Running Mama Cooks

Friday mornings are my weigh in days for weight watchers, and I lost another pound this week. I am officially ONE pound away from my pre-pregnancy weight! So what do I do to celebrate? Bake cookies!!

These are not just any cookies, they are from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes. You would never know that these are low fat cookies, they are absolutely delicious. Think I can eat just 2? Probably not. Hopefully I'll burn it off at Hot Yoga tomorrow morning, my newest fitness obsession!

Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes
2 cookies per serving, 5 weight watchers points +

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°; line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silpat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars on medium speed.

Add the egg, followed by the applesauce and vanilla extract.

Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls (approx 3 tbsp each) of the dough onto prepared baking sheets, flattening each cookie slightly (I forgot to do this). Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies become light brown at the edges.

Let cool on baking sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container so you don't eat them all in one sitting!

Makes about 30 cookies roughly 3 tbsp each.

I'll admit I have never heard of a cassoulet before coming across this recipe, but maybe that is because I never really ate beans until recently! This recipe comes from the most recent edition of Fitness magazine. It was tasty and we enjoyed it, but it was missing something. Zach suggested adding a can of diced tomatoes next time, and I think he is right. It could use the extra liquid (some of the squash wasn't as tender as the rest) and tomato flavor would be a good compliment to this dish. I hope to revisit it soon.

Turkey Sausage Cassoulet
Slightly adapted from Fitness Magazine
Serves 4, 11 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tbs olive oil, divided
2 shallots, minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
pinch salt plus more to taste
4 uncooked turkey sausage links
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbs fresh sage, chopped
1 16oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbs grated Parmesan
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 2 tbs of olive oil and the shallots, onion and pinch of salt to the pot. Saute 5 to 10 minutes and then turn off heat.

2. Remove casings from sausage and brown in a separate pan. Remove from pan and add to onion mixture.

3. Add the squash, broth, thyme, sage and beans to dutch oven; stir.

4. In a medium bowl, mix the panko with parmesan and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle over the sausage mixture. Cover and back from 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

I love spaghetti squash, but have to admit that I never knew what to do with it besides bake it, scrape out the "spaghetti" and top it with sauce. Good, yes, but a bit boring. The other night I was watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network andthey were making this dish. It looked SO good, and different, that I jotted down some notes and put it on my to do list for this week.

This is my version. It was delicious, healthy and very filling. A five star meal!

Baked Spaghetti Squash
Serves 2, 9 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash
1 tbs Olive Oil
2 shallots
1 tsp minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
2 large carrots, cut into small chunks
2 celery stalks, cut into small chunks
2 large zucchini, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided
1/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
2 tbs fresh chopped tarragon

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and boil for 15 minutes. Remove seeds and scrap out "spaghetti."

Heat olive oil on medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, pepper, and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to get tender, about 5 minutes.

Still in one cup of marinara sauce, parmesan, spaghetti squash and tarragon. Stuff veggie mixture into squash shells, top remaining sauce and mozzarella. Bake on 350 for 20 minutes.

ZACH'S RATING - *****

Christina from Tales from the Mad Men Kitchen recently organized a recipe swap on a message board that I frequent. I was very excited to be a part of it and hope that this becomes a regular thing for us! This week, we were asked to submit a weeknight meal that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, or in a crockpot. I submitted my crockpot chicken taco soup and was given this recipe in return.

I was really looking forward to trying it. This recipe makes me step out of my comfort zone a bit using mustard, which is a flavor I am just recently warming up to. The sauce was definitely my favorite part. I cooked it on high and admit it was closer to 3 hours, so my chops were a little dry. Next time I will definitely cook them on low. I also skipped the whipping cream in favor of fat free half and half to make it a bit more weight watchers friendly.

