Spinach and Pizza Stuffed Shells and Garlic Toast

***This is from last spring. Luckily, because I had already had a good start on the post, it came together easily. Seeing these pictures made my mouth drool, especially thinking about the pizza ones. Too bad we have long since polished these off. Otherwise, I know what we would be having for lunch.
By the way, the point values were actually one point lower than I posted on booth when I calcualted them, but they seem so sinful I upped them both by one. It just sits better with me and how I will be counting them.
These past few weeks were a mess. I wasn't making good food choices, I was eating too much, we were eating out a ton and I WAS HATING COOKING! I couldn't really figure out why but I think in hindsite, I was missing blogging. I usually have my camera in the kitchen and create a post in my head as I go, hoping it turns out good enough that I was to share with you. (This is not always the case, but oh well!) I had my parents in town and didn't want to be taking pictures
This was a dinner that I made quite a while ago and have been meaning to post. I had some of the leftover shells (Don't worry, they were from the freezer!) for lunch and they were delcious. I thought it was the perfect time to share.

Spinach Stuffed Shells
4 pts
Serving - 3 Shells

box of large pasta shells
2 c fat free cottage cheese
4 oz part skim mozzarella, shredded
1 egg (could use 2 egg whites)
2 T parmesan cheese
1/4 t salt
dash of pepper
1 T oregano
1/2 t minced garlic
10 oz. frozen spinach (thawed & drained)
3/4 c pasta sauce
1 oz finely shredded mozzarella for topping

Cook shells according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside. I like to set them out on a cookie sheet so that they don't stick together or rip. Let cool enough to handle.


While noodles are boiling, combine cottage cheese, egg, garlic, salt, parmesan, mozzarella and oregano in a large bowl. Strain and press all the water out of the frozen spinach. (I wrap it in a paper towel and squeeze it to get out most of the water.) Add spinach to cottage cheese mixture. I use the whole package but it is a little on the "spinachy" side but I work under the theory "the more veggies the better." If you are nervous about the spinach only use 1/2.


Man, isn't this pasta pretty. Make sure that you don't cook them too long or they get mushy. Stuff the shells with about 2 Tablespoons of the mixture. I stuff them just full enough that you can see the filling poking out but not so full that you run the risk of it oozing out everywhere.



I use bottled sauce (usually Ragu Light) but you could use tomato sauce with some Italian spices in it too. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of Pyrex. Put shells in Pyrex. Spoon more sauce over the top. Sprinkle 1 oz of mozzarella on the top. I shred mine fine so that it goes a bit farther. Bake approx. 30 minutes at 350 degrees.




This made much more than pictured above. I stuffed at least 12 - 16 more shells and laid them in a single layer on a pan that fit in the freezer (no sauce!) and put them in a Ziploc after they freeze. Directions on how to do this are in the recipe below.

They came out so cheesy and delicious. I love that way that cottage cheese melts when you bake it. I am not a ricotta fan but you could use it instead if you prefer it or have it on hand.



I served it with a salad and garlic toast. To make garlic toast I just take a thin slice of french bread and brush some olive oil and garlic on top. I broil it for a minute or two. I have to sit in front of the oven and watch it or else I forget about it. It will burn on you really fast. This was store bought bread but I have been working on french bread and made some today that was near perfect. I will be posting that soon. I have to be careful not to make it too often because I could easily polish off half a hot loaf.

I had cooked the whole box of pasta shells and had a ton left and was looking for a way to use them. This is what I came up with. While I love the spinach stuffed shells, I have to admit that these are better. So delicious the best of pizza and cheese pasta all rolled into one.

Pizza Stuffed Shells
5 pts
Serving Size 3 shells

pasta shells (cooked according to package directions)
1/2 c diced white onion
1/2 c diced green pepper
1/2 c diced fresh mushrooms
12 large olives, diced
20 slices turkey pepperoni, diced
1 1/2 c cottage cheese
4 oz mozzarella, shredded
1/2 t minced garlic
1 t oregano or Italian seasoning
2 T parmesan cheese
3/4 c pasta sauce
1 oz mozzarella, finely shredded for topping

Sauté onions and green peppers and mushrooms in a pan with non-stick spray till soft.

