Creamy Taco Mac

Wow! This was amazing! So good, that when my husband snuck a bite, he tried to convince me it was bad I wouldn’t like it so HE could have the entire meal to himself. Ha! I lightened this meal up by using fat free cream cheese and sour cream. I promise you will never know the difference! The original recipe called for 1.25 pounds of turkey however my package had 1.5 pounds so I went with it. The recipe made 4 VERY large (and delicious!) servings. I’m fairly certain Bryan will be requesting this again in the near future.

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Ingredients
1.5 lbs ground turkey
8 oz dry whole wheat pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
4 tbsp taco seasoning
3 oz fat free soft cream cheese
4 oz fat free sour cream
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink.

3. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

5. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and serve.

The Facts
4 (Large) Servings

Asian Turkey Meatballs With Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of these. I think the meatballs have potential…however to me, they were fairly bland. They tasted OK drenched in the dipping sauce, but then all I felt sodium overload from the soy sauce. Sigh. I can’t put my finger on what they were missing, but it’s definitely SOMETHING. Maybe more ginger or perhaps additional seasonings to spice it up some? I’ll let you decide.

Adapted from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Ingredients
Meatballs:
1/4 cup whole wheat panko crumbs
1-1/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

Dipping Sauce:
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp water
1 chopped fresh scallion

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 500°F.

2. Mix ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, cilantro, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp oil and mix with your hands until combined well.

3. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture.

4. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

5. For the dipping sauce mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a bowl. Add scallions.

6. Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoon sauce.

7. Serve meatballs with remaining sauce.

The Facts
6 Servings of 2 Meatballs with Sauce

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

We used to eat at Pei Wei…a lot. Key phrase: USED TO. I would enjoy the lettuce wrap or chicken salad wraps and Bryan typically ordered a noodle dish. We’d check the nutrition facts online and order something that fit our plan. Out of the blue one day, the nutrition facts were updated, and the majority of our favorite meals increased in calories…drastically. For instance, the chicken salad wraps TRIPLED in calories. I emailed customer service and was total they did a reevaluation of the nutritional values of their menu and these new numbers were more accurate. Well that’s fine and dandy, but how in the heck were they so far off. I could under stand slight variation, but seriously, three times off? Crazy. We haven’t been back since.

I found this recipe in my Everyday Food magazine. It looked simple and a nice healthy alternative to restaurant versions. I prepped the veggies ahead of time so once I started cooking this was ready in less than 10 minutes. Perfect for a week night meal! The turkey had a great stir fry flavor. I added chili paste to the original recipe for a little more spice. I could taste a hint of heat but it was by no means hot.

Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

Ingredients
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
4 tsp fish sauce
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1.25 lbs ground turkey (93% lean)
1 tsp chili paste with garlic
1 medium head iceburg lettuce, leaves separated

Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves and set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high until hot. Add oil.

3. Add shallot, ginger, garlic and pepper. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through, 5 minutes.

5. Add sauce and chili pasted to skillet and stir until meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes.

6. Serve in lettuce leaves with additional soy sauce if desired.

The Facts 5 servings
Calories 228.0
Total Fat 10.1 g
Fiber 1.3 g
WW Points 5

Chili Turkey Burgers

This is another great turkey burger recipe. When cooked right, turkey burgers are juicy and just as satisfying as beef burgers. The chipotle peppers added a delcious smoky flavor to this recipe. Instead of using whole dried peppers, I used canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I had some pureed in my freezer that worked perfectly. My husband and I had these on wheat buns with all the fixings.

Adapted from Proceed with Caution

Ingredients
1.5 lbs lean ground turkey
1/3 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar
2 tbl pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 tbl chopped onion
1 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp salt
1 tsp coriander
Pinch black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbl egg substitute
2 tbl chopped cilantro

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix thoroughly by hand.

2. Form mixture into 6 equal sized patties.

3. Grill for approximately 7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

The Facts
6 servings
Calories 178.7
Total Fat 9.5 g
Fiber 0.5 g
WW Points 4

Turkey Sausage with Pasta and Broccoli

This was a quick dinner that I threw together last minute. I had a coupon for some Butterball turkey sausage so I bought a pack at my last grocery store visit. My husband and I used to eat sausage ALL the time, however since adapting to the WW lifestyle, we’ve had very little as there is just so much calories and fat that it’s not worth it to eat on a regular basis. I thought I’d give this a try as an alternative. The turkey sausage was good, however it tasted more like kielbasa than sausage, but that’s ok!