Pork Chops with Onions in Creamy Mustard Sauce
4-6 servings, 6 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
4 to 6 Pork Chops, 1 inch thick
2 Onions, thinly sliced
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1Tsp Dry Mustard
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cracked Black Peppercorns
Pinch Cayenne Pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 cup White Wine or condensed chicken stock (undiluted)
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Whipping Cream (I used fat free half and half)

Directions:

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown pork chops on both sides and transfer to slow cooker stoneware.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pan and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, dry mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne, if using, and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add vinegar and wine or stock and cook until thickened.

3. Pour mixture over meat and cook on Low for 4-5 hours or on High for 2-2.5 hours, until pork is tender and just a hint of pink remains. Remove pork chops from slow cooker and place on a deep platter. Stir Dijon mustard and whipping cream into juices in slow cooker. Pour over pork and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

Serve with mashed potatoes or broad egg noodles

ZACH'S RATING - ***

Some of my friends and family know that there was an incident when I was around 10 years old involving pureed black beans and a certain cousin of mine tricking me into thinking it was chocolate pudding. Needless to say that was a major shock and pretty much ruined beans for me. I literally haven't touched black beans since that day, until tonight!

I wasn't sure if I was going to care for this, but just like every meal I've made with beans in the past few weeks, I loved it!!! Tons of flavor and again, I really liked the beans! Another great vegetarian meal to add to my repertoire.

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers
Slightly adapted from Our Best Bites
5 WW points plus per pepper

6 medium sweet bell peppers (I used red and yellow)
1 Tbs salt
1/2 C cooked quinoa or rice (I used quinoa)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 - 1 jalapeno, minced (or you could sub a small 3oz can of mild green chilies)
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, sliced
1/2-1 tsp chili powder (you can start with 1/2 and add more to taste)
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 black pepper, plus more to taste
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
3/4 C jack or pepperjack cheese, divided
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
tortilla chips, just a handful and more for serving if desired.

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare peppers by washing, slicing tops off, and removing insides. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Boil whole peppers for about 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Remove from water with tongs and place on paper towels to drain.

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno (or chilies) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn, beans, green onions, chili powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Stir until corn and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Place peppers in a baking dish. Remove skillet from heat and add quinoa, tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese, and cilantro. Stir to combine well and give it a taste. Add additional salt, pepper, and chili powder to your liking. Then evenly divide mixture between peppers. Top peppers with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

We really enjoyed ropa vieja when I made it with beef, so I tweaked the recipe a bit and used chicken to lighten it up. Delish!

Chicken Ropa Vieja
Serves 4, 5 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions:

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Add chicken breasts and pour broth and tomato sauce on top. Add rest of the ingredients and stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred chicken and serve over rice (additional points).

ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

My in laws gave me the "Crockpot Slow Cooker Bible" for Christmas and I have so many pages marked, its about time I get on it! Thursdays are our usual crockpot night because I teach at the gym, so I decided to give this one a try.

One of my goals in the new year is to also try more vegetarian meals. Not that I plan on giving up meat, but because they are generally very healthy and cost effective dinners. Plus, I have many family members that are vegetarian and I would like to be able to make them something other than meatless baked ziti when they visit!

I have to admit that I wasn't that excited about this meal. I am typically not a fan of beans, even though I am trying to be more open minded about them. But, it ended up being pretty good. There was something missing flavor-wise (I could have added more salt), but overall it was a nice hearty soup. And the beans were actually my favorite part!

ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

I have always been on the picky side when it comes to food, my friends and family would definitely agree. I have a few food "issues" and always had a long list of things I didn't like. Since I started cooking, I have tried a lot of new foods and realized that there are a lot of things on that list that are actually pretty good! (although mayo is still a no go!!!)

When I got this month's Food Network Magazine in the mail, I was excited to see "Light Family Dinners, Easy Low-Cal Recipes." This is the one that really caught my eye and it was delicious!

Zach suggested that we have a bruschetta tilapia for dinner tonight so I did some searching around for ideas. I came across The Mad Chemist and her version of this dish. I decided to use that as my inspiration. At Wegmans, I found roasted red pepper bruschetta and used that because it sounded so delish! And it saved me the trouble of making bruschetta from scratch.