Mix cottage cheese, mozarella, parmesan, seasoning, egg and garlic together in a large bowl. Add chopped olives, pepperoni and onion mixture to cottage cheese mixture and mix together.





Stuffs shells with mixture. Shells should be full but not over-full.


If you were eating these immediately you would prepare with the pasta sauce as in the spinach recipe above. 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

However, I made these to freeze for future use. After stuffing the shells, I placed them on a plan lined with plastic wrap and stick them in the freezer overnight. The plastic wrap keeps it from sticking to the pan. Once frozen through, I transferred them to a Ziploc bag. This way I could take out what I needed for dinner that night. So easy! And so delicious! Just add a little to the cooking time if cooking from frozen.

Between these two stuffings, I used all the shells. I had dinner for 4 or 5 nights for my little family.

Chicken Enchiladas - 3 pts each

Like most people who are struggling with their weight, I have tried a million different things in the past to lose weight. One that I have done several times in the past is Body for Life. It is a program by Bill Phillips. I have to say that it really works and is a awesome combination of exercise, food and mind. I did it at my highest and lost A LOT of weight on it. You may wonder why I am not doing it now. Reason is that it is very restrictive and takes a lot of dedication. There is a list of foods you eat from & do certain exercises 6 days a week. Right now that is way too much structure with 2 small children and other commitments I have.

So instead I am doing WW. I know that it works and I feel like it fits with my lifestyle and allows me the flexibility I need. I can eat what is available if I count the points and if I miss exercising, no big deal. I also feel like long term it is a better choice for me.

The purpose of all of this is that this recipe I got from a Body for Life cookbook called Eating for Life. It is still one of my favorite cookbooks. All the recipes are very healthy. They all have full color pictures of the ingredients and the final dish. All the recipes are very easy. Here is one of my favorites. Again, I have changed it over the years. I don't really know they exact recipe anymore.



Chicken Enchildas
3 pts
Serves 4-6

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 green onions
12 corn tortillas
1 can green enchilada sauce (10-12 oz)
2 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese, finely shredded

Boil chicken breasts. Cool until easily handled and shred. Slice green onions and add to shredded chicken. Pour about 1/2 c of enchilada sauce into the chicken mixture and mix together.

Spray the botton of a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. Warm tortillas one at a time in a dry skillet. After each tortilla is heated, add a scoop of chicken mixture and roll. Place seam side down in the pan. When all tortillas are rolled with chicken mixture, pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of all the enchiladas. Top with cheese.

Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, olive and/or guacamole. (These are not included in the listed points.)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Revisited and Almond Onion Rice

Since making this Chicken Cordon Bleu a few weeks ago, my husband has been begging (literally) me to make this again and to make several of them so he can take them to work for lunches. I finally picked up some more ham this past week so I set out to make a bunch of them on Monday night. We had them for dinner that night and I paired it with some almond onion rice (recipe below) and a green salad topped with craisins, dried apples and raspberry vinegrette. It turned out as good as the first try and the experimental rice turned out amazing! Last time I had a request for pictures so here is the recipe again with pictures. The rice recipe is posted too.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
5 pts
2 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 large deli slices of ham
2 wedges of Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss
1 egg white (mixed with a splash of water)
1/4 c panko style bread crumbs
1/2 c Fiber One cereal, pulsed in food processor or blender until fine crumbs

Thaw chicken. Place between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound to about 1/4 inch thick with meat mallet or rolling pin. Remove plastic.


Place a slice of deli ham over each piece of chicken. Spread a wedge of cheese on half of each piece of chicken/ham. Roll like a burrito starting with the cheese side first so that it is in the middle of the roll. Secure with toothpicks if necessary.



Put egg white in a bowl. Combine panko bread crumbs and fiber one crumbs in another bowl. Dip the chicken in egg white and then roll in bread crumbs, coating entire chicken roll. Place on a cooking sheet that has been spray with nonstick spray. Repeat with second piece of chicken. sprinkle remaining bread crumbs on top of chicken.



