Back on the wagon

As usual, the holidays have wreaked havoc on my eating habits. Alas, I officially started back on WW this week and thought I'd share a couple of the recipes that have helped get me through the week. It's freezing here in FL (it actually snowed in Daytona Beach last night... unbelievable), which makes me want to eat potatoes and baked goods, but these dinners have helped to keep me on track and the leftovers have made fabulous lunches (both recipes are core, too!).

Turkey Chili

*You can make this recipe vegetarian by omitting the turkey and using three cans of beans. Just start by sauteeing the onion and pepper.

1.5 lbs ground turkey breast (make sure it's turkey breast, not just ground turkey)
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 T garlic powder
2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1/2 t cayenne pepper (or more, if you like a lot of heat)
1 large can tomato puree (not sauce, which has a lot of added salt)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1/2 to 1 T sugar (or splenda if you're on core)
1 T apple cider vinegar
Salt, to taste
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels (optional)
Whole wheat elbow macaroni

Brown turkey over medium-high heat until cooked through. Add onion, green pepper, and a pinch of salt and cook until vegetables are soft and translucent. Add all seasonings and combine thoroughly. Add tomato puree, tomatoes, and water and bring everything to a light boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add vinegar and check for seasoning. Season with salt to taste and add sugar gradually if the tomatoes taste too acidic. Add the beans and corn and heat through. Serve over macaroni (boiled separately). You could cook the macaroni in the chili if you want, but I find that this makes the chili a little too thick and the portions are easier to control if you make the pasta separately. As an alternative, you could serve the chili over brown rice.

Points per serving (1 cup chili with 1/2 cup pasta): 5


Pasta E Fagioli

1 lb turkey or chicken italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
A pinch of red chile flakes
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
(Any other veggies in your fridge that need to be used up - I added mushrooms, zucchini, and kale, but green beans, peas, summer squash, or even broccoli would be fine)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 box reduced sodium chicken stock
2 T italian seasoning (a mixture of oregano, basil, and rosemary)
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Salt to taste
Whole wheat pasta (penne or fusilli would be good)

Remove sausage from casing and brown over medium high heat until cooked through. Add chili flakes, a big pinch of salt, italian seasoning, onion, garlic, and all other veggies except tomatoes and beans and cook until onion is translucent. Add tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 30 minutes or longer, if desired (alternatively, you could throw the browned meat and veggies in a slow cooker with the stock and tomatoes and simmer it all day). Add beans and check for seasoning. Add more salt, if needed. Serve over pasta (same story here with cooking the pasta separately).

Points per serving (1 cup soup over 1/2 cup pasta): 4