Skinny Chicken BLT Quesadilla

I used to be a weird person who didn't like bacon. I'm still kind of picky about it - I don't like when it's too crispy and I'd rather eat it as a part of a sandwich or inside a recipe than on its own, but I've finally come to love bacon and the flavor it brings to so many dishes.

And I absolutely love a good BLT.

For those of you who don't know, BLT stands for bacon, lettuce, tomato (just covering my grounds here)! It's usually served on a roll or wrap with a ton of mayo and it's delicious. Not the healthiest option, though.

Until now.

By using low-fat mayo, center-cut bacon, and a toasted low-cal wrap, you can eliminate a lot of the fat and calories associated with a traditional BLT. And it tastes just as good, promise! I even added some grilled chicken for extra protein and to bulk this up so it can be eaten for dinner as a meal.

Start by spreading the mayo across the wrap. Layer the lettuce, tomato, and onion across one half of the wrap. 

Next, add the bacon. I cook mine in the microwave. It's easy, fast, and eliminates splatter (nothing worse than being burnt by bacon grease while cooking on the stove). Just put a paper towel on a microwave-safe dish, place your bacon on the paper towel, and place another paper towel on top. Microwave for 60-90 seconds (depending on how crispy you like it) and then crumble it over the wrap.

Next, add the chicken. I seasoned mine with salt,.pepper, and garlic and cooked it on the Foreman grill (8-10 minutes on 375 degrees) but you could also cook it on the stove or grill it - whichever you prefer. Slice the chicken and spread it across the wrap. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now, the hard part - transferring the wrap to the grill. I really recommend using a Foreman is you have one - this way both sides will be grilled at the same time. You can grill the wrap on the stove, but you'll have to keep flipping it and it might be hard to keep everything inside of it. Once it's safely on the grill, fold the half not covered in filling over the other half and let it grill!

I kept my grill on 375 and let it go for about 8 minutes. 

This definitely needs to be eaten with a knife and fork. Anything else would be way too messy! I had mine with a little fat free ranch dressing on the side for dipping, but it doesn't need it.

That's it! Hope you enjoy, and as always, feedback is appreciated!

Until next time!

Ingredients

• 1 low-calorie wrap (I used a Fiber One 80-calorie white wrap)
• 2 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise 
• 1/2 cup lettuce (I used romaine)
• 6 cherry tomatoes, sliced thin
• 1/4 sweet onion, sliced thin
• 3 slices center cut bacon (I used Oscar Mayer)
• 1 5-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked 
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Serving size: entire recipe
Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 8

Instructions

1. If you'll be using a foreman to cook this, preheat it to 375.
2. Lay the wrap on a plate and spread the mayo across it. Arrange the lettuce, tomato, and onion across half of the wrap. 
3. Cook the bacon in the microwave according to package instructions. Crumble on top of the veggies.
4. Take the cooked chicken and slice it (I grilled my chicken on the Foreman, but you can cook it on the stove or the grill). Arrange the chicken on top of the bacon. Sprinkle the whole thing with salt and pepper.
5. Transfer the wrap to the grill (I recommend using a Foreman so you don't need to flip it). Cook for 8-10 minutes. If you're using a pan on the stove, spray the pan with no-calorie cooking spray and flip continuously until the wrap is equally browned on each side.
6. Transfer to a plate. Let cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Watermelon Feta Salad with Balsamic Glaze

I think I've found my go-to summer salad.

It's crisp and fresh and the ingredients work together in such an amazing way. It's also really easy and can be thrown together really quickly if you need something to serve for company or to bring to a BBQ.

I heard someone mention a watermelon feta salad last summer, and even though I was curious, I never actually made or tried the combination. Recently, I decided I needed to start doing something new for lunch - my daily lunches at the office were getting STALE - and since it finally feels like summer - and what says "summer" more than juicy watermelon? - I decided to revisit the watermelon feta combo. 

I looked online for inspiration and then created this salad with my own twist. Some people make their watermelon feta with oil. Some use oil and vinegar. Some use balsamic. Some added other ingredients; others kept it simple.

You start with your greens.

I've made this salad three times this week (when I fall in love with a new food or meal, I eat it almost exclusively and obsessively until I move on to the next thing. I have a problem). The first two times, I used baby arugula. Pictured in this recipe is baby spinach, since I ran out of arugula. Both combinations work, but I think if I had to choose I'd choose the arugula.

