Who you callin' skinny?!

If you know me, you know that I'm always on the hunt for a solid recipe that I can work with for Mr. TL & I to enjoy. My friend K recently pointed out a fabulous food blog to me - Skinny Taste. The recipes all correlate to the Weight Watchers program fairly well and even if you're not following the program, it's nice to have a health filled recipe in your arsenal.

The recipes on Gina's blog for Crock Pot Minestrone Soup got my wheels turning. It's been unseasonably cool the past few weeks here in Little Rhody so a nice, hearty soup was just the trick. I adapted it slightly (subbing in dried for fresh herbs as well as switching up the additions of the recipe too). What we ended up with was a crock pot full of deliciousness that not only was a meal for Mr. TL & I on a cool night, but also served double duty as a freezer meal for the future (Note: I didn't add all of the pasta to the pot of soup. I placed a small bit of cooked pasta into our bowls, then ladled the soup over it. This way, the frozen soup, would not suffer a mushy pasta death when I go to reheat it!).

Crock Pot Sausage Minestrone Soup

(adapted from Gina's Skinny Taste)

1/2 onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can cannelini

3 cups fat free chicken broth

1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried parsley

salt and fresh pepper

1 medium yellow squash, chopped

2 cups chopped frozen spinach

1/2 pound chicken sausage, cooked and crumbled

2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)

extra parmesan cheese to top

Rinse and drain beans. Mash beans in a small bowl (this helped to thicken my soup).

In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, mashed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese chunk, frozen spinach, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add squash and cooked sausage. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese.

Balsamic vinegar is love.

I swear I could drink it straight. I love it on and in everything so when I found this recipe on Robin's blog, Made with love..., I knew I was going to have a winner on my hands! I'm actually eating the leftovers of this yummy Balsamic Chicken
& Sausage Pasta as I blog!

I adapted the original recipe a bit... changing the chorizo to hot Italian sausage and upping the amount of liquid to make more of a sauce. I also added the ladle of pasta water for the sauce effect.

The result was a hearty meal that everyone (including the super picky Mr. Tana-Licious) enjoyed!

Balsamic Chicken & Sausage Pasta



2 large boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
4 links of hot Italian sausage, cut into chunks
1/3 cup tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Medium onion, grated
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup white wine
1 pound pasta, cooked with 1 ladle of pasta water reserved

Bring a salted pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente.

Toss chicken chunks in salt, pepper, and paprika Place 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and toss until almost cooked. Add sausage, onion, and minced garlic. Add balsamic vinegar. Cook until chicken chunks are cooked through and garlic and onions are browned.

While still on medium heat, add the cup of white wine to chicken/sausage mixture to deglaze pan. Make sure to get all of the brown bits on the side of the pan. Add pasta to skillet and toss in meat mixture and resulting "sauce" until well coated and pasta is heated through. Add in the reserved pasta water. Add an extra tablespoon or two or olive oil if you feel you need more of a coating on your pasta.