Weight Watchers Recipes - the good, the bad and the...
don't waste your time and efforts.
I've just joined WW and from previous threads and searches know that several other chowhounders were also following the program. I made my first WW recipe last night and, suprisingly, it was darned good although I did have to add some actual oil to the nonstick spray recipe.
I thought it would be a helpful idea for all of us who are on WW to post WW recipes and our own creations and regularly do so. That way we can indulge our love of good food and cooking and, very importantly, stick with it.
I'll follow this up with the first post on the really tasty recipe I cooked last night. I think the recipe should state at the top whether it is a Flex recipe or a core recipe.
Note to Chowhound Moderators: I hope this okay. This thread is not designed as an ad for WW but a place for those of us who love food and cooking to share our recipes that work within our eating program. We won't discuss our weight loss or program itself.
Thanks!
laylag
Mar 13, 2007 11:25AM
Great idea!
My favorite is Mexican Chicken Breasts...my husband likes this a lot, too (he doesn't know that its a WW recipe yet!)
1 pkg Taco seasoning
4 (4 oz) chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup non-fat sour cream
Put chicken & taco seasoning in plastic bag; shake and coat well. Place in
sprayed (nonstick cooking spray) casserole dish. Bake 30 minutes in a
375 degree oven. Top with salsa about 5 minutes before done, then top with sour cream. Serves 4; 4 pts each
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Leaving out all the "fake foods" that WW tends to push, I have to say that I purchased 2 cookbooks from them in the late 90's (Italian & Asian) that were excellent, "authentic", used real food and were incredible diverse. They read more like Aussie cookbooks to me than US. Check out used bookstores and library sales- they often have these older books for pennies. They were magazine sized softbacks, and you would have wanted to cook from them because the recipes were good, not because the "points" were low.
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Given the new 'core' plan option, you might have better luck looking at more recent publications. The core plan emphasizes cooking from scratch and doesn't include many 'fake foods'. Their Turnaround Cookbook is pretty good and has some basic recipes for sauces, salad dressings, etc. that are quite good.
I have a bunch of the cookbooks, but also cook from scratch without recipes often, just using a lot of whole grains, lean meats, lots of vegetables and minimal oil/butter. Yes, I still cook with oil and butter. And I refuse to use fat-free cheese. I use high quality ingredients, but just control the amount and focus on portion control.
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I'm with eddieandcleo. Your success using your own recipes (with mods as necessary) probably depends in part on how you ate before you started WW. But I've had a great deal of success cooking recipes I made before WW and just pointing them out. Often I don't need to make any modifications. The few times I do, I know where to cut (fat) or add (more veggies). It's pretty straightforward (at least for me and my recipes).
Oh, and I still cook with oil and butter, refuse to use weird, FF ingredients. Like eddieandcleo, I use high quality ingredients, just measure how much and work on serving size control.
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couldn't agree more with the Italian cookbook recommendation. I'm not on WW, but I was impressed with the authenticity and flavor. And i didn't notice too many fako foods.
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ITA! SO has had great success with WW and he has a couple of books with recipes that have worked out VERY well for us! Especially if you know how to doctor them up a bit with spices and technique. :)
--Dommy!
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Chicken Tagine with Apricots: 7 points - Flex Plan. Three stars
The way I made the dish it was 8 pts. because of added oil - see below
I used whole wheat couscous and cooked in vegetable stock for additional flavor.
4 oz. dried apricot halves
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. honey
1/4 cup slivered or sliced toasted almonds
1/8 tsp. salt or to taste
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper or to taste
2 cups cooked couscous or whole wheat couscous
In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth and apricots to a simmer and then set aside.
Toss chicken with flour (I seasoned my flour first with s&p)
Coat a large, nonstick saucepan with cooking spray and place over high heat
Sautee chicken until coated chicken until golden brown - about five minues (I needed to add about 1 tblsp. oil in the midst of this as the chicken was sticking and the pan was too dry. The oil added less than 1 pt. to each serving)
Add diced onion, reduce heat to medium low and cook until onions are soft, about 10 mins.
Add cinnamon and honey
Stir in apricots, broth and almonds
Season to taste with s&p.
Simmer 5-10 minutes
Serves four with 1/2 cup couscous per serving.
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this gives me my pasta fix, and it is really tasty, just be aware of portions...
Pasta Shells With Beans, Greens, and Sausage
http://www.recipezaar.com/140193
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Funny that I just found this post as I was JUST looking for some good WW recipes - I am always wary of buying the cookbooks so I look forward to seeing what other hounds have made and enjoyed!
to that end - here is one my faves:
Eggplant Appetizer a la WW
(makes 2 servings at 3 points per serving)
6 slices of Eggplant (1/4” thick)
1 tsp. of Olive Oil
6 slices of Tomato (1/4” thick)
2 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese (part-skim if poss.)
Basil
Black Pepper
1. Place eggplant slices in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet. Lightly brush slices with ½ tsp. of olive oil. Broil until eggplant is browned. Turn slices over and brush with remaining oil and broil until eggplant is browned.
