More weight watchers meals.

whole wheat tuna-noodle casserole~ 4pts (serv size = 1cup)

**we are having this tonight

1 cup fat free milk

7 tbsp flour

7 oz artichoke canned in water, drained, rinsed and chopped

6 oz can of tuna in water, drained

3 oz whole wheat pasta (elbow macaroni)

2 oz low fat shredded cheddar cheese

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp parsley

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk the milk and flour in a large saucepan over medium heat until thick, approx 4 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir in artichoke hearts, tuna, pasta, cheese, mustard, parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray and pour the mixed ingredients into the dish.  Bake until browned, approx 20 minutes.  ** I topped the casserole with some bread crumbs, more onion powder and lots of cheese.  You can never have enough cheese! (of course the extras would increase the WW pts value of the meal)

Baked Chicken Mac and Cheese ~ 7pts for 1 3/4 cup serving

1 1/2 cooked whole wheat macaroni

1 pound ground chicken ( i used whole chicken cut into pieces)

2 tbsp flour

1 can evaporated fat-free milk

1 bag shredded low fat mexican cheese blend

1 cup frozen corn kernals

3/4 cup of salsa (i used green salsa)

1 4 oz can of diced green chilies

4 scallions chopped (i skipped these, didn’t have them)

1 small zucchini chopped (didn’t have this either)

2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (i used a large tomato chopped into pieces)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cook chicken and macaroni.  Drain pasta and rinse under cold water, set aside.  Once chicken is cooked, add 2 tbsp flour and can of evaporated milk. Stir and let cook approx 2 minutes.  Add the cooked macaroni to large casserole dish sprayed with nonstick spray.  Add cooked chicken mixture, cheese, corn, salsa, chilies, scallions, zucchini and tomato.  Top with cheddar cheese (i added bread crumbs as well).

Bake for 25 minutes.

**I made this on sunday and it was a huge hit!

I bought a new weight watchers cook book at my meeting last week. It’s called “Now and Later”. You make one recipe and then use the leftovers to make another recipe. Tonight I made salsa verde pork stew and then tomorrow I am making the second recipe with the leftovers pork tostadas. the first recipe was excellent…a little kick to it which is what I like. Here are the 2 recipes:

SALSA VERDE PORK STEW (1 1/4 cup = 7pts)

2lbs boneless pork loin ( i cooked a pork roast in the oven first and then cut up the pieces)
2 large onions chopped
1 can low sodium chicken broth (i poured 1 cup of water into the drippings from the roast and used that instead)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp flour
1/2 small zucchini chopped
1 can white beans (i used navy beans)
1 cup fat free salsa verde ( i used president’s choice)

cook the pork until browned. add onions, broth, garlic, cumin and oregano. mix the 1/4 cup water with the 2 tbsp of flour and add to the pork mixture. add zucchini, beans, salsa and spices. simmer on med heat for 8-10 minutes.

** you need 2 1/2 cups of this recipe to make the next recipe below**

PORK TOSTADAS ( 1 tortilla = 6 pts)

4 multigrain tortillas
2 1/2 cups reserved salsa verde pork stew
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 tomato diced
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup light sour cream

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. lightly spray both sides of tortilla with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. bake approx 6 minutes or crisp around the edges.

heat the reserved salsa verde pork stew and place approx 2/3 cup on each baked tortilla. top with some lettuce, chopped tomato, cilantro and dollap of sour cream.

veggie burgers

I have been buying the yves veggie burgers and they are the best!!  Cook it on the BBQ, top it will tomato, lettuce, light mayo, ketchup, mustard and cheese…yummmm!  Serve with mccains sweet potato fries.  The crinkle cut are my favorite.

My daughter’s school is one of several island schools to be paired up with another school in Kenya.   What is school twinning you ask?  It is when one school pairs up with another school that may not have the available finances necessary to purchase basic school supplies.  My daughter’s class exchanges letters and pictures with their twinned class.  Her school also holds various fundraisers and sends the money to the twinned school.  By doing this, the kids can learn about another country and how important it is to help others in need.  I’ve included more info from the website below.  It’s a very interesting concept and a great idea!!

Karibu: Two Easts A School Twinning Project Background:

When several of our Farmers Helping Farmers members went to Kenya in 2002 to visit our agricultural projects, we began to realize the impact our projects were having on the local schools. In the Nyeri district, for instance, the added income resulting from the expanded Wakulima Self-Help Group Dairy project enabled more of the members’ children to go to school. The parents could now afford school fees and uniforms, or could get access to small loans through the Dairy to pay the fees. In Meru, the impact was just as positive. One woman, who was a water tank recipient from Farmers Helping Farmers, remarked tearfully, “I can now get my children to school, clean and on time!” It demonstrated to the Canadians the high value Africans place on education! Several of our members therefore made a commitment to share what they had learned in Africa with schools in our own Canadian province by developing a school-twinning project.

