Crock Pot Chili

Ingredients:
2 (16oz) cans red kidney beans, drained
2 (16oz) cans chili beans, drained
2 (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes, diced
2 lbs. coarsely ground chuck, browned & drained
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin

Instructions:
Put all the ingredients into a 5 quart crock pot. Stir until all is mixed well. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours (or high for 5-6). Makes 12 cups.

Comments:
Perfect for cold weather and super easy. It barely fits in my crock pot, so we'd recommend mixing half of it at a time. It makes a lot but reheats well. It's great for tailgating too. Wanna spice it up? (Me? No. Richie? Yes. ) Add red pepper flakes or jalapenos.

Nutritional Info: (per cup) 266 calories, 6.5 grams fat, 9.5 grams fiber, 4.5 WW points.

Yum. Cheese. 1/4 cup 2% cheese adds 80 calories, 6 grams fat, 0 fiber, 2 WW points

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup scallions, chopped, green and white parts
1/2 cup red onion, diced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
12 oz. uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice, kept hot
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Directions:
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium high heat. Add egg whites and cook, until scrambled, stirring frequently, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Recoat skillet with cooking spray and place back over medium high heat. Add scallions, onions, and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and carrots; saute until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in reserved cooked egg white, cooked brown rice, peas, and soy sauce; cook until heated through, stirring once or twice, about 1 minute. Makes 6 servings. Serving size: 1 cup.

Comments:
Not our favorite, but still satisfying and very weight watchers friendly and filling. Would recommend more soy sauce and some spray butter. He used white rice instead because Richie dislikes brown rice. And, because he is lazy time efficient, he used pre-cooked and packaged diced chicken from Tyson.

Nutritional Information: (per serving) 4 WW points, 210 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 1.2 grams fiber, 17.7 grams protein.

This is me not commenting on how proud Richie is of his prep work. Lovely isn't it?

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:
3 cups diced chicken
8 oz. spaghetti
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/2 lb. velveeta cheese

Instructions:
Mix the cans of soup, chicken broth, milk and cheese. Heat on medium heat until cheese melts. In the meantime, cook spaghetti and drain. Put spaghetti in bottom of 9 by 13 in casserole dish then put layer of chicken. Pour heated sauce over chicken. Bake 30-45 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Comments:
This is the recipe as I got it from Elizabeth. Of course, boys can't follow directions and so this isn't exactly what we ate. :) Instead, he used 1 can chicken broth and 1 lb. of velveeta cheese, added 16 oz. mushrooms, and put a layer of bread crumbs on top. It was delicious, but (and I can't believe I am saying this) too cheesy. I would definitely recommend adding the mushrooms, they were yummy. The bread crumbs were so-so. We'll have to work on it.

P.S. This makes a ton. Cut the recipe in half or be prepared to eat leftovers for a week.

Bacon Caesar and Mozzarella Panini

Ingredients:
1 can Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust
4 tsp. basil pesto
1/2 cup Caesar salad dressing (creamy or vinaigrette style)
8 oz. water-packed fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and cut into 8 slices
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
12 slices cooked bacon
2 plum (roma)tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
8 large basil leaves
1/4 cup butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray large cookie sheet with original no stick cooking spray.
3. Unroll pizza dough on cookie sheet, press dough into 16 x 11 inch rectangle
4. Bake 9 to 16 minutes or until light brown
5. Coll about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle
6. Cut pizza crust into 8 squares
7. On 4 slices of pizza crust, spread 1 tsp. pesto. Set aside
8. On the remaining slices, spread 1 tbsp. caesar dressing and place 2 cheese slices.
9. Top cheese with pepper, 3 slices of bacon, 2 tomato slices, and 2 basil leaves.
10. Top with remaining crust slices.
11. Heat an iron skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter.
12. Place sandwiches in skillet (2 at a time), cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Comments:
Yummy! (Not recommended to make extra for leftovers.)