Turkey Tamale Pie served with Guacamole Salad

Last night's meal was inspired by my intense craving for Mexican...don't get me wrong I still go out to Mexican restaurants but now that I am on WW it's just not as fun when your order includes: no sour cream, no cheese, no meat, no sauce, etc etc. When cooking Mexican at home, however, all the fixings can be had when in moderation and no-fatness making this meal feel, taste and look like something very not WW indeed! The Turkey Tamale Pie begins with a layer of red pepper roasted refried black beans, moves up to spice-i-fied ground turkey mixed with black olives...goes higher with a layer of cornbread/jalapeno mix and tops off with caramelized red onion and cheddar cheese. Yum..yum...yum! This fantastic pie will only cost 5pts per slice and for a great accompaniment try serving with Guacamole Salad for an additional 4pts. I realize this is a pointsy meal but if you're like me you try to save points for your favorite meal each day. If you don't have the points try for a simpler approach by whipping up a salsa vinaigrette (2tbsp salsa + 1tbsp vinegar) to top off your shredded lettuce for a 0pts salad. Either way gotta try: Turkey Tamale Pie as well as Guacamole Salad

Cajun Shrimp with Succotash

When I think of summer I think of farm fresh veggies...what better dish to show off the season's finest than succotash? There are countless ways of making succotash but for the sake of brevity this simple version uses three classic summer staples: corn, zucchini and sweet red pepper. Mix in loads of Tabasco, Creole seasoning and a dash of freshly ground black pepper for a seriously spicy punch. Serve alongside Creole spiced shrimp grilled to order and top off with a squeeze of fresh lemon for an overall amazing meal on a hot summer night for only 5pts! Gotta try: Cajun Shrimp with Succotash

Tomato-Pesto Ravioli

Last night's dinner is proof in itself that anyone with 10 minutes of time can make a WW friendly meal at home! As I keep mentioning we have been SO busy lately...no surprise then that around 7:40pm last night we realized our hunger and the need for an insanely fast meal. Several ideas came to mind but my penchant for Italian on Friday nights held true so pasta it was! The challenge to this dish is finding a store that sells pre-made light cheese ravioli...once you have secured the pasta add in fire roasted tomatoes and a bit of pesto and voile! Admittedly omitting the pesto will save you some points but for those of us that love the sweet nutty basil mixture an extra point or so is worth the trouble; top with fresh cut basil and parmesan (1pt extra) if desired and you have a great/fast Italian meal for 7pts. Happy Cooking! Tomato-Pesto Ravioli

Mushroom and Vegetable Moo Shu

Moo Shu! hehe...I just like the way that sounds...so last night we dined in Chinese style for a vegetarian take on a classic Chinese dish. This recipe comes from, "WW From Pantry to Plate" and though originally listed as a 5pt meal I got it down to 3pts! This was accomplished by switching canola oil for cooking spray to saute and using egg substitute over real; the end results were a fantastically fragrant stir fry dish. The combined flavors of fresh ginger with the various toasted mushrooms and edamame make this a definite repeat. Traditionally this dish is served with thin pancakes...the book suggests using a tortilla replacement and while I thought it might taste odd it was actually quite good. If you use a La Tortilla Factory tortilla (find these if you have not already, Tortilla Link) then it costs 0pts to add. If you still have points leftover then you might want to also add rice to make the dish even heartier, I used basmati but any will work. An all around great recipe good for any of those Chinese take out cravings! Mushroom and Vegetable Moo Shu

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!

Grecian Pizza

Friday night is pizza night! We all know this to be true, so why should life on WW be any different? The best thing about pizza made at home is that the options are endless! I will have to share with you some of my favorites as time goes on but last night we had a lovely Grecian Pizza for a mere 5pts! I used a round pita bread in lieu of crust and proceeded to top with an assortment of complimentary Greek staples: black olives, roasted red peppers, feta cheese, fresh tomatoes, basil, sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and of course artichokes. The only points come from the cheese, black olives and the amazing 1pt only pita. If you have been missing out on pizza night give this 5pointer a try! Grecian Pizza

Poutine with Mushroom Gravy and Garlic Cheese

First off this week has been crazy, not to mention that we still have two parties to attend over the weekend! So all apologies for the lack of cooking that has been occurring; I only hope that my exercise efforts are counter-acting said festivities. That aside...Happy Canada Day!!! or belated at least. So if you can't get Wojtek to Canada...bring Canada to him! Poutine, for those of you that don't know, is a food strongly associated with Canadian cuisine. Essentially it is all things terrible combined into one dish...fries, gravy and cheese curds! There are many variations but for this version I opted to go for flavor through herbs and veggies rather than using a fattier meat based gravy. The fries were freshly cut by hand and seasoned to make them carry a bit of flavor rather than fried crunch and oven baked until crisp. The mushroom gravy was accentuated by the addition of mushrooms and caramelized onions in sherry and the "cheese curds" were replaced by 100 Calorie Pack Mozzarella Garlic & Herb cheese bites. The end results according to W, "...best poutine I've ever had!" Clearly he is too sweet for words, but it really did turn out great and would make for a good introduction to this classic Canadian fare if you have never tried...plus not bad when only 7pts, pair with asparagus and you've got a great meal. Poutine with Mushroom Gravy and Garlic Cheese