to a dish.
6. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chicken broth mixture.
7. Whisk the broth, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan and simmer 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
8. Return the chicken to the skillet, top each piece with a slice of ham and a slice of swiss cheese. Cover the skillet and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the cheese melts.
9. Spoon the remaining sauce over each piece.

This is what I love about Weight Watchers...

The fact that you can eat anything you want as long as you stay within your points!  Last night we were shopping at the outlet mall and there were TWO Auntie Anne's there (That's just mean!)  The entire mall smelled like these delicious pretzels!  My son Connor absolutely can't go to the mall without getting one so when he inevitably asked if we could go there I quickly checked my points and happily indulged him (and me too!).  Fortunately we had a late lunch (grilled chicken salad) so I wasn't really going to be wanting dinner so this could be my dinner points.   FYI, an Auntie Anne's pretzel (with no dips, of course) is 11 points.

Don't worry, we bought 4 so the whole family had dinner! :)

Was it worth it?  Hell yeah!

Traveling is tough!!

So I am away this weekend (over the border in Canada) for the first time since I started this lifestyle change.  And I've learned one thing...traveling is tough!!  There are so many temptations around you when you are eating all of your meals in restaurants!  I have managed to do pretty well but I am looking forward to being home tomorrow where it is easier to keep things under control!

Last night we went out to my favorite Canadian restaurant--The Keg Steakhouse.  My mouth waters just thinking about it!  It's hard to calculate points but according to my tracking I came in exactly at my points limit for the day.  Phew!

My absolutely delicious dinner!
Filet Mignon, mushrooms and LOTS
of fresh veggies instead of a potato!  Notice I snuck
a glass of Merlot (4 points) in there too!

Breakfast on the road is a lot easier.  I usually go with a veggie omelet made with egg substitute or egg whites and no cheese.  Almost point free! (Though I add in some because I figure it was still cooked with a bit of vegetable oil).  And fresh fruit is always great for breakfast.  Two pieces of wheat toast are 4 points without butter or margarine.

I packed some snacks--apples, grapefruits and pre-packaged Weight Watchers snacks (2 points each). However, being in close proximity to my two teenage boys who are eating candy and potato chips is hard!  But I didn't give in to temptation.  :)

Dinner tonight was the toughest.  My meal was from the "lighter fare" part of the menu--Chimichurri Chicken--Skinless breast and thigh basted in chimichurri sauce, served with lime cilantro rice and sauteed vegetables.  I ate most of the chicken and rice but only part of the vegetables as they had quite a bit of oil on them from the sautéing process. Why do they have to make vegetables unhealthy with so much grease??  The tough part?  The complimentary chips & salsa they placed on the table right in front of me!  I have to admit that I indulged.  And they were fabulous!  The salsa is zero points but the chips are terrible!  I ended up estimating that I ate about 15 points worth of those yummy chips.  I did go over my points for the day but I still had all of my weekly points left so it was ok.  (They are there so you can have a little splurge each week)  I hadn't used any of my weekly points since I started the program so I felt a little guilty....but it passed quickly!  I don't think it would have bothered me at all if I hadn't had such a small loss last week.  But we were out with friends, having fun, and I am determined not to let this new lifestyle rule my life--so I ate the freakin' chips!  And I asked myself the question "was it worth it?" and the answer was "YES!"  

In a couple of weeks we are going to Las Vegas for 8 days.  It's gonna be tough.  I am hoping that this little weekend adventure helped me to understand what I am going to be facing when we are traveling for that long.  On the plus side, we are staying in a suite with a full kitchen so we can eat some meals there and that will really help.  And I will be doing a LOT of walking!  If anyone has any tips for traveling and eating healthy I would love to hear them!

Weigh-In: Week 8

Let's get right to it...

This week's loss:  -0.8 
Total Loss to Date: -28

Sigh.  I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed in that.  I wish I could explain it but I did everything right this week and it just wasn't the loss I'd hoped.  I know I am going to have weeks like this but...it still sucks! :(  I do think it may be related to my monthly cycle so I am hoping I will bounce back next week.  Sorry if that is TMI...

No worries...I am NOT giving up.  :)  It was just a little reality check.  Things had been going too well and I should expect bumps along the way.  Hey, I'm still down 28 pounds in less than 2 months, right?

Recipe: Lemon & Dill Chicken (4 SP)

When I make a new recipe I like to see what it is *supposed* to look like.  So I am going to try and add pictures here when I add a new recipe.  But I must say, I am NOT a food photographer and you may find my presentation somewhat lacking.  Yes, that is a paper plate....don't judge me!  What can I say?  I had a meeting last night at 6:30 and had to rush out the door right after dinner and had no time to do dishes...and believe me, *I* am the only one in my house who seems to be able to load the dishwasher!

Anyway, last night I made Lemon & Dill chicken. (Insert the sound of my children's voices here--"Why are we having chicken again?")  It was easy and good...but most importantly, it was healthy!  I served it over No Yokes egg noodles.  The chicken and sauce was 4 smart points, the egg noodles 6 points, and zero points for the beans, bringing the total for my meal to 10 points.  :)

DISCLAIMER:  This is NOT an original recipe.  I found this on SkinnyPoints.com.  :)


Lemon & Dill Chicken (4 SP)

Ingredients:
     4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 to 1 1/4 pounds)
     Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
     3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
     1/4 cup finely chopped onion
     3 cloves garlic, minced (I used pre-minced garlic)
     1 cup chicken broth
     2 teaspoons flour
     2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
     1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and sear until well browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side (I cooked a bit longer--I have issues with making sure that chicken is DONE!).  Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
2. Reduce heat to medium.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pan.  Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.  Whisk broth, flour, 1 tablespoon dill and lemon juice in a measuring cup and add to pan.  Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan; reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon over chicken to serve.  Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill.

Nutritional Information:

     Makes 4 servings

     Per Serving:  173 calories, 2.7 g fat, 64 mg cholesterol, 3 g carbs, 24 g protein, 0 g fiber.