Bruschetta Pesto Tilapia
Adapted from The Mad Chemist
Serves 2, 11 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia filets
4 tbs pesto
4 tbs roasted red pepper bruschetta (Wegmans brand)
1/2 cup asiago cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Pat tilapia filets dry and place on a baking dish. Top each filet with 1 tbs pesto and 1 tbs roasted red pepper bruschetta. Sprinkle with asiago cheese.

Bake for 5 minutes. Switch oven to broil and cook for 3 minutes more or until cheese is browned.

ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

The crockpot definitely saves my life on the nights that I teach at the gym. The last thing I want to do is cook after getting home at 8 and having to put both kids to bed! I didn't have a plan for dinner tonight but after taking a look through my cabinets and fridge, I put together this Chicken Taco Soup. I was hopeful that it would come out tasty, and I was right! It was super flavorful, had a little kick, was ready when I got home and, best of all, is super low in points!

I have to pat myself on the back, this was a great one!

Another snow day! Cecily, Finn and I are stuck inside. School is cancelled and the roads are super icy. Looks like my relaxing morning at the mall has to put off until Thursday.

The beginning of a diet is always the worst, it seems like there isn't anything satisfying to eat. Then after a week or two you discover different ways to create yummy, filling meals that are diet friendly. My newest favorite discovery is Bagel Thins. They are so versatile. I've been eating them with reduced fat peanut butter for lunch and with egg beaters and a little cheddar as a breakfast sandwich. Then had the brilliant idea to make bagel thin pizzas!







Down 6 lbs in 2 weeks. Weight Watchers rocks!

The perfect snow day soup! Very hearty and healthy. And only 7 Weight Watchers points per serving.

Chicken Meatball and Vegetable Soup
A Running Mama Cooks Original
Serves 6
7 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

1 tbs Olive Oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
pinch red pepper flakes
4 cups broth
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup egg beaters
1/4 cup Parmesan, plus more
2 tbs pesto
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp fresh thyme
dried basil
1 cup frozen green beans
6 oz bag baby spinach

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add a few pinches of red pepper flakes

Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaf, and dried basil. In the meantime, combine ground chicken, oats, egg beaters, pesto, Parmesan, garlic and thyme and form into 1 inch meatballs

Bring soup to a boil. Add frozen green beans and drop in meatballs. Simmer on low covered for 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Stir in baby spinach and serve with Parmesan cheese.

I think Gina from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes is my new best friend. The last thing I wanted to do is give up Sunday pancakes while on a diet! I quickly found what I was looking for on skinnytaste.com. Banana pancakes are my favorite and these looked perfect. And only 4 points plus for 2 pancakes (with the nuts, 3 points without), not bad!

They were light and fluffy. I put a teeny bit of butter and light syrup and didn't feel like I missed out at all.

Banana Nut Pancakes
Recipe from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 large banana, very ripe, mashed
1 cup 1% milk
3 large egg whites
2 tsp oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)
butter flavor cooking spray

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine milk, egg white and mashed bananas in a bowl and mix until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots. Don't over-mix.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Spray oil to lightly coat and pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter. When the pancake starts to bubble and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

I'm back on the wagon and staring the year off right with healthy eating. I immediately went to one of my favorite food blogs, Gina's Weight Watchers recipes, to get some ideas. This one caught my eye immediately. I love cooking Asian food at home, so much better than take out!

The only thing I changed about this recipe is that I used thighs instead of drumsticks. And with only 5 weight watchers points plus per serving (4 servings total) you cant go wrong! It was so good that I had it for lunch today with steamed broccoli and dinner with brown rice.

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs
Very slightly adapted Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Ingredients:

8 medium boneless skinless chicken thighs
Pam spray oil
1 cup water
1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp ginger, grated
2 tbsp chives or scallions, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds

Directions:

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil. Add water, balsamic, soy sauce, agave, garlic, ginger, hot sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8 minutes until it becomes a thick glaze, turning chicken occasionally. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick) Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives and sesame seeds and serve

With all these apples in the house it is tempting to whip up a fattening pie or cake, so I am trying to find some low fat/cal alternatives. I came across this apple crisp recipe and decided to give it a try. At 3 weight watchers points per serving (can you tell I have some baby weight to lose :D) you can't go wrong! We topped it with a bit of fat free cool whip. Yum!