2. Top each eggplant slice with a tomato slice and broil for an additional minute.
3. Divide the cheese between each slice and sprinkle with basil and pepper. Boil until cheese is melted and golden brown.
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i went to the deerfield spa in the poconos and they had a similar eggplant parm recipe but they also added a tiny sliver of onion and they took three olives and chopped them up and added a touch to each bundle..brushed the eggplant with a little of the olive juice as well.....by the way...this is a great idea to add ww recipes
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I don't do weight watchers myself, but some of my friends do, and recently I tried these, which I loved and it was easy to make
Individual Ham, Cheese and Veggie Frittatas
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rc...
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I have to chime in here - maybe save someone a few $$ - I bought the new WW cookbook 'cause I'd heard it was "great" (can't remember where I'd heard this, but it was a reputable source) and it is not great at all - pretty stinky and now taking up valuable shelf space. We haven't had one thing we've really liked - probably made 12 recipes or so . . . . better to get recs from 'hounds here and use those!
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hey "zero point soup" (a vegetable soup made with cabbage, carrots, other veggies) is a marvel. Folks on core can add barley to it to give it some umph. It is found in the "getting started" handout. Also the fruit smoothies (made from scratch not the mix kind) are a quick way to get in fruit and dairy.
I have all the latest cookbooks from WW-- much more suited to the folks on Flex rather than Core (which resembles Sonoma Diet in some respects). But I never follow recipes "exactly" whether they are from WW or any other source. Always use recipe as a starting point rather than an absolute guide.
Never colored in the lines with the right colors in kindergarten either:)
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This soup is still one of my favorite all-time recipes found anywhere. It's the quickest and tastiest little snack.
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I'd love to hav ethe zero point soup recipe, if you don't mind paraphrasing it for me. Thank you!
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I don't have it in front of me, but:
3 cups fat-free stock
1 cup cabbage
1/2 cup onion
1 cup carrot
sautee in spray til tender. Add stock, S&P, and dried basil and oregano. Add one T tomato paste and 1/2 cup green beans. Boil, then simmer, then add 1/2 cup zucchini.
One cup = zero points. Late night (read: drunk) munchies have seen me adding Bragg's liquid aminos and/or hot sauce, making it a great salty, spicy snack.
I'll double check the recipe when I get home, but I think that's pretty close.
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Thank you! Very easy, I have everything I need. Now, for the motivation... No, really, I feel pretty ready to lose these lbs and this will surely help. I lke the idea of adding hot sauce.
Many thanks!
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i also add more a small can of chopped roasted tomatoes (it's the organic kind muir glen, maybe?). i add tons of fresh basil and some chopped parsley at the end. i sprinkle hot pepper flakes and a drop of vinegar. i ate buckets of this soup while on ww and lost 25lbs. good luck.
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I actually like a lot of the WW cookbooks, one of my faves is "Take Out Tonight." There are lots of homemade Chinese stirfry recipes (Chicken) that are definite tried and trues. :-) I make them a lot on Monday nights when I get home from the gym. If I have everything chopped, they come together in about 10-15 minutes. The Turnaround cookbook is good as well and lots of low point recipes, plus it's a Core cookbook if that's what you're doing. "In One Pot" is yet another good one.
All of these cookbooks are diverse and use "natural" ingredients (wheat berries, quinoa, etc.), as opposed to more "commericial" recipes. In other words, you're actually cooking as opposed to opening a few cans of something and mixing together. :-))
The only WW cookbook I didn't care for was something called Cooking at Home or something along those lines, I think. It was written with cooks from the CIA, and I found them complicated and high in points. Never made anything in it and ended up giving it away.
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I ordered the "Take out Tonight" ww book a few months ago and I use it constantly. They've adapted traditional ethnic foods into delicious, more healthy versions. They have thai, mexican, greek, chinese, italian, japanese and indian recipes. Worth checking out if you like ethnic food.
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Just ordered the Take Out Tonight book after reading this thread. Sounds like something we'll enjoy. Really looking forward to that package in the mail!
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My book arrived and we had a version of the spicy orange beef with vegetables. I say a version of because I had chicken, not beef. I steamed some frozen dumplings from H-Mart and we had a very quick and tasty meal. There are so many good looking recipes in the book, I'm sure we'll enjoy it.
Thank you for mentioning it!
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The General Tso's Chicken in "Take-Out Tonight" is really, really good.
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Ooh, how funny. I had actually bookmarked that one first but changed my mind at the last minute because I have lots of oranges. Ok, will make that one soon!
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I bought the Chicken cookbook and there are a few in there that I liked. Grilled onions, peppers and sausage with Polenta was good. The chicken burgers were fabulous and the spanikopita was not bad. Look at their message boards. That's a great place to find ideas. One thing that I did that got me through the sweet craving was the cupcakes using diet soda. Have you tried that? It's no where near decadent but will do in a pinch. White cake mix, a can of diet sprite or lemon lime, beat and egg white till firm and fold in. Bake according to time directions on box. You can do all sorts of variations. Dark cake mixes with diet dr. pepper or diet coke.
It's a difficult thing to do...to lose weight when you're a foodie. I made lifetime almost a year ago and keeping it off is harder than losing it! Good luck to you!
