230+ Weight Watchers Blue Plan Recipes : Healthy WW Recipes

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Becca Ludlum — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 16:32:23 +0000

This Instant Pot Lemon Chicken is an easy dish bursting with fresh flavors from a delicious lemon garlic sauce. Juicy lemon garlic chicken thighs are paired together with nutrient rich vegetables for a healthy and easy dinner that your whole family will enjoy.

Lemon juice and garlic are a flavor combo that just works. When you pressure cook the two together you will create the most delicious sauce to top your golden brown chicken thighs and vegetables with.

If you are looking for a healthy one pot dinner recipe, look no further than this Instant Pot lemon chicken. Everything cooks in one pan for an easy, healthy dinner that you can have on the table in no time.

I love using my trusty pressure cooker to make a quick and easy dish on busy weeknights. Not only is this lemon chicken great for school nights, it’s also a great recipe for meal prep!

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we have visitors of all different comfort levels in the kitchen. Whether you’re new to pressure cooking, or just new to cooking in general, we want you to be able to recreate our recipes with ease.

To help our readers have a successful experience cooking, we provide a lot of information in our articles. Below you will find an informative list of ingredients, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, as well as healthy eating plan calculations for a couple popular programs.

If you’re comfortable in the kitchen, and with pressure cooking, and would like to skip past all of that, please go ahead and scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find our easy to print recipe card for this Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Thighs recipe.

Ingredients in Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Garlic cloves: For this lemon garlic chicken recipe we use a spice rub that gives the chicken thighs so much flavor. This recipe calls for minced garlic as opposed to garlic powder. Fresh garlic helps to season chicken thighs and the lemon sauce for an absolutely delicious flavor. Garlic powder can be used but you won’t get as much of a fresh garlic taste.
Paprika: Paprika is rich in antioxidants as well as vitamins and minerals. It adds a sweet and peppery taste to the chicken thigh rub. Feel free to use sweet or smoked paprika. Smoked will give you an additional layer of flavor.
Oregano: Dried oregano is used in Italian seasoning and adds a delicious earthy flavor to the chicken thighs.
Marjoram: Dried marjoram is another Italian seasoning that is a great addition to this Instant Pot lemon chicken recipe.
Salt: We use just a little salt to help bring out the flavors in this Instant Pot lemon chicken recipe.
Pepper: Black pepper adds a subtle layer of heat to our chicken thighs rub.
Chicken thighs: I love using chicken thighs when I cook in the Instant Pot. If you think you’re not a fan of dark meat, I urge you to try this recipe using boneless skinless chicken thighs. Skinless chicken breasts can become dry and rubbery as the chicken cooks. One of the things I love most about cooking chicken thighs is, even if they are slightly over-cooked, you have moist, tender chicken when the cooking time is complete.
Lemon juice: Our Instant Pot lemon chicken uses fresh lemon juice from about 3 lemons to create a delicious lemon garlic sauce. Not only does lemon juice add bright and fresh flavors, lemon juice is also high in Vitamin C, which may give your immune system a boost!
Chicken broth: I use chicken broth or chicken stock for this Instant Pot chicken thighs recipe.
Potatoes: Use mini or baby potatoes for this Instant pot lemon chicken thighs recipe.
Baby bella mushrooms: You can’t go wrong with mushrooms. They’re fat-free, low-sodium, low-calorie, and cholesterol-free. They’re also packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Asparagus: Asparagus is a tasty vegetable that’s also a great source of vitamins and minerals, especially folate and vitamins A, C and K.
Cornstarch: We add this at the end of our cooking time to create a cornstarch slurry, which helps to thicken the delicious lemon garlic sauce.

How to Make Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Prep the Pot Start by spraying the bottom of the inner pot to your Instant Pot with a nonstick cooking spray, and then press sauté. You can also use a small amount of olive oil or avocado oil to lightly coat the bottom of your inner pot.
Make the Rub In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, paprika, oregano, marjoram, salt, and black pepper. Then rub the mixture into the tops of your chicken thighs.
Sear the Chicken Take care not to crowd your chicken together, you may need to repeat this process several times so that the chicken thighs can sear properly. Starting with the seasoned side down, place chicken thighs into your pot. Sear for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Set the seared and golden brown chicken thighs aside and, when you are done searing all of the thighs, add lemon juice and chicken broth to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the Potatoes Next, place the baby potatoes in the bottom of the pot, and then set the seared chicken thighs directly on top of the potatoes. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and turn the steam release valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cooking time for 5 minutes. When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and carefully remove the lid.
Add the Mushrooms & Asparagus Now it’s time to add the mushrooms and asparagus directly on top of the chicken thighs. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and again turn the steam release valve to sealing. Pressure cook (high) and set the cooking time for 1 minute.
Make the Cornstarch Slurry When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove chicken, vegetables, and potatoes to a large platter. On your Instant Pot, select Sauté and add the corn starch to the pot. Whisk together with the chicken broth to make your cornstarch slurry. Once the lemon sauce has thickened you can remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot base.
Serve Place the lemon garlic chicken, vegetables, and potatoes into individual bowls or plates, and spoon sauce on top of each serving. Serve immediately or see below for tips on storing for meal prep.

Recipe Tips

This Instant Pot Lemon Chicken is a delicious and healthy recipe for meal prep. To prep, divide equal portions of lemon chicken, vegetables, and potatoes into meal prep containers. You can serve the gravy on the side, or spoon it over the top of each serving before storing.
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken and vegetables keeps in the fridge for up to 6 days, or it can be frozen for up to 2 months. To reheat, microwave each thawed serving for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
This recipe uses a quick release to release the pressure from the Instant Pot. If you’d like to learn more about quick release vs. natural release you can read this post.

Healthy Eating Plans

This Instant Pot chicken recipe serves 6.

21 Day Fix Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Entire recipe: 6 red containers, 6 yellow containers, 6 green containers

Per serving: 1 red container, 1 yellow container, 1 green container

Weight Watchers Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

8 2023 Plan Points | 8 Blue Plan Points | 8 Green Plan Points | 5 Purple Plan Points

Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?

Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes This Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes is an easy and delicious meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
How to Cook White Rice in the Instant Pot If you’re new to pressure cooking you will love cooking white rice in the Instant Pot! This post will teach you how to cook rice in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Burrito Bowls with Frozen Chicken This is an easy Instant Pot meal prep recipe that uses frozen chicken breast, plus dried beans and rice for a true one pot meal that the whole family will eat.
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Drumsticks These Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks with Cilantro Lime Seasoning are so delicious. The marinade can be used with any type of chicken: chicken thighs, chicken breasts or chicken legs.
Chicken Gyro Bowls with Homemade Tzatziki These healthy Chicken Breast Gyro Bowls with Homemade Tzatziki sauce are perfect for meal prep because I can prepare the main ingredients and then just assemble them for a quick recipe tonight.

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword instant pot lemon chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 6

Total Time 21

Servings people

Calories 401kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Cutting Board
Kitchen Knife

Ingredients

2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless
3 lemons juice from
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 lb mini potatoes any variety
1 lb baby bella mushrooms halved
1 lb asparagus halved and woody ends removed
2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

Start by spraying the bottom of the inner pot to your Instant Pot with a nonstick cooking spray, and then press sauté. You can also use a small amount of olive oil or avocado oil to lightly coat the bottom of your inner pot.
In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, paprika, oregano, marjoram, salt, and black pepper. Then rub the mixture into the tops of your chicken thighs. 2 tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp paprika 2 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp marjoram 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper
Take care not to crowd your chicken together, you may need to repeat this process several times so that the chicken thighs can sear properly.
Starting with the seasoned side down, place chicken thighs into your pot. Sear for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Set the seared and golden brown chicken thighs aside and, when you are done searing all of the thighs, add lemon juice and chicken broth to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. 3 lb chicken thighs 3 lemons 1/4 cup chicken broth
Next, place the baby potatoes in the bottom of the pot, and then set the seared chicken thighs directly on top of the potatoes. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and turn the steam release valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cooking time for 5 minutes. When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and carefully remove the lid. 1 1/2 lb mini potatoes
Now it's time to add the mushrooms and asparagus directly on top of the chicken thighs. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and again turn the steam release valve to sealing. Pressure cook (high) and set the cooking time for 1 minute. 1 lb baby bella mushrooms 1 lb asparagus
When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove chicken, vegetables, and potatoes to a large platter. On your Instant Pot, select Sauté and add the corn starch to the pot. Whisk together with the chicken broth to make your cornstarch slurry. Once the lemon sauce has thickened you can remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot base. 2 tbsp cornstarch
Place the lemon garlic chicken, vegetables, and potatoes into individual bowls or plates, and spoon sauce on top of each serving. Serve immediately or see below for tips on storing for meal prep.

Notes

Recipe Tips

This Instant Pot Lemon Chicken is a delicious and healthy recipe for meal prep. To prep, divide equal portions of lemon chicken, vegetables, and potatoes into meal prep containers. You can serve the gravy on the side, or spoon it over the top of each serving before storing.
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken and vegetables keeps in the fridge for up to 6 days, or it can be frozen for up to 2 months. To reheat, microwave each thawed serving for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
This recipe uses a quick release to release the pressure from the Instant Pot. If you’d like to learn more about quick release vs. natural release you can read this post.

Healthy Eating Plans

This Instant Pot chicken recipe serves 6

21 Day Fix Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Entire recipe: 6 red containers, 6 yellow containers, 6 green containers

Per serving: 1 red container, 1 yellow container, 1 green container

Weight Watchers Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

8 2023 Plan Points | 8 Blue Plan Points | 8 Green Plan Points | 5 Purple Plan Points

Nutrition

The post Instant Pot Lemon Chicken appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Weight Watchers Protein Balls

Becca Ludlum — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 22:08:24 +0000

If you’re looking for a filling a satisfying Weight Watchers snack idea to beat cravings, these WW protein balls are the perfect solution. Everyone can snack on these chewy, chocolatey, delicious granola bites.

