Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I have been committing to Weight Watchers for over two months now and I am down 18.8 pounds. I am happy with my progress, happy with my fitness (I was really out of shape and am getting back-slowly- to increasing my endurance), and happy with how I feel about the journey. One area I've needed to work to increase my happiness is with my food. I have made great choices but I have missed some of my old comfort foods. I decided I really needed to find ways to work my favorites in (hello cheese... pasta...bread...BACON!) and work to lower the points on these items. This chicken is a perfect example of this.

This chicken was indulgent tasting. The flavor was incredible but the points were low. With the exception of the bacon this is a recipe I always have all the ingredients for on hand so it's an easy weeknight meal. 

4 Weight Watchers Freestyle Points per breast

Ingredients:

3 slices of center cut bacon

2 6oz chicken breasts (not the thin ones)

2 wedges of Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow cheese

2 tsp grapeseed oil (or any oil)

1/4 cup Cornflake crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1- In a large frying pan cook the bacon. Remove from the pan and crumble. Clean out the pan to remove the grease.

2- Preheat the oven to 375. 

3- Take each chicken breast and slice it in half in the middle so you can open the breast. Do not slice it all the way through, leaving it connected on one side.

4- Spread one wedge of Laughing Cow cheese on each breast.  Top with half the crumbled bacon.

5- Close the breast so the filling is covered. Dip the chicken into egg and the cornflake crumbs. Season with salt/pepper/garlic powder. 

6- Heat the oil in the skillet. Add the chicken and allow it to brown. Flip and allow to brown on the other side. 

7- Transfer to an oven safe dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Asian Chicken Pineapple Lettuce Wraps

It's not often that I make a meal and feel I need to blog it immediately, but this... this is one of those meals. Actually, as I'm typing this John is in the background finishing off this whole recipe... I think he's on his 6th lettuce wrap. Yup... it's that good. The peanuts add a great crunch, the pineapples add a great sweetness, the sauce is flavorful and just so good. I can pretty much assure you this will be a staple in our house. I'd happily serve it with rice, as lettuce wraps, or just in about any way you can imagine this!

The original recipe calls for mango but we prefer pineapple so I did make the modification, but you can swap out the pineapple for mango.



3 Weight Watchers Freestyle points for 2 wraps (4 servings total of 2 wraps per serving, 8 wraps for the whole recipe)

Source: Adapted from "The Essentials WW Freestyle Cookbook"

Ingredients:
1 pound of chicken, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt
2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
8 large Bibb lettuce leaves
1/4 cup salted peanuts, finely chopped

Directions:
1- Toss the chicken with flout and salt. Stir well.
2- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and begin to cook. While it's cooking stir the soy sauce and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
3- Add garlic, ginger, and scallions to the skillet. Stir. Add the sauce and continue cooking until the sauce coats the chicken and the chicken is cooked.
4- Stir in the pineapple and peanuts.
5- Remove the chicken mixture to a bowl. Divide evenly between 8 lettuce leaves.

Chicken Basil Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

Lately meal planning has been a really daunting task. I can't figure out why. I'm someone who loves to eat and cook, but for some reason lately the pre-planning is making me nuts. Someone at my Weight Watchers meeting was raving about the new "The Essential WW Freestyle Cookbook" sold at meeting centers so I decided to pick it up. I figured any inspiration would be a good thing.

The first recipe I tried was this stir fry. The original recipe calls for turkey but I chose to substitute chicken. Overall I kept the recipe pretty identical except I added more noodles because my store had a limited option with the noodles and I ended up buying a pack of precooked "heat and serve" rice noodles. This recipe was very good. I think next time I'd add some sriracha to give the sauce some heat, but otherwise we all loved it.

Source: Slightly adapted from WW Freestyle Cookbook

6 SmartPoints on the WW Freestyle program (per 1 3/4 cup serving)

7 ounces thin rice noodles, cooked
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/4 tsp salt
4 teaspoons grapeseed oil (or canola)
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 cups broccoli florets
2 small orange bell peppers, thinly cliced
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips

Directions:
1- Whisk together the broth, soy sauce, and corn starch. Set aside.
2- Sprinkle chicken with salt. Heat pan with 2 tsp oil, swirling to coat the pan. Add the chicken and stir-fry until browned and cooked. Set aside on a plate.
3- Wipe out the skillet and add remaining oil. Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add broccoli, bell peppers, and scallions until veggies are tender-crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
4- Add the chicken, basil, and noodles to the skillet. Whisk broth mixture again and pour over skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat until the sauce thickens.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 3/4 cup each.

