Low-Point Chicken Spaghetti

This is my kind of spaghetti! Light and delicious! It's so easy to make and with a slightly oriental flavor, has a great savory taste that makes you want to come back for more!


Low-Point Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces uncooked spaghetti
- 1 cup diced cooked chicken (skinless)
- 1/2 cup cucumbers, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots, chopped small
- 1 Tbs white vinegar
- 1 Tbs soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
- 2 tsp. canola oil
- 3/4 tsp. Splenda granulated sugar substitute 
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add spaghetti, chicken, cucumbers, and carrots to a large bowl. In a small sauce pan, heat vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, oil, Splenda, and garlic powder to a boil. Remove from heat and drizzle over spaghetti mixture and combine. Enjoy! If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
Total servings - 3 1/2 cups
Serving size - 1 cup
Points per serving - 5

"If there is no possibility of failure, then victory is meaningless." - Anonymous 

Low-Point Pear Squash Soup

Pears and butternut squash, a tasty combination that makes this soup very flavorful, yet light and low point. At less than two points per serving, this guilt-free soup can be served before an entre' or as a main course.


Low-Point Pear Squash Soup
Ingredients:
- 20 oz. butternut squash (I bought already-chopped butternut squash)
- 12 oz. pear nectar
- 1 Tbs butter
- 1 cup Bartlett pear, chopped
- 1/3 cup onion, chopped fine
- 1 cup water
- 12 oz. vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup Half and Half
- 1 tsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
In a large sauce pan, boil butternut squash until tender. Drain and mash. Set aside. In a large Dutch oven, heat butter and saute pears and onions until tender, over medium-high heat. Add squash to Dutch oven and then the rest of the ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes (or until pears and onions are very tender). Enjoy! If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
Total servings - 7 (1-cup servings)
Serving size - 1 cup
Points per serving - 1.7

"Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success." - Anonymous

Low-Point Seared Salmon with Lentils

This easy supper, made from all healthy ingredients, fills you up but doesn't leave you feeling overstuffed. Perfectly cooked salmon on a bed of savory seasoned vegetables with lentils makes this recipe one of our favorites. For those who have never been fond of lentils, like myself, will find this way of cooking lentils definitely worth making again.


Low-Point Seared Salmon with Lentils
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound dry lentils
- 2 Tbs plus 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onions, chopped
- 1 cup leeks, chopped (white and light green part only)
- 1/4 tsp. thyme seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 Tbs fresh minced garlic
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 2 Tbs tomato paste
- 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
- 4, 4 oz. salmon
Place the lentils in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes, then drain. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a saute pan; add onions, leeks, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the drained lentils, celery, carrots, vegetable broth, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Add red wine vinegar and season to taste. For the salmon: Heat a dry oven-proof saute pan over high heat for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, rub both sides of the salmon fillets with olive oil and season the tops with salt and pepper. When pan is very hot, place fillets, seasoned side down, in the pan and cook over medium heat without moving them for 2 minutes until very browned. Turn the fillets and place the pan in the oven for 5 minutes. Spoon a cup of the vegetables and lentils on a plate and place a salmon fillet on top. If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
Serving size - 1 salmon fillet with 1 cup lentil/vegetable mixture
Points per serving - 6 (3 points for 1, 4 oz. fillet and 3 points for 1 cup vegetable/lentil mixture)

"Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment." - Rita Mae Brown

Low-Point Fruit Salsa Chicken Legs

Ok all you three-or-under-ingredient cooks, here you go! Two ingredients and one crock pot; that's all you need for this wonderfully tasting chicken entre'! The fuit salsa sauce is delicious, especially when spooned over rice or noodles.


Low-Point Fruit Salsa Chicken Legs
Ingredients:
- 10 chicken legs, skins removed
- 1, 16 oz. jar of pineapple peach salsa
Combine both ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice or noodles. If you'd like a printer friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
Total servings - 10
Serving size - 1 chicken leg
Points per serving - 1.4

"I've always thought that people need to feel good about themselves and I see my role as offering support to them, to provide some light along the way." - Leo Buscaglia

Low-Point Nutella Oat Crumble

I've met a lot of Nutella fans over the past few years, but probably none that are more fond of Nutella than my daughter. Unfortunately she is away at college right now, but being the loving Mother I am, I sent her a picture of this delicious dessert. I did promise to make this again on her next visit home. :)


Low-Point Nutella Oat Crumble
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned (rolled) oats
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted (I used Land O Lakes Light)
- 1/2 cup Nutella
- Pam Cooking Spray
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and mix. Set aside 1 cup mixture. Spread the remaining mixture into an 8-inch by 11.5-inch baking dish sprayed with Pam cooking spray. Press dough gently over bottom of dish. Pour the Nutella over the oatmeal crust. (I heated the Nutella up for about 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave first so I could easily pour and spread it over the crust. Otherwise, as you spread the Nutella, it tends to lift up the crust.) Scatter remaining oatmeal mixture over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 17 to 20 minutes (until golden brown). If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.
Total servings - 24
Serving size - 1
Points per serving - 2.3

"Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything. These are the secrets of happiness and good health." - Julia Child