SAUTEED CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES, OLIVES, AND OREGANO

In my newfound zest for lemon (a former English teacher can never resist a pun), I have been actively searching out recipes that include this ingredient. I've also been eating more artichokes these days--though not stuffed artichokes, one of my faves--rather the more calorie-conscious artichoke hearts. To keep my focus on healthy eating, I try to use one or more of my Weight Watcher cookbooks each week when I plan our dinners. This week I turned to Everyone Loves Chicken, an apt choice since we consume so much of this protein. It was the first time I'd made this dish and it proved to be super fast and delicious served over whole grain pasta. I just cannot eat the whole wheat stuff, but Ronzoni's Smart Choice, which is loaded with fiber, does not have that dreadful texture and taste that characterizes whole wheat pasta. When you rush in the door and want dinner on the table in under 30 minutes, this is your go-to recipe. At just 7 points per serving (that's with 1 cup of pasta!!!), it is a smart choice indeed. If you really want to shave time off your cooking time, be sure to do a mise en place--gather all your ingredients together and do the slicing and dicing, then it's a simple matter to sautee and serve.

Serves 4

4 (4-5 oz) thinly sliced chicken cutlets

1 tsp dried oregano (I also used chopped fresh oregano for garnish)

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper (I've been using a peppercorn mix lately)

2 tsp olive oil

3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and halved

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved

2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbs chopped parsley

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken cutlets with salt, pepper, and oregano. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides (about 3 minutes per side). Remove to a plate, cover and keep warm.

Add the broth, artichoke hearts, olives, and lemon juice to the skillet, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until slightly reduced. Stir in the parsley and spoon the sauce over the chicken.

**If serving over pasta, slice each breast on the diagonal, then spoon sauce over pasta and chicken

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This simple, skillet dinner had the bright flavors of the Mediterranean. The briny flavor of the olives alongside the tartness of the lemon juice and the acidity of the artichoke hearts belied the ease with which the dish came together. While I love the lemon artichoke chicken recipe posted earlier, this dish has a completely different, though equally good, flavor.

WHITE SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

After a 10 day hiatus from the kitchen, I'm back and raring to go. After too many years of banning pasta from the daily rotation, I'm committed to trying out new and lighter versions of one of our favorite foods. I've been through the list of whole wheat and whole grain pastas and they are NOT for me. My recent experience making pasta by hand has reminded me of how satisfying even a small portion of "real" pasta can be.

Recently, I grabbed what I thought was the latest copy of Southern Living magazine in an airport kiosk only to suffer sticker shock--$10.99--when they rang up my purchase. Turned out that I had picked up a cookbook of All-time Favorite Recipes from Southern Living. While it didn't last me the plane ride, it did yield a few new ideas for week-night and company dinners. Remember, I'm looking for satisfying and more healthy. This recipe is good enough for company, but simple enough for week-nights.

The recipe for white spaghetti and meatballs seemed a good place to start. The meatballs are made from skinless, boneless chicken breast, there are sliced mushrooms in the sauce, and the sauce is made lighter with chicken broth and Neufchatel cheese (reduced cream cheese).

The verdict after dinner last night was this is a try-again recipe. Next time, however, I will need to spice up those meatballs. With just ground chicken, egg, saltines, and a teaspoon of seasoning, they were too bland. The sauce, on the other hand, is spoon licking good. At 431 calories (8.5 WW points) per serving, this is a good value, taste-wise and nutritionally.

Serves 6

1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 large egg

1 large garlic clove

10 saltine crackers, finely crushed

1 tsp Italian seasoning (I'm going to try 1/2 pack Good Seasons salad dressing mix next time)

vegetable cooking spray

1 (8 oz) package spaghetti

1 (8 oz) package sliced mushrooms

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tbs all purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth

1 (8 oz) package Neufchatel (1/3 less cream cheese)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Process the chicken and garlic clove in a food processor until ground.

Stir together the chicken mixture, egg, saltines, and Italian seasoning. Cover and chill 20 minutes.

Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls. Place a rack coated with cooking spray in an aluminum-foil lined broiler pan. Arrange meatballs on rack. Lightly spray meatballs with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 13 minutes, or until golden.

