Happy Monday all! I have to say this weekend has been fantastic for checking things off my to-do list and whipping up some tasty new recipes (like the Mini Quiches, Chili Glazed Shrimp, Breakfast Nachos and Slow Cooker Buffalo Lasagna) for us to try. Although, I have to admit, I am pretty sad my 3 days off are coming to an end…the silver lining I suppose is that there are only 4 workdays this week lol!
This morning’s breakfast has been something I have been wanting ever since I saw Biz make her Breakfast Nachos. I mean, I LOVE those extra thin yellow corn tortillas for my Healthy Egg Rolls and Healthy Nachos….who says you can’t combine the two and have Nachos for Breakfast!
I cut 4 tortillas into 8 squares each, placed them on a baking sheet, sprayed with nonstick spray and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. Then, baked for 7 minutes to make these fantastically crunchy chips for 4 points+ (SF + 4 WPA).
I used the food processor to whip up a quick pico de gallo. It definitely looks better when you hand chop it.
I scrambled an egg and “fried” up 2 oz. of my homemade Spicy Turkey Sausage. You could use any of the homemade simply filling sausages I’ve shown you all or better yet, crisp up a couple slices of Trader Joe’s Turkey Bacon!
Topped with 1 oz. low-fat sharp cheddar cheese.
Added my toppers ~ I’ll be honest, I totally scooped a lot more pico on my chips after the picture and all. My entire plate is (SF + 4 WPA) or 10 points+
Crunchy, cheesy, spicy, good ~ Nachos should definitely be a breakfast food!
I am totally addicted to blueberries right now and these are perfectly snappy and sweet.
I spent the morning and some of the afternoon finishing up some tax work. I didn’t think about diving into lunch until 6 hours later (love that breakfast kept me going that long).
Lunch was a repeat of yesterday’s Chili Glazed Shrimp with Fried Rice
(SF + 1 WPA) 10 points+
Dessert ~ A super crunchy nectarine.
I have been wanting to make this Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Recipe ever since I first saw it on Pinterest. I modified their recipe to fit into Simply Filling.
I think this would be great using leftover chicken ~ only I didn’t have any. So, I boiled 1 lb. of organic chicken tenders and shredded them.
I bulked up my chicken mix with a little carrot, celery, onion and garlic (buffalo wing sides…sort of). I sprinkled the mix with a little sea salt and black pepper.
Diced a yellow & orange bell pepper because it is what I had on hand (versus the green peppers).
I actually picked one Fat Free Cheese to use ~ Trader Joe’s Fat Free Ricotta.
I do not think you can really tell with ricotta when it’s fat free and the ingredient list is totally recognizable.
To balance it out, I used 10 oz. part skim mozzarella with 2 oz. low-fat sharp cheddar. I skipped the stinky cheese because I do not like Blue moldy cheese
The Secret Sauces ~ Trader Joe’s Arrabiata & Frank’s Red Hot.
Trader Joe’s Arrabiata is made up of pretty much Simply Filling (real) ingredients.
I also picked up Ronzoni Healthy Harvest to swap in Whole Wheat Lasagna noodles.
I think you all know I love hot foods, but, when, I first read 1 cup of Frank’s Red Hot, I thought WOW that is going to be H-O-T. So, I started by adding a 1/2 cup, then, tasting and ended up deciding it wouldn’t be too spicy with a whole cup.
Grab your biggest slow cooker because this recipe makes 5 quarts! I sprayed mine with nonstick spray for good measure although you may not need.
Layer it up beginning with a big scoop of sauce on the bottom.
I broke 3 1/2 noodles into shapes to fit into the circle.
Smear 1/3 of the ricotta cheese.
Sprinkle with 1/3 of the peppers.
Plus 1/4 of the cheese.
Repeat until you end with your last layer of sauce. Add 1/4 water to the pasta sauce jar, shake and pour over the mix.
Finish with the remaining cheese and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2.5 – 3 hours. Much more and your noodles will get soggy.
Let stand for about 20 minutes before slicing into 10 servings and carefully slopping it on a plate to serve. Yep, it’s totally the classy way to serve dinner to your husband.
It doesn’t really look pretty, but, I have to say, this was so tasty. It’s a little sweet from the peppers, but, you get hit with the spice of the franks right as you bite into the cheesy, noodley, chicken goodness. I definitely think this will be better the next day as the flavors blend together. I can’t wait for leftovers because we have a lot!
100% Simply Filling or 9 points+
The Husband made up our salads topped with 1 Tbsp. Newman’s Lite Lime Vinaigrette.
(SF + 1 WPA) – 1 points+
Here are my stats today:
- Simple Filling (SF): 6 WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) used, 35 WPA remaining
- 30 Daily Points+ 4 WPA used, 45 WPA remaining
- My FitBit Dashboard:
Night all!
Gail H. says
Can’t wait to try this lasagna! I’ve been hooked on crock pot lasagna ever since I’ve tried the WW recipe on their web-site…who knew it would be so easy and delicious!! And those nachos…I can see them on the menu for next Sunday’s brunch 🙂 Lots of good stuff this week!!
Shirley person says
Danica …what the oven temp when cooking the nacho chips (thin tortilla)?
I’m making nachos tonight!
Biz says
Hooray for breakfast nachos! I could literally eat those every morning and never get sick of them – and I find them super filling too – I normally don’t eat lunch until 2 in the afternoon when I have those for breakfast. 😀 Thanks for the shout out! 😀
Jenn@slim-shoppin says
Ha! As soon as I saw the breakfast nachos I was like, my twin sister Biz makes those all the time :0). Yours look great Danica! I still haven’t made them yet.
fitbitgirl says
how do you burn so many calories in a day with not many steps taken?
Cyndi says
thank you so much for your posts and recipes. So inspiring and motivating. I pin them most every day! I only wish that I could pin each recipe/ dish separately since I have trouble finding the recipes that listing in the heading when I go back to Pinterest to search for them. The pictures help find them too. I have started adding the other recipes to the description though. Thanks again.
carla sue says
This sounds like a interesting change from regular lasagna! Will try!
I made your steet cut oats with blueberries and peaches for breakfast, I love that stuff!
Carol @ Wild Goose Tea says
I am here to shout about the breakfast nachos. Breakfast is my favorite meal for
some reason. Well not on go to work mornings—but Sunday lay around brunch mornings. I love blueberries. I add them and strawberries in all kinds of unexpected
dishes. I love the surprise of them in dish where they are not expected.