Betsy's Chicken Pot Pie

So, I LOVE my mama's chicken pot pie. However, I do not love the nutrition facts - no matter HOW yummy. I set my sights on trying to tweak her recipe to be a little healthier! I succeeded. Most of the fat and such came from the butter laden pie crusts. I chose to substitute reduced fat crescent rolls instead! This took off a lot of calories and fat! :) My boyfriend commented after eating the pie (which I made as more of a casserole): "You should open a restaurant!" Needless to say, it passed the taste test! :) I will post the way that I made it, followed by some ways to get creative! I put this in the recipe builder and got 9 P+ (6 Servings)

Betsy's Chicken Pot Pie

1 roll reduced fat crescent rolls 
10 oz rotisserie chicken (I had this in the freezer)
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 small cans reduced fat cream of chicken soup
1 potato (I diced and cooked this the night before in salted boiling water)
1 tablespoon onion powder
Garlic Powder - to taste
Mrs. Dash Table Blend - to taste - optional
Salt and Pepper - to taste


In a 9X12 baking dish, mix the chicken, vegetables, potato, seasonings and soup. On a large cutting board unroll the crescent rolls into one large sheet (I find using a pastry roller is the easiest way). Place the cresecent roll sheet on top of the chicken mixture. Spray with butter flavored cooking spray. Bake for ~45 min on 350 degrees. (or until the top is golden brown) ENJOY!

The finished product!

I served with steamed broccoli!

Here are some ways you could get creative!:

• Use Simply Potatoes with Onion instead of cooking the potato yourself
• Only bake 1/2 of the crescent rolls at a time (they get soggy)
• Peel off the soggy rolls (if you are like me and didn't realize this until it was time to eat leftovers) and top with small biscuits!

This turned out delicious! (It is just as good heated up!)

What are some of your ways you get creative with your pot pie recipes?

Black Bean and Corn Salad/Salsa

I'm not sure if you all experience what I experience, but EVERY TIME I buy cilantro it goes bad before I can use it all. Last night, I was craving some sort of corn and black bean salad/salsa. I went to my fridge and got creative! I absolutely LOVE the flavor of cilantro so mine has extra, but feel free to add to your taste level! Thanks to Katie for the onion powder suggestion since I was out of red onion and felt yellow would be too strong! Feel free to add/delete items to your taste buds - GET CREATIVE!

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup frozen corn (thawed) - or 1 can corn
1 Roma tomato (seeded and diced) - or 1/2 cup canned diced tomato
1 red pepper (diced)
2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
2 tbsp chopped green chilies
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbsp crushed garlic
1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all items in a bowl. Stir and let chill! You can also serve immediately if you are impatient like me! ;)

I got 4 portions (1 cup per serving) clocking in at 4P+ each!

Serve with some Spanish rice, on top of a black-bean burger, with tortilla chips, on salad....ENDLESS possibilities!


Isn't it GREAT when you can 'use what you have' on hand to get a filling and delicious result?


What are some of your 'use what you have' recipes?

Hello Monday!

So I have started of list of blog topics of things I feel are worthy of putting on here. Here are a couple of product reviews from some 'newer' items on the shelves that I have tried recently!


1) Snackwells
White Fudge Drizzled Caramel Popcorn:

Nabisco World

Many of you might remember 'old school' snackwells. Fairly flavorless, boring packaging...but behold Nabisco has chosen to revamp the Snackwells brand and in turn have come up with a couple of new tasty treats! My first sampling of this delicious white chocolate covered Popcorn was over Memorial weekend when I visited one of my best friends in Raleigh. His mom works for Nabisco and had given him a couple of boxes. I expected it to taste kind of bland, but boy was I wrong! This white chocolate covered caramel popcorn is DELICIOUS! For only 3 Points+ for all you weight watcher friends out there it is a 'bargain' pointswise. There is just enough in the bag where you don't feel the need (okay, maybe you do) to open 10 bags! I highly recommend. (PS: the milk chocolate fudge drizzled is pretty good as well)

One thing I would recommend NOT buying from the new Snackwells line is their Rich Vanilla Creme Brownie Bites. These things are just very BLAND and not worth the money (or the Points+)!


2) Lean Cuisine Market Creations

One thing for sure, I LOVE to eat. I almost ALWAYS hate when the end of my meal is near. I must not be alone in this since Lean Cuisine has decided to come out with a line of 'larger' meals that come in steamer bags. These are typically included on the 4 for $10 or whatever sale your local grocer offers and it is a great value for lunches when you simply don't have time or energy and need a quick grab. I have tried a few different flavors that I have rated below! I have also tried one of the Weight Watcher Smart One bags, but being more expensive (typically) and less flavorful, the clear winner is Lean Cuisine! These meals have around 7 Points+ per bag!

Chicken Poblano: A- (A little spicier of a sauce would put this over the edge to an A+) - Thanks to my brother for recommending this one! Definitely the All-Start of the ones that I have tried!

Asiago Cheese Tortelloni:  B (Needs a little more salt - I also try to add more vegetables since there is plenty of sauce to go around)
Mushroom Tortelloni: B- (A little sweeter than I like my meals, but still VERY good)
Garlic Chicken: B- (Just your average chicken, broccoli and pasta...)

Good job to the folks over at Lean Cuisine! Keep these bigger (MORE FILLING) portions coming our way! My only suggestion would be ADD MORE VEGETABLES!

Okay - these were the top two reviews I have wanted to write for a while! I am always on the lookout for new products!

Do you have any new (or old) products that you just LOVE? I'd love to hear your comments/reviews as well!