Weight Watchers Key Lime Pie

Some of my friends that do weight watchers told me about this recipe.  I decided to give it a try - a guilt-free dessert is always a plus!  Everyone who ate it enjoyed it.  It is really easy and fast.  You could also make different flavors if key lime isn't your fave.  (i.e. strawberry jello with strawberry yogurt, or orange jello with orange dreamsicle yogurt, etc.)

Ingredients

• 1 reduced fat graham cracker crust

• 1 (1/16 ounce) package sugar-free lime gelatin

• 1/4 cup boiling water

• 1 (8 ounce) container fat-free whipped topping

• 2 (6 ounce)  key lime pie yogurt

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
Stir in yogurt with wire whisk.
Fold in whipped topping with wooden spoon.
Spread in crust.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours

Italian Sausage Pasta Toss

This recipe is from my friend Cammie Weaver Hayden...(we went to elementary school in Hardin Montana and have become friends on Facebook)

These are her directions exactly...(I thought it sounded really yummy...and fresh!)

Tomato & Spinach Pasta Toss ( I call it Italian Sausage Pasta Toss)
2 c. penne or bowtie pasta, uncooked
1/2 lb. hot or mild Italian sausage, casing removed (I use ground pork)
1 pkg. (6 oz.) baby spinach leaves (or 7 cups) ( I don't use this much, cus it's a buttload)
1 can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained(I like to add about 4 oz. tomato sauce and more seasonings to make it a little saucier and more flavorful... if you like add about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of basil, etc... )
1 cup Kraft shredded mozzarella cheese
2 T. parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Cook meat on medium high heat; drain.Add tomatoes, sauce, and seasonings with meat, cook until heated through. Add spinach and cook for two minutes. Put pasta, sauce, and cheeses in bowl and toss! Delicious! Makes 6, 1 cup servings.

Spinach Salad

This is a recipe I got from my mom, and it is our family's favorite.  Anytime I need to bring a salad to something, I bring this one.  It is always a hit.  I am making it for our Mother's Day dinner on Sunday, so I thought I would post it before then in case any of you need a new side dish to serve to your mom.  She won't be disappointed.  :)  This recipe does make a large salad. When I am making it, I usually just wing the salad ingredients - putting in the amount I need for the size of group I am serving.  

Toss together:

1 large bunch spinach

1 head lettace

1/2 purple onion

3/4  lb mushrooms sliced

3/4 lb bacon fried crisp and crumbled (no shortcuts w/ bacon bits)

3/4 lb swiss cheese grated

Dressing (pour in just before serving)

3/4 C. oil

1/3 C. vinegar

1/3 C. sugar

3/4 tbsp. poppyseeds

3/4 tsp. salt

1/3 tsp dry mustard

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken

I found this recipe earlier this week while perusing other food blogs.  It sounded tasty, so I gave it a try last night.  I love crock pot recipes that take little preparation, and I had all the ingredients on hand.  It was simple, yummy, and my all 3 of my kids ate it (hooray!), so I am passing it on.   Definitely a keeper.  

4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 

1 (18 oz.) bottle of barbecue sauce

1/2 cup prepared Italian salad dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in crock pot. In a bowl mix 2/3 of the bottle of barbecue sauce, Italian Salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low.  Remove chicken from crock pot. Pour juices from crock pot into a large bowl. Shred chicken and place back in crock pot. Add remaining 1/3 of bottle barbecue sauce to chicken and mix. Then add some of the liquid removed from the crock pot to make the chicken the wetness that you like it. Makes at least 8 sandwiches.

Marshmallow Popcorn

I actually saw this recipe on my cousin Kim's blog several months ago.  I gave it a try one evening when I needed a quick treat, and it was so good.  It only takes a couple minutes.  Great for a family movie night!

1 bag popped microwave popcorn (pick the seeds out)

1 stick butter

1/2 C. brown sugar

8 large marshmallows

Melt butter, sugar, and marshmallows together in a saucepan.  Pour over popcorn and stir.  

Turkey Corn Tacos with Fresh Salsa

Sorry I have been such a slacker about posting!  But, I do have a few good recipes that I have been meaning to post.  I will start with this one, since it would go so great with Bop's Blender Salsa.  (I can't wait to try that, by the way!)  They made this on the Biggest Loser, and it looked so yummy I had to try it.  It was so delicious!  I couldn't find the Scotty's fresh salsa verde, so I just bought a tub of fresh salsa that my grocery store carried and used that.  You would never even guess you are eating ground turkey, so keep that in mind if you are new to cooking with it.

1-1/4 lb. ground white turkey meat
Salt and pepper to taste
1 x 15-ounce can organic black beans, no salt added
9 ounce tub Scotty's Low Sodium Fresh Salsa Verde
Cholula Hot Sauce to taste
1/2 bunch scallions, chopped

Fresh Salsa:
2 medium heirloom tomatoes, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno, chopped finely
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 2 limes

8 corn tortillas. (used six-inch tortillas)
1/2 cup Fage Greek Yogurt 0% or 2% (used fat free)
1-1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 avocado, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large sauté pan over med-high heat.  Add ground turkey andSeason lightly with salt and pepper and cook stirring to break up meat. When turkey is golden brown and cooked through, add black beans and salsa and continue to cook until hot throughout. Season to taste with Cholula Hot Sauce and stir in scallions.

2. Meanwhile, combine diced tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Over an open flame, char tortillas, flipping once, until each side it slightly blackened. Keep warm.

4. Serve tortillas with turkey mixture, fresh salsa, yogurt, lettuce and sliced avocado.