Recipe Review :: Gina's Skinny Recipes Chicken, Shiitake and Wild Rice Soup

I happened to stumble upon a new (to me) site that was chock full of tasty, healthy low-cal/low-fat meals and haven't been able to get off the dang site since. I have found so many recipes that I can make for my whole family, some that I can make just for myself and freeze leftovers and some that even just my husband and kids might like. The site is Gina's Skinny Recipes (Skinnytaste).

I'm so glad I found this recipe. I love soup - especially a thick soup with rice, but they are always so high in points that I feel too guilty enjoying them. This is a nice, hearty soup that tastes delicious! A huge advantage is that David loves it - huge score!

Chicken, Shiitake and Wild Rice Soup

One thing to note is the rice expands the longer it sits, so you may need to add more water to adjust the correct thickness. This reheats fine the next day with a little added water. For the wild rice combo I used Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice.

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small onion; chopped
• 1 tbsp flour
• 8 cups (64 oz) fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cups water
• 2 carrots; chopped
• 3 garlic cloves; chopped
• 2 celery ribs; chopped
• 4 skinless chicken thighs
• 4.5 oz long grain rice and wild rice combo 
• 1/2 cup long grain white rice
• 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced (I chopped)
• 2 tbsp light sour cream 
• salt and fresh pepper

Melt butter in a large pot on medium heat, add onion and saute until soft but 

not browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add flour and saute another minute.
Add chicken broth, water, carrots, garlic, celery, and chicken thighs, cover

and simmer 20 minutes. Add wild rice mix along with it's seasoning, long

grain rice, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste and simmer on low, covered

25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks, return to pot, add sour

cream and more water if too thick, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve.

As a side note: I added about 1/2 cup of canned corn to it - for a little added texture.

Makes 6 servingsPer serving (1 1/2 cups): 237 calories, 4g fat, 2g fiber 

**Points Value - 5
**Points+ Value - 6

Recipe Review :: Gina's Skinny Recipes Lemon Blueberry Scones

I happened to stumble upon a new (to me) site that was chock full of tasty, healthy low-cal/low-fat meals and haven't been able to get off the dang site since. I have found so many recipes that I can make for my whole family, some that I can make just for myself and freeze leftovers and some that even just my husband and kids might like. The site is Gina's Skinny Recipes (Skinnytaste)

I absolutely love Caribou's lemon blueberry scone and get them any chance I have. Now that I am on Weight Watchers I can't just have one any old time, so I am in desperate need of finding a recipe I can enjoy enough to not crave the deliciousness from Caribou. I made these and they are incredibly tasty. My only complaint is that they taste a little too much like shortbread for my liking, but the cumbly-ness they have is perfect.

The recipe is actually for lemon cranberry scones, but I used blueberries instead (I have a supreme love for lemon blueberry baked goods) I've modified the recipe to reflect what I made. No nutritional value changed. You can see it on her site here. Since it is a lower point value for just the 1 item, I paired it with a Greek yogurt (my faves are Yoplait Greek and Chobani) and added a cup of coffee (with creamer and Splenda, of course)

Lemon Blueberry Scones

For perfect scones, be careful not to over-knead the dough and be sure your
butter is chilled. Leftovers can be stored in air-tight containers for up to two
days. I've tried these using all whole wheat flour but I prefer to use a blend of
whole wheat and white. Enjoy!


Lemon Blueberry Scones

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided

• 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk (I didn't have buttermilk so I went the backup 

           way 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1% milk to the 1/2 cup line)

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups Ultra grain flour (or 1 cup white, 1 cup whole wheat) 
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp chilled butter (must be cold) cut into small pieces (I grated it 

          with a cheese grater)

• 3/4 cup dried blueberries

Position rack in top third of oven; Preheat oven to 375°. Line baking sheet
with parchment paper. Make glaze by combining 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp lemon
juice. Combine buttermilk, remaining lemon juice, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla,
and egg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.Combine flour, baking powder,
salt, in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry
blender, or you could use 2 knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Gently fold in blueberries. Add buttermilk mixture, stirring just until moist.
(dough will be sticky)

Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly four times with floured
hands. Form dough into an 8-inch circle onto baking sheet, about 3/4" thick.
Using a knife, cut dough into 10 wedges (do not cut all the way through).
Brush lemon glaze over dough. Bake until golden, about 18-20 minutes, or
until a tester comes out clean. Serve warm or room temperature.

If you leave out the dried fruit, the scones are 4 points plus each.


Makes 10 servings


**Points Value - 4    
**Points+ Value - 5