I found some great food...

I don't usually blog just about food, but I had two really good things yesterday that were so yummy and surprisingly low in points.

The first was at lunch. I went to Panera. I had an old stand by—turkey on wheat. But before I went, I looked at their website to see how healthy this is, because you and I know that turkey is turkey, but who knows about the bread or any of the "toppings" that come on it.

The first thing I have to say is that the sandwich was AMAZING!!!! The turkey was so tender and juicy. And it came (99% fat-free) smoked turkey breast, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, spicy mustard, salt and pepper (and I asked for no mayo).

And the bread was STELLAR!! On their website, it showed that they have a whole grain bread. I know, "whole grain" sounds so totally opposite from "stellar", right? Well, this one was the best whole grain bread I've ever had. It tasted like it was fresh out of the oven (which it probably was) and it was so moist and flavorful. It wasn't dry and crumbly. (I'm considering going back there and buying a loaf for my sandwiches at home.)

Best of all, the sandwich was only 5 points!!!

Then for dinner, I tried a WW recipe I've been wanting to try for a while—Chicken Pot Pie. I don't know about you, but I miss chicken pot pie. It used to be such a staple for me. You could get the little frozen pies at the grocery store for less than a dollar and they were so darn yummy!

The recipe was surprisingly easy, though it did take more than the 15 minutes of prep time that was stated at the top of the recipe. And oh my gosh was it yummy! It didn't taste like it was missing anything. Didn't taste low fat or low calories at all.

Best of all, one serving was only 5 points!!!

Though I have to admit, I overindulged and had 2 servings, but it was okay, because I did have 10 points left for dinner. I used a couple of flex points for my fudge bar dessert. :)

Here's the recipe if you guys want to try it. You can substitute the white wine for apple juice, apple cider or chicken or beef broth but I recommend splurging on the wine. I had to buy a bottle because we don't drink white wine and I only spent $6 on the bottle. I'll have it for next time I make this—cause I know I will! Also, I substituted a bag of frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots and corn) for the carrots, peas and corn the recipe called for. I just cooked them in the microwave for a couple of minutes before adding them to the recipe (that way there wouldn't be any added water). Oh, and I'd also never cooked with Phyllo dough before. It was very good. It came in a long rectangular sheets all rolled up. I had to defrost them on the stove while I was cooking the chicken. Then I laid the dough over top of the casserole and just cut the edges of the rectangle off to the shape of my dish then I just threw the extra pieces on top and it turned out perfect!

Chicken Pot Pie

Partly skimmed evaporated milk makes an excellent replacement for cream-based sauces. Keep a few cans in your kitchen and experiment with it in your favorite creamy recipes.

1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups water
1/2 cup wine, dry white
2 cubes chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas 2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped 3 Tbsp white all-purpose flour
5 oz fat-free evaporated milk
15 1/4 oz canned white corn, drained
6 sheets phyllo dough

• Place chicken, water, wine and bouillon cubes in a medium pan. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook gently, uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Set aside one cup of broth and chop chicken into chunks.
  
  
• Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Coat a deep 8-inch (20cm) pie dish with cooking spray. (I used a medium sized casserole dish and it worked just fine)
  
  
• Microwave carrots and peas for 2 minutes. Drain. Heat oil in a medium nonstick pan, add onions and cook until soft. Stir in flour and cook over low heat for 2 minutes.
  
  
• Remove pan from heat and stir in milk and reserved broth. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Add carrots, peas, chicken and corn.
  
  
• Pour chicken into prepared dish. Layer sheets of phyllo over pie, trim edges and press down firmly to seal. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, lower temperature to 350ºF (180ºC) and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes more.