Fusilli with Chicken and Tomato Sauce - Rachel Ray Meal #3

This is sooo yummy!  It isn't very original or difficult, but sometimes the best food isn't!  Rachel Ray hit the nail on the head with this dish.  It is comfort food at its best:)  My camera battery was dead - so I apologize for the lack of a picture of the food.  But here is a pic of me slaving away in the kitchen - ha!


Ingredients  Uses building blocks 2 & 4

16oz fusilli pasta
2 Tbsp butter
3 cups Pulled Chicken
2 cups Tomato Sauce
6 oz mozzarella, diced (1.5 cups)
salt and pepper
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley

Directions

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.  Drain pasta, reserving  1/2 cup water.  Return pasta to pot, add butter and place over medium heat.  Add chicken and tomato sauce and toss well.  Add reserved pasta water and mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.  Top with parmesan and parsley.

Makes 10 cups

WW point= 11pts/cup

Mango, pork, and watercress Salad - Meal #2

I love these make ahead meals,  but ehhhh...  this one is just okay.  In my opinion, it has way too many calories to be a worth it.  This salad also left me wanting more taste, which is sad given the fat content.  It wasn't bad, but for me it was a bit boring.  Next time I make it, I am substituting an orange juice based dressing to give it some more zest.  That or I will use a light salad dressing from the store to cut down on the fat content.  This recipe also calls for mangos, but I substituted plums after cutting into my mango and realized it was not ripe yet.  The plums paired well with the pork too.. but I think the Mango would have been the best selection.  This recipe is basically Rachel Ray's.  I changed the amounts of honey and EVOO.  No serving size is given on this recipe, but I believe it should serve two.  It could serve 4-6 as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp EVOO
salt and pepper
1 cup Pulled Pork
7 cups watercress (5oz)
1 mango, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, and EVOO.  Season with 1/4 tsp salt.  Add pork and toss.  Add watercress, mango, bell pepper and shallot; season with salt and pepper.  Toss, then sprinkle with almonds.

Weight Watchers Points= 18.5 for one serving (seves two) 

 

Spanish Rice with Shrimp - Rachel Ray Meal #1



Now for the moment you have all been waiting for.. the actual recipes for the 20 days of meals.  If you made all of your building blocks and bought Rachel's September magazine - congratulations!  You are already enjoying the benefits of cooking ahead.

Here is my first review.... So to my delight, my husband Dustin raved over this dish.  Which I thought was interesting since I figured he wouldn't even like it.  Thank you Rachel Ray.    It is a nice light dish, but filling- and super easy to make.  I give it a 4 out of 5 stars and will definately make it again.

Ingredients    Uses building blocks 2,3, and 5

4 cups Rice Pilaf
1/4 cup EVOO
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 # peeled, deveined shrimp
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup Tomato Sauce
1 cup chopped Roasted Peppers
1/4 cup chopped black olives
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
4 lemon wedges

In a large nonstick skillet, heat pilaf in 2 tbsp EVOO.  Transfer to bowl.  In same skillet, cook garlic, shrimp and paprika in remaining 2 tbsp EVOO.  Add tomato sauce and peppers and heat through.  Return pilaf to pan, stir in olives and cook 1 minute.  Serve with parsley and lemon wedges.  (Definately sprinkle with lemon)

Weight Watchers Points= 13 points per serving/ serves 4

Rachel Ray's Building Block #5

Building block number five is the one issue I have with the whole cooking ahead thing.  I think it is just better to make this as needed as rice in my opinion gets yucky after freezing.  I thawed some out yesterday and went.. ewwww..  So make this as needed with recipes.  Its not that difficult anyways.  Just downsize the portions as needed.  This recipe makes 15 cups.  It is a delightful Pilaf when freshly prepared.  I used red onions in mine and really enjoyed it.  Again, this is straight from the September issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray. 

