PB & Chocolate Oatmeal Blitz

Per Serving (entire recipe): 8 Points+
295 calories, 10.5g fat, 515mg sodium, 41g carbs, 6g fiber, 9g sugars, 11g protein

The recipe: "300 Under 300", page 43

I love peanut butter, so any time I see something that is low in calories and has peanut butter in it then I am all for it.  While this recipe is still fairly high in calories and fat, it is obviously better than it would be if you used regular peanut butter instead of the reduced fat kind.

Although this oatmeal did taste pretty good, and was also a fairly nice portion size since it was another "growing oatmeal" recipe, I was a little disappointed in the peanut butter part of it.  I could definitely taste the chocolate in the oatmeal, but could hardly taste the peanut butter at all.  I'm not sure if this is worth the extra calories and fat of the peanut butter in the recipe since you really can't taste it.  I would much rather make the Major Mocha Cappuccino Oatmeal(6 Points+) or the Smores Oatmeal (8 Points+) recipe instead.

So, although this was a tasty recipe and I happily ate it, it did not taste as peanut buttery as I had hoped.  I will have to find another recipe that will satisfy my peanut butter and chocolate cravings better.

Takes-The-Cake Ziti Bake

Per Serving (1/4th of ziti bake): 7 Points+
286 calories, 7g fat, 455mg sodium, 41g carbs, 5g fiber, 7g sugars, 16.5g protein

The recipe: "300 under 300", pages 230 - 231
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1615

Since Italian food is a favorite of my family, I am always looking for healthier versions of the dishes I used to make pre-healthy eating.  Baked ziti is one of my husband's favorite meals.  The entree he gets from the little Italian restaurant down the street is LOADED with fatty sausage, tons of cheese, and oily sauce.  I figured I should attempt a lower calorie substitution to see if he would like it.

This dish ended up passing the test for everyone in my family, even my two-year-old.  Neither of them even noticed that I used high fiber pasta, and they both asked for seconds.  Definitely a winner!  Good flavors, and nice and cheesy.  I really liked that there were plenty of veggies in the dish - it had spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes.  The best part was the veggies were kind of hidden amongst the cheese and pasta, so I didn't have any complaints about there being too many veggies, or it not having any meat.  Actually, I don't think it even registered with my husband that this was technically a vegetarian dish.

The only thing I would recommend would be to double the recipe if you are making it for more than just yourself.  The recipe makes four servings, but if you have a husband like mine who usually eats two or more servings on his own, you will definitely not have any leftovers.  I prefer to have a little extra left for lunch the next day or even another dinner, so I will be doubling the recipe next time.  And yes, there probably will be a next time, since it was such a hit with the family.

Mmmmm Moo Shu Chicken

Per Serving (about 2/3 cup): 2 Points+ (excluding tortilla)
76 calories, 0.5g fat, 522mg sodium, 9.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 4g sugars, 8g protein

The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 272 - 273
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1177

Every once in a while, I find myself getting very strong cravings for Chinese food.  This past week I have really been craving moo shu chicken, so I figured I should make this Hungry Girl version of it.  Although it did a pretty good job of satisfying my cravings, I was still left wanting the moo shu chicken from my favorite Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles.  The recipe itself was a pretty good replica of moo shu chicken - I think it was the tortilla that didn't quite do it for me.  Normally, moo shu chicken is eaten on a very thin flour pancake, so a high fiber tortilla just wasn't quite the same for me.

I was kind of on the fence about this recipe.  It could have used a little more flavor, but the hoisin sauce did help make up for that.  When you are buying the hoisin sauce, make sure you pay attention to the nutritional information.  There were two different brands at the grocery store I was at - one had 22g carbs, while the other (the one I bought) had only 9g carbs.  That is a difference of a whole point or so per serving if you are doing Weight Watchers!  I'm not sure about the calorie difference, but the lower carb one had only 50 calories per serving.  My point is, there is a wide range of hoisin sauces out there, so make sure you get the brand that has the better nutritional information.

My main complaint about this recipe is the small amount of chicken in it.  It only calls for 6 ounces of chicken - not very much considering it also calls for a large 12 ounce bag of broccoli slaw.  The chicken pretty much disappears into the meal, so it could definitely use a little more.  Considering each serving is only two points+, I'm not sure why there isn't more chicken in it.  Even if having more chicken ends up adding a point per serving, it would still only be three points+ instead of two - still a good points bargain.

I'm not sure if I would make this recipe again.  It just wasn't very exciting, and didn't do a very good job of satisfying my Chinese food cravings.  If you are looking for a low points meal, it is an okay option, though.

Super-sized Berry-nana Oatmeal Parfait

Per Serving (entire recipe): 7 Points+
285 calories, 4.5g fat, 359mg sodium, 54g carbs, 6.5g fiber, 21.5g sugars, 9g protein

The recipe: "300 under 300", pages 48 - 49
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1606

Mmmm!  Another sweet oatmeal breakfast/dessert recipe!  The flavor of the oatmeal when cooked with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze is very tasty and goes well with the various Hungry Girl "growing oatmeal" recipes.  This one has layers of oatmeal, vanilla yogurt, strawberries, and bananas.  Yum! 

I learned from my previous experience with the Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Parfait to make the oatmeal the night before so it can chill in the refrigerator overnight.  I then made the parfait for breakfast the next morning.  The recipe calls for nonfat vanilla yogurt, but I really like how thick and filling greek yogurt is.  I had some plain nonfat greek yogurt in the fridge that I added a touch of vanilla and a packet of Splenda to as a substitute for the nonfat vanilla yogurt.  It tasted great, and was probably even less calories than nonfat vanilla yogurt would have been. 

This parfait had a fresh and healthy feel to it because of the strawberries and bananas, but it still managed to satisfy my sweet cravings that I always have, so I was happy about that.  It was also very satisfying - there was actually more oatmeal than is shown in the picture.  I ran out of room in my glass to put all the oatmeal!  As you can see, I had to pile on the strawberries and bananas on top, since there was hardly any room left for them.

Although this parfait was pretty filling, it was more points than I usually like to have for breakfast.  I just ended up having fruit for my morning snack instead of the crackers I usually eat, so it didn't mess up my daily points routine too bad.  Overall, a tasty breakfast that is quick and easy to make as long as you prepare the oatmeal the night before. 

Rockin' Creamy Broc 'N Chicken

Per Serving (1/2 of recipe): 6 Points+
277 calories, 5.5g fat, 722mg sodium, 21.5g carbs, 7g fiber, 6.5g sugars, 34.5g protein

The recipe: "300 under 300", pages 334 - 335

This recipe reminded me more of a chicken pasta primavera dish since it had not only broccoli, but also bell pepper and mushrooms in it.  It was definitely nice and creamy, and I did not feel like I was eating a low-fat dish at all.  This was another dish that used House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodles, which I cannot stand.  Here is my post explaining all about why, and the substitution ratio for regular noodles, if you choose to substitute.

I doubled the recipe so there would be four servings instead of just two.  Good thing I did - my husband liked it so much that he ate more than two servings all on his own!  I would definitely make this again.  I have been looking for a recipe to replace the fattier version of a similar one I used to make.  I used alfredo sauce with my chicken/veggie/pasta mix, though, which is MUCH more fattening than this version.  This recipe was just as creamy and delicious, and much healthier as well.