Project Impact:

Four schools in the Nyeri district are now successfully twinned with four Prince Edward Island schools. They are:

• Morell Consolidated School - Mwati School (2002)
• Miscouche Consolidated School - Gathukimundu School (2002)
• Vernon River Consolidated School - Khuti School (2003)
• Montague Senior High - Meru School (2004)

Students from each school exchange letters and photos that encourage a better understanding of each other, including different cultures and global issues. We estimate that over 2000 students are being reached by this project. Farmers Helping Farmers relies entirely on generous financial donations from the local Royalty Rotary Club to fund Karibu:Two Easts. Additional support from the Prince Edward Island Twinning Schools, the Prince Edward Island Department of Education, and the management committees and school chairpersons in Kenya have also helped make this project successful. This opportunity will benefit students, teachers and their communities for years to come.

Friday night was the annual UFIT Music for Life.  UFIT is the aerobics class I attend and they have a UFIT Cares foundation that does amazing things for people in the community.

UFIT Cares Foundation
The UFIT CARES Foundation is a nonprofit group of fitness enthusiasts, who, in collaboration with community partners and sponsors, organizes activities to raise funds in order to assist those in the greater community coping with extraordinary life circumstances, particularly children, and with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention.A crew of us decided to head down for a night of dancing. What a time we had!  Great music and great fun!  On the way home we stopped for cheeseburgers which took 45 minutes.  After dropping everyone off, I made it in the door at 2:20am.  I was beat!  I slept in until 9am the next morning and then I was up and out the door to UFIT.  I needed to burn off the cheeseburger combo from the night before.

grooving!  my ufit instructor to the left.

friends

our crew!!

This year, I wanted to try something different with the kids.  I got the idea of making Cake Balls from Canadian Family magazine and wanted to give it a try.  Here are some pics of the kids making cake balls today.  Happy Easter everyone!

Braeden melting chocolate

adding the sprinkles

eating the sprinkles

so pretty ~ the final product!

It was a tricky week with 2 birthdays and lots of temptation, so this weeks recipes are ALL weight watchers recipes.

Irish Beef Stew

Chicken tomatillo Casserole

Dijon Fish Fillets

Spicy Thai-Style Turkey Wraps

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I love pizza.  My absolute favorite is donair pizza.  I have a recipe for donair meat and sauce, so I thought why not try a donair pizza.  I’m willing to try anything once and I love to cook/bake.  So last night I made the donair meat.  It turned out great!!!  We are having family over for Braeden’s birthday party.  He turns 15 on tuesday.  For anyone planning a party, homemade pizza is perfect for a birthday party.  This afternoon I will be making the dough and I made the donair sauce last night.  I’ll be making pepperoni pizza for the kids.  Here is the recipe for the donair meat and sauce.  Soooo good!  I’ll post some pics later…promise!

** I doubled all spice ingredients of the original recipe (Dash’s Donair) and I prefer fresh garlic to powdered garlic.

KELLY’S DONAIR RECIPE

Ingredients

*2 teaspoon Salt

* 2 teaspoon Ground oregano

* 2 teaspoon All-purpose flour

* 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper

* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

* 2 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic (or put garlic in garlic press)

* 2 teaspoon Onion powder

* 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

* 1 pound Ground beef

SAUCE

* 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

* 1/2 cup White sugar

* 2 teaspoons Garlic powder

* 4 teaspoons White vinegar, or as needed

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a cup or small bowl, mix together the salt, oregano, flour, black pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.

2. Place the ground beef in a large bowl, and use your hands to blend in the spice mixture. If you want the smooth texture of meat that you see in a real donair shop, you must do this in a steel mixing bowl and on a sturdy surface. Pick up the meat, and throw it down with force about 20 times, kneading it after each throw. This also helps the meat hold together better when you slice it.

3. Form the meat into a loaf, and place it on a broiler pan. If you do not have one, a baking sheet will do.

4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, turning the loaf over about half way through. This will ensure even cooking. This cuts better if you chill the meat overnight before slicing.

5. To make the donair sauce, mix together the evaporated milk, sugar and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the white vinegar, adding 1 teaspoon at a time, until thickened to your desired consistency.

sucks!!!  The last few years I’ve noticed a few changes in my appearance.  Definitely more gray hair.  A few more lines and wrinkles.  I have to lift up my glasses when I want to read something up close.  As for the physical…..my bones are making more and more noises.  There seems to be alot of creeking and crunching going on lately.  My knees have been really bothering me too especially during my aerobics classes.  What I wouldn’t give to be back in my highschool days sprinting on the field hockey field.   But for now,  I guess I’ll just keep moving and taking anti-inflammatory meds to ease the discomfort.  Everyone says 40 is the new 30, but I beg to differ.