Pineapple Glazed Pork Chops

Yummy Yummy Yummy- sorry my picture didn't turn out very good, but it sure tasted good
Pineapple Glazed Pork Chops
serves 4, 5 points each
4, 4 oz boneless pork chops
1/4 tsp salt and pepper (each)
6 oz can unsweetened pineapple juice (I blended up 1 cup of pineapples in the food processor)
2 tbs dry cooking sherry (optional)
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp dried crushed rosemary
1/4 tsp garlic power


What you do: Mix pineapple, sherry, brown sugar, rosemary, and garlic- then set aside. Salt and pepper chops, then place meat in a skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray, brown meat on high then turn down heat and cook till done. Remove meat from heat, in the little bit of grease left, add the pineapple mixture to skillet. Cook on low heat until mixture thickens. Put meat back into the pan, turn it over around in the glaze, remove from heat, place glazed meat onto serving place drizzle remaining onto the meat and serve.
Suggested sides: potatoes, couscous, carrots, peas.

Butternut Squash-1point

I love Butternut Squash. I think that it taste great just the way it is or fixed up like sweet potatoes. Either way it does need butter.
How you make it:
Take you Squash cut it into chunks. Leave the skins on. You can make it one of three ways, the microwave, the oven, or a steamer.
Microwave- wrap piece in plastic wrap, cook the same as you would a potato (if you don't have a potato button  on your microwave, cook on high for about 2 minutes.)
Oven- place on pan skin down or put it into veggie medley mix. Cook for an hour.
Steamer- cook for about 20 minutes.
Once cooked the skins should peal right off, if they won't peal, then it should cut right off. The reason not to cut it off before is it is too hard don't waste your time.
To serve, mash or eat in chunks. Spray with spray butter. If you have the points add 1 teaspoon  per 1 cup of mashed sweet potato. I doesn't add a full point. but add a point to each 1 cup serving. 
I hope you enjoy Butternut Squash as much as I do.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Orzo -7 points per serving

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Orzo

7 points per serving, 4 servings

• 6 oz Orzo pasta
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
• 1 3/4 c tomato sauce
• 1 tbs  honey
• 15 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts

Boil water for the orzo, once its boiling cook orzo. Orzo only needs to cook around 9 minutes. Put to the side once its cooked and drained. Meanwhile, cook up the onions and garlic in a sauce pan, add cinnamon,salt, ginger, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, once onions are cooked add the tomato sauce and honey. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes until boiling. Remove from heat. If you can multi-task enough, spray skillet, cook chicken that has been cut into strips over high heat, cook until fulling done, remove from heat. Serve orzo, with chicken strips on top, all covered by the sauce. 
Each serving is 3 oz of cooked chicken, 1/4 th of the Orzo, 1/2 cup sauce.
Suggested Veggie side: Broccoli, California Veggie mix, Veggie Mix

Salsa Beef- 5 points

Salsa Beef

(5 points per serving, 4 servings)

• 1 lbs boneless top loin steak*, trimmed visible fat
• 1 1/2 cup Salsa

Take your beef, cook in skillet on medium heat. Sear each side. Once seared, turn heat to low, pour salsa over the beef. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until meat is fully cooked (don't over cook or scorch the salsa).

Suggestions: Serve with rice or rice and beans. Don't forget a veggie or a side salad.
*This can also be made with chicken, how many ounces of chicken you use is your points since most salsas have almost no points, But check your salsa for calories. If the calories are under 25 calories per serving then don't worry about adding it into the points.

Baked Salmon

This was the first time I had ever made fish. I'm not a big fan of eating fish, but my husband loves it. Since its expensive to buy good fish (and impossible to buy it really fresh) in Arizona, I use that as an excuse not to make it for my husband. But with Lent ongoing, fish is a more reasonable price. I decided to try my hand at it.

Baked Salmon

2 serving, 8 points

4 servings, 4 points

1 lbs Salmon (salmon is about a point per oz)

1 tbs spray butter

1 tbs lemon juice

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Place a sheet of tin foil onto a baking sheet. Place the salmon scale side down on the tin foil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the fish. Drizzle spray butter on the salmon, and drizzle the lemon juice. Let it sit out for 5 minutes before putting it into the oven. Broil fish or bake it on a high heat. Watch carefully, do not over cook. Remove from heat once fish meat because flaky. I didn't understand what this ment until it got to this point, you can take your fork and run it over it and it will break apart in the flaky fish cooked texture. Remove from oven and serve. I actually enjoy eating fish in small amounts and when it hasn't been in the freezer yet. Fish is tastier the closer in time since they left their home in the water. 

Sorry no picture. They are on the computer that is on the fritz.

Party Food

Since starting Weight Watchers whenever we have a gathering at our home or if I'm going to someone's home and am suppose to bring a side or treat to share.

Here are 3 recipes that can be made low-point to share at parties, or for a fun evening at home.

