Monday, January 31, 2011

Monday Night Smackdown in the Kitchen! OOOOOO YEAH!

Tonight for dinner, I was inspired to cook something new.  I used parts of a recipe I found online at www.weightwatchers.com, but then of course I added to it and changed it up a bit. My hubby was so pleased with dinner that he requested we have this meal every week.  The best part of the meal is it was the easiest meal I have cooked in weeks!  Can we have it again?  Heck yeah!

Italian Skillet Chicken with Tomatoes,Basil, and Veggies
First, I defrosted about 3/4 of a pound on boneless, skinless chicken breast.  I diced the chicken up and browned it for about 3 minutes on each side and pulled it off the heat.  Next I diced up 2 small onions, 1 stalk of celery, 2 carrots, and 3 zucchini.  I put 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil in my pan.  Then I sauteed all of the veggies for about 10 minutes until they were nice and soft.  Then, to the pan I added 2 large (14.5 ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  I then stirred in 2 heaping tablespoons of basil (finely chopped).  I added the chicken to the sauce and covered it. I let it simmer on medium low for about 15 to 20 minutes.  I then served 1 1/4 cups of the sauce over 1 cup of the Smart Taste penne pasta for a 9 point dish. 

Arugula Salad
Slice one small zucchini (length wise) in paper thin strips.  Divide the zucchini among two plates.  On each plate add 1 1/2 cups of arugula. (Arugula has a peppery and very distinct taste.  By peppery, I do not mean hot.  It is delicious)  Next I top the arugula with 1 tablespoon of shredded Parmesan cheese on each salad.  Finally, I make a lemony vinaigrette to go on top.  I combine the juice of 2 small lemons with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper.  I stir the vinaigrette and divide it evenly among the two plates.  Each salad is 2 points.


* For one additional point, I added 2 tablespoons of reduced fat feta to my pasta.  Added a little extra flare and it's delicious!


*  My husband said the sauce tasted like an Italian tomato soup.  So for lunch tomorrow, I am gonna omit the chicken from the remainder of the sauce and serve it with a low-fat pimento cheese sandwich.  Yum, yum, yum!  1 1/2 cups of the soup would be like 2 points.

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