Family Dinners with Weight Watchers: Part V

As promised …
Another installment of Family Dinners with Weight Watchers: Part V
A friendly battle of the Weight Watcher recipes between my Mother and I.

Basically we take turns preparing and serving Weight Watchers recipes to one another and our family in an effort to step outside of the box (we all get in food ruts on this journey), eat healthy, and to eat as a family at least once a week despite a bevy of INSANE schedules and life in general.
Sometimes it’s a huge success
And sometimes it’s a total flop…

Tonight was my turn and after much debate and the fact that I had a crazy day planned – I decided to make Slow Cooker Chicken Caccitore. (recipe below) I also chose this recipe because all of the ingredients (minus the wine which I chose to leave out) are on the Simply Filling Food list.

I have been itching to break out my slow cooker and this recipe was recommended to me by a Weight Watcher friend (thank you Laura!) and am I ever glad I took her advice!

First of all…
This is the easiest recipe to throw together. Chopping the garlic, onion, peppers, and mushrooms (I opted for fresh) was the hardest part!

**Actually the hardest part was fitting it all into my crockpot due to having three very hungry men/young men in my life and needing to triple the recipe!**

I initially planned on using chicken breast (I am a diehard white meat fan) instead of thighs but when I found boneless thighs at a great local butcher we have nearby for $1.49 lb I decided to stay true to the recipe. And after all... part of this is about stepping outside your comfort zone and trying new/different things. right?

I also chose to add a teaspoon of red crushed pepper flakes as we like a little *kick* in our food.

I also used tomato puree instead of crushed and that was only because I obviously need an eye exam as I bought the wrong product. So my sauce wasn’t as *chunky* as the recipe probably intended it to be.

Other than that I followed the recipe to a *T*.

And the verdict?

In a word – DELISH!!!

SUPER DUPER DELISH!
Okay that was three words...

Truly it was wonderful.
So ridiculously flavorful, fresh, and robust!
And I am SO glad that I stuck to the recipe and used the thighs -- they were so moist and tender you could cut them with a butter knife!
The aroma alone that filled my house today was worth the minimal effort it took to execute this recipe. But added to the fact that it was a bonafide SUPER SUCCESS makes it that much more fabulous!
Everyone loved it!

Delish, successful, easy, AND healthy?
Win/win/win/win!!!

If you loved the stuffed pepper recipe -- you MUST give this one a whirl!
I promise you will thank me...

Blessed Be...
♥Cyn♥


Prep Work...







This is what a triple batch squeezed in a slow cooker looks like...




The best prep cook/helper around -- Miss Skylar!



















Slow Cooker Chicken Caccitore
Course: main meals
POINTS® Value: 4
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 480 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Serve this classic Italian stew plain or over whole-wheat penne for added points. For a spicier flavor, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes at the start of cooking.

Ingredients
1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken thigh(s), cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup(s) mushroom(s), sliced (fresh, frozen or canned)
1 cup(s) green pepper(s), sliced (fresh or frozen)
1 cup(s) onion(s), chopped (fresh or frozen)
1 large garlic clove(s), minced
1 Tbsp canned tomato paste
14 1/2 oz canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted
1/4 cup(s) red wine, dry-variety
3/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
3/4 tsp table salt, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions
• Place chicken in a 3- to 5-quart slow cooker. Add mushrooms, green pepper, onion, garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes and juice, wine, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper.
• Cover slow cooker; cook on high heat for 5 to 6 hours or on low heat for 6 to 8 hours.

Taste just before serving and add remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt if necessary.
Yields about 1 cup per serving.