Guest Post - Low Carb Chicken Lettuce Wraps - Nancy Fox (Skinny Kitchen) {WW Points}

Thanks a million to my good friend, Nancy Fox, author of  Skinny Kitchen  blog.

This is the second guest post she's been willing to do for me while I'm out of town. I LOVE her 'skinny' recipes and make them often.  YUUMM!

She willingly gave into my request to share this Low Carb recipe...

I present to you...Nancy...Take it away...

Nancy Fox is no stranger to the food industry. She founded Mrs. Beasley's, a gift-basket company featuring baskets full of decadent baked goods. It became the "hot" gift to give among the Hollywood community. 

Nancy later opened 2 low fat restaurants called Nancy’s Healthy Kitchen. Her line of reduced-fat cookies were featured on "Oprah's Favorites" gift show.

Continuing her passion for cooking and baking Nancy created a recipe website called 

Skinny Kitchen. Each week she shares skinny recipes, cooking and kitchen tips, food finds and the healthy benefits of many recipes. There’s also nutritional facts and Weight Watchers POINTS on each recipe.

LOW CARB CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

Each wrap has only 62 calories, 2 grams of fat and 2 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. Enjoy 3 of them for dinner at 186 calories, 6 grams of fat and 5 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. I’ve compared mine to P.F. Chang’s Chicken in Soothing Lettuce Wraps which contains 153 calories and 7 grams of fat. This recipe’s a real keeper!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients for Wraps:

1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey

8 scallions, white and green part chopped

1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and chopped fine

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2½ tablespoons hoisin sauce, see shopping tips

1 tablespoon ginger (from a jar) or fresh grated ginger

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 large head butter lettuce, wash, dried and leaves separated

Ingredients for Dipping Sauce:

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

½ tablespoon ginger (from a jar) or fresh minced ginger

1 teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon garlic (from a jar) or fresh minced garlic

Instructions

1. In a large pan, brown the ground chicken over medium-high heat, breaking up the pieces.  Pour into a colander, in the sink and drain fat.  Return chicken to pan.  When cool enough to handle, break up the chicken pieces until minced.

2. Add the scallions, water chestnuts, red pepper, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, water and sesame oil.  Cook for a few minutes until the scallions and red pepper are soft.  Keep warm.

3.In a small bowl, add all the dipping sauce ingredients and mix well.

4.To assemble each chicken wrap: Spoon about ⅓ cup of chicken filling onto one lettuce leaf and roll it up, if desired. Serve with dipping sauce on the side.  This sauce is quite strong.  You’ll only need 1 teaspoon of sauce per wrap.  You can also set up the components on individual plates and serve family style.  Let everyone make their own wrap.

Makes about 16 lettuce wraps

Thanks so much Dear Nancy for sharing another luscious dish from your creative kitchen!

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Oatmeal Fruit Bars - A.MA.ZING!!!!!!

A very good friend, Lois, and I furnished refreshments for a women's church meeting not long ago.  

This is the dish Lois brought that WOWed a group of gals.  I was thrilled to get to take a few leftover bars home with me.  (Only because there were a lot more bars than women!)

I have to say these bars are OAT-RAGEOUSLY AWESOME!!!!!!!

For BESTEST results, use 1-1/2 cans of pie filling.  One will do, but it won't be as flavorful or moist.  Use your favorite fruit flavor.  

Lois used blueberry.

Using a cake mix makes the base easy and the process, simple. 

If I ever have a third cookbook, THIS recipe will be included!!

OATMEAL FRUIT BARS 

1 pkg. (18 ozs) yellow cake mix

2-1/4 c. quick oats

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 egg or 1/4 c. egg substitute

1/4 c. brown sugar 

1 to 1-1/2 cans any flavor fruit pie filling

Preheat oven to 375. Spray 9" X 13" baking pan with non stick cooking spray. 