Italian Dressing Pasta Salad

6 servings (1 cup), 5 points each

12 servings (1/2 cup), 3 points each

• 1 bag/box Spiral pasta (my bag has 6 servings in the bag)
• 5 tbs Light Zesty Italian Dressing
• 1/4 c Light Miracle Whip
• 3 servings of sliced ham (diced)
• 1 c diced Tomatoes (or more if you like, it doesn't add points)
• 16 Olives (black or spanish)- if you dice them it will feel like there are more
• 1 package (~8oz) Fat Free Feta cheese
• optional*-1/4 c chopped onion, 1/4 c chopped green peppers- neither add points its just up to your taste

Directions: Cook up the pasta, drain, and place in the fridge. While pasta cools in the fridge, chop up the veggies and place them in a large bowl to serve in. Add in the measured dressing, miracle whip (some find it useful to mix dressing and miracle whip till blended then add to the mixing bowl), ham, and Feta. When the pasta is cold (do not add hot it will melt your cheese),  add it to the bowl, mix and toss till everything is covered. Serve. 1/2 is 3 points, 1 cup is 5 points.

Soda Cake

12 servings, 3 points each

• 1 cake mix (doesn't matter which type)
• 1 can of diet soda (which one doesn't matter, you might find you like the taste of one over the other when added to the cake

Take the cake mix, add the can of soda, mix well and place in pan, Bake at the temperature directed by the box's direction.  Cut the cake into 12 slices, each slice is 3 points. Ideas for topping-  fat free cool whip, powdered sugar lightly sprinkled, light chocolate syrup, or make frosting and figure out its points.

Strawberry Limeade

each 12 oz glass = 1 point

Personal Serving Size

• 1 can diet Sprite/7-UP
• 1 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1 1/2 c crushed ice

Take your strawberries, and place them in a blender or food processor. Blend them. Crush your ice. Pour your soda into a glass. Add the strawberries and ice to your glass. Mix and drink.

Party Serving

• 1 2-liter of diet Sprite/7-UP
• 1 package of strawberries
• 8 cups crushed ice

Process the strawberries and ice, add soda. Serve in a pitchers, glasses, or punch bowl. Fresca works well too.

Have fun at your parties.

Chicken and Corn Bread Pie-6pts

This is really cheap to make and super feeling for so little points. My husband says its a winner because it tastes great and is really filling, and  points that leave room for a skinny cow for dessert.

Chicken and Corn Bread Pie

6 points, 2 servings

• 2 tsp spray butter
• 5 oz diced chicken (start with pre-cooked or un-cooked)
• 1/2 c diced carrots (I like to put more)
• 1/2 c diced celery (I like to put more)
• 1/4 c diced onion (again I do more)
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp thyme
• 1 cup canned ready-to-serve chicken broth* or 2 cups of water
• 1/4 c flour (divided- 1tbs, 2tbs)
• 1/2 c buttermilk**
• 1 egg whites (if you use the yoke, add a point to each serving)
• 1/3 c uncooked yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

*Instead of canned broth, I use water. I put it in much earlier and let the seasonings flavor my water, saves both the calories of the broth (not much but still) and is cheaper than buying another ingredient.
**If you use ready made buttermilk from the store the points are drastically different. At 2 points to each serving. If you make it yourself, using milk (any but whole milk) and either lemon juice or vinegar (1 cup to 1 tbs).


Preheat over to 400 degrees. In a pot on the stove top, take your diced chicken. If it hasn't been cooked yet, cook it now. Brown the chicken. Now take your chicken, already in the pot, add the water (if you plan on using broth, don't add the broth, instead add 1/4 cup water), carrots, celery, onion, garlic, spices, and 1 tbs of flour. Let it all simmer, cook until the chicken is finished cooking and the veggies have softened.  Since I use water instead of broth, I let it all simmer a bit longer to flavor the water. If you are using broth, turn off the heat and add the broth. Next prepare the corn bread. Do this by mixing the butter,  buttermilk, and egg whites in small bowl. In another bowl mix the dry ingredients, 2 tbs of flour, baking soda, cornmeal. Mix the wet and dry together, stir until all mixed. Pour chicken stew into two sprayed casserole bowls, then pour cornbread mixture over the top of the chicken stew. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Side note about casserole bowls, I used 2 cup pyrex bowls, this was my second time making it. The first time I used one 2 1/2 qt corning-ware dish, so instead of two separate servings I made one two servings. The only problem is the dish was too wide, keep in mind that your corn bread mix is exactly enough to cover the top of a pot pie size dish, but otherwise its it won't change the taste. 
If you make this the same as I did (broth doesn't matter), this is only 6 points. If you use a whole egg, its 7 points. If you use store bought buttermilk and non spray butter the whole thing is 9 points. If you only substitute back in the butter then 7 points (unless its another light butter).