Author Archives: Kelly

Southwest Burgers – Freezer Meal

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I really love having food prepared ahead of time and tucked away in my freezer.  Being prepared is half the battle when you are working on a healthier lifestyle.

This has always been my problem when I fall off the wagon and get drug behind if for a few miles.  I actually prefer healthy food over things like fast food.  My problem is I am always so so busy!

What’s really nice about this recipe is when I make the burgers I individually wrap them in parchment so I can just take a couple out.  The recipe makes four burgers, but when ground turkey or chicken go on sale I’ll make 3 or 4 pounds worth and have them at my ready in the freezer. With the cost of food skyrocketing, this has most definitely saved me some big time money.

southwestfreezer

These burgers pack a punch in the flavor department, and you’d never know you are eating something healthy!  I put them on a sandwich thin and the grand total is 6 SmartPoints when cooked on the grill!

Ingredients:

1 lb.  ground turkey (or ground chicken)
1 Tablespoon Wildtree Garlic Grapeseed Oil (or your favorite oil)
2 Tablespoons Wildtree Fiesta Salsa Blend (or your favorite dry salsa blend)
1 Tablespoon Wildtree Rancher Steak Rub (Montreal Steak Seasoning is a good replacement)

Combine all ingredients in a freezer Ziploc and smush to blend. *Before freezing, you can shape meat into 4 patties, wrap in parchment and then freeze. Otherwise, the chicken is a little difficult to form into patties once thawed. I definitely recommend forming into patties before freezing.
 Freeze.
When ready to serve, thaw bag in fridge. Heat 1 Tablespoon of Wildtree Garlic Grapeseed Oil (you will add a point a burger if you do this instead of the grill) in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. If using chicken where you didn’t pre-form the patties, spoon into the hot pan as the meat will be difficult to form into patties and pan fry or grill for about 5 min per side. If using turkey, form into patties and cook 5-6 min per side. Serve on buns with mayo or sour cream,  I like to add onions and tomatoes too 🙂
If you would like to try Wildtree products, you can order from my website.  I always try to put substitutions up for you all, but I’m kind of biased to the Wildtree way 🙂

Opa! Chicken Sandwich

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So Costco has this awesome Kirkland chunk chicken in an 8 oz can.  Of course you get like 6 of them when you buy them, so I wanted to get some different recipes.

This is one of my favorites!  You can either do it as a “scramble” like shown in my picture, or you can make patties out of it.  When I’m in a hurry I just do three scoops (I use my ice cream scooper which is 1/4 cup) with a table spoon of oil, crisp it up, and it’s all good!

I use Joseph brand flat bread which is out of this world!  I get it from Walmart, and it is by the deli counter.  2 points each and worth it!

This is my go to dish when I have nothing in the house.  I try to make it up a head of time so it’s ready to cook.  It is so filling.  I mean I am STUFFED when I eat this and it’s so mouth-wateringly flavorful that I am completely satisfied when I eat it!

Opa! Chicken Sandwich – 5-6 points

1 8 oz can Kirkland Chunk Chicken

1 Green Pepper (diced)

1 Small White Onion (diced)

1 Egg

1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Tablespoon Wildtree Opa! Seasoning (or Greek seasoning found at your grocery store)

Grapeseed Oil (I use garlic infused)

Tzatziki Seasoning

1 Cup Greek Yogurt (Plain, Non-Fat)

1/2 cucumber (seeded and grated)

1 Tablespoon Wildtree Tzatziki Seasoning (or brand found at your grocery store)

Garnish:

Tomatoes

Lettuce

1 Joseph Whole Wheat Flat Bread

Directions:

Combined all the ingredients for the Tzatziki dip and put in a  container.  Let the dip sit at least an hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Saute onions and peppers for 3 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Break up canned chicken with a fork, and mix in Opa! seasoning, egg, bread crumbs, and the cooled peppers.  Let sit in the refrigerator for at least a half an hour.

If you make patties out of this mixture they are one point each.  Heat pan with 1 tablespoon of oil.  Form 9 patties from mixture, cooking 3-4 minutes on each side to make sure they are cooked through.  Each patty is one point.  They aren’t near as good reheated, so I do mine the scrambled way most of the time.

If going for the scramble, heat one teaspoon of oil and add the amount of chicken you would like – 3/4 cup is perfect for the Joseph wrap.  Crisp it up until cooked through and add to your flatbread with your choice of garnishes.

The Tzatziki dip is free for 2 tablespoons or 1 point for 3.  I love it so I usually take the hit and have 3 tablespoons!

Sometimes I use Wildtree seasonings in my recipes.  I always try to put a substitute for them, but if you would like to try Wildtree check out my Wildtree site!

 

 

Smart Swap – Rice Rollers

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So I’m not a big fan of processed food.  Back in the day when Weight Watchers first started the “CORE” program it really changed the way I view food and how I eat.  Even after I fell of the wagon and was dragged for miles and miles I still ate a mostly whole food, cooked from scratch diet.

That being said, sometimes you just have to do a smart swap – swapping out a high point item for a more point friendly option.

Breakfast is a big deal for me.  I may have grown up in the Chicagoland area, but my family is from the south and skipping breakfast was not an option.  Ever.  Growing up that way I have to eat in the morning.

During my work days I always have the same thing.  1 cup of Kirkland Greek Yogurt (from Costco) mixed with one cup of blueberries, a dash of vanilla, and a drop of stevia extract.  That is 3 points, which is really good for that amount of food.  I’m a texture person though.  I have to have something besides mush, so I’d add 1/4 cup granola, which gave my breakfast a 4 point boost.

Now I have no problems having a 10 point breakfast on my days off, but during the week…when I don’t have time to cook and am going just for nourishment… Nope!

So I found these rice rollers while at Costco, and they save me 2 points.  Each rice roller is just 2 points.  I break it up into smaller chunks and add it to my yogurt.  I get the texture and it is really more filling.

Never mind that they kind of remind me of that Sugar Snap cereal from when I was a kid.  Oh yeah, they are delicious, something I never thought I’d say about a rice cake kind of deal!

You can find these at Costco sometimes.  It has been hit or miss for me so I started ordering from this link to Bamboo Lane Crunchy Rice Rollers: 3.5oz 8 Packs of 8 Rollers“>Amazon.  They have become to important in my daily routine to run out!

I’m hoping to have at least one Smart Swap a week, so be sure to check back!

Tales of a serial Weight Watcher

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Oh yes, I have done Weight Watcher’s several times.

I’ve lost a lot of weight.

I’ve gained back a lot of weight (but not all!).

I love to eat good food.  I cannot survive on protein bars and radishes.  I need to EAT.

Good food doesn’t have to be bad, and Weight Watchers now has a limit where you can only get down to 30 points, hence my website name.

My 30 point life.  Here we go.