Baked Chicken and Onion Rice

Well, hello out there! I've been chugging along on my Weight Watchers train but I haven't really been making anything new in the kitchen. Last week I feel into a dangerous habit- I didn't meal plan. I had stuff in the house, plenty of low point options, but I didn't plan. You know the old saying... "When you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Well, I was NOT looking to fail, but I definitely set myself up for a hard week. Every night was a battle to try to figure out what to make. Nothing I made last week was worth blogging, but I can finally say I committed to meal planning this week and have some good stuff coming your way.

The original title of this recipe is "Mom's Chicken and Rice" from Daily Dose of Pepper but it felt kind of... wrong... calling it that when this isn't MY mom's recipe haha. I made this a few weeks ago and it was everything I'd hoped for. It was carbs and more carbs, coated in sauce... carbs and sauce are pretty much my thing... so this was good. I also loved how easy it was to prepare. Sundays have become a bit of a meal prep marathon around here so I assembled this first and then stuck it in the fridge while I assembled everything else. So easy. This is husband approved, kid friendly... a winner.

4 Freestyle Smart Points for 1 heaping cup

Ingredients:
1 10.5 oz 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 10.5 oz can of water
1 cup white rice
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast , raw
1 packet lipton recipe secrets onion soup mix (dry)
Cooking Spray
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:
1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2-Chop up chicken breast into small, uniform bite-size pieces.
3- In a large bowl, add chicken breast, soup mix, cream of chicken soup, water, and rice. Mix well until combined.
4- In a lightly sprayed casserole dish, add the chicken and rice mixture. Cover with tin foil.
Bake into the oven for 1 hour. Be sure to leave the foil on tight the whole time to properly cook the rice.

Lighter Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake

This has been a WEEK. I had an ear infection and missed a bunch of work, John has strep, and the kids are doing just fine (thank goodness) but when they're at full energy and we're both down... let's just say, it's been a week. I meant to blog this days ago but hey man, what can I tell you... we were in survival mode 'round here.

I am all about egg noodles. If I had to pick a favorite shape of pasta this might be it. I love the flat noodles, their curled edges, the smooth texture... oh man, I want some right now. Hazards of a food blogger, I suppose! Anyway, I have made a similar version to this meal countless times but I lightened it up a bit and it was perfection. I LOVE Pecorino-Romano cheese but you could lighten it up more by cutting back on that if you wanted. I suggest you don't, but you know... #choices

9 Smartpoints for 1/3 of the recipe on the Weight Watchers Freestyle program

Ingredients:
1 cup cherry tomatoes
Olive oil spray
Salt and pepper
1 packet Knorr pesto sauce mix, prepared with JUST water, no oil
6 ounces dry egg noodles, cooked
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts (I used rotisserie breasts)
9 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, divided

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 400.
2- In an oven safe baking dish place your cup of cherry tomatoes. Spray with olive oil spray and season with salt and pepper. Roast until the skins start to pull back and burst. Remove from the oven and mash with a fork or potato masher.
3- Stir the cooked tomatoes into the prepared Knorr pesto sauce.
4- Transfer the cooked egg noodle and chicken breast to a baking dish. Stir in 6 tablespoons of the Pecorino Romano cheese. Fold in the sauce.
5- Bake the pasta for 15-20 minutes on 350.
6- Top each 1/3 of the recipe with one tablespoon cheese. Serve hot.

Chicken Cacciatore Pasta Bake

It's no secret that I love chicken cacciatore. It's one meal from my childhood that I still make (often) to this day. If I have an extra pepper and onion on hand you can pretty much guess that cacciatore is coming your way! This is a twist on my classic version, but a great make ahead option. I prepped the whole meal, minus the sauce, two days in advance and just added the sauce right before throwing it in the oven (if you add the sauce too far in advance it'll likely dry out).