In large bowl, combine dry cake mix and oats; blend in the butter and egg until crumbly. Save out 1 cup. Add brown sugar to remaining mixture. Press mixture into prepared pan. Spread pie filling over mixture in pan. Top with remaining mixture; press down lightly.

Bake 22 - 26 minutes

Yield: 12 - 15 servings

If you like this recipe, you may also like these wonderful 
Caramel Oatmeal Chewies

Linked to Weekend Potluck 

             Meal Plan Monday

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Peanut Butter Delight & Weekend Potluck #109

WELCOME TO WEEKEND POTLUCK!

 AND...

Crunchy crust...cream cheese & peanut butter layer, topped with chocolate pudding, whipped topping and peanuts!  What's not to love??? 

Peanut Butter Delight

Before we get on to the party, I wanna chat with you about something important...
TO OUR DEAR BLOGGING FRIENDS...

We are ever grateful to those of you who faithfully link back....but for others, we would appreciate it so much if you'd take the time to link back to the WP party within your recipe post. (not a party page). We are always thrilled to have you linking up at our party, And we *LOVE* being able to show you off with features each week too. But we can't do that if you're not linking back. It's great for both of us to have link backs so others can find out where you are partying. It truly is disheartening to find many recipes we'd love to feature, only to realize there's no link back. {SIGH}
Weekend Potluck gets thousands and thousands of views each week, and if you are featured, most likely you'll see a jump in your traffic and an increase in readers and FB Likes, so please rest assured it's worth the time to link back. 
Thanks Kindly...we are thrilled to have you all....

Now, let's take a quick peek back at last week...

The recipe with the most clicks was ~

Easy Stand Mixer French Bread by Frugal Family Favorites

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Sticky Sweet Baked Chicken by Oregon Transplant

Sausage & Rice Casserole South Your Mouth

And, a personal favorite ~

St. Patty's Day Breakfast - Rainbow Toast  by Sugar, Spice & Spilled Milk 

Your hostesses ~

• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Frugal Family Favorites ~ Tabitha
• 4 Litt

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

Linky Guidelines:

If you wish to be a featured recipe or for us to promote your recipe either on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, you MUST follow these instructions.

1. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog.
2. LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this or watch this great instructional videoPlease use a direct link within your post.

When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. We want this to be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone!

An InLinkz Link-up

 

​

Weight Watchers Stuffed Potatoes

I've had this tasty and filling recipe in my file for some time and can't believe I haven't yet shared it! After seeing this at my blogging bud Angie's A ' lil Country Sugar a while back, I couldn't wait to try it, but have failed to share it with y'all! Perfect for lunch with some chicken, or even by itself.  And if you're not counting WW points, you could add cheese or bacon or ham, or whatever you choose to make it a delicious meal in one. I love dressing up potatoes, and this is a healthier way than usual...without the added fat and calories from butter and sour cream.  I substituted plain nonfat Greek yogurt for the sour cream, which is a good habit I've 'picked up' along life's foodie journey.  *-* Weight Watchers points per serving (half of a large potato): 3 Points Weight Watchers Stuffed Potatoes  (3 points per 1/2 stuffed tater) 2 large baking potatoes 2 tsp. olive oil 1/4 of a large onion, chopped 1 c. broccoli, cooked (may use frozen or fresh) 1 c. carrots, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 c. plain non-fat Greek yogurt or fat free sour cream 4 Tb. dried parsley flakes 4 Tb. grated parmesan cheese, divided salt and pepper to taste (we love fresh grated pepper) Bake potatoes until done. (They're best wrapped in foil and baked in the oven).  In a medium skillet, heat oil. Saute onions about 5 minutes.Add carrot and garlic. Stir until soft, about 3 - 4 minutes. Reduce heat and cover and cook a few minutes longer. Halve the potatoes and scoop out pulp. In a large bowl, combine potato pulp, sauteed veggies (+ cooked broccoli), Greek yogurt, parsley, 2 Tb. parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mash all ingredients with a potato masher. Spoon mixture into potato skins. Place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve alone or as a side dish. Nutrition Facts: Calories 158.1 Calories from fat 30 Total Fat 3.3g Saturated Fat 0.8g Cholesterol 3.4mg Sugars 5.3g Sodium 280.8mg Total Carbohydrate 27.4g Dietary Fiber 4.0g Protein 6.1g If you like this recipe, you may also like my  Cheesey Vegetable Topping for Baked Potatoes Linked to Weekend Potluck