Making Weight Watchers protein balls checks a couple of boxes on my meal prep and planning list. I can whip these up as a healthy snack for my family of busy people, a midday no bake energy balls Weight Watchers snack for me, or a quick breakfast on the go.

These are family friendly no bake protein bites for Weight Watchers. They’re protein bites but they eat like a little cookie, they are just the perfect amount of sweet and chewy. The whole family enjoys these. I usually prep a batch on a Sunday night and then I have some for everyone to enjoy all week long.

This recipe is full of healthy ingredients and is so easy to customize–You can incorporate your family’s favorite add-ins like flax seed, chia seeds, raisins, cranberries–just make sure to re-calculate the points for your snack.

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we write our recipes with all readers in mind. We know that our readers have a variety of skill levels in the kitchen, and we are mindful in how we can support all of you.

In each recipe post, you’ll find detailed instructions, helpful tips and tricks, healthy eating plan points, and nutrition information. If you are ready for a simplified recipe, simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll find our easy to print Weight Watchers Protein Balls recipe.

Ingredients in Weight Watchers Protein Balls:

Making these no bake cookies is easier than you think! You’ll need just a few wholesome ingredients that I’ll list below. You can find the exact amounts of each in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Oatmeal: The combination of oats and chocolate chips just taste good. It’s the perfect combination for our no baking protein balls. We like using old fashioned rolled quick oatmeal for this recipe. Steel cut oats would be a bit too dense for this recipe. Just a reminder, you DO NOT cook the oats ahead of time.
Mini chocolate chips: The chocolate chips give a little boost of chocolate without having to make any major WW point decisions.
Coconut flakes: Unsweetened is what you need.
Peanut butter: We love making this healthy no bake snack with peanut butter. However, you are more than welcome to use a peanut butter replacement instead.
Honey: This ingredient helps the balls stay together. It also adds just a little bit of sweetness.
Vanilla

Here are some things that you can consider adding to your recipe to make these delicious Weight Watchers “cookies” even more flavorful, and packed with nutrition!

Protein Powder: Some people love adding powdered peanut butter protein to treats. We haven’t tried the powdered peanut butter protein flavor before, but I bet it’d be delicious!
Other chips: Dark chocolate chips would be delicious in this recipe.
Almond Butter or other nut butter:
Extra Coconut:
Chia Seeds: Such a powerhouse for all things nutritious. Adding these to your protein balls just make sense. I like to add chia seeds because they are high in fiber.
Flax Seeds: Flax Seeds help improve digestive health. If you don’t have actual seeds on hand, ground flaxseed would also be perfect for this recipe.

How to make Weight Watchers Protein Balls:

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, chocolate chips, and coconut.
Add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. Mix well until evenly combined. I prefer using a stand mixer with this recipe because it seems to make the balls easier to roll out and stick together.
Chill mixture in the refrigerator for an hour, then roll out balls about an inch in diameter. Be sure to add your extra peanut butter and/or honey in small amounts. I usually just set aside a 1/2 cup total so I know I have more liquid ingredients if needed to make the batter more or less sticky.
Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Recipe Tips:

We really should call these energy bites, or no bake energy balls. These peanut butter protein bites give me just the perfect amount of an energy boost to get through a long day of work and working out. My son totally refers to this recipe as his favorite peanut butter energy balls. I like to leave out the little fact that they are indeed Weight Watchers energy balls, and healthy for him!
Depending on your peanut butter, the mixture might be a little dry or a little moist. Just add a little more peanut butter, honey, or oats to the mix–depending on what you need. I’ve found that thinner peanut butter like the Kirkland Organic Creamy that we buy from Costco works best because it’s so thin.
If you are using a nut butter of your choice you might want to make sure it is room temperature. If the nut butter is too stiff, it will be tough to mix.
I think that using mini chocolate chips helps these granola bites stick together better than using the regular chocolate chips–especially if you’re going to make 40 balls out of one batch. If you are using the larger chips you can always give them a quick run in the food processor to make them into smaller chunks.
Swap out your add-ins, but don’t forget to re-calculate your Weight Watchers points for any changes you make to these energy bites. Old fashioned oats work best but you can use the quick oats if that is what you have on hand.
If you can’t make balls and are over trying to make it work, take a peek at this post to see how we form and cut our granola bars–you can easily make bars instead. Honestly the protein ball recipes can be made into any shape and you will still have the same benefits without spending 30 minutes fighting with the batter. Sometimes it just doesn’t come together properly so matter how much you try. This really is a great recipe and the perfect snack, regardless of the shape it ends up.

What are the Weight Watchers Points for this recipe?

With the ingredients as listed in the card below (without any extra peanut butter or honey to make the batter stiffer / stickier) this recipe makes 40 balls that are about 1 inch in diameter. Each one is 3 Blue Plan Points | 3 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points.

The points for the new 2022/2023 points plan is 5

It’s a nice little sweet treat that I can feel good about. There are wholesome ingredients, the points are low enough that I don’t have to make a “sacrifice” to enjoy these protein bites, and fat is coming from a healthy source that I know is balance with protein.

Weight Watchers Desserts:

You can enjoy dessert recipes without going crazy trying to save up points and use your weeklies. I like when I can work dessert recipes into my meal plan without having to try too hard and after you try these…you will too!

Delicious Weight Watcher recipes

Weight Watchers Protein Balls with Peanut Butter

These Weight Watchers Peanut Butter Protein Bites are a healthy Weight Watchers snack idea! We love making these no bake cookies to replace cookie cravings.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword oatmeal, protein balls, protein bites, Weight Watchers

Prep Time 10

Chill & Roll 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings Pieces

Calories 64kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Mixing Bowls
Parchment Paper
Baking Sheet

Ingredients

2 cups oats quick oats
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
2/3 cup coconut flakes unsweetened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, chocolate chips, and coconut. 2 cups oats, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, 2/3 cup coconut flakes
Add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. Mix well until evenly combined. I prefer to use my stand mixer or a hand mixer for this–stirring by hand never seems to incorporate all of the ingredients well enough for me. 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/3 cup honey, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chill mixture in the refrigerator for an hour, then roll out balls about an inch in diameter. Keeping the mixture in the fridge before rolling helps them to roll easier.
Store in an airtight container–I prefer the these in the refrigerator!

Video

Notes

Sometimes I use a bit more peanut butter and honey to help the balls stick together. I add about 1/4 cup peanut butter and 1/8 cup honey to what’s listed above. You could also form the balls into bars instead – I explain how to do this easily in my Healthy Granola Bar post.
With the ingredients as listed (without any extra peanut butter or honey to make the batter stiffer / stickier) this recipe makes 40 balls that are about 1 inch in diameter. Each one is 3 Blue Plan Points | 3 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points. assuming you make 40 small balls per batch. 2022/2023 Points: 5

Nutrition

The post Weight Watchers Protein Balls appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Weight Watchers Buffalo Chicken Wings (Boneless)

Becca Ludlum — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 19:32:40 +0000

Making these Weight Watchers buffalo chicken wings at home is much healthier and less expensive than eating out. You can make these boneless hot wings easily to satisfy your cravings!

While I love making these for parties – they make a great appetizer – I also like making them for snacks throughout the week. When I meal prep, I like to have some high protein options like hard boiled eggs and these Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wings on hand.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we write recipes so that anyone can make them – whether you’re brand new to the kitchen or have been cooking for years.

In this article you’ll find ingredient information, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, and WW point info. If you’d like to get right to the boneless wing recipe, scroll down to the printable recipe at the bottom of this article that includes ingredients and amounts, basic cooking instructions, nutrition information, and links to what you’ll need to make this recipe.

Ingredients in these Buffalo Chicken Wings:

Chicken Breasts: Boneless skinless chicken breast works great for this recipe. If you prefer dark meat, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you use the thighs, you’ll want to recalculate your WW points.
Franks Hot Sauce: Be sure and grab the original recipe hot sauce. The buffalo wing sauce has a significant amount of extra ingredients that don’t work well with a clean eating lifestyle. Frank’s Hot Sauce is salt, peppers, and vinegar. This is all you need. You won’t miss the extra stuff in the buffalo sauce, I promise!
Cayenne Pepper I use dried cayenne pepper. This is how you’ll adjust the heat spice in your recipe. Skip it if you’d like mild flavor, use half the amount if you’d like medium flavor.
Butter: Unsalted butter, if you have it. If the recipe needs salt when it’s cooked, you can add some to each serving.
Salt & Pepper: to taste

Instant Pot Instructions:

Prep your chicken: Slice your chicken into bite-sized strips.
Set up your pot: Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode and add the butter to the pot.
Add your ingredients: Once the butter has melted, place chicken in the pot, then add cayenne pepper (optional), salt, and pepper to taste. Coat each piece of chicken so it’s seasoned evenly. Add ½ cup hot sauce and stir the chicken so that it’s coated. Adding the hot sauce will count as your liquid that you need to pressure cook.
Pressure cook: Close and lock the lid to your Instant Pot and turn the steam valve to sealing. Using the manual or pressure cook setting, cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
Release the pressure: Once the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. You can remove chicken from the pot and drizzle the remaining hot sauce on top and eat now, or skip ahead to the next step to add some more texture to your wings.
Add the rest of the hot sauce: Using tongs, remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Brush the chicken with the additional ¼ cup of hot sauce.
Broil: Place the baking sheet into the oven and broil the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side. This will help to thicken the sauce. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

I like to use partially frozen chicken breast meat because it’s easier to cut.
If using completely frozen chicken, place the frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, along with ½ cup of water, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 16 minutes, then cube and continue with the recipe.
If using fully thawed chicken, reduce your cook time to 7 minutes.
If you’re short on time you can skip broiling and just toss the chicken with the remaining wings sauce, but I highly recommend broiling.
These boneless buffalo wings go great with a side of celery sticks, carrot sticks, and blue cheese crumbles, blue cheese dressing, or goat cheese.
Need some ranch dressing? You can make a simple ranch dip using a container of plain Greek yogurt and homemade ranch seasoning: 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp parsley and 1/2 tsp dill. (Need a visual? Here’s my Ranch Dressing Mix)
Leftover chicken can be store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 2 months.

