Meatballs!

I love meatballs, all different kinds, but today I'm focusing on the traditional Italian meatballs, ones that are nice and juicy and melt in your mouth.  Yes, it is absolutely possible for a meatball to melt in your mouth! I promise! If you make this meatball as directed I promise you will have an awesome dinner!

Italian Meatballs

8 servings
Yield 24 Meatballs
7 WW points per Serving


2 Lbs Lean Ground Beef (You could use chuck for more flavor, but it definitely increases the calorie count)
3/4 C Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 Eggs
1/2 C Tomato Sauce (Good Quality Jar sauce is fine)
2 Healthy pinches of Salt (Anything but iodized salt, please!)
1 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
3/4 C Italian Bread Crumbs
3 - 4 Cloves Grated FRESH Garlic (The jarred stuff is horrible)

Preheat oven to 425

In a bowl mix all of the ingredients together until well combined.  If the mixture is too loose you may need to add more breadcrumbs. It should be moist but able to hold together. If more breadcrumbs are needed add a little bit at a time until the meat can form a ball without falling apart.

To Cook these I bake them in the oven. I use a cookie cooling sheet and place it on top of the baking pan, spray with cooking spray. Roll the balls into Golf Ball sized meatballs. Anything larger than that takes too long to cook and can get dried out. Place the balls onto your cookie sheet and bake in the oven until evenly browned on top and cooked through the middle, approximately 15 minutes. You can serve them as is, or you can add them to your tomato sauce and let simmer.

Notes: You can use ground turkey instead of beef, however I'm not a fan of turkey so you'll rarely ever see me suggest it.

Bruschetta Two Ways in Filo Cups

Bruschetta is one of my favorite foods, it's one of those things that you can change up infinite ways and still have it be fabulous. This post will have 2 different kinds, both shown served in Filo Dough cups, but of course they are equally delicious on some toasted Italian bread, on top of a burger or chicken sandwich, or even with tortilla chips as a dip! Don't be afraid to experiment with the recipe either, sometimes you can make a good thing even better!

Tomato Avocado Bruschetta

Serves 12

1 8 oz container of grape tomatoes, quartered
1 Ripe Haas Avocado, diced into small squares
1 TBS Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBS Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 C Grated Parmesan
1 Clove Garlic Grated (Optional)
1 Handful Basil, Finely Chopped
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to Taste
2 Packages of Athenos Filo Cups

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a bowl mix the Tomatoes, Avocado, Olive oil and toss until coated. Then add Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Parmesan, Basil, and Balsamic and toss to coat again.

Line your Filo cups up on a cookie sheet and pop into the oven for 4 or 5 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. They do not need to spend much time in there, and this step can actually be skipped all together if you're short on time. I like to put them in just to crisp them up and give that good crunch.

Let set aside until cool to the touch, then fill each cup with a teaspoon of bruschetta. You can serve as is, or grate some Parmesan over the top for garnish.

Notes: You can substitute Florida Avocado's for the Haas variety, but I find that the flavor of a Haas is much richer and produces a better product.

If you want to change it up a bit you can replace the Balsamic with Lemon juice, and the Basil with Cilantro. It's delicious both ways.

Caprese Bruschetta

Serves 12

1 8 oz container of grape tomatoes, quartered
1 Large Ball of Fresh Mozzerella (or 2 small)
1 Large Vidalia Onion, Finely Diced
1 TBS Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Divided
2 TBS Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 C Grated Parmesan
1 Clove Garlic Grated (Optional)

1 Handful Basil, Finely Chopped
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to Taste
2 Packages of Athenos Filo Cups

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a small saute pan add 1 TBS Olive Oil  and Onion. Cook over Medium/Low heat until onions are Translucent.  Add the Garlic and continue to cook  until Onions are Caramalized. Once finished transfer the mixture to a plate and spread evenly so it will quickly cool to room temperature.

In a bowl mix the Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, Onions and Basil until well coated. Add  Salt, Pepper, Parmesan and Balsamic and toss to coat again.


Line your Filo cups up on a cookie sheet and pop into the oven for 4 or 5 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. They do not need to spend much time in there, and this step can actually be skipped all together if you're short on time. I like to put them in just to crisp them up and give that good crunch.