3 Green Dishes to help Celebrate St. Patty's Day {Blast from the Past}

We love the shakes at McD's but they are loaded with calories.
This recipe cuts the calories by more than 1/2.  Enjoy every sip!

Skinny Shamrock Shake

Such a delicious & simple way to dress up yummy cabbage! 

Cheese Scalloped Cabbage

This scrumptious side dish is so tasty....roasting these little 'greens' makes them sweeter. 

ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUT WITH BACON AND CARAMELIZED ONION

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Guest Post - Storing Ground Beef - (My Five Men)

I am ecstatic and delighted to share my friend, Betsy, with you all today!

I have been following her blog, My Five Men, for several years.  We connected right away because she lives in Ohio too. I hope this is the year we get to meet face to face!! She's the kind of gal who sees the cup half full, and is an inspiration to many as she deals with her special needs triplets.  She shares humorous events in her household, her love of animals, the bargains she's blessed with...and more.  I talk about her often, especially to my non-blogging friends. 
Because she really is a Wonder Woman!

Betsy shares a lot of cool tips for doing things easier, and so today she's sharing thoughts for buying and storing ground beef.  

It's all yours Miz Betsy.....

I'm excited to do a guest post for Marsha!

Not only is she a wonderful baker, but she is a sweetheart

and is such an encouraging person.  The blogging community

is better off having sweet ladies like Marsha and I'm happy

to have the opportunity to do a post for her!

First off, my name is Betsy.  I live in Ohio, USA.

I'm married and have four grown sons.

The oldest, Taylor, 22 yrs old, is married and off on his own and

the other three live with us since they have

autism and still need care and supervision.
(The triplets are 20).

I love to cook, decorate and create.

My blog, My Five Men, is about my adventurous life.

I have a home based gift basket business and work

part time for an auctioneer.  I'm the neighborhood

crazy cat lady and bird watcher. And I have

 a little Etsy shop, Song Sparrow Treasures. 

Stop by and say hello!

Marsha asked if I would share one of my favorite

tips for staying organized.  The first one to pop into my mind was

how I buy and store ground beef to create quick and easy meals.

I buy ground beef in bulk from Sam's Club.

I buy the 90% lean in a large package, about 6-8 lbs.

And it's always an extra bonus if you can find one 

marked down for clearance!

When I get home, I form enough burger patties to feed our

family one meal.  I wrap each separately in plastic wrap and

put all the patties in a Ziplock freezer bag.  Into the freezer they go.

The day we want to grill burgers, I unwrap each and place them 

all on a plate and microwave on the defrost setting about 4-5

minutes, turning over once.  Don't overdo or you'll start to

cook them!  They can still be just a little frozen in the centers.

After forming burger patties, I take the rest of the beef and

brown it in a large stock pot.  I drain it in a collander and rinse it

with hot water to remove any lingering fat.  Then I separate it

into 1 lb portions in Ziplock freezer bags.  Now it's ready to

quickly microwave to thaw (about 2 minutes) you can create a

 meal of spaghetti, tacos, sloppy joes, chili, casseroles...anything

in a fraction of the time it would take to start with frozen raw meat.

This is such a time saver!

I hope you'll try it!

Thanks again Marsha!

And thanks, readers, for letting me share!