WW Points info for these Buffalo Chicken Wings:

1 Serving Weight Watchers Boneless Wings (Serving size is 1/4 of the recipe) counts as:

3 Blue Plan Points
6 Green Plan Points
3 Purple Plan Points
2023 Points: 3

Looking for more WW Buffalo chicken recipes?

Weight Watchers Buffalo Chicken Dip This Buffalo Chicken Dip is made with blended cottage cheese and Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese, and shredded chicken. This recipe will satisfy your cravings while keeping you on track with daily points.
Weight Watchers Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Using protein packed cottage cheese and Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream, this is a delicious and satisfying recipe!
WW Recipe for Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups Craving buffalo but not quite in the mood for wings? This recipe for Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups is so good and easy to make. If you’d feeling a little lazy, you don’t even have to roll it up – the ingredients can go right on top and make the chicken breast delicious!
Weight Watchers Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Not chicken – I get it. But if you’re in need of some veggies, you’re going to LOVE this Buffalo Cauliflower recipe!

Weight Watchers Buffalo Chicken Wings (Boneless)

These spicy, buttery, Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings are the perfect healthy Weight Watchers recipe. They cook right in the Instant Pot, so they’re fast and cleanup is easy.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Weight Watchers Buffalo Chicken Wings

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 11

Total Time 26

Servings

Calories 317kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Kitchen Knife
Baking Sheet

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter unsalted
2 lbs chicken breasts partially defrosted, cut into strips (I've also used frozen chicken breasts, please see tips in the recipe post)
1 tsp cayenne pepper optional, see recipe notes
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup hot sauce Frank’s original, NOT Buffalo
1/4 cup hot sauce Frank’s Original, separated, for coating

Instructions

Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode and add the butter. 2 tbsp butter
Once the butter has melted, add in the chicken, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix the chicken so that each piece is seasoned. Add ½ cup hot sauce and stir the chicken so that it’s coated. 2 lbs chicken breasts, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 cup hot sauce
Close and lock the lid to your Instant Pot and turn the steam valve to sealing. Using the manual or pressure cook setting, cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
Once the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. You can remove chicken and drizzle remaining hot sauce on top and eat now, or skip ahead to the next step.
Using tongs, remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
Brush the chicken with the additional ¼ cup of hot sauce. 1/4 cup hot sauce
Place the baking sheet and broil the chicken for 3 minutes on each side. This will help to thicken the sauce. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips

If using completely frozen chicken, place the frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, along with ½ cup of water, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 16 minutes, then cube and continue with the recipe.
If using fully thawed chicken, reduce your cook time to 7 minutes.
If you’re short on time you can skip broiling and just toss the chicken with the remaining wings sauce, but I highly recommend broiling.
These boneless buffalo wings go great with a side of celery sticks, carrot sticks, and blue cheese crumbles, blue cheese dressing, or goat cheese.
Need some ranch dressing? You can make a simple ranch dip using a container of plain Greek yogurt and homemade ranch seasoning: 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp parsley and 1/2 tsp dill. (Need a visual? Here’s my Ranch Dressing Mix)
Leftover chicken can be store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 2 months.I like to use partially frozen chicken breast meat because it’s easier to cut.

Nutrition

The post Weight Watchers Buffalo Chicken Wings (Boneless) appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Becca Ludlum — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 18:06:42 +0000

When the temperatures start to cool outside, my brain automatically switches gears and craves classic comfort foods like soups, lasagna, or casseroles. This Spaghetti Squash Lasagna recipe is the perfect healthier choice when satisfying comfort food cravings.

Traditional lasagna is filled with delicious cheesy goodness of ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Balanced out with the rich flavors of marinara sauce and noodles, it’s a fan favorite. I find that when I eat traditional lasagna, it sometimes feels too heavy. Our lasagna recipe fits in perfect for those times when you’re craving lasagna, but also wanting something a little lighter.

Here at My Crazy Good Life, I’m always trying to make healthy changes to classic dishes. With our Spaghetti Squash Lasagna recipe, we promise you will love it just as much as traditional lasagna. It’s still filled with the delicious cheesy goodness through cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and mozzarella.

Our secret weapon to a healthier version is spaghetti squash. If you haven’t had a chance to cook with spaghetti squash yet, trust me. Spaghetti squash has a spaghetti noodle like consistency with a slightly sweet flavor. It pairs perfectly in this vegetarian spaghetti squash lasagna recipe with the cheese mixture and marinara sauce.

And, I mean – have you ever eaten lasagna out of an actual spaghetti squash? That’s just one less dish to wash. I call that a win.

Where’s the Recipe?

At My Crazy Good Life, we write our recipes to help all of our readers be empowered and successful in the kitchen. We realize that all of our readers have a variety of levels of confidence when cooking.

Each recipe post is full of detailed ingredient information and recipe instructions, tips and tricks, healthy eating plan points, and nutritional information. If you’re comfortable in the kitchen, you might want to skip the detailed instructions and scroll down to the bottom of the page where you’ll find our easy to print Spaghetti Squash Lasagna recipe.

Ingredients in Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Spaghetti Squash: This is the real MVP of the dish. It’s the noodle replacement of the the classic lasagna dish, and we guarantee you won’t miss the noodles in this recipe. When cutting the spaghetti squash in half, you’ll want to be sure to cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise. This will give you bigger squash boats to work with. Need more help with this vegetable? Read this article for how to cook, cut, and eat a spaghetti squash.
Cauliflower: I love adding cauliflower to recipes because it takes on the flavors of the ingredients served with it. The cauliflower also helps the sauce and cheese fillings bulk up a bit.
Cottage cheese: We prefer using the 2% fat cottage cheese when making our spaghetti squash lasagna.
Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt offers a lot of extra protein to this recipe. We prefer to use the 2% fat Greek yogurt.
Garlic: Is it even considered a lasagna if it doesn’t have the delicious flavors of fresh garlic included? I prefer fresh minced garlic for this recipe.
Basil: If you have fresh basil on hand, that’d be perfect, however you can also use dried basil for this recipe.
Oregano: Dried oregano is a classic spice of all things comfort. Often times oregano is found in Italian seasoning, however we opted to use oregano alone for our spaghetti squash lasagna boats.
Parsley: If you have fresh parsley on hand, great. If not, dried parsley will work perfectly for this. We love recipes that don’t require 3-4 fresh herbs every time you make a recipe.
Pasta sauce: Look for a spaghetti sauce with no added sugar. You’ll only need a little bit for this recipe, but did you know that you can freeze extra pasta sauce in ice cube trays? It’s perfect to have on hand when you only need a little bit of sauce.
Spinach: Baby leaf spinach is the size you are looking for in our spaghetti squash lasagna recipe. If you only have regular sized spinach, that will work too.
Mozzarella: Shredded mozzarella cheese, melted and slightly browned on top of the spaghetti squash. Does it get any better than that?

How to Make Spaghetti Squash Lasagna in Instant Pot

Place the trivet inside the inner pot and add 2 cups of water.
Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Place the spaghetti squash halves flat on the trivet. It’s ok if they’re not completely flat – lean them up against the sides if you have to.
Add the cauliflower on top of the spaghetti squash. Close and lock the lid, then turn the steam release handle to Sealing.
Press Pressure Cook (high) and cook for 7 minutes.
While the spaghetti squash is cooking, combine the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, garlic, basil, oregano, and parsley in a food processor or blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until smooth. Transfer the cheese mixture to a medium bowl.
When the squash is done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally and then remove the squash and cauliflower from the pot.
Move the cauliflower to the bowl with the cottage cheese mixture and use a fork to mash and combine it with the other ingredients. Place your spaghetti squash on a baking sheet.
Preheat the broiler in your oven on high so you can brown the lasagna boats.
Using a fork, hollow out the spaghetti squash strands from the cooked spaghetti squash. Do not discard the spaghetti squash shells.
Add the spaghetti squash strands to the bowl with the cauliflower and cottage cheese mixture, then stir until well combined.
Spoon one half of the squash mixture into each of the squash shells, then top each with 1 tablespoon of the pasta sauce, a layer of the spinach, and 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella.
Place the boats on the baking sheet or baking dish and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Don’t walk away from the oven while you have food broiling, as it cooks super quick and you can easily burn it.
Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

If the spaghetti squash boats (halves) don’t sit flat in the Instant Pot, you may slightly angle them against the sides of the pot.
A natural release in an Instant Pot simply means to let the sealing valve remain as is and allow the pressure to naturally release. This usually takes about 10 minutes. If your pressure isn’t released by then, you can manually release it.
The cook time for the squash can differ slightly, depending on the size and age of the squash, so adjust as needed. (A large spaghetti squash will take longer to cook in the Instant Pot). If the squash doesn’t easily scrape out of the shells, place the shells back in the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 3 more minutes with another natural release.)
Our recipe is for a vegetarian lasagna. If you prefer your spaghetti squash boats with meat, simply cook and add ground turkey or ground beef to the cheese mixture. Please note that all healthy eating plan points will need to be recalculated, and we haven’t tested this version of the recipe.
If you like a little kick in your lasagna, feel free to add some red pepper flakes.
Are you meal prepping? Store this recipe in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheating: Microwave each thawed serving for 1½ to 2 minutes.

Healthy Eating Plan Points

Weight Watchers

Our Spaghetti Squash Lasagna is 2 2023 Plan Points | 2 Blue Plan Points | 2 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points per serving. I used fat free cottage cheese, part skim mozzarella, and Newman’s Own Organic pasta sauce for these points.

21 Day Fix

1/3 red container, 3 green containers, 1/2 blue container per serving.

