Great Weight Watchers Meal with Deals from Stop & Shop This Week!

Hello from the world's most slack-tastic blogger!  Let's update the world on me.  For starters, I haven't been to Shaw's in MONTHS!  Seriously.  I have done what I swore I'd never do - I have crossed over to Stop & Shop.  Why?  I don't know.  As for my Weight Watcher ways.  Well around May, I hit the 20 pounds loss mark (my goal is 25 pounds).  I even hit 23 there for a while - but I've been a real WW slacker the past month or two (the only consistent thing in my life is being a slacker).  Well I went back yesterday after not going for 3 weeks - and happily - I was only up 1/2 a pound and still only 4 pounds away from my goal.  So now is the time I have to really get cracking on this.

I went to Stop & Shop yesterday and today, created a great 5.5 point meal that is worthy of me coming out of my blog funk.  All stuff is on sale at Stop & Shop this week.

Taco Chicken Wrap (5.5 points)
1 Cedar's Whole Wheat Wrap (1 point) - BOGO Free @ $3.49 this week
4 oz. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (3.5 points) - $1.79/lb
1 tsp. Taco Seasoning (0 points) - I highly recommend buying a big old tub of this at BJ's.  It's $5.99, but they send out $1.50 off coupons all the time.  The packets are a real rip off.
1 tsp. Olive Oil (1 point) - $4.99 for S&S's 17 oz bottle this week (if you're running low)
1/2 cup frozen pepper strips (0 points) - Stop & Shop brand is only $1.50 for a 1 pound bag of frozen pepper strips!  I ALWAYS have these in the house.
Some lettuce (0 points) - 3 Romaine Hearts are $2.50 this week
4 cut up Grape tomatoes (0 points) - $2.50 per pint this week

Heat oil in small skillet.  Rub your chicken with the taco seasoning.  Cook chicken and add peppers.  Saute until done.  Prep your wrap by putting it on a plate and add lettuce and tomato.  Schlop the chicken/pepper mixture on it.  Roll it up and eat!  It's huge and healthy!

Another alternative to this is to decrease chicken to 2 oz. (2 points) and add 1/4 cup of cooked Minute Brown Rice (1 point).  This is on sale at Stop & Shop this week for $2 a box.  There was a coupon in the paper a while back for .75/1 Minute Brown Rice.  This will double making a box of brown instant rice only .50 cents!  Using rice and half the chicken makes the wrap only 5 points instead of 5.5.  If you want to spend a little more, you can add a little low fat sour cream (I just got my free container of Hood sour cream from that Facebook coupon!).  Using rice & sour cream would make this more of a dinner burrito vs. a sandwich wrap.  I'm a huge fan of Moe's (and Chipolte, and every other burrito joint around) - so this is a great alternative to those places!

Here are some other things I scored at Stop & Shop with coupons this week:

1 Act Mouthwash - $3.99 ($2/1 MFC)  $1.99

Stacy's Pita Chips - $2.50 (.75/1 MFC DOUBLES) $1.00

Perri Sausage - $2.50 (.55/1 MFC DOUBLES) $1.40

Welch's refridgerated Juice - $2.50 (.75/1 DOUBLES) $1.00

Tropicana OJ - $3 ($1/2 MFC) $2 ea.

Turkey Hill Dynamic Duos Ice Cream - $1.99 ea ($1/2 MFC) $1.49 ea

Yoplait Yogurts - 14 at .60 cents ea.  Used 2 "Buy 6, Get One Free"

Activia - $2 ($1/1 MFC in this week's paper) $1

Starkist Tuna Pouches - $1 ea ($1/2 MFC from paper) .50 ea (My stupid butt bought tuna in oil!  Yuck!  I'll pawn it off on the husband!)

Sargento Stringsters - $3.99 ea ($3/2 MFC) $2.50 ea - Not great, but my kids dig cheese sticks.

Hebrew National Hot Dogs - BOGO ($1/2 MFC) I forgot how much these are.  $4.49?  $5.49?  Who knows.

I really buy a lot of fruit and vegetables now.  I usually only cook with frozen vegetables but stock up on salad and sandwich vegetables.  If you knew how much I spent weekly on fruit now, you'd tell me I have no business having a "bargain" blog.  To which I would respond, "I don't care."