Saute mushrooms in olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat (8-10 minutes). Add minced garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add wine, stirring up brown particles from bottom of pan. Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese, whisking until the sauce is smooth and thickened.

Cook pasta while sauce is reducing. Follow package directions for al dente pasta.

Add meatballs and parsley to sauce and simmer 10 minutes. Serve sauce with meatballs over pasta.

Lots of leftovers for lunch. I'm guessing the meatballs would taste equally good over rice or mashed potatoes.

CHICKEN FINGERS, WEIGHT WATCHER STYLE

Chicken fingers are not just for kids. What's not to like about dipping a crunchy piece of chicken into honey mustard sauce? Okay, the fat. That's not a problem if you bake the chicken fingers. The crunch will still be there, especially if you use panko (Japanese-style) bread crumbs. You can save money if you skin and bone your own chicken breasts, then slice them into fingers. Or, you can do as I do--wait until the tenders are on sale and stock up. I have about 5 packages in the freezer right now.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a sheet of aluminum foil over a baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray.

1 lb chicken fingers

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup light, whipped unsalted butter, melted

I like to eliminate a lot of dishes, so I generally use a small paper bowl for the melted butter and a paper plate or sheet of waxed paper for the bread crumbs. Just dip the finger in the melted butter, then roll in the bread crumbs and place on the foil lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, turn over, and bake for 8 - 10 minutes more.

To make a honey mustard dipping sauce, combine equal amounts of honey and Dijon mustard.

Kids of all ages love chicken fingers!

Yesterday I decided to decorate for fall. I hauled up boxes and bags from the basement and proceeded to drape the mantel, hang wreaths, change candles, and otherwise transform the "summer" house into the "fall" house. I was surprised that I wasn't getting the usual help from the girls, so I looked around for them. Imagine my surprise when I found Molly. I don't think she has a death wish, but she was clearly annoyed when I snapped her picture and immediately joined her sister on the bed.

TURKEY SHEPHERD'S PIE

Ireland is a beautiful country and the week I spent there I saw more shades of green than I ever imagined were possible. The only drawback to Ireland was that I do not, nor have I ever, eaten lamb. I guess the one exception is that I do love gyros and if that meat is lamb, well then I contradict myself. But no other lamb shall ever pass these lips. That said, the idea of shepherd's pie is appealing in nearly every other way. What's not to love about a casserole topped with mashed potatoes?

I've been making the same Weight Watchers' turkey shepherd's pie for almost 15 years, so when I found another version, I thought I'd give it a try. There was an ingredient that I would have much preferred to leave out--frozen peas and carrots--but Larry loves them. I love carrots, the fresh variety, but I abhor peas. I don't like the way they taste or feel. I will give them an A+ for color. Except for this addition, the new version of turkey shepherd's pie is a big improvement. The old version used instant mashed potatoes, something I really dislike. I made it anyway because it was tasty, quick, and low in points. The new version, however, uses Yukon gold potatoes--I left the skins on for more fiber--and was just as tasty, quick, and low in points. Larry liked it a lot. The serving size is very generous as well.

Yield - 6 servings

1 1/2 lbs small Yukon gold potatoes, skins left on

3/4 cup fat free milk

1 tbs Dijon mustard

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 lb ground turkey (lean)

1 1/2 tbs all-purpose flour

2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs poultry seasoning (or sage)

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen peas and carrots, thawed (OR LEAVE OUT and use fresh, parboiled baby carrots, as I will next time)

Bring the potatoes to a boil in a large pot filled with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are done--about 25 minutes. Drain, add milk and mustard, and mash until creamy. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large, nonstick pan with cooking spray and saute onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook until browned. Sprinkle the flour over the turkey and onion and cook about 1 minute, until the flour is absorbed. Stir in the Worcestershire and poultry seasoning and cook another minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until mixture thickens (2-3 minutes). Stir in the peas and carrots.

Pour the mixture into a 9 inch square baking dish. Spoon or pipe the mashed potatoes over the mixture. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake about 40 minutes (until bubbling). Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. (3 points per serving)