Then it's just three additional ingredients (watermelon, red onion, and feta cheese) before the dressing, and you're done. Simple!

Next comes the dressing. I went back and forth a few times with this. I didn't think I'd like the oil or oil/vinegar combo with the watermelon. Balsamic vinegar is always a good choice, but I felt like this salad needed something sweeter. That's why the balsamic glaze is perfect. It has the flavor of balsamic but it's much thicker and sweeter than the vinegar. It goes perfectly with this salad.

I wish I could explain why all these ingredients work together so well. I wish I could tell you why the sweetness of the watermelon tastes so good with the crunchy red onion. I wish I could explain how the feta adds a subtle but amazing flavor to the salad and how the balsamic glaze ties it all together in the most delicious way. I wish I could tell you why, but I can't. I don't know why all these ingredients work together. They just do. And you need to try it ASAP.

Summer is coming - and it deserves to be celebrated with this salad.

Until next time!

Ingredients

• 12 cups baby arugula (2 bags of salad mix)
• 4 cups watermelon, cubed
• 6-8 oz fat free feta cheese, crumbled
• 3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 6 tbsp balsamic glaze

Serving size: 1/4 salad
Serves: 4
Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 5

Instructions

1. Rinse the arugula and place it in a large bowl. Add the watermelon, feta cheese, and red onion, and toss to combine.
2. Drizzle the balsamic glaze over the salad. Toss again to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving, or refrigerate overnight and serve the following day.

Nutritional information

BBQ Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Ranch Coleslaw

As soon as I posted this coleslaw recipe over the weekend, I started thinking about how yummy it would be on a shrimp taco. So as promised (okay, not "promised" - I just hinted at it), here's a shrimp taco recipe. With the avocado coleslaw. A perfect combination.

This recipe also screams "summer" to me. I made it for lunch on Sunday after my husband and I spent the day outside doing yardwork and assembling our new backyard swing. It was really hot on Sunday and the cool, crispy avocado paired with the sweet BBQ shrimp made for a refreshing lunch. 

By the way, this recipe got the "husband-approved" stamp, which I'm happy about. He's a somewhat picky eater (not too bad) and sometimes I just cook for me and he cooks for him. But he ate these and he liked them, which makes me more excited to post them.

When I cook with shrimp, I like to use cooked frozen shrimp. They're simple to defrost - just let them sit in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes.

Once the shrimp are defrosted (or mostly defrosted), it's time to cook them. I used the Foreman to cook mine, but these can definitely be cooked on a grill as well. We haven't used our grill yet this season, so onto the Foreman they went.

They only need to be on the Foreman for about 3 minutes. Technically, once they're defrosted they're good to eat, but for this recipe grilled/warm shrimp works better. If you're cooking on an outdoor grill, you may want to leave them on a little longer, and then just remove them when they're grilled to your liking.

Once the shrimp are done, put them into a bowl and toss with the BBQ sauce.

While you're doing this, you can warm your tortillas. This isn't necessary, but if you're like me (in the sense that you think a warm wrap is ALWAYS better than a cold one), throw your tortillas on the grill for 30 seconds to a minute to warm them up.

Then, assemble the tacos. Layer slaw, three shrimp, and a sprinkle of ground cayenne. That's it!

Of course, this recipe does require a little advanced prep - you'll need to make the coleslaw as well. But that's super easy too and the whole thing (coleslaw and tacos) can easily be done in less than 30 minutes.

As always, I'd love to know if you have questions, comments, or feedback! Enjoy!

Until next time!

Ingredients

• 9 medium-large frozen cooked shrimp
• 2 tbsp BBQ sauce (I prefer Honey BBQ)
• 3 extra thin corn tortillas
• 1 serving Avocado Ranch Coleslaw (prepare in advance)
• Pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Serving size: 3 tacos (entire recipe)

Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 9

Instructions

1. Defrost the shrimp by placing them in a bowl or hot water. Once the shrimp are soft enough, remove the tails.
2. Place the shrimp on the Foreman or grill. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until grilled to your preference.
3. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a bowl. Add the BBQ sauce and toss until the shrimp are fully coated. If you prefer, warm the tortillas on the grill while you're tossing the shrimp with sauce.
4. Distribute the slaw evenly among the tortillas. Add three shrimp to each taco, then sprinkle with ground cayenne. 

Nutritional Information