Beany Cheese Cups

I tried a new recipe this week.  Hungry Girl Beany Cheesy Cups.  Apart from being incredibly simple, they hit on some of my craving notes.  They have nice crunch to them with the fillo cups.  They are finger foods.  They are quick to prepare and quick to bake.  5  little cups for 3 points.  

The first time I made them I followed the recipe exactly.  Here are my pointers. . .  1.) Add more seasoning.  I used some taco seasoning the second time and LOVED them.   2.) Use a butter flavored non-stick spray.  The regular pam gives the fillo an odd taste.  3) Serve them with a salad for a meal! 4) Add some heat,  mix some chopped jalapenos into the bean mix.

Another great thing about this recipe is that I tried the fillo cups for the first time.  I can not wait to experiment them.  I’m thinking some chopped turkey pepperoni, 2% cheese, pizza sauce, and my favorite pizza toppings.  I’m going to chop them all up and fill the cups.  I’m also thinking about some desserts!

I was surprised to find the Athen’s Fillo Cups and pleased that they were less than $2 a package.  The laughing cow cheese has several wedges in a package and you can make this recipe 4 times with one package!

Well,  I don’t have much to say today.  I wanted to post something and I wanted to share my recipe experiment before I forgot!

Swap flavor for low calories, NO THANK YOU!

Yesterday,  I made a recipe called Won Ton Tacos.  They are an appetizer at Applebee’s that come to a whopping 18 pts.  Some perspective for my non-WW readers, I am allowed 29pts in a day.  I found a recipe on Hungrygirl.com for a lightened up version. . only 5 pts per serving! You can find the recipe HERE.  They are not an exact copy, but I think they could curb a craving!  Note: if you attempt to make these, you must fill the wonton as soon as you remove it from the pan.  Once it cools, it becomes brittle and practically impossible to fill!

I’m making another Hungry Girl recipe tonight. . .this time it’s BLT Pizza (6pts per serving, 1/6 of pizza)!  In this recipe, she uses fat free mayo. . .which I loathe.  The difference in points for 1/2 cup of fat free (2 pts) and 1/2 cup of light mayo (10 pts) adds about 1 point per serving.  I am willing to take the extra point for the flavor.  1/2 cup of regular mayo is (24 pts)!!  I also doubled the turkey bacon and added some low fat cheese making my version 9pts a serving.

For me, one serving will do and I don’t mind the extra 3 points.  If you were going to eat two slices, I’m sure that 12 pts is much easier to fin in your day that 2 slices of mine (18!). 

Another site that I am a HUGE fan of is Skinnytaste.  While I don’t find her doing lots of  ‘Swap this for that” kind of things, she tends to lighten up classic dishes.  In her ‘About Me’ section, she explains that she refuses to sacrifice flavor just to get the points down as low as possible.   I appreciate that because I’m just not satisfied if it doesn’t taste GOOD!

I’m excited to try this veggie pizza.  I think it could really hit on several cravings.  For me, that’s a big part of it.  I’ll let you know how the recipe turns out tomorrow.  I am expecting it to be good as it’s very straight forward.  Pizza crust, light ranch mayo sauce, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and LOTS of turkey bacon.   This could be a good way to make veggie pizza with broccoli and cauliflower too.

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I’m feeling pretty good about yesterday.  I was able to stay in my points pretty easily.  The kale recipe was kind of a flop and the wonton recipes didn’t turn out as well as I hoped.  I walked 2.5 miles inspite of the real feel temperature being near 100.   I’m really hopeful for todays ‘food’.  I think the pizza will be tasty and filling. .preventing me from wanting something else!  I’m just not sure when I’ll squeeze a walk in.

This is the first week of my new work schedule.  So far, I think it’s going to be very beneficial for my family and my weight loss.  Change seems to send me in a tailspin . . even if it’s good.   It won’t last long, but I just need time to adjust or reorganize.

The WW meeting for this week has been cancelled.  I haven’t decided if I’m going to find a different location just for this one week or miss it all together.  I think I’d like to stay in the routine. . .and I am paying for it after all. . .

I’m trying to accept that my blog is not going to be the most insightful and informative read on the internet.  I just need to do it.  Get out what I’m thinking and feeling and working with.  I find myself worrying about spelling and punctuation and grammar and run-on sentences.  Blah. . .I can’t overthink this or I won’t stick with it.  And I really want to stick with it!!!

Well, thanks for reading. . .feel free to comment. . .and also subscribe!!  It’s free and you will receive an email when I post something new.

Buffalo Chicken Fix

This is a recipe that we ALWAYS enjoy and ALWAYS look forward to.  For some reason it feels like we are eating at our favorite restaurant and that it can’t possibly be allowed on a diet!

  

 Buffalo Chicken

 

8 oz Shredded Chicken Breast

 2 tbsp butter (melted)

 2 tbsp vinegar

 1/2 cup of Frank’s Red Hot

 1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350.    Mix all the ingredients together.    Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes.  Stirring after 15 minutes.

Nutritional Info –  Serving Size = 1 oz

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 58.9
• Total Fat: 3.3 g
• Cholesterol: 24.1 mg
• Sodium: 411.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 0.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
• Protein: 6.7 g

WW POINTS PLUS – 2pts for 1 oz  . . .3 pts for 2oz

 

A great thing about this recipe is that it is versatile.  Serve it on a hamburger bun, as an open faced sandwich, as a wrap or taco, or  on top of a salad.  Or just eat it as it is . . .a hot wing without the mess!  Plus it is a little spicy so it will help you get your liquids in!!!

 

Keep in mind that the nutritional info is only for the meat.   You’ll need to add extra points for bread, cheese, and dressings.

 

This is a great way to use up leftover chicken.  You can also use a rotisserie chicken.   I make shredded chicken in my crockpot by covering a tomato and onion (both cut in half) with several boneless skinless chicken breasts.  I cover them with water and cook all day. 

Enjoy!