The Blonde Diaries

Newly found Weight Watcher Friendly Recipes

I always try to test new recipes before I share them with others because I’d hate to pass along something that didn’t taste well. I also hate to eat the same thing over and over again. If I could get away with it I’d never repeat the same recipe in a given year but that doesn’t always work out.

I did come across 2 new recipes this month thanks to 2 fellow Sunshine Rewarders who knew I was a) looking for some variety and b) trying hard to get back on Weight Watchers. Both recipes were excellent and were approved to be made again by Mike which is a huge thing since he tends to like making the “known” or tried and true recipes. So without further ado I present:

BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN BAKE
-Makes 6 servings at just 6 points per serving

1 - 14oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg. stove top stuffing mix (chicken)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Place tomatoes with liquid in medium bowl. Add garlic, stuffing mix and water. Stir just until stuffing mix is moist. Set aside.

2. Spray 9 x 13 pan with Pam. Place chicken in pan. Sprinkle with basil, then cheese.

3. Top with stuffing mix.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Now a few thoughts from making it once - I used chicken breast tenders which turned out great since I don’t really like touching raw chicken. Also next time I make it I think I will add in some celery, onions, and bell peppers to add in some extra veggies when I make the stuffing topping.

And what’s dinner without a little dessert?? Talk about yumm-o! Tastes just like a reese peanut butter cup.

Frozen Peanut Butter Cups
Makes 12 servings for 2 points each!
8 oz. cool whip (ff)
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners. (You will need 12 of course)

2. Mix cool whip and peanut butter until well combined. The recommendation was to use crunchy. All I had was reduced fat creamy and it was still v. good.

3. Spoon even portions into muffin liners.

4. Top each with a swirl of chocolate syrup. I found a sugar free, fat free, carb free, gluten free (basically free of everything) chocolate syrup at Kroger that worked well.

5. Freeze 6-8 hours.

12 servings, 2 pts. each

Hope you enjoy these 2 new recipes. I surely did.

What’s for Dinner?

Oh how many times have I asked this question to myself or to Mike. The response normally becomes “I don’t know” or “leftovers” or even “Well we don’t have anything that is appealing lets go out”.

In an effort to be a bit more budget-conscious and weight-conscious (that last response hasn’t worked out so well between myself, the scale, and weight watchers) I have been pulling out my cookbooks and scouring the internet looking for new ways to make dinner interesting. There are only so many times I can handle bratwursts on a bun with some sauerkraut but adding in a sauce, some diced onions, and slow cooking the brats on low for a few hours gives a new twist to an old standby. The best part: The meal makes enough left overs to freeze for another day so I won’t get bored eating the same thing every night for a week!!

So for my first installment of What’s For Dinner:

Slow Cooked Bratwursts

Makes 8 servings

8 Bratwursts
1 large onion, sliced (or you can be lazy like me and do the prediced 8oz onions from the produce section)
12 oz can of beer (any kind. I used Turbo Dog by Abita- a dark, Guiness sort of beer)
1 cup chili sauce (its in the bottled condiment section)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp Vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp paprika

1. Boil Brats in water in skillet for 10 minutes to remove fat
2. Drain brats and place in slow cooker (I failed to do that and man was it nasty after 1 day in the fridge. I was scraping out the fat but at least it was easy to deal with)
3. Mix together remaining ingredients in bowl and then pour over meat.
4. Cook on low 4-5 hours.

On a side note brats come 5 to a pack around here so I just did 2 packs of 5 and it turned out fine. Now thinking about it I bet some green bell peppers would be delish as well and add in some extra veggies. Goes well on a hot dog bun and served with a side of sauerkraut (or on top).

Hey Yall!

I figured I’d go ahead and do an about me post before I started blogging away.

So Who Am I?

I’m a 26 year old Texan transplant. I came from Louisiana 2.5 years ago to persue a job as an Auditor and to live closer to a brick and mortar Sephora store. I think there are somewhere between 5-10 Sephora stores here in Houston so I’m a happy camper and I don’t go into bank account shock as much any more since I can spread out my purchases over an entire year instead of my old one time shopping trips.

I love to cook - slow cook, cook from scratch, 30 minute meals, weight watcher friendly recipes, cocktails. The list can go on forever and you will soon be reading all about it. I think my next quest will be recreating my restaurant favorites at home so I don’t go out and gorge myself when I eat out.

Other Factoids:

• I am a Disney Addict. I am currently planning my September 2008 Trip
• Favorite TV shows include: How I Met Your Mother, Friends Reruns, Dancing with the Stars, Scrubs reruns (I don’t get NBC so I can’t watch new episodes). I’m pretty much limited to CBS, ABC, FOX, and the CW. If I knew Spanish my choices would double.
• I’m on a pseudo-weight watchers plan that I have made up in my mind. Unfortunately it isn’t working out too well so I’m going back to the actual plan this week.
• I am a beer girl and prefer champagne over wine.
• Sauerkraut does not scare me. Curry does though.
• I am pro-gecko in the gecko vs. caveman debate with Geico
• I have a zoo membership and go once per month. I do not have kids. I just love the zoo.
• My first degree/career was in IT, my second degree/career is in accounting, and if all else fails my 3rd career will be working at a makeup counter at Nordstrom or Sephora. I am so done with school.
• I hated the color pink growing up and now I can’t do without it. Bright pinks though not baby pinks.