Weight Watchers

Skillet Cube Steak

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My 11-year-old daughter recently shot her first deer. We hunt for the meat, not for the sport, but I will say there is something rewarding about harvesting your own dinner. My girl was excited and proud to get her first buck!

Venison is delicious, not to mention good for you. It’s a very lean red meat with hardly any fat. Our meat processor tenderizes ours for us so that, it’s so tender, you can cut it with a butter knife. If you don’t have the luxury of hunting your own venison and having it tenderized, you can buy beef cube steak (also known as tenderized round steak) at your local grocery store. We like either/or in this house! ~Erin

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ lbs. cube steak, carefully trimmed of all fat and cut into small (approximately 2 inch) pieces
  • ½ c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 3 T. olive oil, divided

In a gallon-sized baggie, place all the trimmed meat along with the flour, salt, and pepper. Keep a lot of air in the bag and seal it well. This allows space for the meat and seasonings to shake around in the bag. Flip and shake the baggie until all the meat is coated evenly. Lay the meat out in a single layer on wax paper or plastic wrap near the stove and let it rest for 3-5 minutes. This helps the flour adhere to the meat.

Preheat a medium-sized heavy nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add one Tablespoon olive oil and swirl to distribute evenly. Allow the oil to get hot for about a minute; then add about 1/3 of the meat in a single layer, being careful not to overcrowd the skillet. My skillet would fit about 1/3 of the batch of meat so I used 1 Tablespoon of oil per batch for a total of 3 Tablespoons. If you have a large skillet, you may be able to cook it all in two batches, using half of the 3 Tablespoons of oil for each of the batches.

Do not move the meat around after laying it in the pan; let it cook for 4-5 minutes undisturbed. Flip each piece and continue to cook for 3-4 more minutes or until the pieces are golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. My family would organize an uprising if I didn’t serve this with mashed potatoes and cream gravy so I suggest you do too. 🙂

WW Freestyle Info.: This recipe makes 5 servings of about 4 ounces each. Each serving is 7 points, whether you use venison or beef.

Black Bean & Beef Green Chile Bake

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Black Bean & Beef Green Chile Bake
from Four Sisters Dish

I created this recipe because I wanted something new, but I also wanted something healthy that did not take any time to cook. Before I come across as too lazy, my kids had called me on the sugar cookies I promised before the school break had ended. Operation sugar cookie was already in full swing as dinner approached.

So on my wee end of the counter, I decided I could throw something Mexican together, and I realized I had never tried anything with beef and green chiles together, which I absolutely love. (I’m pretty sure Santa Fe, NM, might be heaven – at least during Hatch chile season…)

What emerged took only few minutes of prep and about 10 minutes of cooking in the oven. And it tasted like it should have been an old family casserole that had taken FAR more time. When it comes to meal prep, I’m always for fabulous foods making it seem like I worked harder than I did! ~Robin

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb of 97% lean ground beef
  • 1 package of taco seasoning (I use Taco Bell brand)
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed
  • 2 8-inch tortillas (Tumaro’s 8” White Low-in-Carb Wraps)
  • 2 7-oz cans of chopped green chiles (I use Old El Paso brand)
  • 1 4.5-oz. can of chopped green chiles
  • ½ cup shredded reduced-fat Colby Jack (I like Kraft Natural)
  • 1 jalepeno pepper, sliced (if desired for garnish)
  • ½ c. cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (if desired for garnish)
  • Taco sauce or salsa, if desired, for serving 

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350° F.  In a 9”x 9” pan, take one 8” tortilla and tear it up into 1.5-2” square-ish chunks and spread across the bottom of the pan; set aside.  In a large skillet, cook lean ground beef until browned. Drain any fat that cooks out.   Add taco seasoning and ¾ c. water according to taco seasoning instructions (except I don’t let it cook down for a full 10 minutes – just until most of the water is cooked out).  Add drained green chiles and drained black beans.  Stir gently until mixed well and heated well throughout.  Then turn off heat.  

Into the 9×9 pan, pour ½ of the beef mixture into the pan over the tortilla chunks, spreading evenly.  Then do another layer of torn up tortilla spread evenly across the beef mixture.  Pour the rest of the beef mixture over this and spread evenly.  Sprinkle the top with your ½ c. of cheese.  Bake for about 10 minutes – until bubbly hot and cheese is melted well across the top.

WW Freestyle Info.:  This recipe makes 6 very filling portions at just 4 points each. 

Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie

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My crock pot and I could really be best friends.  When it comes to dinner, I rely on that one appliance as much as anything else.  There’s nothing better than coming home to dinner that is near ready when you walk in the door from a busy workday.   A few basic ingredients and you will be enjoying this slow cooked version of a classic.   Just before you want to have dinner, bake your favorite biscuits and serve it over top of one!  Here’s a great biscuit recipe to try:  Mama’s Flaky Cream Biscuits.  Delish!!

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Ingredients:

  • 5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced to 1 1/2”
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – any fat trimmed (about 1 ¾ to 2 pounds)
  • 2 T minced dried onion (or ½ c fresh onion chopped)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • 2 cans (10 ½ oz each) Campbell’s Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
  • 1/3 c. water or low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 c. frozen corn
  • 1 c. frozen peas or green beans

Instructions: 

Place diced potatoes in 6-quart crock pot.  Add carrots and seasonings.  Lay chicken breasts on top of vegetables.  Pour in cream of chicken soup and water over chicken.  Do Not Mix!  (Corn and peas are added later.)  Place lid on crock pot and cook on high for approximately 4 hours or on low for approximately 7 hours.  Remove chicken from crock pot to a heat proof plate and shred; set aside.  Add corn and peas or beans to the crock pot.  Thin sauce in crock pot with up to an additional ¼ c. chicken broth, if needed.  Return chicken to pot.   Allow frozen vegetables to heat through, about 10 minutes.  Serve over a baked, warm, split biscuit.

WW Freestyle Info: Makes 8 servings of 1¼ cups each.  4 points per serving, not counting your choice of biscuit.

Creamy Chicken Taco Chili

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Every New Year’s Eve on Facebook (for the past several years), I have posted, “Tell me something good that happened this year.”  If you listen to The Bobby Bones radio show, the phrase “tell me something good” may ring a bell.  It’s a segment on his show every morning where the cast reads positive news headlines.  It’s my favorite part of his show.  I mean, who doesn’t love to hear about the GOOD things people are doing in this world?!  There is enough negativity and bad news out there.  It’s nice to focus on the good for a change.  My yearly Facebook post is a knockoff from Bobby’s Tell Me Something Good segment… a chance for me to hear some positive news from my friends and share some positive news of my own.  A perfect way to end one year and move into the next.  If more people focused on the positive things in their lives instead of harping on the bad stuff, this world would be a much more pleasant place, don’t you agree?

This year, I was able to share several good things that happened for me in 2018 (I could have named a bunch but I focused on the highlights):  1.  I became a WW (formerly Weight Watchers) Wellness Guide (a.k.a. meeting receptionist – I’m still not used to the new titles).  I’ve been a lifetime member for YEARS and decided it was time to take a more active roll.  2.  I went back to teaching!  I was a kindergarten teacher for 6 years but I quit teaching and went into a different field when my daughter was a year old (long story) so I’ve been out of public ed for over 10 years.  I’m back and glad to be working with kids again, plus it’s awesome to be back on the same schedule as my own kids.  3.  We more than doubled our blog traffic on Four Sisters Dish in 2018 as compared to our first year, 2017.  That’s amazing!  We have YOU to thank for it.  We want to thank you all for reading, subscribing, commenting, sharing, and most importantly COOKING our recipes!  We love when people make our food and tell us how they like them.  Please continue to do so… we love hearing from our readers and we hope to have more interaction with you 2019!

Tell us something good in the comments!  What was something good that happened for you in 2018?  We hope your 2018 was as great as ours and we at Four Sisters Dish wish you a happy, healthy and delicious 2019!

Speaking of delicious, let’s start the year off with this Creamy Chicken Taco Chili.  This can be made in your crockpot or your electric pressure cooker.  I’ve included instructions for both.  This chili is creamy and rich but it’s guaranteed not to sabotage your healthy diet resolutions.  Enjoy it without guilt!  ~Erin

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Ingredients: 

  • 2 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken individually frozen chicken breasts*
  • 2 cans (10 ¾ oz. each) Campbell’s Healthy Request cheddar cheese soup
  • 1 (16 oz.) can fat-free refried beans
  • 1 (16 oz.) jar mild taco sauce (I used Taco Bell brand.)
  • 1 (16 oz.) can fat-free chicken broth
  • 1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 (10 oz.) can mild Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilis, undrained
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (8 oz.) package fat-free cream cheese

Slow Cooker Instructions:

In the pot of a slow-cooker, whisk together cheddar cheese soup, refried beans, taco sauce, chicken broth, corn, Ro-Tel, and spices.  Nestle the frozen chicken breasts into the mixture.  *You can use thawed chicken breast, just be aware that it will cook much faster.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  In the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the chicken from the pot and shred it; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together some of the hot liquid from the crock pot with the cream cheese, until smooth.  Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pot, stir in the black beans, and return the shredded chicken to the pot. Continue cooking for 20-30 minutes of cook time.

