A few quick and easy recipes

I decided a few days ago that I wanted to be a little more careful about what we are eating. Now that the ravenous stage of pregnancy has passed, I can eat like a normal person again. When I was doing Weight Watchers, we ate well. What many people think about a plan like Weight Watchers is that you will be hungry, the food is icky, etc. It was a struggle in the beginning for me to eat all of my allotted points for the day, and by the time I got the swing of it, I didn't eat all my points every day anyway. I decided to cook some of my Weight Watchers recipes today. I am not trying to lose weight while I am preggo, but these were quick and easy, healthy, and just good food.

The first thing I made was the tomato basil soup. I will be the first to admit, I am not a fan of tomato soup - usually. This one is yummy, and I have posted about it before. It is only 3 points for 1 cup of soup and is great with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top. Click here to see the instructions and recipe. I didn't have shallots today, so I substituted a little onion. This one is going to be lunch or a snack throughout the day for the next few days.

The next recipe is what we are having for dinner tonight. It's Asian Turkey Meatballs, brown fried rice, and steamed broccoli. I was a little skeptical when I first saw this one because ground turkey is not my meat of choice. However, I made it, and Jason and I both enjoyed it. I shared it with a friend who is doing WW, and she said that her whole family, including her 2 year old twins gobbled it up. Here is the link to this one. I will say, that I didn't like the dipping sauce so now I mix a combo of light mayo, soy sauce, and sriracha to make a pink sauce to dollop on my meatballs and occasionally the rice. The recipe for the rice is here. I do it a little differently. I use microwavable brown rice and cook it according to the directions. I add chopped onion to the garlic as well as carrots that I have finely sliced. I also leave out the fish sauce. It doesn't in any way affect the point value. The broccoli is the bagged Steamfresh variety. This meal is super fast. I mixed the meatballs while Jake was napping, and they only take about 15 minutes to cook. Your rice and broccoli can be done in that time, too, so this is a super fast meal! I can't say enough about the Skinnytaste website - the link can be found on the right of my page. It is listed as Gina's Skinny Taste. The site breaks down recipes into point values if you are searching by points, and it also lists low-carb options for those of you on a low carb diet. The recipes I have tried from this site have been fabulous!!

When I was about 34 weeks pregnant with Jake, I spent one whole day - and I do mean the WHOLE day - cooking and freezing food. One of my favorites from that endeavor is this sticky chicken recipe. You certainly don't have to freeze it. The recipe is as follows:
1 whole fryer chicken, giblets removed
1 cup chopped onion - I omit this one because Jason doesn't really like onion
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp white pepper - I have never added this because I don't have any
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp paprika
4 tsp salt

Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out. Place in a resealable bag (like a gallon sized freezer bag). Refrigerate overnight. When ready to roast chicken, place onion inside cavity and roast. Cook according to the size of the chicken. I used this site to determine cooking times. Now, if you are freezing the chicken, rub with spices, and  put the chicken in a freezer bag. I usually put another freezer bag on the first one. Make sure to get as much air out of the bag as you can. When you are ready to cook, place in the fridge overnight to thaw and cook according to the size of the chicken.

I will be doing some freezer cooking soon to prepare for the arrival of the new baby and to make life easier in general. I will be sure to share some pictures then. Sorry for the lack of photos today. The website links do have photos, so be sure to take a look. Please let me know if you try anything. I love hearing your feedback!!!