Sweet Potato Pasta

2 cups of whole wheat pasta (i.e. Rotini, Penne)

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 sweet potato, peeled, quartered and sliced into 1/4" slices

1 cup of broccoli florets

1 cup mushrooms, quartered

1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 Tbsp of soy sauce

1/4 tsp of dried thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

In a large saucepan of boiling water, add noodles and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and continue cooking for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes or until all veggies are tender. Drain well. Place in bowl. Toss with cheese, soy sauce, thyme and pepper until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

SERVING SIZE: 1 Cup

POINTS PER SERVING: 3.5

This is a yummy recipe. A friend of mine posted it on her blog a long
time ago and I've been making ever since. It's easy, pretty quick and a
little different than most of the pasta dishes I've made. I always seem to
add more broccoli and mushrooms than it calls for...more veggies the merrier
right?!

Easy Mac & Cheese

from WeightWatchers.com

3 cups uncooked pasta, small pieces (i.e. elbow)

1/8 tsp. table salt, for pasta cooking in water

2 cups fat-free skim milk

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp table salt

3/4 tsp onion powder

1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp variety

1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce, or more to taste

POINTS: 6

Servings: 6 - 1 cup servings

Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water according to package directions; drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, while pasta cooks, in a large saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, salt and onion powder until blended. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cheese and hot sauce. Add sauce to pasta; toss to mix and coat. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

My girls and daycare kids gobbled this up! I used whole-wheat small shell noodles and instead of 3/4 tsp of onion powder (I didn't have any) I used 1/4 tsp. garlic powder and a few sprinkles of black pepper. Oh, and I omitted the hot pepper sauce. I had a small bite of this before the kids ate it up and it was pretty good. Definitely creamy! I know I will make this again because it was easy and they are ingredients that I have on hand! This sure beats the boxed version of Mac & Cheese and is A LOT healthier!

Creamy Chicken & Pasta Bake

1-1/2 cups multi-grain rotini pasta, uncooked
1 small bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 cups)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth
2 oz. Neufchatel cheese, cubed
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli for the last 3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; simmer 3 minutes or until chicken is done. Add Neufchatel cheese; cook and stir on low heat 1 minute or until melted. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella. Drain pasta and broccoli. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon into a baking dish (I use a 9X13 glass cake pan); cover. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 3 minutes or until melted. Let stand 5 minutes.

6 - 1 cup servings
Serving is 6.3 points

This is a yummy dish. My kids love it and so do I! This is another Kraft recipe.

Spinach-Pasta Toss

1 can(14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
1 cup water
1 pkg. (9 0z.) baby spinach leaves (more or less for your liking)
1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese

Bring tomatoes, pasta and water to boil in large saucepan; stir. Cover; simmer on medium-low heat 10 minutes. Uncover; simmer 1 min, or just until pasta is tender.

Add half the spinach; simmer, covered 2 minutes or until wilted. Stir. Repeat with remaining spinach.

Serve topped with cheese.

2.5 POINTS per 1 cup serving.

This recipe is really easy and yummy. I always use less than the 9 oz. of spinach called for. Also, I've used different varieties of canned tomatoes (lime with cilantro) and that can really change the flavor of the dish. This is a good meatless recipe and my family loves it! You could easily add meat if you want to 'beef' it up...of course that would change the POINTS value.

Three Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake

1-1/2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked
1 pkg. (9 oz) fresh spinach leaves
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (16 oz raw/11 oz cooked)
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 jar (14-1/2 oz or 2 cups) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
2 oz Neufchatel cheese, cubed
1 cup (3 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese (low-moisture part skim)
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta, adding spinach to boiling water for last 1 min.
Cook and stir chicken basil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 3 min. Add sauce and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in Neufchatel cheese.

Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2 qt. baking dish.

Cover and bake 20 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheese (1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 Tbsp parmesan) and bake uncovered for about 3 more minutes.

Makes 6 servings (1 c. each) = 5 points per serving.

I made this for dinner last night and it was YUMMY!!! For something different I may add broccoli in with the spinach next time. This recipe came from a Kraft magazine...I did change a few things to make it healthier (less points). Kraft has an assortment of healthy recipes. Visit Kraft Foods and look around...you may find some other yummy recipes. ENJOY!!!