RECIPE: Inside Out Chicken Pot Pie (5 points+)

This healthier recipe is absolutely delicious with a tasty combination of chicken, butter-marinated carrots, onions and celery. Top it off with some crispy, seasoned panko breadcrumbs, and you are good to go!

Is that Chicken...or just a delicious Pac-Man?

We all know that original pot pie is delicious. And some taste bud sticklers might harass you about eating healthier foods just isn't the same...and yadda yadda yadda. Who cares?! This is about our lives right? Honestly, we all have no-one to please but ourselves. With that being said, this dish is sure to please even the hardest of cases, and if it doesn't....toss them a pie crust, and tell them they can go to town.

For this particular dish, you will want to give yourself enough time. It will take longer than a Lunchable to prepare, so be ready for that.  Perfection takes time.

 Filling:
 2 tablespoons light butter
 1/2 cup onion, chopped/diced
 3/4 cup celery, chopped/diced
 1 cup carrot, chopped/diced
 2 servings shredded hash brown potatoes (can use fresh or frozen)
 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour or Whole Wheat White
 1 teaspoon salt
 Black pepper to taste
 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

We know...we know. You see vegetable stock.

My wife didn't have chicken broth in the house, so she substituted it with vegetable stock. While the dinner turned out good, we both agreed that it's at least 3 times better with the chicken broth.

Chicken:
6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 servings seasoned panko breadcrumbs
4 egg whites

13x9 baking dish,
Olive oil non-stick spray.

Directions:
Spray baking dish with non-stick olive oil spray and place aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter.
Add carrots, celery and onion, cook until fork tender, 10-15 minutes.

In bowl, whisk flour with chicken stock, salt and pepper.

Whisk it good. Whisk it real good.

Add flour/stock mixture to vegetables.  Cook, stirring occasionally until thickened.

Add hash browns and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness or split in half. You can ask the butcher to do that for you.

Season with salt and pepper (Obviously, this step can be omitted if you choose.)
On one side of breast, fill with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of mixture.

Cover with the other side. You may need to use toothpicks to keep chicken closed.

Dip chicken into eggs, and then breadcrumbs to coat.

Gently press down to ensure that the panko sticks.

We are almost at the finish line!

Spray lightly with non-stick olive oil spray, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

And there you have it! Sure, it may take you a little while for the prep, but just think about it...you'll be getting exercise, and rewarding yourself with tasty food for all of your activity greatness! Let us know if you try it out. Good luck, and have a great weigh!

PRODUCT: Bacon - All Natural, Uncured (1 point+)

Have your bacon, and eat it too!!! When people are watching what they eat, unless they are on Atkins, they tend to believe they have to give up bacon. Sometimes people do the unthinkable, and completely switch over to turkey bacon. Blasphemy! If you like bacon...real good, tasty, mouth-watering bacon, and you want to enjoy it occasionally, without guilt, then this may be exactly what you are looking for.

On Weight Watchers, the points calculate out to 1 point for a serving. That's 2 slices for 1 point! Take note that the nutritional info says "Two Pan Fried Slices". Don't be greedy and fry your eggs in the grease afterwards thinking that your points have already been counted, because the grease is not figured into the nutrition on most bacon packages. If you want to use the grease, measure and count it, and fry away!

This particular brand might have different logo on the center of the package, depending on what store you go to, but everything else is exactly the same. This version is from Trader Joe's, and it is delicious.

Serving suggestion: Chop up the bacon and fry it. Remove the bacon, and drop in the Brussels Sprouts. Fry them up in the left-over oil from the bacon. Once finished, if you choose to, throw the crumbly bacon on top. It is fantastic. Again...make sure you measure the oil before dropping in the Brussels Sprouts, because it is not "free points".  Have a great weigh!

Who knew I would ever eat Brussels Sprouts? My wife...that's who.

RECIPE: Turkey Shepherd's Pie - (8 Points+)

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

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"Shepherd's pie", a.k.a "cottage pie" is a type of savory pie made popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is a dish of minced meat with mashed potato on top.

Fun fact: The name "shepherd's pie" was first used in the 1870's, because the dish was ordinarily made with lamb. A shepherd looks after sheep. And now you know.

In our version, we replace the mashed potatoes with steamed cauliflower, saving us points, while still making sure our taste buds are happy with us. Ok, let's do this.

Step 1:    Brown 1 package (20 oz.) of Jennie-O Lean Turkey, 93% Fat Free.

Step 2:    Add carrots and green beans and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Add carrots and green beans.

Step 3:    Mix 2 cups beef broth with 2 packets of McCormick Turkey Gravy mix.

Step 4:    Add mixture to turkey and vegetable and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until sauce thickens.

Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Step 5:   While mixture is simmering, steam 1 head of cauliflower.  You can also use a 16 ounce of frozen cauliflower.

Step 6.    Divide mixture evenly into 4 ramekins or into an 8x8 dish.

Our adorable ramekins.

Step 7:    Once cauliflower is cooked, mash with 2 servings of Land O Lakes Light Butter and ¼ cup Skim Milk.

Step 8:   Spread cauliflower mash over each ramekin and sprinkle with Smoked Paprika. (Maybe use a little salt and pepper to taste. Totally up to you)

Step 9:      Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

And there you have it. Serve it up hot and fresh. A dish everyone is sure to enjoy. 

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Check out this recipe information on the Weight Watcher's website