♥

What a sweet dear she is!  Honestly, I didn't pay her to say such nice things about me! ;-}
Thanks and thanks again Betsy for sharing with us. 
I do hope you'll take time to pop over and visit Betsy's beautiful blog. I love how attractive and user-friendly her website is.  She does the designing herself! You don't have to read much to know she's a very interesting gal, so head on over there.  My Five Men

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Starbucks Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte

That Nancy at Skinny Kitchen has nailed it again!!  I LOVE her yummy recipes!

She is a woman after my heart...always creating these 'skinny' beverages to satisfy my caffeine intake, minus the guilt and calories.  

According to her website, she shares this information...
"One (12oz) skinny latte has just 48 calories, 0 grams fat and 1 Weight Watchers POINTS"

WOOOOHOOO!!! You won't get that at Starbucks!

I really enjoyed this tasty drink!!

 That Nancy at Skinny Kitchen has nailed it again!!  I LOVE her yummy recipes!

She is a woman after my heart...always creating these 'skinny' beverages to satisfy my caffeine intake, minus the guilt and calories.  

According to her website, she shares this information...
"One (12oz) skinny latte has just 48 calories, 0 grams fat and 1 Weight Watchers POINTS"

WOOOOHOOO!!! You won't get that at Starbucks!

I really enjoyed this tasty drink!!

STARBUCKS SKINNY CINNAMON DOLCE LATTE 

3/4 c. strong brewed coffee
(click here to see how I make 'homemade, cold brew, coffee concentrate')

2 pkgs. Stevia, Truvia or your favorite sugar substitute

1 Tb. water

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

(I used several drops of cinnamon syrup instead)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 c. fat free skim milk

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, blend sweetener, water, cinnamon and vanilla with a whisk until blended. Add milk; heat until steaming, stirring occassionally...about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour mixture into blender and process for about 20 seconds or until foamy. 

Or whisk fervently until foamy.  

Add 3/4 c. hot coffee to mug. Add foamy milk. Stir and enjoy immediately. 

Yield: 1 - 12 ozs. beverage

Linked to Weekend Potluck

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Leader Enterprise - March 5, 2014 - Showing and Feeling Appreciation

Cherry Pie Fluff 

First off, I want to wish my sweet husband a very happy 46th anniversary. We celebrate next week. My man of 'steel and velvet' is definitely a keeper and I am more than blessed to be his wife.

Feeling appreciated is one of the strongest human desires. There's so much power in a loving word or an affirming touch. Just being there or showing up when it counts. Internal messages that tell someone they are loved and are special. I truly believe every person deserves to have at least one person in their life who is crazy about them.

In today's world of email and instant messaging, a handwritten note is getting rare and that makes it even more special. 

Now that I have you thinking of how you can lift someone around you, I want to focus on the special-ness of a handwritten note and encourage you to send a card soon. I have had a card ministry for years. A short message of hope can be a ray of sunshine in the darkness when someone is struggling. Once again, it's the little things in life that make a BIG difference. Knowing you are valued by someone in the world can help you climb mountains and aid in times of tragedy.

Among the best things about a hand written note is that it means so much to see the personal touch that comes with seeing someone’s handwriting. A card can stand on your counter or table to be reviewed again and again. The few minutes taken to add your own words can mean so much. I have kept special cards I've received for years. When I'm having a glum day, I pull some cards out to read,and am renewed and revived.

If you are one who doesn’t know what to say, simply tell the recipient that you are thinking of them, are there for them, and that you’re sorry for...whatever the situation. Keep your message simple and remember that anything from the heart will be meaningful and beautiful. But then again, you don't have to wait until someone is struggling to let them know you're thinking of them. 

I realize these are times of economic crisis, but you really don’t have to spend a lot of money to let someone know you care about them. The dollar stores have some beautiful cards. You don’t have to have a special gift to reach out to someone at any point in time. Trust me-the reward you receive for thinking of someone else, is worth far more than the money you spend to make it happen.

