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Weight Watchers Easy Arroz Con Pollo (Chicken with Rice)

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Weight Watchers Arroz con Pollo
Weight Watchers Arroz con Pollo

Weight Watchers Arroz con Pollo

Have you had Arroz con Pollo?

Traditional Arroz con Pollo (chicken and rice) is popular throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It’s delicious.

This is a quick and easy one-pot variation using leftover cooked chicken that can be made in about 30 minutes from  Weight Watchers’ Simply the Best : 250 Prizewinning Family Recipes, a cookbook I’ve been turning to regularly since the late ’90s. (It shows the old points, but you can easily calculate the new PointsPlus Values since all the recipes include complete nutritional information. In this case a serving changed from 7 points to 9 PointsPlus.)

We had this easy Weight Watchers Arroz on Pollo for supper on Sunday using leftover rotisserie chicken from Costco. It was simple to make and very yummy. I didn’t have the can of tomatoes with green chiles called for, so I substituted salsa instead. It turned out flavorful but not spicy and the servings were generous.

Served with Caesar salad, it made a satisfying meal. And there was plenty left for a quick and easy lunch Monday.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: 9 PointsPlus, Chicken & Turkey Tagged With: , ,

Weight Watchers Tomato, Chicken and Feta Pasta

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Tomato Chicken Feta Pasta
Tomato Chicken Feta Pasta

Quick & Easy Tomato Chicken Feta Pasta

A quick and easy pasta dish with tomatoes, chicken and feta that’s delicious warm or chilled. This tomato, chicken, and feta pasta is  adapted from a recipe in Weight Watchers Our Best Quick & Easy Meals cookbook (which, by the way, is a treasure trove of ideas for getting dinner on the table in a dash), replacing a few of the ingredients with what I had on hand.

This Tomato, Chicken and Feta pasta is a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken, but I chopped up a piece of roasted sun-dried tomato turkey breast that I had in the fridge instead.

The original recipe called for 1 cup of dry pasta for 6 servings, which seemed a little scant to me, since I’m the only one in the family eating Weight Watchers-size portions. So, I doubled the amounts of pasta and diced tomatoes called for and created a dish with 7 PointsPlus value (PPV) that everyone really liked.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: 7 PointsPlus, Chicken & Turkey, Pasta Tagged With: , ,

James Beard’s Pleasant Pasta Recipe

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James Beard's Pleasant Pasta
James Beard's Pleasant Pasta

James Beard's Pleasant Pasta Done Gluten Free

Hunger got the best of me last night before getting a proper photo of this yummy pasta with ham and sugar snap peas. Actually, it was an after thought to snap one at all while sitting at the table after I had already begun to dig in. I hope you’ll forgive me and try the recipe anyway…

I came across this recipe for James Beard’s Pleasant Pasta in my copy of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham, as I was looking for a way to use up the remaining bits of baked ham from Memorial Day. According to the headnote, “This was one of James Beard’s favorite pasta dishes. He described it as amusing-looking, delicious tasting and a worthy pasta.” (An impressive recommendation, wouldn’t you say?)

Calling for 1 cup of finely cut prosciutto or good-quality ham, this recipe fit the bill perfectly. So I gathered the ingredients and tossed them together when I got home from last night’s Weight Watcher’s meeting.

Now, you might be wondering, “What’s a Weight Watcher’s member/leader doing cooking a pasta recipe with ham, butter, cream and grated Parmesan?” That’s one of the great things about Weight Watchers: there are no foods that are off limits; you can fit any and every food into the plan in moderation.

Yes, this recipe has butter and cream in the ingredient list, but in moderate amounts. By cutting the portion size back to a reasonable one, I was able to eat until both my taste buds and belly were satisfied for a reasonable 8 PointsPlus! (I’ve learned through lots of trial and error that I would rather eat a reasonable portion of something really delicious than more of something that isn’t. And it’s not the kind of thing I eat everyday or even every week. Once in a while, absolutely. I’m also in maintenance mode so I get to eat a little more.)

With just a few ingredients, this easy pasta comes together in minutes, so it’s perfect for a busy weeknight supper. Add a simple salad and you’ve got an entire meal.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: 8 PointsPlus, Gluten Free, Pasta Tagged With: ,

Skinny Ham Salad Spread Recipe

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Skinny Ham Spread
Skinny Ham Spread

Skinny Ham Spread

Finely chopped cooked ham mixed with onion, mustard, mango chutney, light mayonnaise and nonfat Greek Yogurt. Ham salad spread is one of my favorite ways to use up the leftover bits from a baked ham. It makes a great sandwich filling for rye bread or small rolls or a tasty topping for crackers and cucumber slices, which is the way I enjoyed it for lunch today.

Ham spread is one of those simple old-fashioned comfort foods you either love or hate. I happen to be in the love-it camp. Back when I was a kid, neighborhood moms used to make it frequently after Easter from the leftover ham with lots of mayo and relish.

The inspiration for this skinny ham salad spread comes from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, my go-to cookbook when I’m seeking old-fashioned comfort. I lightened it up by using a combination of light mayonnaise and nonfat Greek yogurt in place of the full fat mayo called for, with good results.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: 2 PointsPlus, Pizza & Sandwich, Pork Tagged With: ,

Simple Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup & 7 More Leftover Turkey Soup Recipes

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Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

There are lots of delicious things you can do with leftover turkey. You can use it to make turkey sandwiches, salads, and casseroles or to top pizzas or fill quesadillas…

But my favorite thing to make with leftover turkey is a big pot of turkey soup – especially turkey noodle soup.

Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

Simple Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

The best tasting soup is made with homemade stock from the bones of your leftover turkey carcass, along with a chopped onion, carrot and couple stalks of celery. Just put everything in a large soup pot along with enough fresh water to cover everything up. Heat to boiling and then lower the heat to a simmer. Skim off any foam that comes to the surface and then partially cover and let simmer for several hours. (If you want you can add some herbs such thyme, parsley or bay leaf after skimming.) Then carefully strain the stock through a fine strainer and discard the solids.

You don’t really need a recipe to make homemade stock or broth. Just use what you have. But if you’re more comfortable with one, here’s a more detailed recipe for making homemade turkey stock at Taste of Home.

And here’s a video from The Practical Housewife showing you exactly how to make stock from turkey bones…

And of course, you can skip the stock making step altogether and use boxed broth instead!

Here’s my recipe for a simple soup using leftover turkey. It’s essentially the same as the one I use for chicken noodle soup. This time, I added a couple handfuls of frozen peas near the end to give it a dash of color.

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Filed Under: 3 PointsPlus, 5 PointsPlus, 6 PointsPlus, 7 PointsPlus, 8 PointsPlus, Chicken & Turkey, Soups, Stews & Chilis Tagged With: ,