Meatball and Barley Soup

I failed to mention that along with gaining a few pounds on the trip we also acquired colds...so despite the 110F heat index yesterday, nothing treats a cold quite like soup! After the greatness of the Cheesy Tortilla Casserole, I picked another recipe to try from my new "Pure Comfort" cookbook. The recipe is easy to make but tedious in the sense that everything must be done in stages; however it is well worth the effort! The rich taste of leeks, barley and carrots marinating in a seasoned broth would be quite enough...but add in the hearty/basil-y meatballs and you have a soup that not only tastes great but is super filling at only 4pts for a 1-1/2 cup serving (4 meatballs per serving). This will definitely be a fall staple, if we get a fall in Texas that is! Happy Cooking! Meatball and Barley Soup

Cheesy Tortilla Casserole

Last night I tried out the first recipe from a new cookbook, "WW Pure Comfort 150 All-Time Feel-Good Favorites". The cheesy tortilla casserole is so good, so delicious and so easy to make that I feel a weekly repeater on the rise! The layers of crisp corn tortillas with smokey cumin seasoned onions and red peppers along with the corn, parsley/oregano, cayenne pepper and cheese mixture when stacked with eggs make for a divinely cheesy and filling Mexican treat! The original recipe weighs in at 5pts per serving but by replacing eggs with substitutes and using fat free cheese over reduced fat I've knocked it down to 4pts for a very generous serving. For a first night cooking after many nights of decadent eating I have to say this one made me feel as though I was still on vacation! Be sure to try: Cheesy Tortilla Casserole

Mushroom Stroganoff

Again with the rainy, stormy weather here in South Texas so another night for a nice hearty meal to warm the spirit! This recipe is an adaptation from, "The Complete Guide to Traditional Jewish Cooking," for those of you that love stroganoff this is a great version that will leave you with the same satisfied feeling as its caloric Russian namesake. The rich flavors of nutty mushroom with pressed garlic, chives, onions and wine over noodles make this a delicious comfort meal for only 4pts per serving! Best try: Mushroom Stroganoff

For those of you that have been skipping dessert to save on points I thought I would share my go-to summer delight. At a whopping, mere, 2pts this dessert has the look, smell, and feel of a much naughtier treat. Simply buy pre-made angel food cake at your local grocery (make sure to check the nutritional information, most serving sizes are 100 calories or less!), top with 2tbsp of fat free whipped topping (0pts), and then heap on any fresh summer fruit that you have lying around. All this goodness for only 2pts!

Fire Roasted Chili Mac

Needless to say that this past holiday weekend combined with house hunting appointments has seriously thrown off my normal cooking routine. I did attempt to make something Tuesday night and the best that can be said for it is that my Clover bear enjoyed the addition to her kibble! What could be so bad you ask? The answer is a recipe for Spanish Tortilla found in the, "WW New Complete Cookbook." There was something about it that just did not go well with neither Wojtek or myself. So moving on to very, very good things...we have last night's comfort food of the week...chili mac! For those of you not in Southern Texas we are experiencing a bit of flooding with dark skies, thunder and the like...so what better way to unwind at night than with a nice hot bowl of chili. This particular version is an adaptation from a WW online recipe that switches up Mexican flavor with fire roasted vegetables. The chili starts with caramelized onions, add in roasted red peppers, fire roasted tomatoes and the flavor is rich and smokey. The best thing about this dish is that chili only gets better tasting with time and you will definitely have leftovers on this one, so for only 4pts...gotta try Fire Roasted Chili Mac

p.s. If you have the extra points top chili with 1/4cup of fat free cheese for an additional 1 point!

Curried Shrimp over Garlic-Basil Coconut Rice

After a long weekend of eating away from home and having to tip-toe around portion selections and choices it was quite a delight to walk in from my weekly WW meeting last night to find dinner made! So while I lack cooking commentary on this one I can say that my grocery selections resulted in a point drop of 8 to 4pts per serving; I can only assume that the original creators were off? This very tasty treat comes from, "WW 101 Best Quick & Easy Recipes," and the taste is really amazing! The combination of tangy orange marmalade and spicy curry together with the coconut flavored rice makes this a wonderful treat on a hot summer night...as I mentioned the recipe dropped drastically in point value and the only noticeable difference is that sugar-free marmalade was used instead of low-sugar and when I point valued the rice for the dish I used only the information for the 2 cups that were being used instead of the whole box, which is where I think the publisher's mistake comes from? At any rate, a very good dish that you (or your loved one) should make! For just 4pts you gotta try Curried Shrimp over Garlic-Basil Coconut Rice

p.s. After last night's weigh-in, I have one pound to lose before hitting 50, I better be good this week!

Polenta Lasagna with Beef and Ricotta Cheese

My approach to the weekend is to make a very large batch of something on Friday night and munch through it for the remainder of days; weekends are also the time when eating out occurs more since meal planning can become a bit cumbersome when combined with museum outings, beach visits and dog park duties. This weekend I opted for a dish from the, "WW From Pantry to Plate," that promised to deliver big flavor in a small point punch. I had never used polenta for lasagna before this recipe and the results were quite promising; in all honesty I think that my polenta failed to firm up due to my impatience in waiting for polenta set-up...that being said the dish was still a fantastic blend of creamy polenta and herbed lasagna ricotta mix. I used fresh basil from my little garden which added an extra bit of aromatic flavor and to top off the greatness of this Italian masterpiece, I reduced the meal from 5pts to 4pts by using 98% lean ground beef! You simply cannot go wrong with a 4pt lasagna that produces leftovers in abundance, do try Polenta Lasagna with Beef and Ricotta Cheese

Alright...so as I mentioned I did not wait the full 1 1/2 hours for my polenta to set up so once I cut into the dish the layers all blended together and while the taste is still phenomenal I will show you what the whole dish looked like to give you a better idea of what yours could look like if you have the patience to wait!

Pair with a simple side, such as fresh steamed asparagus, and you have a lovely Italian feast for 4pts! Happy Cooking!