2B Mindset

This recipe is a perfect lunch or dinner recipe.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

This Spaghetti Squash Lasagna recipe is lighter than traditional lasagna. Greek yogurt gives this meal prep recipe a creamy texture and extra protein.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Lasagna, spaghetti squash

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 7

Natural Release 10

Total Time 27

Servings people

Calories 269kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

1 Instant Pot 6 qt
1 Instant Pot Trivet
1 Kitchen Knife

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 spaghetti squash small
1 ½ cups cauliflower chopped
¼ cup cottage cheese 2%
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt 2%
1 ½ tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried parsley
¼ cup pasta sauce no sugar added
½ cup baby leaf spinach
¼ cup mozzarella shredded

Instructions

Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Add water below trivet in Instant Pot. Place spaghetti squash halves flat on the trivet. 2 cups water, 1 spaghetti squash
Add the cauliflower on top of the spaghetti squash. 1 ½ cups cauliflower
Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 7 minutes.
While the spaghetti squash is cooking, combine the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, garlic, basil, oregano, and parsley in a food processor or blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until smooth and creamy. Transfer the cheese mixture to a medium bowl. ¼ cup cottage cheese, ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 ½ tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried parsley
When the cook time for the squash is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.
Transfer the cauliflower to the bowl with the cottage cheese mixture and use a fork to mash and combine it with the other ingredients.
Preheat your oven broiler on high.
Using a fork, hollow out each spaghetti squash strands from the cooked spaghetti squash. Do not discard the spaghetti squash shells.
Add the spaghetti squash strands to the bowl with the cauliflower and cottage cheese mixture, then stir until well combined.
Spoon one half of the mixture into each of the squash shells, then top each with 1 tablespoon of the pasta sauce, a layer of the spinach, and 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella. ¼ cup pasta sauce, ½ cup baby leaf spinach, ¼ cup mozzarella
Place the boats on a baking sheet or baking dish and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

Healthy Eating Plan Points

Weight Watchers

Our Spaghetti Squash Lasagna is 2 2023 Plan Points | 2 Blue Plan Points | 2 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points per serving. I used fat free cottage cheese, part skim mozzarella, and Newman’s Own Organic pasta sauce for these points.

21 Day Fix

1/3 red container, 3 green containers, 1/2 blue container per serving.

Nutrition

The post Spaghetti Squash Lasagna appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Becca Ludlum — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 17:37:04 +0000

We love having healthy snacks in the house, and these healthy Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars are a staple in our home. These chewy granola bars are what we grab for when we need a quick snack before dinner or as we are running out the door without breakfast.

This is my years-old, family favorite base granola bar recipe that you can customize for your family. Plus, they’re no bake! When the boys were young, they were also called Mom’s Really Good Granola Bars.

These homemade granola bars are better than store bought granola bars for several reasons. The most important reason for me is that there are no preservatives to keep them shelf stable, but I also love that I am able to customize them perfectly for my favorite flavors. Store bought bars have nothing on these.

With their perfect chewy texture, these are satisfying to eat and help to kick sugar cravings to the curb. I love that they’re naturally sweetened with honey and so easy to make.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we write recipes that anyone can make – whether you’re brand new to the kitchen or have been cooking for years.

If you’re needing ingredient information, detailed instructions, recipe tips, and calculations for healthy eating plans like Weight Watchers and the 21 Day Fix, you’ll find that information below.

Just need the recipe? You’ll want to scroll down to the bottom of the post to the printable recipe for the ingredient amounts and basic recipe instructions for these Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars.

Ingredients in Healthy Homemade Granola Bars:

This is the base granola bar mixture.

Oats I usually use regular oats or rolled oats. I’d stay away from steel cut oats because the texture isn’t as easy to eat and they’ll need different peanut butter and honey ratios. If you’re gluten-free, you’ll want to find gluten-free oats that have not been grown in wheat fields.
Natural Peanut Butter Crunchy peanut butter or creamy peanut butter, whatever your preference is. I buy peanut butter that only has peanuts and salt as an ingredient – I try to stay away from palm oil. Other nut butter options (sunflower seed butter, almond butter) should work just as well.
Honey Typically I’d say that you could swap this with pure maple syrup, but the consistency of syrup isn’t what you need for this recipe. I’d stick with honey.

Optional ingredients:

Adding these, or other optional ingredients, might mean that you need to use additional peanut butter or honey in your recipe.

2-4 tablespoons of:

Flax seed
Chia seeds
MCT powder
7 grain cereal
Collagen powder

One quarter cup of:

protein powder
unsweetened shredded coconut
chopped nuts: I prefer almonds, walnuts, or cashews
dried fruits like dried cranberries, raisins, or goji berries (I prefer to chop them so the texture isn’t thrown off, and the bars stick together better)
chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, dairy free chocolate chips. If you’re looking for a chocolatey taste without the sugar, use chocolate protein powder or some cacao powder.

For the recipe that we make regularly, I use chia seeds, vanilla protein powder, shredded coconut, dried low sugar cranberries and raisins (or goji berries), and dairy free mini chocolate chips.

How to make these Healthy Homemade Peanut Butter Bars:

Chop the nuts and dried fruit, if you’re using them.
Add peanut butter, honey, oats, and any optional ingredients into a bowl and mix them well. This is SO much easier with a stand mixer.
Grab a 9×9 baking sheet and line it with some parchment paper. If you don’t have a 9×9 pan, any pan will do–just keep an eye on how thick your bars are.
Pour the peanut butter mixture onto the parchment paper. This will help you handle the granola bars to shape them.
Cover the mixture up with another piece of parchment paper, and begin rolling the bars flat. You can use a can of soda or beans if you don’t have a rolling pin that will fit inside the pan.
After your oat mixture is nice and flat, throw the top piece of parchment away and use the bottom one to lift out your granola bars onto a cooling rack.
Push the granola into a nice firm square on all sides, then let it sit and harden for at least an hour.
Cut your granola bars. I use a pizza cutter.

How to store these Peanut Butter Granola Bars:

I store my granola bars in a ziplock container in the fridge. I typically make at least a double batch and have had no problem storing them in the fridge for a month, but they typically don’t last that long.

These granola bars can also be frozen. I freeze them when I travel with them or when I want to prep.

Recipe Tips for making healthy homemade granola bars:

This recipe is really flexible. Don’t stress about perfect measurements.
Depending on the brand of peanut butter you’re using, you might wan to add more or leave a little out. Typically, natural peanut butter (with only peanuts and salt) is thinner than peanut butter that contains palm oil. Start by following the recipe directions and if you’re struggling to keep the bars together, add more peanut butter (or honey).

Do these Granola Bars have protein?

Each bar made with just the base recipe has 6 grams of protein before adding any optional ingredients. Adding in protein powder or collagen can increase the amount of protein per bar.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Granola Bars

To make this recipe as compatible as possible with weight loss plans, I’d stick with the healthy additions and opt out of the ones with sugar. This is a calorie-dense recipe, and I wouldn’t rely on it as a daily snack if you’re trying to lose weight.

With all of the teaspoons for honey and peanut butter, it doesn’t work to count these in Portion Fix containers. These are a yellow container treat swap, which means that three times a week you could eat these (or another treat) and swap it for a regular yellow container.

You can read more about both yellow and purple container treat swaps right here.

Weight Watchers Granola Bars:

For 16 servings, each serving counts as 9 Blue Plan Points | 9 Green Plan Points | 7 Purple Plan Points

If you’re on the 2023 Point Plan, count each serving as 9 points. If you’d like to reduce the points, divide this recipe into more servings. 32 servings will make each bar 5 points.

More No Bake Snacks:

Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars

These Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars are a chewy, easy to make, delicious no bake snack recipe! Base recipe is just 3 simple ingredients.

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Granola Bar, healthy

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings people

Calories 127kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Pizza Cutter
Parchment Paper
Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter crunchy or creamy
1 cup honey
3 cups oats

Now you have your basic granola bars. Add what you like from the list below to customize them! More options can be found in the recipe post.

2-4 tbsps flax seed
1-2 scoops protein powder
1/2 cup shredded coconut unsweetened
1/4 cup chopped nuts almonds/walnuts/cashews
1/4 cup dried cranberries raisins, chocolate chips – anything yummy :)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Chop the nuts and dried fruit, if you're using them.
Add peanut butter, honey, oats, and any optional ingredients into a bowl and mix them well. 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup honey 3 cups oats
Grab a 9×9 baking sheet and line it with some parchment paper. If you don't have a 9×9 pan, any pan will do–just keep an eye on how thick your bars are.
Pour the peanut butter mixture onto the parchment paper. This will help you handle the granola bars to shape them.
Cover the mixture up with another piece of parchment paper, and begin rolling the bars flat. You can use a can of soda or beans if you don't have a rolling pin that will fit inside the pan.
After your oat mixture is nice and flat, throw the top piece of parchment away and use the bottom one to lift out your granola bars onto a cooling rack.
Push the granola into a nice firm square on all sides, then let it sit in the fridge and harden for an hour or so if you have the time. They'll be a little easier to cut, but the rest time is optional.
Cut your granola bars. I use a pizza cutter.

Notes

21 Day Fix Granola Bars

You can read more about both yellow and purple container treat swaps right here.

Weight Watchers Granola Bars:

For 16 servings, each serving counts as 9 Blue Plan Points | 9 Green Plan Points | 7 Purple Plan Points

If you’re on the 2023 Point Plan, count each serving as 9 points. If you’d like to reduce the points, divide this recipe into more servings. 32 servings will make each bar 5 points.

Nutrition

The post Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Vegan Protein Brownie Recipe

Becca Ludlum — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 16:11:56 +0000

These vegan black bean brownies are a delicious and indulgent treat. They contain no added flour or processed sugar! This is the best protein brownies recipe that the whole family will enjoy.

It doesn’t matter if I’m looking for a sweet treat at the end of the day or just coming out of the gym trying to find a snack that will feel like a reward…these vegan black bean brownies do the trick every time!

These incredible Vegan Protein Brownies are meant to be a brownie bite, a sweet and indulgent treat, nothing that should be replacing a meal or anything like that! Keep that in mind when you are dividing them for your portions.

You are probably wondering who would be crazy enough to put beans in a brownie recipe…there’s a method to the madness, I swear! Beans are a slow-digesting carb, which provides energy during your post-workout slump.

The beans in our protein brownies recipe is full of plant-based protein to help you repair and build muscles. Beans are high in fiber to help with feeling full longer and maintaining a healthy weight.

