Chicken 'n' Noodles

I was really in the mood for some creamy comfort food, and since I already had cooked and shredded chicken in the fridge, I just threw this meal together last-minute. Jerry and I both loved it! If the chicken is already cooked, the whole meal comes together very quickly.

Chicken 'n' Noodles

20 oz. cooked, shredded chicken breasts
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
4 cups chicken broth
6 oz. (uncooked) Smart Taste pasta (I used egg noodles)
1 (10 oz) bag frozen mixed vegetables (green beans, corn, peas, carrots)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water

In a large pot, combine the broth and cream of chicken soup. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Simmer about five minutes, and then add the vegetables and chicken. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the pasta is almost done. Add the cornstarch mixture to thicken. Makes 6 servings (approximately 1 1/3 cups each).

With six servings, this is 7 PointsPlus per serving.

Pumpkin Fluff

I got this recipe from my Weight Watchers leader on the day before Thanksgiving. I'd made something very similar before, and really liked it, so I tried this "light" version for dessert on Thanksgiving. It was a great replacement for pumpkin pie!

Pumpkin Fluff

1 (4 serving) box of fat-free sugar-free vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup low-fat milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4 oz. Cool Whip Free

Whisk the pudding mix and milk together well, and then stir in the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the Cool Whip Free. Divide into four portions and refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

Each serving is 3 PointsPlus.

Peppermint Pattie Protein Shake

Chocolate and peppermint go so well together... and this protein shake is no exception! Definitely gave me the peppermint fix I was looking for. A good garnish for this would be whipped cream and chopped Andes mints. (This would probably also be good if you add 1-2 tsp. instant coffee, for a peppermint mocha latte type shake).

Peppermint Pattie Protein Shake

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or whatever milk you'd like)
1 serving chocolate protein powder (or vanilla powder + 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder, which is what I use)
1 Tbsp. instant chocolate pudding mix
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
10 ice cubes
optional--1/4 tsp. xanthan gum and 1/4 tsp guar gum, for thick and creamy texture

Throw all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I eat it with a spoon, because it reminds me of ice cream :)  Makes 1 serving (about 20 oz). 4 PointsPlus if you calculate on Weight Watchers Recipe Builder. It's 5 PP if you use the nutrition info below.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken Penne

I posted this in my daily Runs for Cookies blog, but I'm also adding it here for easy reference. This creamy comfort food pasta dish is perfect for a cold day!

Crock Pot Italian Chicken Penne

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were still frozen, no need to thaw)
1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
1 (15 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes
12 oz. Smart Taste penne

Stir together the soup, cream cheese, tomatoes, and dressing mix in the crock pot. Add the chicken. Cook on low about 6 hours, until chicken shreds easily with a fork. Cook the pasta according to package directions, and drain. Add the pasta to the crock pot mixture and stir to combine. Makes 6 servings (approximately 1 1/4 cups each). 11 PP per serving.

Vanilla Pumpkin Protein Shake

This shake turned out so yummy it actually deserves its own post ;)  One of my readers requested that I create a pumpkin protein shake. I've tried a few recipes that I found online, but wasn't crazy about any of them. A lot of the shake recipes use bananas to sweeten, and I just wasn't crazy about the combo of pumpkin and banana. I used Torani Pumpkin Pie flavored syrup in this--if you really can't find it and/or don't want to buy it online, you could probably just use some sort of sweetener (1 Tbsp. of maple syrup would probably be good!) and extra pumpkin pie spice.

Also, I used the xanthan and guar gums in this shake, which are always optional (I like the thick, creamy texture they create). If you don't use them, I would cut back on the milk to about 1/2 cup, and freeze your pumpkin before using to get a thicker texture.

Anyway, this shake makes me super excited for my favorite time of year--fall!

Vanilla Pumpkin Protein Shake

3/4 cup milk (I used 1%, but use what you like)
1 serving vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 Tbsp. Torani Pumpkin Pie flavored syrup (I used regular, but they also sell sugar-free)
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
10 ice cubes
(optional) 1/4 tsp. each xanthan and guar gum

Throw all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes 1 large serving (16-18 oz)

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I used to make muffins with these two ingredients, but I was really in the mood for cookies a few nights ago, so I decided to turn them into cookies instead. They are SO good, and SO simple--and only 64 calories each!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 box Duncan Hines Spice cake mix
1 (15 oz) can of pure pumpkin

Combine the cake mix and pumpkin (nothing else) in a bowl. It takes a while to stir it together, and it's tempting to add water, but just keep working those two ingredients and eventually they will form a thick, sticky dough. Use a spring-loaded scoop to drop by tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet (I got 36 cookies from one batch of dough). Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, and then let the cookies cool.

Protein Shakes/Smoothies Part 3

See Part 1 here.
See Part 2 here.

Just some more protein shake recipes :)  These are my favorites as of lately. During the summer, I will even have these for lunch when I want something quick and cold.

