Spicy Shrimp Noodle Bowl for 6 SmartPoints/Serving

This colorful bowl is delicious and not too spicy!  It is only 6 Weight Watchers Smart Points per serving too and just too easy to make!  Packaging it up per serving size is a fast grab option for lunch as well! 

I could not find banh pho wide rice stick noodles as the recipe as written listed, so I went with another rice noodle.  I hope you have better luck than I did there!  I also used precooked medium shrimp since I had some in the freezer and put it into the pot at a point that made sense so as to not overcook!

As you can tell, I am a woman of few words...well, online for sharing recipes that is.  People IRL would probably like to shut me up.  When it comes to sharing recipes online, I don't like to wade through all the stories that people share, although cute, I just want the recipe, so hear ya go!

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked wide rice stick noodles (banh pho)
4 c unsalted chicken stock
3 Tbs sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
2 c shredded napa cabbage
1 lb. peeled and deveined raw medium shrimp
1 c fresh snow peas, cut into 1" pieces
3/4 c matchstick carrots
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
3/8 tsp kosher salt
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Cook the noodles according to the package directions and drain them.

While noodles are cooking stir together the chicken stock and sambal oelek in a 3-quart saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the uncooked shrimp and cook for 3 minutes.  Then add the cabbage, snow peas, and carrots and cook just until the shrimp are cooked through, about 2 minutes. (Add precooked shrimp at same time here).  You want the veggies to remain slightly crisp so don't overcook them!

Stir in the noodles, cilantro, salt, and scallions.  Serve!

YIELDS: 4 Servings
SERVING SIZE:  1-1/2 cups

Nutritional Information:   Calories 290, Fat 2 g (sat 0.2 g, mono 0.4 g, poly 0.5 g), Protein 26 g, Carb 39 g, Fiber 5 g, Sugars 5 g, Chol 179 mg, Iron 1 mg, Sodium 7880 mg, Calc 120 mg

Spicy Vegetarian Black Bean Soup for 3 Weight Watchers Points

If you're pressed for time, this is a quick and easy soup to make!  The only real prep involved was mashing half of the black beans; the rest was prepackaged for an open-and-dump-in situation.

I paired this with the Goat Cheese Sandwich with Cucumber and Alfalfa sprouts recipe found here for a total of 7 Weight Watchers Winning points.  As soon as the sugars portion of this recipe is Figured out, I can share the Smart Points values.  Sorry, but old recipes just don't list sugars in the nutritional information and I haven't had the time while cooking to stop and figure them out myself.

I used a Chipotle-flavored meat crumble package, so that added a lot of flavor on it's own.  It was the only bag left, but I'm sticking with those because it worked.   I also had to make my own Mexican Spice blend because I couldn't find any at the store, so I'll include the mixture of spices I used for that as well in case you can't find it either.  I think the pepper stir-fry and fajita vegetables may be the same thing, but I'm not certain because, as is the story of my life, I couldn't find the pepper stir-fry mix either and went with the frozen fajita vegetables mix. 👌

Only Mr F is willing to give this a go.  As I've mentioned previously, the kids don't do beans of any color, shape or size.  If you find you won't eat this faster than it may spoil, then cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients:

2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, rinsed, drained
1 (16-oz.) pkg frozen pepper stir-fry, slightly thawed
1 (12-oz.) pkg frozen meatless burger crumbles
1 (14-oz.) can organic vegetable broth
2 tsp. salt-free Mexican seasoning
1/2c (2 oz.) reduced-fat Monterey Jack Cheese with jalapeno

Home-made Mexican Spice Blend/Seasoning:

2 Tbs. paprika
2 Tbs. no-salt-added chili powder
1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne or ground chipotle pepper (optional)

Mix all Mexican spice blend ingredients together and store in an airtight container for future use.


Instructions:

Mash half of the beans with a fork or a potato masher.  Combine mashed beans and remaining beans in a large dutch oven.  Add pepper stir fry and next 4 ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 8 minutes.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with shredded cheese.

YIELD:  8 servings

SERVING SIZE:  1 cup soup and 1 Tablespoon of cheese

POINTS:  3 points

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:  185 calories (18% from fat); 3.7 g Fat (0.9 g saturated); 14.1 g Protein; 24.9 g Carbs; 6.2 g Fiber; 5 mg Cholesterol; 3.1 mg Iron; 717 mg Sodium; 125 mg Calcium

Tried a New Soup Today for 4 Points/Cup

Tried something new today....this bisque soup. 

I'm not a big fan of sweet potatoes in general, but I like to try new things because sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised.  This wasn't bad at all, but probably not something I'd go out of my way to buy again.  If, however, you are a big fan of sweet potatoes, maybe it's for you.

It was only 4 Winning Weight Watcher Points for me, but I added some crackers to it for another 4 points.

There are also no preservatives or artificial flavors in it, so that's a plus!