Beans, especially black beans, are a great way to give any recipes a nutrition boost…even a dessert recipe like our protein brownies.

Finally, I include black beans in this protein brownie recipe because they can easily take the place of the non-vegan ingredients that we’d need to finish the recipe.

If you are looking for a gluten free or vegan way to enjoy our high protein brownies: you’ve found it! Our Vegan Protein Brownie Recipe will be one of your new favorite healthy recipes!

Bonus! Each serving of our delicious protein brownies include four grams of protein per serving.

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we strive to write detailed and helpful recipes for all of our readers. We include clear instructions, recipe tips and tricks, healthy eating plan points, as well as nutritional information.

If you are ready to start cooking with a more simplified version of the recipe, simply scroll down to the bottom of the page where you’ll find our easy to print Vegan Protein Brownie Recipe.

Ingredients in Vegan Protein Brownie Recipe

Black Beans: No need for protein powder with this recipe, the beans naturally give it an extra protein boost, and make these our favorite healthy protein brownies. Best part about it, no one will know there are black beans in the recipe unless you tell them!
Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is a staple of all brownie recipes. It delivers the delicious chocolate flavor without all of the extra added refined sugar.
Gluten Free Oats: By blending the oats in the food processor, this recipe essentially uses oat flour which helps hold the brownies together. That’s right, there is no whole wheat flour in these protein brownies, making it one of my favorite gluten free recipes.
Salt
Honey: (bee free honey)
Stevia: We use pure stevia in our recipes as a sugar substitute. We are careful when choosing which brands of stevia we use.
Coconut Oil: We love using refined coconut oil in our baking. Coconut oil has many health benefits. We like to buy our coconut oil in bulk at Costco.
Vanilla Extract
Almond Extract
Baking Powder
Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips: Using dairy-free chocolate chips allows this recipe to be both dairy-free and gluten-free. Feel free to use regular sized chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips. We stick to the dark chocolate for the added health benefits.

How to make Vegan Protein Brownie Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse and drain the black beans.
Blend beans in a food processor until VERY smooth. Add in the rest of your ingredients except for the chocolate chips.
Blend until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spray 8×8 oven-safe pan with olive oil, then pour brownie batter into the prepared pan.
Bake brownie batter at 350º for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (not counting melted chocolate).
Cool completely to room temperature then refrigerate, and cut in 2×2 pieces. Store brownies in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

Recipe Tips

If you are not worried about keeping the recipe gluten free or vegan, you can use whatever kind of oats you like and also use whatever type of chips you like. You can also use regular honey in that case! I usually stick to gluten free options for this recipe because then it is delicious and more people can enjoy the results.
If you are trying to keep these black bean brownies vegan I’ve linked a bee free honey substitute for you! If you are looking for other options you could use maple syrup though I’m not sure how that would impact the texture!
My vegan brownie recipe comes to about 16 brownies. I cut them into 2 inch squares to get that many, you can cut them up however you like, just know the nutrition and dietary info provided is for 16 servings from these ingredients.
We prepare the brownie pan with a little olive oil spray, you could also line the pan with parchment paper if you don’t have any olive oil on hand. You could also prepare the dish by coating a small layer of coconut oil on the bottom and sides of the pan.
You can use parchment paper and wrap them up to freeze. We like to store them in an airtight container before sticking them in the fridge. They’ll thaw out nicely and then you’ll have a nice little treat for when you are craving chocolate.
You could add more protein to this recipe by adding protein powder, however do note that we haven’t tested this version. All healthy eating plan points will need to be recalculated if you add protein powder to this recipe.
We have a lot of other incredible vegan recipes and gluten-free recipes on our blog.
If you want to add even more protein without using whey protein powder, these protein brownies can be topped with a dollop of nut butter like peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. Just be sure to adjust your nutrition calories or container counts and points.

Healthy Eating Plan Points

Weight Watchers

The great thing about Weight Watchers is that you can have just about anything as long as you are tracking it. 10 2023 Plan Points | 9 Blue Plan Points

If you are looking for ways to reduce the points in these brownies you can cut back on the oil, honey, or the chocolate chips since they are the biggest source of your points in this recipe. I’d recommend applesauce as a partial replacement for the oil and even half the amount of chips is going to give you a nice chocolatey treat to enjoy!

21 Day Fix Vegan Protein Brownie Recipe

Each brownie is considered a yellow container treat swap on the container programs.

Looking for more delicious and healthy dessert recipes?

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Our Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies use simple ingredients like oats, bananas and vanilla extract.
Healthy Apple Crumble This Healthy Apple Crumble recipe is an easy Instant Pot dessert that has less sugar than a traditional apple crisp recipe but doesn’t sacrifice taste.
Pumpkin Wonder Whip Recipe Wonder Whips get their protein from Greek yogurt. They’re a high protein snack or dessert that you will love!
Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal This Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal is a healthy and delicious way to start your day. Top with Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, chopped nuts, maple syrup, or a little peanut butter.
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Balls These healthy chocolate chip energy balls are made with vanilla protein powder (can also use chocolate whey protein powder), gluten free oats, peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract and other nutritious ingredients.

Vegan Protein Brownie Recipe

This Vegan Protein Brownie Recipe is a healthy dessert that's full of chocolate flavor.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword black bean, Black Bean Brownie Protein Bites, gluten free, post workout, post-workout snack

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 207kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Mixing Bowls
Measuring Cups
Food processor

Ingredients

15 oz Black Beans rinsed and drained well
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ cup oats gluten-free
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup honey bee free honey
1 teaspoon Stevia
¼ cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon baking powder
10 oz dark chocolate chips

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Rinse and drain the black beans. 15 oz Black Beans
Blend beans in a food processor until VERY smooth. Add in the rest of your ingredients except for the chocolate chips. 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, ½ cup oats, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup honey, 1 teaspoon Stevia, ¼ cup coconut oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon almond extract, ½ teaspoon baking powder
Blend until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. 10 oz dark chocolate chips
Pour batter into an 8×8 pan that has been sprayed with olive oil.
Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (not counting melted chocolate).
Cool then refrigerate, and cut in 2×2 pieces. These brownies are best served chilled.

Notes

Makes 16 2×2 bites.

21 Day Fix containers: Each brownie/bite counts as a yellow treat swap.

Weight Watchers: 10 2023 Plan Points | 9 Blue Plan Points

Nutrition

The post Vegan Protein Brownie Recipe appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes

Becca Ludlum — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 20:16:55 +0000

This Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes is an easy and delicious meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights.

Cooked perfectly, this garlic pork tenderloin is paired with mashed sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, and a quick gravy – all in the same pot. It’s an easy one pot meal that the whole family will love.

If you’re new to pressure cooking, this is a great recipe to start with. It uses simple ingredients and yields results delicious enough to serve at a dinner party or for an easy family recipe tonight.

This Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin is one of my family’s favorite pork recipes. I love that it’s easy to make in the Instant Pot and is also a healthy recipe to keep in my weekly recipe rotation.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we have readers of all different comfort levels in the kitchen. Because of that, we write our recipes for all cooks, whether you’re experienced or new to cooking.

In this article you will find ingredient information, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan calculations. If you’d like to skip over all of that and get right to cooking, simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find our easy to print recipe card for Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin and Potatoes.

Ingredients in Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin with Vegetables

Garlic: I recommend using fresh minced garlic over garlic powder for this instant pot pork tenderloin recipe. In addition to it tasting great, garlic may have some real health benefits, such as protection against the common cold and the ability to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. You may get some benefits from garlic powder, but you get the biggest bang for your buck from fresh garlic.
Basil: I love fresh basil, but for this instant pot pork tenderloin recipe we’ll be using dried basil.
Parsley: Dried parsley works great for these pork tenderloins.
Oregano: We’re using dried herbs again here. Dried oregano is perfect with this Instant pot pork tenderloin recipe.
Salt: Your body needs salt to function properly. Consuming too much or too little can lead to health issues. To avoid this, it’s important to read food labels to make sure you’re not consuming too much sodium in your day. This pork recipe uses just a tiny amount of salt, but feel free to skip it if you’d like.
Black pepper: Black pepper is a great way to add flavor and spice to all kinds of recipes.
Pork tenderloin: Pork tenderloin meat is one of the leanest cuts of pork available. Pork is a great source of protein and also contains many important minerals and nutrients like thiamine, vitamin B6 and B12, potassium, iron, and magnesium.
Olive oil: Olive oil is a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids and medium-chain triglycerides, both of which have been shown to offer potential benefits when included in a healthy lifestyle. If you’d like to use another type, just stick to to one that’s less processed.
Chicken broth: I use low sodium chicken stock or chicken broth in this recipe. The chicken stock, along with the cooking liquid, creates a mouthwatering pork gravy that is delicious with the pork tenderloin and potatoes.
Sweet potatoes: Move over traditional mashed potatoes, we’re changing things up for this particular recipe and using sweet potatoes in this pork loin roast. Sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants and a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Broccoli: Broccoli is high in many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium. I love adding it to this instant pot pork tenderloin recipe, knowing my whole family will get a nutrient boost eating it.
Butter: butter is high in saturated fat, but most research shows that butter can be included in moderation as part of a balanced diet and may even be associated with several health benefits.
Almond Milk: I prefer to use plain, unsweetened almond milk in this mashed sweet potatoes recipe. Since we’ll add milk after cooking the potatoes, you can use your favorite milk type without worrying about it curdling in the Instant Pot like animal milk can. Just be sure to adjust your points, container counts, or nutrition calculations if you make any changes.
Corn starch: we’ll use corn starch to thicken up our pork gravy.

