Z Chips

Hey there! 

Interested in a SUPER easy and HEALTY snack? 

Ever tried Zucchini Chips? 

One of my favorite restaurants serves them and I love them!

They are such a great replacement for regular chips. 

Here's how I make them.

Slice your zucchini super thin. The thinner the better!

This is the perfect time to get out that mandalay (veggie slicer) that you never use.

Place them on a lightly sprayed piece of parchment paper.

Then lightly salt and pepper. I also sprinkled paprika on them.

Go light on the seasoning. They shrink .... A LOT! 

See what I mean?

Bake them for about an hour (or until crisp) in a 225 degree oven. 

This is about 4 zucchini. 

And, Yes! I ate the whole bowl. 

I didn't do this because I'm on a diet right now.... but these are fabulous 

dipped in ranch.

Your welcome!  :)

New Recipe....

Hello Peeps! 

We have been up to ceiling in leftovers here. So I thought I would try to find a recipe that would use some of them up. I used the recipe on the back of the frozen meatball package as a starting place.  I had a veggie tray left over from a party and the meatballs were a partial package from an appetizer that I made Christmas Eve.

This is how the package recipe went: 

Meatballs + Frozen Vegetables + Pasta + a can of chicken broth = Italian Wedding Soup

Seriously! Like that didn't scream 

"HELP ME! I'm almost a recipe!"

So! That is what I did. I turned it into a recipe.

Bake the meatballs as directed. ( I used the turkey meatballs)

Chop fresh veggie selection ( I used onions, carrots, celery, and some leftover cauliflower)

 Saute in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until tender,  

add a teaspoon of minced garlic. 

add 1 cup of small pasta ( I used Acini di pepe) 

1 tablespoon of Herbs de Provence

Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer until the pasta is done.

And the TA DA! Soups on!

How simple was that!

Reminder:

Fresh Cut Friday is this week. 

I will have the linky tool up tomorrow 

evening so that you can join in. 

Have FUN!

I am joining Share your cup Thursday.

Split Pea Soup! Love it or Leave it?

Do you love Split Pea Soup or think it is something akin to a baby's bodily function? Nobody seems to be torn on this subject. Well, I happen to love it! Especially when it starts to get cold out and this afternoon is perfect for homemade soup! My husband, on the other hand, says it looks like baby boogers... Nice! So I made him a big pot of Beans and Wee Knees instead. (I'll share that delightful recipe next week) For the few that do like it, I thought that I would share my recipe. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, this counts as a core soup on the Weight Watchers program.

Ingredients

1. 1 bag of chopped onions
2. 1 bag of green split peas
3. 1 bag of frozen peas and carrots
4. 1 potato (peeled and cubed)
5. 3 ham hocks
(you can use chopped ham, but to keep the calorie and fat content down,
I use the ham hocks and then pull them out at the end)
6. 8 cups of vegetable stock
7. 1 tsp of Herbs De Province

Herbs de Province is awesome! I use it a lot in soups. I learned about it from Rachel Ray. It is a blend of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (yes just like the song). I just dump everything into the pot and bring it all to a boil. Once it is boiling I turn it down very low and let it cook.

I let it cook for a long long long time. Like 3 or 4 hours on low. Stir it occasionally. When the potato is really soft...then its done. Pull the ham hocks out. Ladle into the blender and puree in batches.

In my pre- Weight Watchers days I would have a nice big piece of cornbread with lots of butter. I won't, but you can! : ) Instead, I will have a glass of sparkling water. Now that is the perfect hearty lunch on a cold rainy day!

Yum!!