Deep Dish Meaty Pizza

After making poor eating choices for a week and a half, I am determined to eat right this week. I don't know if I have gained any weight from my little sabbatical and I am not going to weigh myself for a while to find out. I will just eat right for a couple of weeks and see where the scale goes. It is interesting that I am able to bounce right back after that long of a slump. I think it is great. In the past, when a week like that has happened, it turned into months. Maybe this time I am creating "skinny habits!" :)

Anyway, enough about that. Tonight I made a great dinner. It satisfies the pizza craving, but you don't need 3 or 4 pieces to fill you up. (Yea, I am talking from experience. There was a day when I would split a large pizza with my husband who is a big guy. I am nowhere as big as him. How could I eat as much as a grown man????)

Deep Dish Meaty Pizza

6 Servings/6 Pts. ea.

1 lb extra lean ground beef (4% fat)
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oragano, drained (Hunts has no high fructose corn syrup)
3/4 C Pizza Sauce (I used Trader Joes Pizza Sauce in a jar)
1 sm. onion or 1/2 of a large-chopped finely
1-2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
5 1/2 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 T parmesan cheese
1 Can Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Dough
sprinkle of dried basil

Preheat the oven to 425. In a large skillet, saute the chopped onions. Add the ground beef and break it up while it cooks. Once the ground beef is cooked, add the diced tomatoes and pizza sauce. Stir till heated through. Set aside. Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll the pillsbury dough and place it into the pan, adjusting it until about 1 inch goes up the side of the pan. Bake in the oven for about 5-7 minutes, till it partially cooks, but is not brown. Remove from oven, and top with the ground beef mixture. Place the sliced tomatoes on top, and then sprinkle the shredded cheese until covered. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese, and lightly sprinkle some dried basil to finish it off. Bake for 15 minutes and cut into 6 squares.

I served this with the baked "fried" zucchini and ranch dressing, and it was a great filling 7 point dinner!

Hidden Veggie Meat Pasta Sauce

I am a big fan of beefing dishes up with veggies. Not only does it make the meal much bigger for the same amount of WW points, it also can save you money. You can use less meat, which is expensive, and have your entire meal be much cheaper, and you don't even know what you are missing!

Whenever I make this meat sauce, it is slightly different, as I don't use a recipe. I am going to try and remember the exact measurements I used, but you can vary the amounts of spices you would like to use.

5 Servings/2 pts ea. (about 3/4 C) (This is only for sauce, you need to add additional points for pasta)

1/2 large onion or 1 small onion, chopped finely
1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef (4% fat)
1 large zucchini (grated)
5 oz. sliced mushrooms (chopped finely (I use food processor)
3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed (can add more if you wish)
1 T oregano
1 T basil (can add more if you wish)
3 cans diced tomatoes (garlic, basil and oregano style, the ones with no sweeteners)
1 sm. can tomato sauce
2 T tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 T balsamic vinegar

Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Cook onions until soft. Add ground beef and cook till brown. Add shredded zucchini and finely chopped mushrooms. Add garlic, oregano and basil. Stir till combined. Add add 2 cans diced tomatoes, sauce and tomato paste. The third can of diced tomatoes you need to blend up in food processor or blender until tomatoes are finely chopped. Add to sauce mixture. Finally, add the balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire Sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn down temperature to low and simmer for a while. I simmered it for 1 1/2 hours, that is great if you have the time, but it probably needs to simmer at least 20-30 minutes to blend flavors.

When I served this over high-fiber or whole wheat pasta, my husband really liked it. It makes a very nice serving size with the pasta, and is very filling. He was very surprised when I told him that it was full of veggies. Your family will never know!

Mexican Deep Dish Pan Pizza

Mexican Deep Dish Pan Pizza

6 Servings/7 pts. ea.

Krusteaz Cornbread Mix
8 oz raw extra lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped

1 zucchini, shredded
Taco Packet

½ C Water

1 ½ T Ketchup

1 Can Black Beans
1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
bell pepper, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make cornbread as directed, except bake in a 9 X13 pan. Bake for approx. 14 minutes, till golden brown.
Meanwhile, brown ground beef along with onions and zuchini. Add taco mix, ½ C. Water, Ketchup, and Beans. Cook till most of the liquid is absorbed.
Remove cornbread crust from oven and top with meat, cheese, and remainder of chopped vegetables. Add pan back to oven and cook 5 minutes more to melt cheese.

Garnish with cilantro. Cut into 6 pieces.

Taco Chili

This recipe is a mixture of chili and taco soup. It makes a huge pot, and the servings are huge for low points. Great fall recipe.

8 Servings /2 Cups Each /4 Pts. /6 P+ Ea. Serving

1 pd lean ground meat (for my points, I used 96% lean ground beef)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 C celery, cut into chunks
2 zucchini or summer squash, shredded
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 sm. can green chilis
2 15 oz cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans black beans (can substitute another type of bean if you want)
1 Taco Seasoning packet
1 Ranch-style dressing mix packet (Hidden Valley)
2 t. cumin
16 oz. frozen corn
2 t. chili powder


In a large soup pot, brown the meat, then add onions, garlic, zucchini, peppers, and celery halfway through the browning.
One by one add the remaining ingredients. Do not drain anything, just dump.Heat through, and simmer for a while till the flavors blend (about 1/2 hour).

This makes a lot. Leftovers can be frozen if you like.

Stuffed Butternut Squash

I was so excited when I walked out the door yesterday morning and it felt like fall. So the next few posts will be some of my favorite fall recipes!

This one is one of my husband's favorites. The servings are so huge! I actually got this one from a WW magazine, and it has been a favorite of our family's for years now. One time I made this as a demo of a healthy meal for a cooking class with a group of people from my church, and it was a huge hit.

Stuffed Butternut Squash
2 Servings/6 Pts ea.


















1 Butternut squash (1 3/4 lbs) cut lengthwise and seeded
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb lean ground beef (7% fat or less, or lean ground turkey will work too)
1 C canned diced tomatoes with basil and oregano, drained
1 dried mission fig, finely chopped (I have used chopped raisins, or other dried fruit works too, its just for a bit of sweetness)
1/4 C frozen peas

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Sprinkle cut sides of squash with half of the salt and pepper. Place the squash, cut side down, on the baking sheet and bake about 45 mins or until tender.
2. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet and add the onion and sautée till tender. Add the beef and cook till brown. Add the tomatoes, fig and remainder of the salt and pepper. Cook until the liquid evaporates. Add the peas and cook until hot.
3. Turn the squash cut side up and fill the each cavity with half of the mixture.

Optional: For 1 additional point you can top the stuffed squash with a tablespoon of low fat mozzarella, or 1/2 T of mozzarella and 1/2 T of breadcrumbs. Bake till cheese is melted.