How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in the Instant Pot

Using a cutting board, peel and cube your sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces and then set aside.
Place your pork tenderloin on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut the tenderloin into 2 pieces. This will make it quicker and easier to pressure cook than a big pork loin.
In a small bowl mix together the minced garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper to create your pork seasoning. Rub the seasonings into the tops of the pork tenderloin pieces.
Turn your Instant Pot to sauté and add the olive oil to your inner pot. When the olive oil is hot, add the pork tenderloin pieces, seasoned side down. Sauté for 1 minute, and then flip the pork tenderloins and sauté the bottom sides for 1 more minute. Transfer the browned pork tenderloin pieces to a plate and turn the Instant Pot off.
Add the chicken broth to your pot and while it’s still hot use a spatula to deglaze it, getting all the yummy cooked pork tenderloin pieces mixed together with the broth. Now, place the trivet into your pot and set the pork tenderloin pieces on top of the trivet.
The next thing you will want to do is make a foil bowl for the sweet potatoes. To do that I get a sheet of foil about 14 inches long and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Then add potatoes on top of the foil and roll the sides of the foil in to create a bowl. Place the foil bowl on top of the pork tenderloin. There are pictures of this step below.
Close and lock the lid to your Instant Pot pressure cooker, and turn the valve to sealing.
Select pressure cook mode (high pressure) and set the cook time for 10 minutes to cook pork tenderloin and potatoes.
When the cook time is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes. After the natural release, do a quick release using a wooden spoon to turn the valve.
Remove the lid and, using oven mitts, carefully transfer the foil bowl of cooked sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Add the broccoli to your pot right on top of the pork tenderloin.
Close and lock the lid to the Instant Pot and, again, turn the pressure valve to sealing. Choose the high pressure mode and set the cook time for 1 minute to cook pork tenderloins and broccoli.
While the broccoli and pork tenderloin cooks, add butter to the cooked potatoes. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes while you slowly add milk. Continue to mix the potatoes until you have creamy mashed potatoes.
When the Instant Pot cooking time is done, quick release the pressure and transfer the cooked broccoli and the cooked pork tenderloin meat to a plate. Remove the trivet from the pot.
Turn your Instant Pot to sauté, add the corn starch to your remaining broth, and whisk vigorously until your gravy thickens.
Turn the Instant Pot off and carefully remove the inner pot with your gravy.
Slice the pork tenderloin and top with gravy. Plate the cooked broccoli and mashed potatoes with your pork tenderloin and serve warm.

Recipe Tips for Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin

This Instant pot pork tenderloin and mashed potatoes is an awesome recipe for meal prep. It doesn’t require a lot of prep time and keeps well stored in the fridge for up to 6 days, or the freezer for up to 2 months.
For meal prep, I slice the cooked leftover pork tenderloin and place it in airtight meal prep containers, then top with the gravy and add mashed potatoes and broccoli.
If you do freeze this Instant Pot pork tenderloin and potatoes, thaw the frozen pork and mashed potatoes and then heat each thawed serving for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes in the microwave.
The National Pork Board recommends cooking pork tenderloin meat to an internal temperature between 145° F and 160° F. You can use a meat thermometer to check your pork tenderloin temperature.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes

Per serving this Instant Pot pork tenderloin and mashed potatoes is: 2 red containers, 1 green container, 1 yellow container, and 2 teaspoons.

Weight Watchers Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin and Potatoes

11 2023 Plan Points | 11 Blue Plan Points | 11 Green Plan Points | 6 Purple Plan Points

Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?

Instant Pot Ramen Stir Fry with Chicken and Broccoli This Instant Pot Ramen Stir Fry with Chicken and Broccoli has a quick cooking time and is full of soy sauce flavor and healthy ingredients. It’s one of our favorite pressure cooking recipes.
Instant Pot Apple Sauce If you’ve ever wanted to make your own applesauce, you have to give this Instant Pot Apple Sauce recipe a try. With just 2 ingredients and 14 minutes of cooking time in the Instant Pot, you will have delicious homemade applesauce on the table in no time.
Vegan Minestrone Soup This Vegan Minestrone Soup Recipe has no meat but will satisfy even the biggest meat lover with its chunky veggies and whole wheat pasta.
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Wondering how to make sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot? It’s an easy Instant Pot recipe. I love to meal prep several Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes at once so I can eat them all week.

Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes

This Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes is an easy and delicious meal that's perfect for busy weeknights.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 11

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 520kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Kitchen Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients

1/4 cup minced garlic about 8 cloves
2 tbsp dried basil
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 lb pork tenderloin cut into 2 pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 lb sweet potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 heads broccoli cut into small florets
1/2 cup almond milk plain, unsweetened
2 tbsp corn starch

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Use a fork to mix, then rub the seasonings into the tops of the pork pieces. 1/4 cup minced garlic 2 tbsp dried basil 2 tsp dried parsley 2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 3 lb pork tenderloin
Select sauté and add the olive oil to the inner pot. When the oil begins to shimmer, place the pork pieces, seasoned side down, in the pot. Sauté for 1 minute, flip the pieces and sauté the bottoms for 1 more minute, then transfer the pieces to a plate and turn off the pot. 1 tbsp olive oil 3 lb pork tenderloin
Add the chicken broth to the pot and use a spatula to deglaze the pot, then stir. Place the trivet in the pot and put the pork pieces on top of the trivet. 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 3 lb pork tenderloin
Make a foil bowl for the sweet potatoes by placing a 14-inch piece of aluminum foil on a flat surface and spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. Place the cubed sweet potatoes on the foil and slowly roll the sides in to make a bowl. Place the bowl directly on top of the pork. 2 lb sweet potatoes
Close and lock the lid, then turn the steam release valve to sealing. Select pressure cook (high) and set the cook time for 10 minutes. When the cook time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.
Using oven mitts, carefully transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add the broccoli to the pot, directly on top of the pork. Close and lock the lid again, then turn the steam release valve to sealing. Select pressure cook (high) and set the cook time for 1 minute. 2 heads broccoli
While the broccoli is cooking, add the butter to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes while slowly adding the almond milk until a creamy consistency is achieved. 1/2 cup almond milk
When the broccoli is done cooking, quick release the pressure, transfer the broccoli and pork to a plate, and remove the trivet.
Select sauté on the Instant Pot and add the corn starch. Whisk vigorously until the gravy thickens. Then turn off the pot and use oven mitts to remove the inner pot from the base.
Slice the pork and place it on a plate. Top the pork with gravy and plate broccoli and mashed sweet potatoes with it.

Notes

21 Day Fix

Per serving this Instant Pot pork tenderloin and mashed potatoes is: 2 red containers, 1 green container, 1 yellow container, and 2 teaspoons.

Weight Watchers

11 2023 Plan Points | 11 Blue Plan Points | 11 Green Plan Points | 6 Purple Plan Points

Nutrition

The post Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Becca Ludlum — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:15:51 +0000

I have a sweet tooth, and it’s not easily satisfied with healthier desserts. I’m working on that. These banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are helping. They’re healthy chocolate chip cookies that help you fight cravings for sweets, and they stay well in the fridge!

Our flour-free Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with only five simple ingredients. Ingredients that you most likely always have on hand, and are ready to go in a sweet craving emergency.

Our baked cookies are easy to make, and will be your new go to recipe for banana oatmeal cookies. With no refined sugar, our recipe is naturally sweetened with bananas.

These easy banana oatmeal cookies can also be easily modified to be gluten-free by using gluten free oatmeal!

Pro tip: Double our easy banana oatmeal cookies recipe and thank me later. We love to keep a batch in the freezer ready to go when our craving strikes.

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we write our recipes so all of our readers can be successful. In each recipe, we include detailed instructions, healthy eating plan points, tips and tricks, and nutritional information.

If you are a novice in the kitchen, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll support you along your cooking journey and help you be successful! If you are ready to start cooking without all of our helpful tips and tricks, simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll find our easy to print Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

Ingredients

Bananas: You’ll need a mashed bananas or two on hand that are ripe. We’ve used overripe bananas too, and they work great, also. The mashed banana will naturally sweeten the absolutely delicious oatmeal cookies. Don’t worry, the banana flavor isn’t overpowering in this recipe. You’ll enjoy a subtle banana flavor in our banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
Oats: Quick oats or old fashioned rolled oats, it didn’t seem to matter which I used. You may also use gluten free oats in this cookie recipe if needed.
Cinnamon: Anything with cinnamon will taste amazing. The cinnamon combined with the oats, mashed banana, and dark chocolate chips is perfection in a bite.
Vanilla Extract: Yum. Vanilla flavor mixed with oats and chocolate chips. Swoon.
Sea salt: In my opinion, all things delicious have a solid blend of sweet and salty.
Dark chocolate chips: We love the flavor of dark chocolate chips with these banana oatmeal cookies. If you do choose to use a different type of chocolate chip, like semi sweet chocolate chips, please recalculate your healthy eating plan points.

How to Make Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in the Oven

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mash the bananas with a fork. I tried to do them with my mixer, but they didn’t get as mushy as I wanted. The fork works well.
Add everything but the chocolate chips to the large mixing bowl and mix for 1 minute.
Add chocolate chips and stir by hand.
Drop large spoonfuls of unbaked cookie dough onto a prepared baking sheet, you should get about 8 cookies per batch.
Cook for 18-22 minutes. It’s not easy to tell when they’re done because they’re so dark. I poke them and see if they fall apart. If they start to come apart, give them a few more minutes.
Remove and cool completely and store in the fridge.

Recipe Tips

Be sure to let the banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container if storing in the refrigerator. Our oatmeal banana cookies may also be stored in the freezer for a longer period of time.
To thaw the cookies from the freezer, simply move the cookies to the refrigerator. We don’t recommend heating them in the microwave.
Use ripe bananas for this recipe. You can identify ripe bananas as bananas that are yellow with brown spots on it. Overripe bananas tend to turn mostly brown. They will still work, but we’ve found the most success in using ripe bananas that just have a little bit of brown spots on the peel.
Normally cookies turn a nice golden brown color when finished. Since these are darker in color, you won’t be able to use the golden brown coloring as a key to tell when finished. We use the poke test on this. If you poke them, and they start to fall apart put them back in the oven for a few minutes.
This banana chocolate chip cookies call for dark chocolate chips. If you use semi sweet chocolate chips, or milk chocolate chips in this recipe, you’ll need to recalculate your healthy eating plan points.
This recipe could easily be modified into a gluten free recipe. Simply swap out the old fashioned oats for a gluten free variety of oats. They make plenty of brands of gluten free old fashioned oats, as well as gluten free quick oats available in grocery stores.
We love that our banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are made with no refined sugar. You won’t find granulated sugar, or light brown sugar in this recipe. They are naturally sweetened with the mashed banana. These yummy cookies are perfectly sweet without the added sugar.
Our healthy banana oatmeal cookies could be made without chocolate chips, and instead add raisins into the banana cookies. Both way of making our banana oatmeal cookies taste amazing.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix or Portion Fix

Counts as a yellow container treat swap. 2 cookies = one yellow container.