There are many reasons I put on these pounds I'm working so hard to take off, but one of the reasons was I got lazy about cooking. It's just easier to eat a frozen pizza or some other frozen option than to cook when you come home from work and you're tired and have two little kids to care for. I've started really utilizing Sundays to get ahead for the week (like assembling this meal completely except the sauce... then when I got home and was ready to cook it I just stirred it in and baked). It's a learning curve but I'm proud to say in 5 weeks I'm down 10.6 pounds and still going! Meals like this help me to get there- they are hearty and comforting while also healthy and light.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

7 Smartpoints for 1/3 of recipe on the Freestyle Program*
*Points vary based on the brand of ingredients you use

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked pasta (I used white- you can use wheat and recalculate points)
2 cups of cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
1 bell pepper, diced into small pieces
1/3 cup diced onion
3 ounces of shredded light mozzarella cheese (I used Trader Joe's lite mozzarella which came to 3 sp)
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce (check the points- this can make the recipe more or less sp)
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese


Ingredients:
1- Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and pour into the baking dish.
2- Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the pasta is hot.
3- Top each serving with 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Crispy Cheesy Crusted Chicken

Tomorrow we are supposed to get a big snow storm (both of my kids are already off school!) and something about the threat of snow had me craving a comforting dinner. I've been back on Weight Watchers for almost four weeks now and while my body is handling the adjustments and is getting used to smaller portions, my mind is lagging. Tonight my mind wanted comfort- cheese, warmth, and all things carbs. What can I say... I am who I am!

I made this recipe using what I had on hand and my husband and I both loved it. The breading is just so darn tasty. Please note, when I specify points it's based on the ingredients I used. If you use a different brand your points may be higher!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

4 Weight Watchers Freestyle Smart Points per chicken breast

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
Paprika
1 ounce low fat cream cheese, softened
2 ounces low fat mozzarella cheese (I used Trader Joe's lite mozzarella which comes out to 1 point per ounce)
4 tbsp corn flake crumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp seasoning salt
Dried parsley (a few shakes)
Cooking spray

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven  to 400.
2- Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Put each chicken breast in the dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and some paprika.
3- In a bowl combine the cream cheese, mozzarella, corn flake crumbs, and garlic powder/seasoning salt. The mixture will be crumbly and loose.
4- Divide the topping over the two chicken breasts. It will be loose and not adhere to the chicken. Use a light coating of cooking spray over the two breasts. Sprinkle with dried parsley.
5- Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes or until your chicken is cooked through and the top is brown. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of your chicken.

Everything Creamy Chicken Bubble Up

Look, I'm not gonna lie... this was so good it was almost TOO good. As I've gotten back on track with my weight loss program the hardest thing for me to adjust to has been serving sizes. I may be physically satisfied from a serving but I'm not MENTALLY satisfied if that makes sense. I want more. MORE! But I'm resisting and sticking to my servings. I know it gets easier with time. Sometimes the brain can take the longest amount of time to adjust to change.

This meal was tempting though, it's just all the things I love in life. Creamy? Check. Chicken? Check. Cheese? Check. BREAD? Check. It was approved by John who was just so happy to see bacon. I mean, bacon and cheese are always a winning combo in the Stephanie Cooks kitchen.

Source: Slightly adapted from Drizzle Me Skinny

5 Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints per 1/6 of the recipe

Ingredients:

7.5oz package of biscuits (This can be hard to find- I sometimes find them in a four pack or I did find an 8 oz package of light crescent rolls to use too)
4 oz softened light cream cheese
2 cups (8oz) cooked shredded chicken
⅓ cup light sour cream
¼ cup light ranch dressing
5 slices cooked and crumbled center cut bacon (low point bacon)
½ cup reduced fat shredded cheese
4 tsp Everything But The Bagel seasoning from Trader Joes

5 cherry tomatoes, diced

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 375F, spray a 9x13 with some cooking spray.
2- Cut each  biscuit into 6 pieces each and spread across bottom of your dish.
3- In a bowl mix your cream cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing and chicken together, add in 2 tsp of everything seasoning.
4- Stir well and spoon on to your biscuits, spreading evenly.
5- Sprinkle another 1 tsp of your seasoning on top.
6- Bake in oven for 30 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle your cheese, tomatoes, crumbled cooked bacon and final 1 tsp of seasoning on top and return to oven for 10 more minutes.
7- Serves 6, each serving is approx 6oz