My new apartment has an eat in chicken

For some reason, lately, every time I hear the word chicken, I think of Girl Interrupted and Daisy (Brittany Murphy) who always talks about the new apartment her father bought her with the eat in chicken (kitchen). It cracks me up.

Anyway, last night, in my kitchen, I made a chicken. And it was a disaster. Let me tell you, it is difficult to figure out if a whole chicken is all the way defrosted or not. That was my main issue. Thus, it took about an hour and fifteen minute to cook a tiny chicken, which left most of the meat dry. Every time I cut into the chicken, I would find a place that wasn't cooked all the way. Sooo annoying!

Anyway, with the chicken, I successfully made green beans (fresh, boiled) and roasted potatoes, which were particularly delicious.

ROASTED POTATOES

3-4 Small Potatoes, sliced into 6-8 wedges each
1.5 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt
Pepper (as much as you want)
Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy Seasoning Mix
Non-stick spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray (Pam).

In separate bowl, mix sliced potatoes and olive oil. Toss until all are lightly covered. Add sea salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash seasoning mix to taste. Toss until spices are equally distributed.

Place potatoes on baking sheet and in oven to bake for 25 minutes. Take potatoes out, flip them, and place back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

Makes approximately 4 servings. Depending on size of potatoes, each serving is 3 Weight Watchers points

Recipe: Beef Barley Soup

I love to cook, and figured this would be a good way to share my favorite Weight Watchers-friendly recipes. And as you may know, I live in Chicago, where winter SUCKS and good winter food is absolutely necessary. So, for my first recipe:

BEEF BARLEY SOUP

3/4 pounds cooked lean beef steak, cubed in very small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
3 tsp olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 package frozen mixed vegetables (the kind with peas, carrots, green beans and lima beans)
1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
1 bell peppers, chopped
2 cups canned beef broth
1 cups canned tomato sauce
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cups uncooked barley
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions
Cook beef with olive oil, onions and garlic in large pot. Cover to keep moisture in, but stir frequently. When beef is cooked, add beef broth, water, tomato sauce and canned tomatoes. Chop vegetables and stir in. When soup begins to boil, add in barley. Keep on low-medium flame for about one hour. To thicken, mix flour with approximately 1/3 c. of water. Mix until smooth. Stir into soup.

Makes 10 servings. Weight Watchers Points: 3

TIP: Freeze in portion sizes and bring for lunch. Very filling and delicious!