If you’re using raisins in these cookies, your swap will be 1/2 purple, 1/2 yellow, 1/2 teaspoon :)

Weight Watchers

Each serving counts as 3 2023 Plan Points | 3 Blue Points | 3 Green Points | 2 Purple Points each if you make 8 per batch. If you make them smaller you can adjust your points accordingly.

More Delicious Recipes

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These healthier banana oatmeal cookies are the perfect healthy cookie! I think you could even have them for breakfast.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword 21 Day Fix, Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, healthy, healthy chocolate chip cookies, Weight Watchers

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 22

Total Time 27

Servings cookies

Calories 98kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Mixing Bowls
Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper

Ingredients

2 bananas mashed, ripe
1 cup oats quick cook or rolled, it didn’t seem to matter which I used. Use gluten free oats if needed.
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325º.
Mash the bananas with a fork. I tried to do them with my mixer, but they didn't get as mushy as I wanted. 2 bananas
Add all of the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, to a mixing bowl and mix together for 1 minute. 1 cup oats , 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp sea salt
Add chocolate chips and stir by hand. (this will keep them from breaking). 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Using a spoon, place 8 cookie-sized portions onto a greased cookie sheet.
Cook for 18-22 minutes. It's not easy to tell when they're done because they're so dark. I poke them and see if they fall apart. If they start to come apart, give them a few more minutes.
When done, cool and store in the fridge.

Video

Notes

21 Day Fix: This counts as a yellow container treat swap. 2 cookies = one yellow container.
Weight Watchers Each serving counts as 3 2023 Plan Points | 3 Blue Points | 3 Green Points | 2 Purple Points each if you make 8 per batch. If you make them smaller you can adjust your points accordingly.

Nutrition

SaveSave

The post Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup

Becca Ludlum — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 14:39:13 +0000

This Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup is a quick and easy recipe that is perfect for busy nights. It’s perfect in the crockpot or the Instant Pot. The simple Italian seasonings make for a delicious meal.

We love stuffed peppers, but sometimes don’t want to spend the time pre-cooking the peppers before adding all the delicious insides. This stuffed pepper soup recipe take the delicious flavor of stuffed peppers, but makes it so much easier for those busy and hectic weeknights at home.

Our Stuffed Pepper Soup is full of simple and healthy ingredients, and a delicious family friendly WW recipe. We’ve included directions on how to make our Stuffed Pepper Soup using the crockpot, stovetop, and Instant Pot.

Making soup is a great fall and winter tradition in our home. The cooler weather sets in and I start looking for comfort food and easy and healthy recipes that will warm us up from the inside out.

This will be one of your favorite Weight Watchers soup recipes, and will be a huge hit with family and friends.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we have made a commitment to help cooks of all skill levels make these easy, healthy, and delicious recipes. If you’d like some more direction, recipe tips, and WW information, read below.

If you’re comfortable in the kitchen and just need the recipe, scroll down to the bottom where you’ll find the printable recipe for this Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe.

Ingredients

Extra Lean Ground Turkey: We love using extra lean ground turkey for this recipe. It is a lighter and healthier option than using either lean ground beef or ground beef.
Onion: We prefer using fresh chopped onions for this recipe. Love the flavor, hate the tears that ensue while chopping.
Diced Tomatoes: One can of diced tomatoes is needed in this recipe. We prefer looking for diced tomatoes that are low in sodium or salt-free.
Tomato Sauce: The tomato sauce serves as the delicious base of this weight watchers soup.
Green Peppers: You’ll need three cups of peppers for this recipe. We like to use green pepper and red peppers, but yellow peppers and orange peppers also work great.
Red Peppers: Red pepper is my favorite flavor of peppers. It tastes great in this recipe, but if you have a favorite color of pepper, feel free to use that for the stuffed pepper soup recipe.
Low Sodium broth or water: You can use broth on hand, either chicken broth, vegetable broth, or beef broth. Just be sure to make sure the broth is low sodium. Water also works great for this weight watchers recipe.
Garlic: This recipe calls for a clove of garlic, you can also use minced garlic, but this recipe is delicious even when the whole clove is included vs. mincing it.
Black pepper:
Oregano:
Brown rice: (dry) I prefer short grain brown rice because it cooks faster and is more tender. Be sure that your brown rice is dry – in the instant pot and stovetop methods, the brown rice will cook while the stuffed pepper soup cooks.

How to make Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup in the Slow Cooker

This is an easy and filling recipe! These are the Crock Pot instructions, but you can find both stovetop and pressure cooker instructions below!
This recipe takes about 15 minutes of prep time followed by 6-8 hours of cook time in the Crock Pot.

Sauté Brown the ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat until there is no more pink.
Add ingredients to slow cooker Add the ground turkey, broth or water, tomatoes (including the juice), tomato sauce, chopped peppers and onions, black pepper, garlic, and oregano to the Crock Pot.
A note: Your rice should be added at least 1 hour before the end of cooking. You can also use cooked rice and add it to the slow cooker at the end of your cooking time, right before you serve it. I prefer adding cooked rice to this recipe instead of cooking it in the slow cooker.
Cook Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

How to make Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup in the Instant Pot

This method takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Spray your pot with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil. Press the Sauté button and cook your ground turkey until it’s no longer pink.
Add the broth or water, tomatoes (including the juice), tomato sauce, dry rice, bell peppers and onions, black pepper, garlic, and oregano.
Close the lid and turn your valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
When finished, release the pressure on the pot and remove the lid.

Sauté the ground turkey in a large pot or dutch oven (large enough to cook your soup) until it’s no longer pink.
Add the broth or water, tomatoes (including the juice), tomato sauce, chopped peppers and onions, rice, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-high, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Test the peppers to make sure they’re cooked enough for you before removing the soup from the stovetop.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

How to make Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup on the Stovetop

Sauté the ground turkey in a large pot or dutch oven (large enough to cook your soup) until it’s no longer pink.
Add the broth or water, tomatoes (including the juice), tomato sauce, chopped peppers and onions, rice, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-high, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Test the peppers to make sure they’re cooked enough for you before removing the soup from the stovetop.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Tips

Weight Watchers points go down when you use fat free meat. I used fat free ground turkey in this recipe. If you’re using another fat content or type of meat, please recalculate your points.
If using long grain brown rice, you’ll want to cook it for a few extra minutes.
To make this recipe gluten free, just use gluten free pasta! This has a lower cook time than traditional pasta.
The recipe is perfect for meal prep–it stays well in the fridge all week, and freezes and reheats like a dream! When you are finished making the stuffed pepper soup recipe, transfer the soup to smaller meal-prep friendly containers. It’s the perfect size for individual servings on the go.
We tend to go easy on using any additional salt in our recipes. We recommend that you taste the finished product and see if you need to add salt to the stuffed pepper soup. We think it’s perfect without, but everyone has different levels of salt they enjoy in meals.
To make this a lower carb recipe, swap the pasta for cauliflower rice that has been cooked–add it about 5 minutes before serving.
When browning ground meat, recipes often call for you to drain fat before the next step. Our lean ground turkey is lean enough that there won’t be much fat to worry about draining.
Different brands calculate differently, so to be certain of your points I’d recalculate using the WW points calculator for the ingredients and brands that you’re using.

Healthy Eating Plan Points – Weight Watchers

Depending on which myWW plan you’re on, this soup is between 0-2 points per serving when using ground turkey.

1 Blue Plan Points | 2 Green Plan Points | 0 Purple Plan Points | 2022/2023 points: 0

Miss the “old” recipe?

This recipe has been improved! If you’re a fan of the previous recipe, you can find it right here–you’ll just be switching the seasonings. Instead of using the black pepper, garlic, and oregano above you’ll use these measurements:

1/2 teaspoon basil
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

More Weight Watchers recipes

Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup

This Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup is a family friendly WW recipe! You're going to love this easy Weight Watchers Crock Pot Recipe. Stovetop and Instant Pot directions too.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 15

Servings Servings

Calories 139kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Crockpot
Kitchen Knife
Instant Pot 6 qt

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey extra lean ground turkey or beef
2 cups broth low sodium, or water
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
3 cups bell peppers chopped (I've added up to four peppers, and it's yummy!) I like green and red peppers
1 cup onion chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic
2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup brown rice dry and rinsed, short grain

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Crock Pot

Brown ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat. 1 lb ground turkey
Drain turkey, if necessary. Add the ground turkey, broth or water, tomatoes (including the juice), tomato sauce, chopped peppers and onions, black pepper, garlic, and oregano to the Crock Pot. 2 cups broth, 14.5 oz diced tomatoes , 15 oz tomato sauce, 3 cups bell peppers, 1 cup onion, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp oregano
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. *Your rice should be added 1 hour before end of cooking. With this method of cooking, you can also used cooked rice and add it right at the end of your cooking. 1/2 cup brown rice

Pressure Cooker

Spray the pot with oil and sauté the ground turkey. 1 lb ground turkey
Add all ingredients to your pot. Put the lid on, seal the valve, and set for 8 minutes high pressure. 2 cups broth, 14.5 oz diced tomatoes , 15 oz tomato sauce, 3 cups bell peppers, 1 cup onion, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp oregano, 1/2 cup brown rice
Quick release the pressure when done.

Stove Top

Sauté the ground turkey in a large pot until no longer pink. 1 lb ground turkey
Add broth or water, tomatoes (including the juice), tomato sauce, chopped peppers and onions, rice, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-high, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes. 2 cups broth, 14.5 oz diced tomatoes , 15 oz tomato sauce, 3 cups bell peppers, 1 cup onion, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp black pepper
Test the peppers to make sure they’re cooked enough for you before removing the soup from the stovetop.

