Taste of Thyme: Good & Good for You Food

I am posting this one for Nathanael. But I know that everyone loves a good pot of chicken and dumplings in the winter. This recipe is easy and good enough to serve to guests. I have not figured out the points on this, but it isn't too high. 3 lbs chicken (I like legs and thighs) skin removed seasoning salt cooking spray 6 cups chicken broth Cut chicken into parts if not already done. Brown it on both sides in a nonstick pan sprayed with cooking spray. Simmer the broth in a dutch oven (4 or 5 quart pot with lid). Add the chicken to the simmering broth. Cook at a low simmer for 20 minutes or until completely done. Check the broth to make sure it has enough salt and pepper. Mix: 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup corn meal 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dry dill weed 7 oz buttermilk 1 egg After you have mixed the batter, let it rest for 5 minutes. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter into simmering broth. Cover the pot and simmer on lowest setting for 20 minutes....

I have not tried this yet, but it is a traditonal pumpkin pie without the crust. Let's all try it! It is like a classic custard and who can complain at 1 point per serving? 3/4 cup liquid egg substitute 3/4 cup honey 1/2 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 3/4 cups pumpkin (one can) 1 cup evaporated skim milk Beat egg substitute, honey, spices, salt, and pumpkin together. Grease a deep 8X8” glass pan –or- 9" pie plate. Pour pumpkin mixture into pan. Bake at 325 degrees about 1 hour, until a knife blade comes out clean. Cool thoroughly. Serve with a topping, if desired. If cut into 9 pieces – ONE POINT EACH

Looking for a pumpkin pie recipe that is 8 or 9 points? Here is a classic Weight Watcher version - that I have modified, of course. It is only 3 points for 1/8 of a 9 inch pie! One of my at work members, Kathy, actually first told me about using the phyllo sheets for the crust. It really works. If you know what to do with the remaining sheets, let me know. You can't refreeze them. 4 spray(s) cooking spray 4 sheet(s) phyllo dough 1/2 cup(s) brown sugar (brwon sugar splenda works fine here) 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp cornstarch 1/8 tsp table salt 1 1/2 cup(s) canned pumpkin, puree (one whole can) 1 1/2 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk (one whole can) 1/2 cup(s) fat-free egg substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch round pie pan with cooking spray. Cut phyllo sheets in half. Place 1 sheet in prepared pan and lightly coat with cooking spray. Top with another sheet of phyllo, placing ...

In the United States we usually eat crepes made of white flour. In France it is common to get them made with buckwheat; especially in Normandy. These are quite hardy and filling but because of the fiber, they are low in points! I like to make them and use them to fill with left over stew or roast and gravy. I also like them for breakfast with slice of Canadian bacon and an egg. They make the left overs into a special meal. They can be stuffed and frozen for a quick meal later. When I did the math on them 2 crepes is 3 points. Not bad! ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon buckwheat flour 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 2/3 cup milk 3 eggs 1 tablespoon butter, melted ¼ teaspoon salt Preparation: Whisk all the ingredients vigorously until the crepe batter is completely smooth; allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or overnight - this is important for the development of the texture of the dough) before making into crepes. Melt a little butter (I just use cooking spray in a nonstick pan)...

Pass The Butter, Please This is interesting . . . Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.. DO YOU KNOW.. the difference between margarine and butter? Read on to the end...gets very interesting! Both have the same amount of calories. Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study. Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods. Butter has many nutritional benefits where margari...

Fast, Easy and Good! What more can you ask for? How about no points! Try this super easy sauce on eggs, chicken, fish or vegetables. If you think it makes too much, just freeze it in small batches and use it later. RED PEPPER SAUCE 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes 1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers (not in oil) healthy pinch of red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp black pepper 2 - 4 cloves of garlic. minced 1 tsp olive oil Heat the oil in a small saute pan until it shimmers. Turn off heat and add garlic. Dump everything into a blender (including garlic). Completely puree contents. Taste to make sure the spices are suitable to you. Done. 1/4 cup is 0 points

KEEP READING even if you don't like cauliflower. Really if you try this you will not have to go back to mashed potatoes for comforth. I keep working with this recipe and I think I have got this right. This makes a great substitute for mashed potatoes. It seems really rich but has very little fat. 1 head of cauliflower 1/2 cup half and half (can use fat free) 1 teaspoon of salt (more or less to taste) 1/4 teaspoon white pepper pinch of nutmeg (optional) Chop up the cauliflower - stem, leaves and all. Steam the cauliflower until it is exceedingly soft (mushy). Drain. Drop it all into a blender (food processor will work but a blender does a better job). Add the remaining ingredients. Puree until completely smooth. It will be a bit thinner than the potatoes but heck, it is more eligant too! Makes 6 generous servings - 1 point each

