Snack Time

Bigger IS better!

When it comes to snacks and dieting of course!!  I find myself once again bored with the snacks (and lunches) I create while dieting - or "Changing my lifestyle" as WW puts it!  The fresh fruit is great and pea pods nice and crispy but sometimes I just want something to sink my teeth into that doesn't cost half my daily points.

I came across this idea the other day while perusing the internet and although I'm not a fan of the baked egg roll wrappers I figured I'd give it a try.  So many recipes want you to bake these papery wrappers and that's exactly what they come out like...  baked paper!  Maybe I was really hungry this time but these were really quite tasty!

Ham & Swiss Rolls
1 cup lean ham, minced
1/2 cup 2% Swiss cheese
1 green onion, minced
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
8 egg roll wrappers
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp half & half, fat free

Preheat oven to 400F.  Mix ham, cheese and green onion to combine.  Place an egg roll wrapper diagonally on work surface and spread 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard in the center.  Put two tablespoons of ham mixture on the mustard.  Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the filling and gently but firmly pull slightly towards you.  Fold the left and right sides in and roll to the tip, creating a nice firm roll.  Place on sprayed baking sheet and continue with remaining wrappers.  Lightly spray rolls with cooking spray.  Bake for 8 minutes, turn rolls over, bake for an additional 8 minutes until lightly browned.  Mix together remaining tablespoon of mustard, honey and half & half for dipping.

Eaten hot or room temperature, these little rolls do the trick!  At a mere 2 pts each they can be a quick snack or a nice filling lunch.  I'm going to experiment with some different cheeses and maybe a spinach leaf or two but other than that, I think I'll keep it simple and enjoy the flavors just like they are!

Lunch Time!

Sometimes with WW, I get really bored at lunch time.  There are only so many soups and salads before I start wandering, looking for something a little different and a little more traditional.  One of my favorite sandwiches is a good, creamy egg salad.  Without all that mayo though (and I mean the good full fat kind) it's just not the same!  

This "egg salad" sandwich is so different from what I grew up with that it takes on a whole new taste and texture and yet satisfies my craving for the real thing. 

Try it and see what you think!

Egg Salad Sandwich

1 English Muffin

1 Egg (hard boiled)

2 slices of tomato (or one big one)

Handful of alfalfa sprouts

2 tbsp mayonnaise or ranch dressing (fat free) 

Salt/pepper to taste

Slice the hard boiled egg into nice thick slices. Spread 1 tbsp of mayo on each half of the English muffin.  Place sliced egg on bottom half of muffin and sprinkle lightly with salt/pepper.  Add tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts and place muffin on top.

The crunch of the alfalfa sprouts and the creaminess of the egg yolk really compliment each other making this a very satisfying lunch for only 5 pts.

Cravings

What's something every family has nearly once a month?

  Give up?

Pizza Night!

This night usually involves lots of gooey cheese, rich sauce, movies, soda pop, paper plates and arguing (depending on the size of the family) over what toppings get to adorn the luscious pie!  Don't you just get a craving for all that?  Well, maybe not the arguing...  but the taste of the pizza...  the tomatoey goodness of the sauce...  tasty toppings mingling together on your tongue...  melted cheese on your chin!

It's time to enjoy it once again with a zillion less calories and fat grams!

Pizza Chicken (1 serving)

1 5 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 tbsp pizza sauce (home made or jarred)

4 slices turkey pepperoni

1 mushroom, sliced thin

1 ring sliced bell pepper

2 tbsp mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.  Flatten the chicken breast to 1/2" thickness.  Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place on a foil lined baking sheet.  Spread the sauce evenly over the seasoned chicken then layer with pepperoni, mushrooms and bell peppers.  Bake chicken for 15 min then top with cheese and bake for an additional 5 min.

This is only the beginning!  The possibilities are as endless as the local pizzeria menu options and of course your imagination. Not to mention it cooks up just as fast as one of those pizzas you bring home and cook yourself!  Oh, by the way, did I mention these can be cooked on the grill?

This one serving, made just like this is only 5 points!  It's a rather large "piece" of pizza and will definitely fill you up but why not have 2 "slices" and put that craving to rest for a little while!