Rice Pilaf

3 tbsp EVOO
3 onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 1/4 cups long grain rice
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
4 bay leaves
16 oz frozen peas

1.  In a 7 qt dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden and translucent, 8-10 minutes.

2.  Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add 2 1/4 cups water, the chicken broth, bay leaves, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and bring to a boil.  Stir, cover, lower the heat and simmer, undisturbed, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 20-25 minutes.  Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.  Quickly scatter the peas on top, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Uncover and let cool completely, tossing once or twice.  Discard the bay leaves.

Weight Watchers Points= 5 points per cup

Rachel Rays Building Blocks #3 and #4

Here are Rachel's second and third building block recipes for her 20 make ahead meals.  Again, these are straight from the September 2011 issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine. 

Roasted Veggies

4 # bell peppers in mixed colors cut into 1 inch strips
2 large onions, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large butternut squash (Approx 4#) peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1.  Position racks into the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.  Combine the bell peppers and onions on large rimmed baking sheets.  Sprinkle the garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper on top.  Toss with 3 tbsp EVOO and spread evenly in the pan.  Place in the lower third of the oven and cook for 10 minutes. 

2.  Meanwhile, place the butternut squash on another large rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp. EVOO and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Toss and spread evenly on the pan.  Once the peppers and onion have cooked for 10 minutes, add the squash to the upper third of the oven and roast, along with the peppers and onions, until for tender, 15 minutes.

3.  Divide into freezer bags in 1- cup portions, keeping the pepper-onion mixture and the squash separate. 

Weight Watcher Points = 1 point per cup


Pulled Chicken

4 # skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
4 # skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
2 tsp EVOO
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper

1.  Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.  Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment.  Place the chicken breasts on one sheet and the thighs on the other.  Drizzle with the EVOO and squeeze the lemons on top.  Sprinkle with the paprika and thyme; season with salt and pepper.  Roast until the skin is crisp and the juices run clear when the pieces are pierced with the tip of a small, sharp knife, 45 -50 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes.

2.  Remove the chicken skin, then pull and cut the meat off the bones.  Tear the meat into shreds. Divide into 1 cup portions and freeze.

Weight Watchers Points= 11 pts per cup

Rachel Ray's Building Blocks #1 and # 2 for Make Ahead Meals

Every recipe that Rachel gives for her twenty make ahead meals are made from one of five major ingredients.  They are Pulled Pork, Tomato Sauce, Roasted Veggies, Pulled Chicken, and Rice Pilaf.  Pick a day where you will have several hours to devote to cooking these ingredient building blocks for your recipes.  You will cook them all and then freeze them.  It took me about 6 hours.  If you have a friend or spouse that is willing to help, it would cut the prep time down considerably.  Next time, I will definitely be enlisting my husband Dustin for help.  And can I just say that these building blocks taste amazing!!!   You could totally use them in a variety of recipes... not just Rachel's. These recipes are straight from her September magazine... if you haven't gotten it yet  - do it!     http://www.rachaelraymag.com/

Pulled Pork

10 pounds of pork shoulder roast, cut into 2-3 inch chunks, fat trimmed
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper

Rub garlic, zest and salt and pepper into pork.  Divide into two roasting pans and cook until top side is browned in a 450 degree oven.  Turn pork over to other side and cook until browned, about 15 minutes.  Combine the all the pork into one pan.  Turn heat down to 325 degrees.  Add wine and any remaining juices from other pan to the pork.  Cover tightly with foil.  Roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Let cool for at least 15 minutes.  Then take two forks and shred pork. 

Divide pork into 1 cup portions and place in freezer bags.  Makes about 15 cups.

Weight Watcher points= 16 pts per cup

Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup EVOO
8 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
6 oil packed anchovy fillets, chopped (optional) - I left them out, just added  more salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 cup red wine
4 cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes (28 oz)
salt

In a dutch oven, combine the EVOO, garlic, anchovies and crushed red pepper.  Cook over medium heat till garlic is golden.  Add the wine and tomatoes.  Bring ingredients to a boil and boil for ten minutes.  Partially cover and simmer for 2 hours and 15 minutes.  Add salt to taste.

After cooled,  freeze two bags holding one cup, and the rest holding two cups.    Makes about 10 cups

Weight Watchers points= 2 pts/cup