One point goes a long way

As y'all know, I'm a newbie on the Weight Watchers program. Last night, my friend Shari and I made the chili that everyone was raving about at my first meeting - and I have to admit that it's very good and VERY filling! For those of you who want to give it a try, here's the recipe:

One Point Chili

10 oz. extra lean ground turkey (we substituted vegetarian Morning Star crumbles)
1 medium onion, diced
2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, diced
2 medium yellow squash, diced
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 15 oz. cans fat free beef broth (vegetable works as well)
4 stalks celery, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
1 package dry chili seasoning mix

Brown turkey and onions (about 5 minutes). Add remaining ingredients; simmer 30 minutes.

Makes 20 1 cup servings (each serving is only one point!)

Just a note - since we didn't use real meat and the crumbles didn't have enough fat to cook on their own with the onions, we added just a tad of olive oil. Also, one packet of chili seasoning didn't cut it as far as we were concerned - so we added a little more salt, garlic and onion powders, ground cumin (adds a nice depth), chili powder and a dash of cayenne. Yum!

I'm going to continue experimenting with this recipe - it's a tad low on beans, so I might add more black beans or some kidney beans next time. I think fresh chopped garlic would be wonderful added to the meat and onions as they cook, as well as some Worcestershire sauce for a little extra depth of flavor. If you have any ideas or have other low-point recipes, please share them!

Shy Welsh phone salesman sings Nessun Dorma

I'm indebted to Roy Williams' Monday Morning Memo for this gem - if you haven't already heard of Paul Potts, you will. Make sure you've got a Kleenex handy . . .

Fun at Grandma's

Here's a few photos from a recent trip to Gramps' and Grandma Jean's house - among other delights such as kicking back in her adirondack chair and taking her "smart car" for a spin, Emmy had the rare privilege to host a tea party for Uncle David, Aunt Renee and Uncle Joel. The end of the day found Aunt Renee sacked out on the couch and Grandma Jean snoozing peacefully with Mickey and Bear cradled tenderly in her arms.