Serve with shredded cheese, avocado, jalapenos, and corn chips, if desired.

Electric Pressure Cooker Instructions:

In the pot of an electric pressure cooker, whisk together cheddar cheese soup, refried beans, taco sauce, chicken broth, corn, Ro-Tel, and spices.  Nestle the frozen chicken breasts into the mixture.

*You can use thawed chicken breast, just be aware that it will cook much faster.  See your pressure cooker owner’s manual for time adjustments for thawed chicken breasts.

Set the electric pressure cooker for 45 minutes.  Quick release pressure and open the pot when all pressure is released.  Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together some of the hot liquid from the pressure cooker with the cream cheese, until smooth.  Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pot, stir in the black beans, and return the shredded chicken to the pot.  Using the saute setting, simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until beans are warmed through.  Watch it closely so the cream cheese doesn’t scorch.

Serve with shredded cheese, avocado, jalapenos, and corn chips, if desired.

WW Freestyle Info: This soup makes approximately 16 cups.  Each cup is 2 points, not counting optional garnishes.

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

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I got this recipe at a Weight Watcher meeting years ago.  When I say “years ago,” I mean back when you were given a point range (mine was 18-23 points per day) and when you ran out of points, you were stuck eating green beans for supper.  Thank goodness it’s not that way anymore!

I have made this pie with both sugar free pudding and regular, and it works well either way.  I’m not a fan of sugar substitutes so I figured the WW points both ways. I will say, however, I really can’t taste the sugar free aftertaste in this pie at all (you know what I’m talking about I’m sure, if you aren’t accustomed to using sugar substitutes).  My 11-year-old daughter didn’t even notice a difference!

I make this pie for Thanksgiving often and it’s always a popular dessert choice.  You can’t go wrong with cheesecake and pumpkin! ~Erin

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Ingredients:
  • 4 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c. plus 1 T. 2% milk
  • 1 T. sugar
  • 1 ½ c. Fat Free Cool Whip
  • 1 9-inch graham cracker crust (regular or reduced fat – doesn’t change points per serving)
  • 2 small packages vanilla instant pudding mix, dry (regular or sugar-free, fat-free)*
  • 1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp. ground cloves

Instructions: 

  1. Mix cream cheese, 1 T. milk, and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth.
  2. Gently stir in whipped topping.
  3. Spread all but about ½ cup of the mixture on the bottom of the crust.
  4. Pour 1 cup of milk into a medium bowl; add both packages instant pudding mix and beat with a wire whisk or mixer until smooth. The mixture will be thick.
  5. Stir in pumpkin puree and spices; mix well.
  6. Spread the pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese layer; top with dollops of the remaining cream cheese mixture.
  7. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.

WW Freestyle Info.: This recipe makes 8 servings. If using sugar-free, fat free instant pudding mix, each serving is 7 points. If using regular instant pudding mix, each serving is 12 points.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

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I LOVE hummus.  I often eat it for lunch or a snack with homemade pita chips.  My favorite hummus flavor is roasted garlic.  For years, I bought the prepackaged kind but, in an effort to cut down on the grocery bill, I have started making many of the snacks I used to just buy.  Making it yourself is WAY cheaper and just as good (or better!).  You can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days so it makes a great snack throughout the week!  ~Erin

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Ingredients:
  • 1 (16 oz.) can garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chick peas)
  • 1-2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (I admit I don’t really measure the lemon juice, I just squirt some in.)
  • 3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 head of garlic
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • ¼ tsp. salt (or more, to taste)
  • 2-3 T. water, depending on how thick or thin you like it
  • Optional: more olive oil and/or dehydrated garlic for garnish

Instructions: 

  1. Cut off the pointy end of the head of garlic, to expose the cloves.
  2. Place it in the center of a double layer of foil & drizzle it with 1 tsp. olive oil.
  3. Wrap the head of garlic with the foil, enclosing it completely.
  4. Roast in the oven at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, or until it feels soft when squeezed. You can also roast it in the air fryer at 400° for 20 minutes, if you are lucky enough to have an air fryer. I love mine! (I’ll share more about it another time.) Set aside to cool.
  5. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans. Remove the skins by pinching them between your fingers.*
  6. When the garlic is cool, squeeze it all into the bowl of a food processor. Make sure you don’t accidentally drop in the papery garlic skins.
  7. Add the garbanzo beans, lemon juice, remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, cumin, salt.
  8. Blend until well combined, scraping the sides often, adding a Tablespoon of water at a time, until the hummus is smooth.
  9. Garnish each serving with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of dehydrated garlic, if desired.