This is from the newest Weight Watcher Cookbook! These books keep getting better and better! I wanted to share it because it is good, simple and great use of some fall vegetables! Makes 6 servings (2/3 cup) 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise (you can substitute 1/4 of plain yogurt to cut down on points value) 2 Tbsp apple-cider vinegar 2 Tbsp sugar (or try Splenda if you have sugar issues) 1/2 medium head red cabbage, shredded 2 cups shredded carrots 2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into matchstick strips 1/3 cup golden raisins Stir the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar together in a large bowl until well mixed. Stir in the cabbage, carrots, apples, and raisins. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve at once or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours. POINTS value per serving: 2

I am always trying to get people to try eating grains. Here is a great salad made with Quinoa. This grain is native to South America. It is one of the few super grains. That means it has loads of protien and complex carbohydrates. You could live on the stuff. It has a delicious nutty flavor. I DARE you to try this! Dressing: 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 1 1/2 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk 2 teaspoons honey 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper Salad: 1 1/3 cups uncooked quinoa 2 3/4 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil 1 cup thinly sliced green onions 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted Dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until well blended. To prepare salad: Combine quinoa, 2 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium pot with lid; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove ...

Well, Weight Watchers has been trying to get us all to eat more Fruits and Vegetables this summer. For some this is an easy task but others are struggling. Sometimes we have an aversion things we didn't like or eat as a child. Here is an easy way to prepare vegetables to maximize flavor and enjoyment and you get some healthy oil in too! You will need 1 1/2 cups of vegetables per person; 1 t oil; S&P to taste: 2 T water; and a nonstick pan with a lid. Cut your vegetable (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, asparagus, Brussels sprouts all work well) in bit size pieces. Use one to 1 1/2 cup per person. Heat your pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil(per serving). When the oil is hot add the vegetables. Allow them to sit (don't stir) for 1 minute. Toss them (or stir) and cook 1 minute. Toss and cook one minute more (that makes 3 minutes). Season the vegetables with salt and pepper (add red pepper flakes and garlic if you like). Immediately add 2 Tablespoons of water (a bit more for l...

I love to use rubs on grilled meat. For me they are great because I get a taste in every bite, they are easy to apply and they don't have to be high in calories or points. Here is one that is easy and quick. I am using it tonight on a pork tenderloin (remember if it is loin it is lean and WW Green). It is also good on chicken, beef or even salmon! For a rub like this to work best, just roll your protien in it or dust the meat right before you grill it. 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp cumin 1/8 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp pepper Mix the dry ingredients. You may want to spray your meat with a spritz of cooking spray before rolling in the rub. This adds no extra points to your food!

~ Sharon Lee Riguzzi Sharon, a Weight Watcher Leader who pasted away last year, wrote a book full of essays on life for her members. Here is a good one to kick off the summer months of family fun times and vacations. Banana Boat Adventures Spending last week in the Caribbean with all of our kids and their spouses left us with wonderful Kodak moments. Watching everyone getting along and enjoying one another’s company warmed my heart. Since I am not fond of the water, it took days of my kids’ begging me to be adventurous, to be daring, to live, before I finally broke down and dived in (well, maybe it was more baby-stepped in). Seven of us saddled the banana boat---my pregnant daughter was able to be the photographer. As our “no problem, Mon” speedboat driver crisscrossed and turned, they were chortling: I was screaming. While they were switching seats with one another, I was keeping my eyes shut, clutching on tight as we bounced over the waves. Eventually everyone fell off except ...

I kept hearing people talk about brownies with black beans. Unfortunately, no ome could give me a recipe or had actually tasted them! So I started looking around for ideas or recipes. I came across a funny conversation on a Weight Watcher discussion page and came up with a simple idea to try. I liked the results a lot. I got a really moist brownie that was really chocolaty. I decided to take them to a party (they were a huge hit) but I dressed them up a little bit. Here's what I did: CHOCOLATE BLACK BEAN BROWNIES 1 box brownie mix 1 15 oz can black beans (NOT drained) 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder 1 teaspoon instant coffee Blend the beans (and the liquid), instant coffee, and cocoa in a blender until smooth. Empty the contents of your mix into a bowl. Add the bean mixture and mix by hand until smooth. Bake as directed on the package. Mine, cut into 24 pieces, were 1 point each. This will vary depending on the mix you use and the beans. You'll have to do the math. To dress...

I hear Weight Watcher members talk about metabolism a lot! The problem is we usually talk about it without really understanding what it is and how much control we have over it. Here is some information from Weight Watchers that can clear up some of those things we might believe (or not). METABOLISM...is the number of calories the body burns: ♦ At rest ♦ By digesting and absorbing food ♦ During physical activity What is TRUE about Metabolism? 1. If I have a slow metabolism I have to just work with that. Increasing physical activity, especially strength / resistance training to minimize loss of lean muscle mass will increase your metabolism. Eating a well balanced diet (vitamins & some minerals are required for metabolism)and smaller more frequent meals will increase your metabolism. 2. We can’t stop the slowing of our metabolism due to age. Aging lowers metabolism only because people tend to be less active and may not maintain their muscle mass. 3. The body goes into ‘starvatio...

