Confession time. I hate zucchini noodles, or zoodles as they are called sometimes. People raved about them replacing pasta and every time I tried to make them it was a slimy disappointment. Then I learned the secret to zoodles. Never, ever, under any circumstances do you cook them. You make the sauce and then cover the cold, raw zoodles in it, warming them with the heat from your sauce.
Recipe on page 2!
Have you ever tasted a hug? I have! This Beef Barley Soup is as comforting as one. Warm, rich and delicious it hits just the right spot as we head into colder temperatures. It doesn’t get any easier than this recipe!
I have directions for both the stBeegove top and instant pot/ninja foodi.
Ingredients:
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 pound top round steak (cut into one inch cubes, sprinkled with salt)
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
7 cups beef broth (I prefer Better than Bullion)
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp black ground pepper
3/4 cup quick cooking barley (not cooked)
Method of Preparation:
Turn pressure cooker to sauté mode on high, and add oil (stovetop heat your oil in your large soup pan). Once sizzling add the cut up steak, stirring frequently to brown all sides. You want to cook until most juices have evaporated, but a little left is ok, just make sure it is browned well.
Add carrots and celery and all seasonings. Give it a quick stir and add your broth and barley. Turn sauté mode off and attach lid. Set to high and pressure cook for 8 minutes. Once finished release pressure after sitting for 6 minutes.
On the stovetop bring to a boil then cover and cook on low for 20-25 minutes or until barley is done.
As always check the temp of your meat with both techniques to make sure it’s at a safe temperature.
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The first book in the series is called Going Home. Becca, our heroine, returns home after a 25 year absence to reclaim a sentimental family heirloom. She hopes to go in and out unnoticed, especially by the man she’s loved since she was eight years old.
The odds are stacked against Becca, small towns being what they are. Her 25 year old secret is about to be exposed, and she just might get a second chance at love.
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This is my spicy version of Jambalaya! Delicious and filling, it is one of my favorite new recipes!
If divided into 4 servings it is 7 WW Points. It is about a cup and a half per serving. You can make it into 5 one cup servings for 5 WW Points. It is very filling and the one cup version is a perfect lunch.
This recipe is super fast, super easy, and super delicious! It is so incredibly filing and just has that comfort food vibe without all those extra calories!
If you follow the WW Smartpoint plan it comes in at a whopping 2 points for 7 dumplings. Everything else in the recipe is zero Smartpoints!
I love me some Blueberry and Lemon, and when I’m craving something sweet this is it for me! You can make this in the oven or the Instant Pot and it’s super easy! It is dense and very filling.
Ingredients:
3 Large Eggs
1 Cup Fage Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest
1 1/2 Cup Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1Cup Stevia Baking Blend (I use Aldi’s zero calorie)
1 1/2 Frozen Blueberries
Optional (for oven preparation) 1 beaten egg for egg wash
I’ve been playing around with this recipe for awhile now, and I finally got it. I wanted to lower the Smarpoints without compromising the taste, and I think this turned out delicious. The steak is 4 Smartpoints and depending how much mushroom sauce you use it can be 0 Smartpoints. I’ve added a point for it for all the strict strict people out there (like me).
This recipe doubles well, and also freezes well. I doubled it and formed 8 patties. I took 4 of them and wrapped them in parchment paper and placed them in a ziptop freezer bag. They are all ready for when I am running late and don’t know what to cook.
If you are using the Instant Pot to make this you can also make a starch using the Pot – in – Pot method.
Recipe for 4 servings (can be doubled)
So with this new Freestyle program I think I’ll be using a lot more bulgar wheat. In my post A Love Letter to Bulgar Wheat I wax poetic about how much I love the stuff.
And I mean I seriously love it.
For those of you Instant Pot “Potheads” out there I have found what I consider to be the perfect way to cook it.
So 1 cup of bulgar is going to give you 4 cups cooked. You double your water.
So if you are doing 1 cup dry then use 2 cups of water/broth.
My perfect all purpose Bulgar recipe in the Instant Pot is:
1 Cup Bulgar Wheat
2 Cups water prepared with Better than Bullion Chicken
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoon Wildtree California Garlic and Pepper Blend (sub 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper)
Hello fellow freestylers! Are you excited about the new program? I’m going to go more into my thoughts on in on the weekly weigh-in post, but I wanted to post this today to help all of you that need a fast and easy 0 Smartpoint dish!