WW Freestyle Info.: This makes about a cup of hummus. Each ¼ cup serving is 1 point.

*It helps loosen the garbanzo bean skins if you shake them around in the colander while rinsing them. Then pinch the beans between your fingers and the skin should slide right off. This is a bit time consuming but removing the skins will make your hummus so much smoother. It’s a great activity for the kids! I mean, why do we even have kids if not to do the jobs we don’t want to do?! That’s a joke… sort of. Pretty sure my dad didn’t have to get up and change the TV channel ever in his adult life. Clearly, I’m showing my age. We had no remote but we only had 4 channels so, luckily, the manual channel surfing didn’t take long. I digress.

Zucchini Soup

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I recently did a 28 day challenge at a local gym, Signature Fitness.  The challenge included 4 trainer-led (killer! – but doable) workouts per week and a meal plan.  Well, I didn’t exactly follow the meal plan (I do Weight Watchers anyway so I felt no need to deviate from that) but I did try to eat more “clean” during the challenge.  I didn’t win the 4 week challenge but I did lose a few pounds (which was not my goal) and some inches (that was more my focus).  Even though I didn’t follow the meal plan exactly, I did try a few of the recipes.  This Zucchini Soup is one of those.  It’s a very summery soup… does that make sense for a soup?  It does in this situation… it’s so fresh tasting!  You have a couple options for flavors here.  The original recipe calls for fennel.  I loved it with the fennel, but not all members of my family are fennel fans so I often make it with dill instead.  I love it just as much with dill, and it’s delicious served warm or cold, either one!  ~Erin

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Ingredients:
  • 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped
  • ½ a medium white or yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp. dried fennel seed OR ½ tsp dried dill weed (not both!)
  • 3 c. low-sodium chicken stock
  • Salt, to taste (plus black pepper if using fennel)

Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a medium pot with zucchini, onion, and fennel seed (if using).
  2. Sautee over medium heat until onion becomes translucent.
  3. Add chicken stock and dill, if using instead of fennel.
  4. Simmer until zucchini is very tender (about 10-15 minutes).
  5. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, then blend with an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender, let the mixture cool to almost room temp and then puree in your blender. Do not put hot liquids in the blender.
  6. Add salt (and pepper if you used fennel as the spice – pepper is not necessary if you used dill) to taste.
  7. If you used fennel, you may want to strain out the seeds at this point; they don’t blend.
  8. Serve warm or cold.

WW Freestyle Info: This soups makes about 4 one-cup servings. Each serving is ZERO points!

Summer Ice Box Pie

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Many years (and pounds) ago, when I first started Weight Watchers, I was given a recipe similar to this by a friend who had been a Weight Watcher for years. I was desperate for something that made me feel like I was having dessert! That was over a decade ago and my family and I are still enjoying this cool, summery treat. You can make this pie using any flavor combination of yogurt and Jello that you want. For the one pictured here, I used strawberry Jello with lemon yogurt. ~Tracy

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Ingredients:
  • 1 (.3oz) package sugar free jello in your favorite flavor – I used strawberry
  • 2 (8 oz.) containers low fat yogurt – I used lemon (mine were 4 points each)
  • 1 c. boiling water
  • 1 (8 oz.) container fat free Cool Whip
  • 1 reduced fat graham cracker crust
  • Fresh fruit for topping, optional

Instructions: 

Stir Jello into boiling water and mix until well dissolved.

Add both containers of yogurt and mix well.

Fold in Cool Whip.

Pour mixture into graham cracker crust.

Chill until ingredients are set.

Top with fresh fruit and serve.

WW Freestyle Info: Divided into 8 servings, this dessert is 7 points per slice.

Mom’s Classic Meatloaf

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Meatloaf can go one of two ways.  It can be a lump of flavorless beef–or it can be a tender, hearty, flavorful, slice of comfort food.  Our mom’s meatloaf is the latter.  Her recipe is classic… made of simple ingredients and topped with good old American ketchup.  Pair it with a pile of creamy mashed potatoes, and you have the flavors of home. ~Erin

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb. ground beef (93% lean beef)
  • 1 c. canned tomato sauce
  • 60 saltine crackers (about a sleeve and a half)
  • ½ c. diced onion
  • 1 c. diced bell pepper
  • 1 egg
  • ½ c. ketchup
  • 1 tsp. salt

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Instructions:  

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Combine all ingredients except ketchup until just mixed.  Do not over mix.  Spread ketchup on top of loaves.  Form two loaves on a sheet pan.  Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through (160°F throughout).

Weight Watchers info:  This recipe makes 16 servings at 4 SmartPoints each.