These are the truth about carbs that we discussed last week at Weight Watcher meetings. Below is a potato soup full of good carbs - ENJOY! MYTH # 1: All carbohydrates are created equal. There are two main types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates (simple sugars) include: • table sugar (sucrose), which is plentiful in soda and candy • fructose and lactose, which are found in healthier foods such as fruit and milk, which supply other nutrients Complex carbohydrates , "starches": • are found in foods like breads, legumes, rice, pasta, fruits, and vegetables such as potatoes. • take longer to digest and can help you feel more satisfied. • contain many more nutrients than simple carbohydrates. As with simple carbohydrates, some complex carbs are healthier than others. ∗ Whole grain versions of complex carbohydrates include oatmeal, bulgur, brown rice, whole cornmeal, quinoa, spelt, foods made with whole wheat, etc. Opt for whole ...

4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced 2 large leeks, cleaned and sliced 1 onion, diced Salt and Pepper to taste 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth cooking spray Heat a 4 quart stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and add the leeks and onions. When onion softens (about 4 minutes) add the potatoes to heat through. Add the broth, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook 30 minutes or until the potatoes are completely tender. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Each one cup serving is only 1 point. You may want to garnish with chives or scallions and a dollop of plain yogurt.

Okay! I love pasta. When I eat macaroni and cheese I want it cheesy and creamy. I don't want to sacrifice favor and comfort for anything. But it would be nice to have big portion and know that I am within my daily points target or even getting some of the good health guidelines. So when I created this recipe it had to be just darn good! I also didn't want it to taste "healthy" and be fussy to make. This does the trick! And I even used Velveeta (yes it is real and made from milk) which should be quite a plus for my friends at Kraft! The best part is, when I calculated the points value it was 14 points per serving before and now it is only 6 points! MACARONI AND CHEESE - the cheesiest! 12 oz whole wheat pasta - I use penne but you can use any kind you prefer 4 T flour pinch nutmeg 1 qt nonfat milk 1/3 cup dry milk (optional) ½ t each S & P (or to taste) 4 oz Swiss cheese, grated 4 oz Velveeta Light (2%) 10 oz box frozen butternut squash puree, defrosted 2 T ...

When I was a child I always wanted to taste a fresh strawberry pie (you know the ones you see in the revolving pie case in restaurants). It just looked so good to me. My mother thought I wouldn't like it so I never got to have one. She wasn't stingy with desserts, she just preferred strawberry shortcake or just about anything else. Then I was living in Peoria, Illinois for a few years after college and I was having dinner at a diner with a fellow teacher. She order us each a pieceof pie for dessert. By this time I was convinced I wouldn't enjoyed the glazed berries. But I found that it was very delicious...my mother was wrong! Years later, in Bloomington, Illinois, my friend, Adrie (one of the best down home cooks ever) made a strawberry pie for dessert one night. I was quite impressed and pleased. Then he shared the recipe with me, which was shockingly simple. Well, I have cut the points in half from the original but the flavor is fully indulgent. I think my mother would h...

The easiest and lightest way to make a great salad is to just remember my formula. I find that a salad - if it is quick - makes a satisfying snack or can really fill out a meal that just seems too small to satisfy. Try this... Mix your salad greens (lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, parsley - whatever you have on hand). Make sure all of these greens are dry. Toss with ONE teaspoon of health oil, such as olive oil. When I say toss I mean really toss to coat all the leaves - one teaspoon will do it. Add ONE teaspoon of Dijon mustard and toss again - at this point you can add spices if you like. Add ONE teaspoon of vinegar (any flavor you like) and toss again. Enjoy! This is only one point. The reason it taste like a fully dressed salad with 3 or 4 points of dressing is because you tossed the oil in before the other liquids. The oil then has a chance to coat everything. If the other liquids are mixed with the oil or added at the same time the liquids will ...

Although hummus is usually made from chickpeas, this green pea version is really good and has a beautiful green color....guest are always pleased and surprised by this twist on something that has become an hors d'oeuvre staple. 1 cup frozen green peas 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt, Greek-variety recommended 1 medium scallion(s), chopped 1/2 cup dill, fresh 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 2 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin 1 medium garlic clove(s), or more to taste 1/2 tsp ground cumin, or more to taste 1/4 tsp table salt, or more to taste Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add green peas and return to a boil; simmer until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Place peas and remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Serve dip immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Yields about 1/4 cup per serving.

Sure the garden vegetable soup is good, but that can be a bit tiring after a year of making the same old same old! Since 1/26/09 is the Chinese New Year, why not celebrate by treating yourself to this version of the zero point soup? I really enjoy the flavors in this one! ASIAN INSPIRED SOUP 2 cups bok choy, chopped 2 cups cabbage, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup fresh ginger root, finely chopped 4 oyster mushrooms (or any other that is available) 2 cups scallions, sliced 1 8 oz can slice water chestnuts 1 small red bell pepper, diced 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 jar or can of bean sprouts (or 1 cup fresh) 2 cups snow peas, cut into spoon size pieces 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 cut cilantro, fine chop salt and white pepper to taste Put the bok choy, cabbage, garlic, ginger root, mushrooms, scallions, water chestnuts, bell pepper, pepper flakes, and broth into a large pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking for 10 minutes. Add r...