Let set aside until cool to the touch, then fill each cup with a teaspoon of bruschetta. You can serve as is, or grate some Parmesan over the top for garnish.

Notes: If you want to skip the onions step, you can, but they do add a nice sweetness to the mixture. If you omit the onions then just add the grated garlic directly into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. 

Greek Chicken and Spinach Spring Rolls

Every once in a while I have an abundance of leftover "stuff" that I used to make recipes, and I look at my refrigerator and say to myself "What the hell am I going to do with all of this??", and That, my friends, is how recipes like this one are born! The other day I made Rachael Ray's Cheesesteak egg rolls, and subsequently had a bunch of egg roll wrappers left, with no clue what to do with them. Then I thought of this recipe, and boy am I glad I did! This could be one of my new "go to" recipes for entertaining. It's easy and Delicious.

Greek Chicken and Spinach Spring Rolls

10 Servings

3 WW Points per Serving

10 Eggroll Wrappers

1 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cooked (Boiled, Steamed, or Leftover Rotisserie)

1 9 oz package Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed and Squeezed Dry

2 Oz Crumbled Feta

1/2 Vidalia Onion, Chopped

1 TBS butter

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Butter Flavored Cooking Spray
1 Small cup of water

Preheat oven to 375

Melt the butter in a Saute pan over medium. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium/low heat until they caramelize. While your onions are cooking, Shred your chicken into small shreds and place in a large bowl.  Add your spinach, feta, Parmesan, salt and pepper and set aside until onions are ready. When onions are finished add them to the bowl and mix well.

Lay your eggroll wrappers on a clean counterop. Take 2 spoons of your filling and put on the edge of the eggroll wrapper. Line it up all along the one side of it so that you can roll it into a cigar like shape.  I do not tuck the edges on these, however if you wanted to you certainly could. Roll the eggroll wrapper until it covers the filling. Then, using your fingers or a pastry brush, moisten the remaining section of the eggroll wrapper with the water. This water acts as your glue to hold it together. Then finish rolling the rest of the way and repeat with the rest of the wrappers. 

Once all of your spring rolls are wrapped, place on a cookie cooling grate on top of a cookie sheet - this way the air circulates all the way around the spring roll to keep it crispy. Spray lightly with cooking spray and place into oven. Cook for 15 mins, then turn over and cook for another 5, or until a nice golden brown color.

If you want to serve these as an appetizer at a party, you could cut your spring rolls into thirds to make them bite size. Your baking time will adjust due to the size, so keep an eye on them. These are great served with the Tzatziki recipe found here.  Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I've had a day from hell, and after a day from hell nothing hits the spot like some comfort food, and what's more comforting than a bowl of cheesy goodness to fill your belly? I love Panera Bread's broccoli cheese soup, but I don't love the price tag that comes with it (or the fat and calories for that matter). This is a less calorie laden bowl of soup than you'll find in a restaurant, with more veggies too, so it's a lot more filling and you feel satisfied when you're done! For the broccoli, You could buy the heads, or you could cheat and buy the pre-cut and pre-washed florets in the fresh section like I did. You know, the ones you can steam in the bag? It makes it 100x easier and it's not that much more expensive than buying the whole head and doing all the work yourself.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Serves 4
11 WW Points Per Serving


2 Heads of Broccoli Florets (or 2 bags)
1/2 Vidalia Onion, Finely Chopped
1 Cup Shredded Carrots
4 Ribs of Celery, Finely Chopped
2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 Cups Skim Milk
8 Wedges Laughing Cow Queso Cheese, room temperature
4 oz Neufchatel cheese, room temperature (by the cream cheese in the dairy case)
1 TBS Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl and cover tightly, microwave for about 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Add olive oil, onion, celery, and carrots to a sauce pan and saute until celery and carrots are tender, and the onions are translucent, add the flour. Stir until well dissolved and let cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add broccoli, chicken broth and milk. Bring to a slow boil and then lower to simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Using a potato masher, break up the Broccoli so it's not large chunks of florets. Add the queso and neufchatel cheese to the pot and stir until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and serve!