Tuck little ‘surprises’ inside a card....a bookmark, a tea bag, or a paper sachet. Those small items seldom need additional postage, but be sure to check with the post office when sending anything bulky. It’s always a thrill to receive pictures also. You can purchase little "Pass it On" cards, with a simple thought or scripture on them. Hallmark has tear-off post-it notes in tablet form with quips and quotes to uplift and encourage.

Sharing some tasty dishes that have sugar free options if you desire.

Impossible Coconut Pie with Rum Sauce

IMPOSSIBLE COCONUT PIE WITH RUM SAUCE 

4 eggs

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. baking mix (Bisquick or Jiffy)

3/4 c. sugar (or Splenda or xylitol)

2 c. milk

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. coconut extract

1 c. flaked coconut 

Preheat oven to 350. Place all ingredients in blender, except coconut, and blend on low for about 1 minute. Stir in coconut. Pour into greased 9"pie plate. (or deep 8") Bake 50 - 55 minutes, (if using Splenda check at about 35 minutes into baking) or until a knife comes out clean. 

RUM SAUCE:

1/2 c. brown sugar

(I used 1/4 c. Splenda brown sugar blend)

1/4 c. butter

2 Tb. water

1/2 tsp. rum extract

In small saucepan, bring brown sugar, butter and water to a boil over medium heat; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in extract. Serve warm over coconut pie. 

CHERRY PIE FLUFF

1 (20 ozs)can  (no sugar added)cherry pie filling

1 (4 serv. size) box (sugar free) cheesecake pudding mix

8 ozs. lite cool whip

Combine cherry pie filling with pudding mix. Fold in cool whip. Chill and enjoy.M-M-M!

"Skinny" Banana Cream Pie Smoothie

'SKINNY' BANANA CREAM PIE SMOOTHIE

1 c. cold water

1 (4-serv.size) box (sugar free) banana cream instant pudding mix

(do not make as directed on box)

20 ice cubes

1 c. skim milk

1 c. (low-fat)frozen vanilla yogurt

1/4 c. sugar substitute

(or 1 or 2 Truvia packets)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In blender, combine water with pudding mix. Blend on high for 20 seconds or until the pudding is completely dissolved. Add the ice cubes, milk, frozen yogurt, sweetener, and vanilla to the blender and cover. Process on high speed. If needed, pulse the blender off and on, stirring in between pulses to make sure all the ice cubes are crushed and the ingredients are blended. Once the ingredients are well blended, blend 30 seconds longer to assure a thick, smooth drink. Pour into cups or glasses and enjoy immediately.Yield:4-1/2
(1 c.servings)

Hearty Vegetable Burger Soup & Weekend Potluck #108

WELCOME TO WEEKEND POTLUCK!

(Seriously...we are SO happy you're here!)

AND...

When I share something worth sharing...again...

A tasty and simple soup...using tomato soup and frozen veggies,

it's easy to put together for a quick meal...add a sandwich or salad and 

you're all set. 

Hearty Vegetable Burger Soup

Before we get to the party, I wanted to let you know I've added a PIN button to my photos. If you scroll over the photo, a little red "P" appears in the upper left corner. Feel free to pin my recipes from there. 

If you want to pin any of the linkups, please click on the link and pin from the website where it's posted.  Otherwise, you'll be running in circles trying to find it at the pin itself. 

Onto the par-tay....

Now, let's take a quick peek back at last week...

The recipe with the most clicks was ~

A Burger's Favorite Sauce by Organizer By Day

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Leprechaun Bait by Five Heart Home

The Best Corned Beef and Cabbage by Lynnae McCoy

And, a personal favorite ~

3 Ingredient Avocado Dip by Growing in Grace 

Your hostesses ~

• Frugal Family Favorites ~ Tabitha
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

Linky Guidelines:

If you wish to be a featured recipe or for us to promote your recipe either on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, you MUST follow these instructions.

1. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog.
2. LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this or watch this great instructional video Please use a direct link within your post.

When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. We want this to be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone!

An InLinkz Link-up