5-point Dinner Using Hillshire Farms Turkey Kielbasa (BOGO at Stop & Shop this Week)

I love meat.  All meat.  In this Weight Watcher nonsense of mine, it is not chocolate that tempts me.  It is not cake that tempts me.  It is not cookies that do it either.  It is meat.  It is that 1/2 lbs. of salami in the refrigerator that is constantly calling my name.  It's the 1.88 lbs of steak I bought recently and just threw in the freezer.  It's Big Macs.  By the way, I tried a "Big Mac Snack Wrap" on the whim about a month ago (I was hungry, the kids were hungry, it was raining and the drive-thru was just oh so easy).  Yeah - it was delicious in my book - but I think it  was also 8 points.  I should have just spent the 16 or whatever it is on a real Big Mac.  Such a tease, but such a good tease.

Anyways - check out this simple and delicious dinner I'm making tonight:

In my crockpot, I put 2 cans (15 oz) of flavored diced tomatoes.  I also cut up a ring of my Turkey Kielbasa and threw it in the crockpot and will be cooking it on high for 2 - 3 hours. 

Now what I did with the Kielbasa - it is 14 oz and 2 oz is a serving (2 points).  So I cut 7, 2 oz. pieces using my WW scale.  Then I took one and cut it in 7 pieces.  It was pretty good.  So I cut them all in 7 pieces.  Now, when I go to eat tonight, I know I can have 7 pieces of Kielbasa on my plate for a serving.   

When we're ready to eat, I'll cook my Ronzoni Smart Taste (has 5 grams of fiber per 2 oz., so it brings the point value from 4 to 3 - whole wheat pasta usually has enough fiber to boost it down to 3 points from 4 points of "conventional" pasta as well).  I ran these three ingredients through the Recipe Builder at WW.com and it's 5 points a serving.  You can boost it  up a little too by adding some diced red peppers to it and even cut up mushrooms.  This wouldn't affect the points value unless you add like 3 lbs of either and you probably aren't doing that. 

Now if you love meat like me - you can score this Hillshire Farms Turkey Kielbasa pretty cheap at Stop & Shop this week.  How?  It's Buy One, Get One Free at $4.39 ea.  Then, there have been a ton of $1/2 MFCs in the paper recently.  So use that on 2.  You get 2 rings for $3.39.  I was going to buy the Low Fat Beef Kielbasa - but it's nutrition wasn't as good as the Turkey one.  The turkey one is 90 cals per 2 oz. with 5 g. fat and no fiber.  The low fat was something like 150 cals. with 3 g. fat or something - but I knew it was 3 points and not 2....so Turkey Kielbasa it is!

Recipe of the Week: Cumin-Spiced Oven Fries

Cumin-Spiced Oven Fries
Taken from WeightWatchers.com  (original recipe calls for sweet potatoes and yukon gold - but I just make this with sweet potatoes).

Points Value:  3
Servings:  4









Ingredients
Cooking Spray
4 Medium Sweet Potatoes, cut into about 12 wedges each (sale at Shaw's this week for .69/lbs)
1 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin (I use more)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450.  Spray baking pan with cooking spray.

In bowl, combine potatoes, oil, salt, pepper & cumin.  Spread on pan in even layer.  Cook 10 minutes then flip.  Cook 10 more minutes then flip again.  Cook an additional 5-10 minutes.  Serving size is about 12 - or one potato per serving.

Recipe of the Week - Shrimp Lo Mein

This recipe is kind of my own creation - taken from a Weight Watcher leader recommendation and combining with a few recipes I found that were more elaborate.  I don't like elaborate so I try to keep it simple.  Red writing is Shaw's pricing babble.

Shrimp Lo Mein (Serves 1)
Points:  6

1 tsp Olive Oil - should be in your cabinet.
1 1/2 cups Shredded Cole Slaw (unpreppared) - $1.99 at Shaw's - or buy a head of cabbage and shred it yourself at only .25 cents a pound
4 oz Shrimp - $4.99/lbs at Shaw's - or $1.25 per serving
2 oz dry high fiber pasta - $1.29 for a box of Shaw's Wheat Pasta this week. 
Soy Sauce & Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Cook your pasta.  While cooking that, heat the oil in a wok or large skillet.  Add Shredded Cabbage and cook (at this step, I usually add some sliced mushrooms and grated carrots which don't change the point value).  Add shrimp.  You'll see the cabbage shrink and get limp and all that other stuff.  Add the cooked pasta and throw on some dashes of soy sauce.  Cook in the skillet for a minute or two. I add the red pepper flakes at this stage too. 