I didn’t follow a recipe on this and pretty much made it up as I went. It tasted pretty good, especially since it didn’t require too much effort on my part.

An Erin’s Eatery Original

Ingredients
7 oz. turkey sausage
4 oz. whole wheat pasta
6 oz. sliced baby Bella mushrooms
1 head of broccoli, tops only
1 tbl butter
1 tsp olive oil
Spices to your liking – I used salt, pepper, seasoned salt, Italian season and cayenne

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. While pasta is cooking, add 2/3 cup water to medium sized skillet on medium heat. Add sausage and heat approximately 10 minutes or until sausage is heated through.

3. In a small skillet, add olive oil and set burner to medium high. Once oil is heated, add sliced mushrooms. Sauté until cooked through.

4. In a microwave safe bowl add broccoli and approximately 1/4 cup water. Microwave on high for 3 to 3.5 minutes, or until broccoli is tender. Drain.

5. Add butter and cooked mushrooms to drained pasta. Stir well. Add spices to taste.

6. Remove sausage from skillet and cut into 1/4 inch slices.

7. Serve pasta with sliced sausage and steamed broccoli on top. Enjoy!

The Facts
2 Servings
Calories 463.8
Total Fat 17.1 g
Fiber 8.6 g
WW Points 10

Crockpot Turkey Chili

We’ve been making chill in the Crockpot for a while now. Each time we tweak a few ingredients or change the meat up. Over the past few years we’ve made chili for three different contests, one of which we won! We have a few secret ingredients that really enhance the overall flavor, however I must keep those between me and Bryan!

For this chili variation we decided to use ground turkey. It came out good, however we think the meat was missing a little seasoning. I think it would be good with some seasoning mixed in the actual meat before it’s browned. The ingredients filled my Crockpot to the brim and made enough to freeze some for a future meal.


Ingredients
1.25 lbs lean ground turkey
2 cups beef broth
1 15 oz. can kidney beans
1 15 oz. can white beans
2 14 oz. cans fire roasted tomatoes
3/4 onion, diced
1 scallion, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 medium sweet potato, diced or shredded
1/3 can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, processed in food processor
2 tbl low sodium soy sauce
2 tbl kosher salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbl fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbl chili powder
Dash of cayenne to taste
Secret Ingredients

Directions
1. Brown ground turkey.

2. Add ALL ingredients to slow cooker.

3. Cook on low for 9 hours.

4. Serve with your favorite toppings!

The Facts
12 servings
Calories 195.4
Total Fat 4.4 g
Fiber 6.5 g
WW Points 3

Cilantro Turkey Burgers

With the slightly cooler weather this past weekend and no big Saturday plans, Bryan wanted to grill something for dinner. I had bookmarked a few turkey burger recipes to try so I took a look at them. This one looked perfect since it called for some cilantro and I happened to have some that needed to be used. I added a clove of garlic and half an onion to the patties for some extra flavor. I all increased the meat and portioned the servings slightly larger than the originals.

I made the patties and Bryan took care of the grilling. They came out perfectly cooked and were quite tender. We ate them on whole wheat buns with veggies on top. I made some grilled brussels sprouts and baked sweet potato fries to complete the delicious meal!


Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
1/2 onion
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1.5 lbs ground turkey (93% lean)

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.

2. Divide turkey mixture into 5 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/3-inch-thick patty.

3. Heat up the grill. Add turkey patties, and cook 5 minutes on each side or until done.

The Facts
5 Servings
Calories 235.3
Total Fat 11.1 g
Fiber 0.7 g
WW Points 5

Zuppa Toscana

Bryan and I LOVE to go to Olive Garden for soup, salad and bread sticks. Our favorite soup there is Zuppa Toscana so when I saw this recipe I immediately bookmarked it and knew we had to try it! In keeping to my lighter style, I subbed ground lean turkey for the sausage and seasoned it with additional red pepper flakes for flavor. I also used fat free evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. This soup definitely hit the spot and was a GREAT copy cat recipe to Olive Garden’s version.

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Ingredients
1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine to deglaze the pan
1/2 t red pepper flakes
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup fat free evaporated milk
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Add ground turkey to the pot and season with red pepper flakes to your taste. Cook until well browned.

2. Remove the cooked turkey from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside.

3. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant.

5. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.

6. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through.

7. Stir in the evaporated milk and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

The Facts
4 servings
Calories 376.7
Total Fat 8.0 g
Fiber 2.8 g
WW Points 8