Video

Notes

1 Blue Plan Points | 2 Green Plan Points | 0 Purple Plan Points | 2022/2023 points: 0

Nutrition

The post Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Healthy French Toast Casserole

Becca Ludlum — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 19:17:21 +0000

This Healthy French Toast Casserole recipe is a healthy breakfast made with whole grain bread cubes, eggs, and almond milk. I really like classic french toast, but this healthy french toast casserole has become my new favorite.

Cinnamon and coconut sugar combine to make this healthy french toast casserole an absolutely delicious breakfast that your whole family will love.

This French toast casserole is one of my favorite breakfast recipes to make for meal prep. It keeps well in the fridge overnight or even in the freezer for a couple months. Just microwave it when you’re ready to eat and top with fresh berries or fresh fruit for a healthy meal.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we have readers of all comfort levels in the kitchen. To better serve everyone, we write our posts will lots of helpful information.

In this article you will find ingredient information, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan calculations. If you want skip past all of that and get straight to the recipe, scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the easy to print Healthy French Toast Casserole recipe card.

Ingredients in Healthy French Toast Casserole

Bread: choose your favorite whole grain bread for this french toast casserole. Whole grains are a great source of fiber and can have positive health effects. Stale bread is preferred to fresh bread when making baked french toast casserole. You can use other bread options like sourdough bread, french bread, gluten free bread, brioche bread, or challah bread. Just be sure to adjust your points and nutrition serving calculations if you make any changes.
Eggs: eggs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, high-quality protein, good fats and other nutrients that are good for us.
Almond milk: I substitute almond milk for a lot of recipes that call for milk. It’s a healthy plant-based alternative to cow’s milk and is naturally high in vitamin E. You can use regular milk, or another dairy substitute like oat milk or soy milk.
Cinnamon: Is it even french toast if there isn’t any cinnamon? I think not. Cinnamon adds the perfect spice to this healthy french toast casserole.
Nutmeg: I like to add nutmeg to this french toast casserole because it adds a warm, nutty flavor to the dish. This baked french toast casserole is the breakfast I make on Christmas morning, and the nutmeg in it is the perfect spice to really say Christmas breakfast.
Vanilla extract: vanilla extract is another non negotiable ingredient in french toast. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract.
Coconut sugar: coconut sugar is very similar to regular white sugar, although it is less processed and contains trace amounts of nutrients. While it is still sugar, it may have a lower glycemic index than white sugar.
Maple syrup: use pure maple syrup – it contains small amounts of minerals like manganese and zinc.

How to Make French Toast Casserole in the Instant Pot

We need to start by getting the bread slices or cubes really dry and crusty, so preheat your oven to 200ºF. (If your bread slices are already sufficiently dry, you can skip this step.)
Scatter the bread cubes or chunks in a single layer on top of a large baking dish or sheet. Place in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until your bread cubes are dry.
Next, place your trivet into the inner pot of your Instant Pot, and add 1 1/2 cups of water to the pot.
Now coat a 7-inch round baking pan or oven-safe dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl add the eggs and use a fork to whisk. Then add the almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, coconut sugar, and maple syrup and stir to combine.
Now add bread cubes to the bowl and using a large spoon, stir gently to coat the cubed bread with the egg mixture.
Next, transfer the egg mixture soaked bread cubes to the prepared 7-inch round baking dish, lightly pressing the bread cubes down into the pan so that they are well packed. Cover the pan with foil and place it on the trivet. Using the trivet handles, lower the trivet – holding the baking dish – into the Instant Pot.
Close and lock the lid, then turn the steam release valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on high pressure and set the cooking time for 65 minutes.
When the cook time is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.
Using oven mitts, carefully remove the baking dish using the trivet handles. Take the foil off and let the french toast casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving.

How to Make Baked French Toast Casserole

Same delicious taste without a pressure cooker. You’re going to love this Baked French Toast recipe.

Get the bread slices ready as you would in the Instant Pot directions above. Preheat your oven to 350º.
Coat your casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. I prefer to use a more shallow pan that is larger rather than a smaller deep pan, as it takes less time to cook and the more shallow pan won’t make your french toast casserole soggy.
In a large bowl, make the french toast batter by combining the eggs, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, coconut sugar, and maple syrup. Use a fork to whisk.
Add bread cubes to the bowl and using a large spoon, stir gently to coat the cubed bread with the egg mixture.
Next, transfer the soaked bread cubes to the prepared casserole dish. Cover the pan with foil and place it in the preheated oven.
Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil so the casserole can get that golden brown topping we all love so much.
After another 15-25 minutes, test for doneness with a butter knife poked into the center of the dish – if your knife comes out clean (or mostly clean), the French Toast Casserole is finished!
This recipe typically takes about 40 minutes to cook for me, but your timing might be a little different based on the pan you used and how your oven cooks.

Recipe Tips

This easy French toast casserole is perfect for meal prepping. I cook the french toast and then let it cool before I cut it up into 8 equal-sized servings. Then I place the French toast into meal prepping containers and refrigerator overnight or for up to 6 days.
This French toast casserole can also be frozen in individual serving sized containers for 2 months. When you’re ready to eat, just thaw and microwave for 30 to 60 seconds. Serve with fresh berries or fresh fruit for a healthy meal.
This recipe can also be made into French Toast Cups using egg bite molds in your Instant Pot. Pack 3 molds with the bread soaked mixture, then cover the molds with foil. Cook 2 molds on high pressure for 30 minutes with a natural release. Remove the 2 molds and cook the third mold for 20 minutes, also with a natural release.
If you love maple syrup you can add more maple syrup after the French toast casserole has cooked, just be sure to adjust your points and containers if you do.
Another addition that we sometimes add is chopped pecans. That little crunch on top of the French toast casserole is delicious.

Top this recipe with:

Pumpkin Pie Spice
Sliced bananas and peanut butter
Unflavored or Vanilla Greek yogurt
Orange zest
Powdered sugar and fresh berries

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Healthy French Toast Casserole

Entire recipe of French toast casserole (serves 8): 2 red containers, 12 yellow containers, 2 teaspoons

Per serving: 1/4 red container, 1 1/2 yellow containers, and 1/4 teaspoon

Weight Watchers

8 2023 Plan Points | 8 Blue Plan Points | 9 Green Plan Points | 8 Purple Plan Points

Looking for more healthy breakfast recipes like this French Toast?

Easy Breakfast Casserole with Potatoes – This easy breakfast casserole with potatoes is a delicious breakfast recipe that has a southwest twist you are going to love.
Egg Free Whole Wheat Pancakes – One of my very favorite recipes to make and freeze! We always have these ready in our freezer.
Healthy Donuts in a Blender – This healthy donut in a blender is one of my favorite recipes to make for weekend breakfast. It’s a gluten free donut recipe that has no refined sugar and is made with simple ingredients.
Easy Chicken Apple Sausage Patties – Our easy chicken apple sausage patties are healthier than those found at the grocery store and they taste delicious. This is a great side dish option to healthy french toast casserole.
Instant Pot Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal – This healthy baked oatmeal recipe contains no refined sugar like brown sugar, but instead uses maple syrup to sweeten it.
Zucchini Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Egg – This Zucchini Breakfast Casserole recipe is so easy to make and perfect for meal prep! It’s my favorite way to make breakfast ahead of time for the week, and I love that it contains sausage and eggs.

Healthy French Toast Casserole

Cinnamon and coconut sugar combine to make this healthy french toast casserole an absolutely delicious breakfast that your whole family will love.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword French Toast Casserole, healthy french toast casserole

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 5

Natural Release 10

Total Time 1 30

Servings people

Calories 253kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Round Instant Pot Pan
Instant Pot Trivet

Ingredients

20 oz loaf whole-grain bread (preferably stale), torn into small chunks
4 eggs
2 cups almond milk plain, unsweetened
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions

Preheat the oven on the lowest setting to 200ºF (95ºC). Place the trivet in the inner pot and add 1 1/2 cups of water. Coat a 7-inch round baking pan or oven safe dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Scatter the bread chunks in a single layer across a large baking sheet. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the bread becomes dry and crusty. 20 oz loaf whole-grain bread
Whisk the eggs with the almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, coconut sugar, and maple syrup. 4 eggs 2 cups almond milk 2 tbsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground nutmeg 2 tbsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp coconut sugar 1/4 cup maple syrup
Add the bread pieces to the egg mixture and stir to coat the bread evenly.
Transfer the bread pieces to your prepared baking pan, lightly pressing them so they're well packed. Cover the pan with foil, place it on the trivet, and then lower it into the Instant Pot.
Close and lock the lid, and then turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select pressure cook (high) and cook for 65 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then quick release the remaining pressure.
Using oven mitts, carefully remove the trivet holding the pan. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for meal prep.

Oven Instructions

Get the bread slices ready as you would in the Instant Pot directions above. Preheat your oven to 350º. 20 oz loaf whole-grain bread
Coat your casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together the eggs, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, coconut sugar, and maple syrup. 4 eggs 2 cups almond milk 2 tbsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground nutmeg 2 tbsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp coconut sugar 1/4 cup maple syrup
Add bread cubes to the bowl and using a large spoon, stir gently to coat the cubed bread with the egg mixture.
Transfer the soaked bread cubes to the prepared casserole dish. Cover the pan with foil and place it in the preheated oven.
Bake for 25 minutes and then remove the foil.
Bake for another 15-25 minutes. Test for doneness with a butter knife poked into the center of the dish.
Serve immediately or cool and store in an airtight container for meal prep.

Notes

21 Day Fix Healthy French Toast Casserole

Entire recipe of French toast casserole (serves 8): 2 red containers, 12 yellow containers, 2 teaspoons

Per serving: 1/4 red container, 1 1/2 yellow containers, and 1/4 teaspoon

Weight Watchers

8 2023 Plan Points | 8 Blue Plan Points | 9 Green Plan Points | 8 Purple Plan Points

Nutrition

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