I've also substituted chicken for the shrimp.  I love this recipe.  Just note that this is a "Serve 1" recipe. 

Recipe of the Week - Moroccan-Style Ziti with Chicken

My husband made this for us yesterday and I realized that a lot of the ingredients are on sale at Shaw's this week.  It was fantastic!  Red lettering is Shaw's pricing babble. 

Moroccan-Style Ziti with Chicken  (From the "Take 5" Weight Watchers cookbook)
Serves 4
Points:  8

1 lbs boneless, skinless Chicken breast cut in pieces ($1.99/lbs this week at Shaw's)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion (probably .40 cents)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (should be in your cabinet?  Only .89 at the Christmas Tree Shop! ;)  )
1 14 1/2 oz. can of diced tomatoes ($1 for a 28 oz can.  Use half and it's .50)
1/2 pound of ziti or penne, cooked (We have pasta stocked in our home, but Barilla Plus is $1.89 a box or you could get Shaw's brand for around $1.25)

Sprinkle the chicken with the salt & pepper.  Heat a skillet and set on high heat.  Spray with cooking spray.  Add chicken and cook turning until pieces are brown.  Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

Reduce the heat, add onion and cook until lightly browned.  Stir in the curry poder and cook until fragrant.  Return the chicken to the skillet and add tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the flavors blend and the chicken is cooked (about 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions.  Mix pasta in the pan with the chicken and sauce.  Makes four servings. 

Recipe of the Week - Fettuccine with Salmon and Asparagus

I think this week's Weight Watcher/Shaw's sale recipe I picked out looks divine!  I will probably actually try it.  I'm actually trying to do a cabinet/fridge purge - and I actually have some asparagus and a pack of Gorton's Salmon in the freezer.  I could probably do this without going to the store.  All the wonderful wisdom in RED is stuff that I added. 

Fettuccine with Salmon and Asparagus - I took this recipe off the Weight Watchers website.  A direct link to it is HERE.

POINTS® Value: 5

Servings: 4 (or 2 big ones - but double the points to 10)
Preparation Time: 8 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

For variety, substitute broccoli for the asparagus.





Ingredients

8 oz asparagus ($1.88/lb, or .94 cents for 8 oz.)
2 tsp olive oil
3 medium garlic clove(s), finely chopped (bulbs of garlic are actually pretty cheap - under a $1)
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (I have this in my spice cabinet - so I guess most normal people do to)
1/4 cup(s) hot water
1/4 tsp table salt
4 oz uncooked fettuccine (Prince Pasta - .88 package.  Using half a package, so .44 cents)
6 oz salmon fillet(s), with or without skin, skinless (Gorton's Salmon is $3.99, but it's 50% off - so $1.99 for 6.3 oz.  Get extra savings by printing out this $1/2 MFC HERE).  If you want fresh salmon, the Wild Sockeye Fillets are $6.99/lbs this week.
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I actually ran out but can't find those darn plastic lemons at my Shaw's!  I guess I have to buy a bottle - I dig the plastic lemon & limes though when I purchase their respective juices.)

Assuming you have most of the basic staples, you are looking at spending less than $5 to make this. 

Instructions

Snap off woody ends of asparagus; cut each stalk crosswise diagonally into 1-inch pieces.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; sauté 1 minute. Add asparagus and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in hot water and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover skillet and cook asparagus 2 minutes or until almost tender. Uncover and cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook fettuccine according to package instructions. (I will do this in my FASTA PASTA - the most underrated "As-Seen-On-TV" product out there)  Meanwhile, place salmon in a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Microwave 2 to 3 minutes or until fish is just cooked through. (Ahhh....microwaving seafood sounds extremely nasty in my opinion.  I guess it's because I'm a snob.  I'm just going to toaster oven my Gorton fillets and then cut them up in bite sized chunks.)  Separate fillet into bite-size chunks, and mix gently with cooking juices in bowl.

Drain pasta and mix with asparagus in skillet; add salmon with juices, gently toss and serve.

Recipe of the Week - Grilled Shrimp Salad

In case you don't know, I try to find a Weight Watcher's recipe every week that corrolates to sales at Shaw's.  It's not necessarily from Weight Watchers, but usually it is.  I'm late this week.  Oops. 

