Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes










**Servings: 7 **Size: 3/4 cup **Points: 2.5

6 oz uncooked elbows (I used a whole grain noodle)
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup light Miracle Whip (she used light mayo)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
dash garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
2.5 oz sliced black olives (this was about 20 medium olives)
salt and pepper

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.

In a medium bowl, combine all the other ingredients (not the noodles yet) including any juice from the tomatoes). Mix well. Add elbow noodles and mix well.

This is a great salad to make for Potlucks. It is a healthier choice than some of the other VERY high fat salads that are brought to BBQ's and potlucks. The salad was even better after it had time to sit and let the flavors mix. Yummy!!! I found this recipe on a blog called Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipes (I linked her blog over on the left too). She has A LOT of good recipes on there that are healthy and they all include WW points values. Very helpful for finding good recipes. I'm going to be looking there for more dinner recipes.

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.