Skinny Chicken Tikka Masala

Many of you know that I am currently on Weight Watchers. I started about 4 weeks ago, and I'm already down 7 pounds! WooHoo! I just love Weight Watchers. When I was about 20 years old, I lost nearly 60 pounds on the plan. I even kept most of it off until I had a baby in late 2010. Now I've started again, and I can't wait to start seeing results. 

You've probably heard me mention one of my favorite food blogs, Skinnytaste. It's full of delicious recipes that are designed to fit into a healthy lifestyle. This particular recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala came from this site. I did modify it just a bit, but only because I lacked some ingredients. I've always been leery of Indian food, simply because the smell is so different from that of traditional American cuisine. The only thing I've tried so far is Tikka Masala, which is a pretty common dish. This recipe was incredibly easy to make. I think it took all of 20 minutes to make. It might take longer if I hadn't already had the chicken pre-cooked. Even still, an easy dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp canola oil or you could use butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 4 oz fat free yogurt (I used Chobani)
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp garam masala or curry powder (Garam masala is a mix of several Indian spices) 
• 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• salt to taste
• 16 oz (2 boneless) chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 4 tbsp fresh cilantro (or to taste) I forgot this one!!

Directions:

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the crushed ginger, stir for a few minutes then add the garlic and cook another minute. Add cumin, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, and salt; mix well until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, yogurt and milk. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until cooked through. Add a generous amount of chopped cilantro and serve with Bamati Rice or Naan.

Here is the nutritional information according to Skinnytaste:

Servings: 4 • Size: 3 oz chicken + sauce • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 190.4 • Fat: 4.5 g • Carb: 12.8 g • Fiber: 2.0 g • Protein: 24.5 g • Sugar:5.1
Sodium: 99.3 (without salt)

Nom Nom....Cookie Dippers!

For those of you on Weight Watchers, or other diets....CHECK OUT THESE BAD BOYS!!!!!

These lovely little Fudgy Caramel Pecan Cookie Dippers have 100 calories(each), or 3 points for those of you on Weight Watchers. They are surprisingly fulfilling. I think it must be because of the pecans throughout. They are fantastically delicious.  A delightfully crunchy cookie dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with pecans, they are sure to please your taste buds!

I found these at Sprouts for $3.99. Although, they are manufactured by the Original Two-Bite Brownie brand, so I'm sure you can find them at other stores in your area.

These are such a treat in the afternoon with a cup of coffee!

Little Red Wagon in Round Rock: Save Your Money.

I really hate to write a bad review about any restaurant, especially one that is a locally owned business. We've been to Little Red Wagon Hamburgers in Round Rock now on THREE separate occasions, and it has been horrible each time. I am a huge fan of hole in the wall joints, and they usually don't disappoint. My husband and I heard rave reviews about Little Red Wagon after we moved here, so we really tried to give it a fighting chance. The atmosphere is okay. It's a small building, and you might be able to fit forty people in there on a good day. It's very dated, but for a hole in the wall, the decor is usually eclectic. I wouldn't call it dirty, but I wouldn't call it clean either.

The two girls working the front have been the same each time we go in. They are both so rude and act like it pains them to take your order. God forbid you ask for a refill, which they actually charge you for. I can understand doing that if they are serving cans, but these are just fountain drinks. It costs them a fraction of a penny to fill up your cup. The cups cost more than anything else, and they charge almost $2 for that!

On our first visit, we both got hamburgers. We were both underwhelmed, but thought maybe they were just having a bad night. It tasted like the hamburgers they used to make in the school cafeteria. The next time we went, I got tacos. Again, school cafeteria...and the cheese was that shredded velveeta crap. Whoever thought that belonged on a taco was misinformed. On our most recent visit, I decided on the Baja Fish tacos. I'm not really sure what possessed me to order these. I should know better. The fish was so gross. It didn't look or taste anything like any fish I've ever had. I kid you not, there was at least 1/2 cup of the most horrible tartar sauce known to man doused all over that thing. Even the rice on the side was disgusting. How do you mess up rice? They managed to. It was actually greasy. I ate half of a taco, and I couldn't even eat the rest. It was so gross!

Okay, sorry to rant. Save your money!!

Summer Vacations

Wow! I'm a horrible blogger! Since this semester started I have barely blogged at all. So sorry!

I just finished my psychology class, and now I am focused on vacations. I need one! My family and I went to Corpus Christi a few months ago, and now we are already dreaming of going back. Our budget limits us from going anywhere one might normally think of to vacation. The Texas coast is often overlooked, because there is a generalization that Texas beaches are all brown and dirty. That's hardly the case. Though I haven't spent much time on any coast, I found North Padre Island to be a beautiful beach, and a wonderful family destination. We have decided to try to go back at the end of the summer, and have set our sights on Rockport or Port Aransas. My hubby and I both firmly believe that no matter what the circumstances, we need to try to go on at least one family vacation per year, even if it isn't very far away! We are only a short three hours away from the coast here in Austin! Such a change from living in Dallas, where it would have been at least a six hour drive. Has anyone else had a good experience on the Texas coast? What other beaches would you recommend?