Grilled Shrimp Salad (I modified it) - taken from the Weight Watcher's website.

POINTS® Value: 1

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 4 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Works with Simply Filling

Ingredients

1/2 pound(s) shrimp, medium-sized (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined (1/2 lbs of Large Cooked Shrimp @ $5.99 lbs) $3
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 large head(s) lettuce, romaine (Use Fresh Express BOGO Sale - Reg. price is $3.99)
1 medium head(s) lettuce, radicchio
1 spray(s) cooking spray
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, aged variety (in your cabinet?  If not, pick up a small bottle for cheap)
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

My red babbling is Shaw's price babble.  If there is no red verbage after an ingredient, I assume most normal people have that in their cabinets. 

Instructions

Toss the shrimp, oregano, thyme and garlic powder together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Spray the grill rack or a large grill pan with nonstick spray; heat the grill or set the pan over medium heat. (Note: Never spray nonstick spray directly into a heat source, whether a grill or a stove.)

Lay the shrimp on the grill or in the pan. Cook until pink and firm, about 3 minutes, turning once (this is if you buy uncooked shrimp - you're just heating the $5.99/lbs shrimp up). Transfer to a serving bowl.

Roughly chop the romaine and radicchio (or in our case, open the bag of lettuce); add it to the bowl with the shrimp. Toss with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve at once. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Recipe of the Week - Chicken Cacciatore

Since joining Weight Watchers, I've made this recipe about 3 or 4 times.  We love it.  In fact, since cooking with a lot more vegetables, both my husband and I agree that eating spaghetti with plain old jarred tomato sauce is not filling and kind of "blah".  This doesn't take much time and I find that using frozen vegetables in most dishes is easy and just as tasty.



Chicken Cacciatore (took this out of the Week 1 book)
Serves:  1 (double, triple or quadruple recipe based on your needs)
Points:  8
(Red writing is my Shaw's price babble)


1 tsp Olive Oil (If you don't have, hook up the Bonelli BOGO free sale this week)
1 tsp minced garlic ($1)
2 Tbsp chopped onion ($1 for 2 lbs)
1/4 cup chopped green peppers (we use frozen - $1.33 for the Shaw's bag.)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms ($1 per pack)
4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast ($1.88/lbs at Shaw's this week)
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (we get a flavor to give it more umph.  Nothing on sale this week, so scope out the isle.  A 15 oz. can is 1 1/2 cups.  A 28 oz can is 3 cups.  We usually store the remaining of a 28 oz can in a plastic container in the fridge). 
1 cup cooked spaghetti (I use the Ronzoni Smart Taste that is $1 a box this week - with coupon at http://www.ronzoni.com/)

Cost:  ??  If you had to buy all these ingredients, you'd have enough supplies to make this dish 2 or 3 times (and then some).

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic, onion, peppers and mushrooms.  Saute 4 minutes until mushrooms release their juice.  Add chicken.  Saute until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, simmer 15 minutes.  Place spaghetti in a shallow bowl.  Top with chicken and vegetable mixture.

Other Notes:
-  You really can't freeze mushrooms without them going gross (so says google searches I've done on it).  Mushrooms can last a while if stored properly though in the refridgerator.
-  I've made up bags of garlic, onion and peppers already measured out and froze them together.  That way I just add mushrooms to it.  Makes the prep work a little easier. 
-  I never buy frozen chopped onion, but I always chop and freeze onions laying around the house. 

Another thing I have learned since this whole "healthy eating" kick of mine - I used to always use 1 lbs of meat in every dish I made no matter what.  But now, I find that I'm only using 8 oz in most recipes.  When I buy, say a 3 lbs pack of chicken, I just cut it all up in pieces and freeze in 6 Ziplock freezer bags.  So even though I'm spending more on vegetables, I'm stretching our meat consumption.  I'm finding it sort of evens out in the budget aspect.

Recipe - For the Roxie's Shopper!

If you are part of Roxie's TLC program, then you might be wondering what to do with a Free package of Hillshire Farms kielbasa.  First, when I went, I was pleasantly surprised that they had Lite and Turkey Sausage varieties.  I got Lite.  Then I made the best dish with it. 

