Steamer clams with pasta and vegetables

They are back at Costco. The steamers come in a box that has three packages. Just pop in the microwave for 5 minutes. These come in their own garlic sauce. I prepared whole-grain pasta, three in a few calamata olives, asparagus spears and cherry tomatoes. Toss with the clams and yum!

Tonight's recipe

Chicken casserole (what to do with that left over roasted chicken)

2 c. chicken breast diced
1 1/2 c. cooked rice
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
3 celery stocks, diced
1 can of cream of chicken soup
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t. garlic powder (I use fresh garlic)

mix all this together in an 8x8 pan

top with 3/4 c. lowfat cheddar cheese and 1/4 c. bread crumbs

bake 25 minutes at 375


Pictures to follow. This is 8 WW points for 1/4 of the casserole.

Easter craziness

With 11 people for dinner, pictures were the last of my thoughts. We had a simple, yet tasty meal with ham. I pushed whole cloves into the outside of the ham and warmed it up, adding the glaze during the last few minutes. Warding off the normal scalloped potatoes (due to calories) I made red potatoes with chives. Fresh greenbeans from Costco were first blanched, then tossed with olive oil, bacon, carmalized onions, lemon zest and citrus pepper. I made a salad with mixed greens, mandarin oranges, low fat feta cheese, drizzled with balsamic vinegar dressing (non fat). I served Costo rolls, warmed in the oven. For dessert we had the fruit pie from Costco and also a low calorie hit of Pineapple cake.

Take 1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 can of pineapple with the juice
1 t. baking soda

top with chopped nuts and a tad brown sugar. Bake at 350. This is a tasty and moist recipe converted to a low calorie delight.

Easter love

Spring has sprung and beauty is around us at this special time of year.

Stay tuned for a healthy menu for Easter dinner.

Scallops with salsa cruda

This light, refreshing pasta dish has a mild tang. This is a Weight Watchers recipe.  The balsamic  darkens the dish for a richer appearance.  Using whole-grain pasta is a must.

The loss saga

I joined Weight Watchers at the first of the year, along with every other Tom, Dick and Mary. I think Jane was there too. I have thoroughly enjoyed the venture so far. My love for baking has always killed me in the past. My determination now is to transform that into creative meals, using recipes from books, on-line or from my head.

I'm down 28.6 pounds, but know I'm having a horrible week. The scale shows what you eat.

Using 2 point Schwans Alaskan salmon baked in the toaster oven, I topped it with a few pine nuts, a few calamata olives and a few sundried tomatoes for a zesty fullness. This is accompanied by new red potatoes first boiled, then sliced. I warmed them using Crisco's butter flavor spray, chives, garlic and salt and pepper. The side salad is mixed baby greens, mandarin oranges topped with fat free balsamic vinagrette dressing. It's a beauty.

Dinner at the Sherards

With steamed white rice around the sides, this tangy, yet sweet dish, is likely to appeal to most.

Snow peas, carrots, ginger, chicken and pineapple flavor this meal.