Bake 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving because cheese inside will be very hot.



If freezing these, cook before freezing. Can be reheated in the oven or thawed in the fridge and them reheated in the microwave.



Brown rice takes forever to cook. I sometimes cheat and use instant brown rice on days that I forget to set the rice cooker early. I have heard that rice freezes well and have been meaning to try it so when I made fried rice on Sunday night, I cooke 2 extra cups of brown rice to freezer for quick meals during the week.

While the chicken cordon bleu is absolutely amazing, it is a little time consuming. I recommend making a bunch at one time like I did and freezing them for later meals. After preparing the chicken, I realized that I had forgot to throw on some rice. I had planned on making fresh rice because I wanted to season it with chicken stock and the rice I had cooked earlier in the week was plain. With only 25 minutes till dinner, I needed to figure out something fast. Rather than breaking out the instant rice, I pulled out the precooked rice from the night before and this is what I came up with. By the way, it was delicious!

Almond Onion Rice
1/2 c = 2 pts or 1 c = 5 pts
Serves 2-4

2 c cooked brown rice
1/4 c water
1 T chicken base
1/2 t mined garlic
1 green onion, sliced
canola oil spray
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray

If frozen, break rice into smaller chunks to fit in a microwave safe bowl. Ad water, minced garlic and chicken base. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave 3 minutes or until warmed through. Uncover and stir. If water still remains in the rice microwave at 30 second intervals until water is evaporated or absorbed.




In a dry nonstick skillet (I used cast iron.), toast almonds until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Spray pan with canola oil spray and return to medium heat. (I have a oil sprayer from Pampered Chef that I love. Nonstick spray is not very good for your pans.) Add sliced onion and saute lightly.



Spray 10 sprays of butter spray to pan. Add rice and base mixture and mix until combined. Let rice cook 2-3 minutes without stirring. This will give the rice more of a "fried" flavor. Stir lightly and let cook another 1-2 minutes without stirring. Mix in toasted almonds. Serve and Enjoy!
(I think that 1/2 c of rice is the perfect serving but my husband always want at least 1 c.)

Sweet & Sour Turkey Meatballs

This has been my go to recipe for years. It started as one that my mom tried one time. It didn't turn out great but I knew that it had potential. I have tweeked it here and there over the years and I am happy with the outcome. It is one of my husband's favorites and he is always putting in requests for it. I've used it for many a dinner party and take it in to families when I am bringing them dinner after a new baby or a surgery. It is kid friendly; my daughter loves them. It also has enough flavor to set it apart from regular old meatballs.

I usually serve it with brown rice and a salad of some sort. I put a little bit of the sauce over the rice or put the meatballs right a top the rice. It could also be served with a steamed veggie of some sort too.



Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs
6 pts - 3 meatballs
Serves 4 - 6

Meatballs

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 c oatmeal
1/2 c onion, diced or minced
1/4 c skim milk
1 t Worchestershire sauce
1/2 salt
dash of pepper

Sauce
1/2 brown sugar or 1/4 c of Splenda brown (It doesn't change the point value.)
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 c bbq sauce
1 t Worchestershire sauce
1 t prepared yellow mustard

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. I put it in the fridge for 1 hr or more so that the oatmeal can absorb some of the liquid. This is not necessary if you are in a hurry though. Form into 18 meatballs. In a hot and lightly oiled skillet, brown the sides of the meatballs to sear in the juices and so they hold their shape in the oven. These will most likely not be perfectly round, but don't worry about it. Be careful not to overcrowd the skillet so the meatballs can get a nice brown color. Put in a 9 x 13 pan that has been coated with nonstick spray once browned.

Combine all ingredients for sauce. Heat through until combined. Pour over browned meatballs. Put in a 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes. Serve with with rice and a vegetable. I eat it with 1/2 c of brown rice (2 pts) but the husband needs 1 c (4 pts).