The in-a-nutshell rundown:
Protein Powder: I've discovered that I have a sensitivity to whey protein powder, which is what I was using before. Lately, I've been using egg white protein powder, which is just as good. I use the Healthy 'n Fit 100% Egg Protein in vanilla ice cream flavor (when making chocolate shakes, I just add 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder). Use whatever kind you like. The only kind I've found to taste badly in these shakes is brown rice protein powder.

Gums: You'll also notice that I use xanthan gum and guar gum in my shakes. These are completely optional. I use them because it thickens the shake and makes it creamier; but not at all necessary. Just don't overdo the gums, because it'll be waaay too thick.

Milk: I've been using 1% milk lately, but I used to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You can use whatever kind of milk you like.

Yummy "extras": Finally, these shakes aren't super "healthy"--I use pudding mixes and syrups in them, which have sugar. But the pudding mixes make the shake taste so much better, and when you're having shakes every day, it's a great way to keep from getting bored. The extras seriously make a protein shake taste like a dessert.

Nutrition Facts: I'm not going to break down every one of these recipes (you can do that at Sparkpeople.com if you want) but I'll list a general idea of the calories in each ingredient for you to figure out yourself:

protein powder- 110 calories
sugar free syrup/extracts- 0 calories
regular flavored syrup (1 Tbsp)- 40 calories
1 cup almond milk- 40 calories
1 cup 1% milk- 100
1 Tbsp. pudding mix- 50 calories
1 Tbsp. nuts- 70 calories
1 Tbsp. chocolate chips- 70 calories
guar gum/xanthan gum-0

Here are the recipes for a few favorites... Just throw all the ingredients in the blender and let it rip. Each of these makes about 20-24 oz. (a large shake!)

German Chocolate Cake Protein Shake
1 cup milk
1 serving chocolate protein powder (or vanilla powder + 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder)
1 Tbsp. instant chocolate pudding mix
1 Tbsp. Torani coconut syrup
1/2 Tbsp. Torani caramel syrup
1 Tbsp. sweetened shredded coconut
1 Tbsp. pecans
1/4 tsp. guar gum (optional, for texture)
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (optional, for texture)
10 ice cubes

Almond Joy Protein Shake
1 cup milk
1 serving chocolate protein powder (or vanilla powder + 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder)
1 Tbsp. chocolate pudding mix
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 Tbsp. sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 tsp. guar gum (optional)
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (optional)
10 ice cubes

Turtle Cheesecake Protein Shake
1 cup milk
1 serving chocolate protein powder (or vanilla powder + 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder)
1 Tbsp. Oreo pudding mix
1 Tbsp. Torani caramel syrup
1/2 Tbsp. chocolate pudding mix
1/2 Tbsp. cheesecake pudding mix
1 Tbsp. pecans
1/4 tsp. guar gum (optional)
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (optional)
10 ice cubes

Pina Colada Protein Shake
1 cup milk
1 serving vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1 Tbsp. Torani coconut syrup
1 Tbsp. coconut
1/4 tsp. guar gum (optional)
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (optional)
10 ice cubes

Mudslide Protein Shake
1 cup milk
1 serving vanilla protein powder
1 tsp. instant coffee powder
1 Tbsp. chocolate pudding mix
1 Tbsp. Torani Kahlua syrup
1/4 tsp. guar gum (optional)
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (optional)
10 ice cubes

Whole Grain Blueberry Pancakes

There are tons of whole grain pancake recipes floating around, but I could never really find one that was good enough to be a "go-to" recipe that I absolutely loved. So I created my own "real food" recipe, and they were so delicious that I had to write it down to become my go-to recipe for pancakes.

I've written this recipe for one serving, since I usually cook breakfast for just myself. But it would be easy to multiply the recipe.

Whole Grain Blueberry Pancakes
1/3 c. whole-wheat pastry flour
1 Tbsp. wheat germ
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. honey
1 egg white
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. frozen (or fresh) blueberries

Combine the flour, wheat germ, and baking powder in a small bowl. Add the honey, egg white, and milk, and stir until combined. Fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into three pancakes, and cook over medium to medium-high heat in a skillet (with a little butter or oil to prevent sticking). Top with a touch of butter and pure maple syrup.

Quinoa Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

A reader sent me a link to this recipe, thinking I might like it. I'm glad she did, because it was great! The original recipe can be found here. I made a few modifications, so I'll post those below. It sounds like a strange combination of ingredients, but it worked really well together.

Not the prettiest dish, but it tastes good!

Quinoa Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing
(modified to make 1 serving)

1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup coleslaw mix (just plain shredded green cabbage and carrots)
3-4 slices of cucumber, julienned

For the sauce:
1.5 Tbsp. smooth natural peanut butter
1.5 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Bring the water to a boil in a small sauce pan, and add the quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer until water is absorbed (about 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl until smooth. Add the coleslaw mix and cucumber, and toss to coat. When the quinoa is done cooking, add it to the bowl and toss again until everything is coated.  Makes 1 serving