Low Cal Apple Crisp
Adapted slightly from Lower Calerie Cooking

Ingredients:

•4 cups peeled, cored, sliced golden delicious apples (3-4 medium apples)
•1 Tbsp granulated sugar
•2 tsp lemon juice
•3/4 cup rolled oats
•1/4 cup flour
•2 Tbsp brown sugar
•2 Tbsp melted butter
•1 tsp ground cinnamon
•1/4 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Place the apples evenly in the bottom of a 11x7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. To complete the crisp, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and stir until the mixture resembles of course meal. Top the apples evenly with the oat mixture.

4. Bake the crisp at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Serves 6

I was really in the mood to try a different crockpot recipe tonight. When I came across this one on Lauren's blog, I thought Id give it a try. It was super easy and I really liked it! Another good one for my crockpot rotation.

And not too bad as far as weight watchers is concerned, 12 points per serving.

Crockpot Asian Beef and Noodles
Recipe from Lauren's Kitchen

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir fry vegetables
2 - 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
1 (12 ounce) bottle stir-fry sauce, any flavor
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles, broken (I used a 6oz package of Chinese chow mein noodles)
1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Directions:

Coat a 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place frozen vegetables in the bottom and top with stew meat. In a medium bowl, stir together stir-fry sauce, water, and red pepper. Pour over stew meat and vegetables in cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4 1/2-5 hours (I recommend low, it will help to break the meat down more).

At the end of cooking time, discard spice packets from ramen noodles. Stir noodles and green onions into meat mixture. Cover and let stand 10 minutes more. Stir before serving. This can be kept on warm for 1-2 hours.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

This soup tasted rich, but it was very low in fat and calories! I even put it through weight watchers "recipe builder" and found out it was only 3 points per serving. And it was super tasty and filling. Another 5 star meal, I'm on a roll!

Butternut Squash Soup
Recipe adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, halved, seeded, and diced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth for vegetarian version
1/2 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, sage, 1 teaspoon of the salt and season with pepper, to taste. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Raise heat to medium-high, add the tomatoes, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes break up and the onions brown slightly, about 7 minutes. Add the squash and the remaining teaspoon salt, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 12 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, or with an immersion blender. Return the soup to the pot and reheat over medium heat. Stir in yogurt and vinegar. Serve the soup in warm bowls with a touch of Parmesan cheese if desired.

ZACH'S RATING - *****

Flavor, flavor, flavor!!!! These Lettuce wraps were SO good, I am really happy I decided to go out of my comfort zone and try making these. The recipe was relatively simple (the prep work was a little time consuming, but not too bad) and the end result was a super tasty (with just enough spice) and attractive meal.

Lettuce Wraps
Inspired by Big City Cooking
Adapted from Allrecipes
Serves 4, 6 WW points plus per serving

Boston Bibb lettuce (I used Iceberg)
1 lbs ground turkey
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
8oz water chestnuts, chopped
5 green onions, chopped
2 tsp sesame oil

Cook turkey in oil till just cooked, but not yet brown. Add onion, red pepper, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, and vinegar. Cook till onions are translucent, then add water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil. Cook another 2 minutes and remove from heat.

Lay out lettuce and top with meat mixture and dip in peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce
Backpacker Magazine and The Way the Cookie Crumbles
serves 4, 3 WW points plus per serving

1 tsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Heat oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add water and heat till boiling. Removed from heat and add peanut butter, stir until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and return to heat. Stir for 2-4 minutes until thickened. (I added another heaping tbs of PB because it wasn't getting as thick as I wanted, then it was perfect)

Another look at these yummy wraps!




UPDATE - I have since made this with Boston Bibb lettace and that is definitely the way to go. Its softer, tastier and easier to work with. Love this one!!