Now I do have to warn you, the chicken broth has a point if you eat the whole thing. I’d love the meet the person who could, because after eating just a bowl of this for lunch I could barely eat dinner.
It’s warm, filling, and definitely feels like comfort food!
Ingredients:
2 Cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Can Kidney Beans(be sure to get the kind without sauce), drained and rinsed
1 Can Corn
1 Medium Yellow Onion, chopped
3 Celery stalks, diced
1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
2 Teaspoons Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
3 Teaspoons Better than Bouillon Chicken base mixed with 3 cups water
1 1/2 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, halfed if they are really large
Sometimes you just need some comfort, and this big bowl of deliciousness comes in at 9 Smartpoints.
I couldn’t eat dinner after I ate it, I was still incredibly full, so it is 9 Smartpoints well spent. It is easy to modify if you’d like it to be less. I begrudgingly counted the points for the mixed veggies, and if you subbed just beans and carots it would take 1 smartpoint off a bowl.
You could also leave out the potatoes, but who does that? Also I added the “dumplings” (one per serving) and those are 3 Smartpoints. I honestly don’t think it needs them, and probably won’t add them again.
Wait what?
Yep, you heard that right I don’t think it needs the bread product, but if you are big on that sort of thing it is easily added.
I’m in maintenance so I get more points than most, so what I’m saying is you can make this your own!
I was inspired by this recipe to use cauliflower as the base.
Let me tell you I was probably more skeptical than you are right now, but it was GOOD.
My usual chicken pot pie takes hours and hours to make but I wanted to do this simple. You could probably modify this for the stove top too, but you’ll have to babysit and it’ll take a lot longer.
A serving is one “dumpling” + 1 1/2 Cups of soup. You’ll get about 6 and a half servings with this recipe.
Ingredients:
2 Pounds Chicken Breasts, cut into strips
3 Cups Chicken Stock, divided
9 Ounces Potatoes, chopped into 1/2″ Cubes
1 Bag Mixed Vegetables (16 ounces)
1 head of Cauliflower, cut into 4 pieces
3 Garlic cloves, diced
1 Cup yellow onion
2 Teaspoons Grapeseed Oil (or your favorite high smoke point oil)
1 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper (freshly ground if you can)
1 Teaspoon Thyme
1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
6 servings Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescents (8 come in a can and I did them all, there was room)
Method of Preparation:
Turn your Instant Pot to Saute mode and add oil. Once it reads hot add your onions, cooking for about 2 minutes while stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. stirring as you go to make sure nothing sticks.
Turn your Instant Pot off and add 2 Cups of Chicken Stock and mix well, getting anything that might be stuck on the bottom incorporated with the liquid. Layer your chicken strips in the liquid, and season with Thyme,and Pepper. Add the potatoes on top, and add the salt.
Using a steamer basket place your cauliflower on top. Secure the lid and set to manual for 9 minutes. Once done do a natural release for 10 minutes, and then let the pressure out.
Remove your steamer basket with the cauliflower and set to the side. Using a slotted spoon remove the chicken and potatoes. Check several chicken strips to be sure they have reached a safe temperature.
Return cauliflower to the pot and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. You can also do this with a food processor.
Turn pot back to saute mode, and adjust the heat to the low setting. Add frozen mixed vegetables and stir well and last cup of chicken stock. Add the potatoes back to the pot and shred your chicken.
Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper depending on your personal preference.
Take your crescent rolls and roll each individual piece into a ball. Add back to pot once it is back to a boil. Use a heat proof lid or set your Instant Pot lid back on, venting slightly.
Cook for 25 minutes. or until rolls are cooked through.
Enjoy!
Aside from writing this blog, I have a new novel out. Going Home is a book about second chances, set in a holiday obsessed town. If you like Hallmark movies, you’ll love this book!
Need a kick in the pants with your hug? Join my Weight Watchers Tough Love Group on Facebook.
To keep up with me:
Follow my blog with the link in the left hand side bar (or bottom of the page if on cell).
Follow the My 30 Point Life Blog Updates on Pinterest
Follow and like me on my Facebook Page.
Join my Instant Pot Healthy Recipes group on Facebook.
This is a recipe I used to make all the time but it used molasses. You don’t even want to know how many points are in molasses, it’s truly frightening. So I switched it up with some sugar free maple syrup, said a hail Mary, and it actually worked! It’s delicious!
The roast is 4 Smartpoints for 3 ounces.
My 30 Point Life 