Here's what you can make by buying stuff at Roxie's this week:

Chicken with Andouille and Peppers (Shortcuts book, page 76)
Serves: 4
Points:  4

1/2 pound chicken boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (.85 at Roxie's)
1/4 pound of andouille or other smoked sausage (I used the free Hillshire Farms kielbasa - it was delicious) (free)
1 onion, thinly sliced (.20 cents at Roxie's)
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (.50 cents at Roxie's)
1/2 tsp Cajon seasoning (I used 1/4 tsp Goya Adobo & 1/4 tsp Chili Powder)
1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes ($1 at Shaw's, but you should stock up when they are on sale and have this in your cabinet)

Cost:  No more than $2.55

1.  Spray skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally until browned, 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to plate.  Add the suasage to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3-4 minutes.  Transfer to plate. 

2.  Wipe or wash skillet.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Set on medium heat.  Add onion, bell pepper and seasoning.  Cook, stirring occassionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Add the chicken and suasage; return to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chiken is cooked through, 6-8 minutes longer. 

I cooked rice with this dish.  1/2 cup cooked rice is 2 points. 

Recipe of the Week - Easy Fried Rice

This week's Weight Watcher recipe (which comes off the WW site), is Easy Fried Rice.  I actually made this last week and it came out really good.  I will be making it again.  My husband and I ate it as a side dish with a Gorton's Fish.  The whole meal was 5 points.  You could add chicken or shrimp to make it more of a main dish, use it as a side, or even eat 2 servings as a meal (it's only 3 pts. per serving).

POINTS® Value: 3

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 8 min
Cooking Time: 10 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
2 spray(s) cooking spray
2 large egg(s), lightly beaten
1 cup(s) carrot(s), shredded (a pound is .99 at Shaw's)
1 cup(s) scallion(s), sliced, divided (probably no more than $2 at Shaw's.  You can actually freeze scallions!  I Googled it last week and have a container in my freezer.  You can buy a big package at Roxie's for $1.49)
3 cup(s) cooked white rice (Use Brown - on sale at Shaw's for $1.89)
1/2 cup(s) frozen green peas, thawed (Shaw's Frozen - $1)
1/4 cup(s) low-sodium soy sauce, or to taste (should have in your fridge)

Cost:  No more than $5.88
Instructions

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; warm pan over medium-high heat. Add eggs; tilt pan so that eggs cover bottom.

When eggs start to set, break them up into pieces with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until eggs are cooked through, about 1 minute more; remove eggs them from skillet and set aside.

Off heat, recoat same skillet with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat. Add carrots and all but 2 tablespoons scallions; sauté until carrots are crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in cooked rice, peas and soy sauce; cook until heated through, stirring once or twice, about 1 minute. Gently stir in cooked egg and remaining scallions; heat through. Yields about 3/4 cups per serving.

Recipe of the Week - Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

One thing I am going to try to do - not sure how long it will last - is to find a Weight Watchers recipe each week that corrolates to sales at Shaw's.  I just grab the recipes off WeightWatchers.com.  Hopefully they won't sue me.  As long as I credit them, I don't think they can though.  Heavens know I'm not making up my own recipes! 

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
POINTS® Value: 7
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 8 min
Cooking Time: 360 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Seasoned canned tomatoes and Italian turkey sausage add instant life to chili. Try tomatoes with different seasonings to vary the flavor of your chili.

Ingredients

1 pound(s) raw turkey sausage, hot-Italian variety (substitute Shady Brook Farms Ground Turkey that is on sale this week for $2.99 - would only need to use 3/4 of the package since it's 20 oz.)
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, with garlic and onions, undrained  (Shaw's Brand - .69)
15 oz canned pinto beans, undrained (Goya - .59)
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, with chilies, undrained (Shaw's Brand - .69)
1 medium onion(s), chopped (no more than .50 cents)
1/4 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or more to taste

Cost:  $5.46
Instructions

Remove sausage from casing and place in a 4-quart or large slow cooker; break up meat with a spoon. Add beans, both cans of diced tomatoes with their liquid and onion; stir.  (I personally would just brown the turkey in a skillet and add some spices and the onion.  Then transfer with the other ingredients to slow cooker).

Cover slow cooker; cook on low setting for 5 to 6 hours. Stir in salt and pepper; garnish with chopped onion if desired and serve. Yields about 1 1/2 cups chili per serving.

You could add some rice to make it more hearty - just remember to add those points to your program.