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My sister and I made those cupcakes a few weeks ago, but used no egg - only diet sprite. They were actually pretty good. The cupcakes were a bit crumbly due to the lag of egg, but still good for a low-point treat.
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Yes they are crumbly. I like the white cake one though. I adore white cake!!! Try adding the egg white.
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I have been on WW in the past, and am thinking about joining again... can someone explain the difference b/w the Flex system and the Core system? I am already familiar with the basic WW concept, if that helps in explaining.
Thanks!
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Flex allows you to eat anything as long as you stay within your daily alloted point range. Core allows you to eat from only what is one the food list.
* Vegetables and fruits
* Soups (non-creamy)
* Whole Wheat Pasta, Brown Rice, Potatoes and Grains
* High Fiber and other cereals without added sugar
* Lean Meats, poultry, fish and eggs
* Fat-Free Milk Products
* Healthy Oils
* Condiments
* Coffee, Tea and sugar-free beverages
It's more restrictive but allows you to eat more of those items. I do flex. I like being able to have one piece of See's candy if I want to. It's all up to your style of eating and your discipline level
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My impression has been that the "core" plan is geared more towards folks who are interested in a low carb/s. beach/atkins "type" of diet. I'm with Mrs.megawatt and do more of a flex aproach, but I think which one will work for you depends on how you already eat and how you're willing to modify your diet.
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I have been following the Core program for a few weeks now. What you say is correct, but you left out one part. You can have foods that are not on the Core list, but obviously you have to account for them. You get 35 points per week to use them however you choose (i.e. all at once for a special occasion, 5 per day, etc.).
In the past, when I've gone to WW, I've done Flex. I'm doing Core mostly because it requires little to no weighing and measuring. I have 2 small children and I work full time, so although it's a little restrictive, it's nice to be able to eat pasta (albeit whole wheat pasta) or chicken and not have to stand and measure.
Core just works with my lifestyle for the moment.
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You're right Valerie. I had forgotten about the 35 points. We get that also on Flex but I never used them when I was at the height of my weight loss journey as they like to say at our meetings. Whole wheat pasta by the way rocks!
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I actually try not to use the 35 points too. In a weird way, I find that it's better for me to have fewer choices for the most part during the week. This way, I can have the "little extras" on the weekends and not feel so bad.
With regard to the whole wheat pasta, I can't say that I love it, but I have found some brands to be better than others. But it does occasionally satisfy the need, and I've even gotten my husband to eat it.
Every little bit helps....
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I agree with you about the whole wheat pasta, however, I am now in love with whole wheat couscous! If you haven't tried it, you must! Its so quick and easy to make and it goes with everything, although prob not the best thing to have with marinara sauce, it really does go with just about everything w/o needed much of a sauce.
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Me too! Had it the first time the other night and it has so much flavor!
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I made a recipe recently that I thought was great and my fiance loved. It was great for dinner and made enough for lunch the next day with a little brown rice.
Roasted Turkey Breast
3 points per 3 oz serving (number of servings varies depending on size of turkey breast)
1 skinless boneless turkey breast
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
salt and pepper
1 onion, sliced into thin wedges
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sliced onions in baking dish and top with the seasoned turkey breast. Pour hoisin sauce over breast and around baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting with the hoisin sauce around pan until internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
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As luck would have it I bought a turkey breast the other day - but on the bone. I'm going to try the hoisin and onion thing. Sounds really good.
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The other day I made one of my favorite fish recipes, modified only a little. 6 oz of tilapia is 4 points, and since the rest was veggies I just added 1 for the olive oil. If I used cooking spray it would just be 4 points per serving.
1 lb white fish filets (i used tilapia, but sometimes use orange roughy, flounder works well too)
1 onion
1-2 cloves garlic
2-3 tomatoes
1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
a little olive oil
in a deep saute pan saute cook onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes. Lay in fish filets and cook for 5 minutes uncovered. add tomatoes and spices turn to low. Cook covered for 15 more minutes or until fish is cooked through.
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Laughing Cow Chicken
Points - 5
Serving Size : 4
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast
8 slices deli-style fat free ham slices
4 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese - Regular
1/4 package shake n Bake Pork
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place each chicken breast between wax paper and pound to 1/4 inch thick. Place 2 slices of ham and one cheese wedge on each chicken breast. Roll chicken up and secure with toothpicks. Spray a baking dish with Pam and place chicken breast edge side down on dish. Sprinkle chicken evenly with Shake 'n Bake.
Bake at 400 for 35 to 45 minutes or until juices run clear and chicken is browned.
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Oooh I forgot. Laughing Cow light, Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant spread, Wasa or Ak Mak crackers. Yummy! Each wedge of the LCL is 1 point, the TJ's is very little ...spread out between Wasa or AkMak and you have a nice low point snack!
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How funny you should mention the akmak crackers. I recently got turned on to them and whoah, do I love them! Not very many points and really good flavor!
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I'm a big fan of AkMok too. They were out of them at TJs and nobody had noticed and hadn't ordered. The mgr than put it in but I don't know if I can wait. Darn they are good - 2 pts. for five crackers but very satisfying as they are large.
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And the price at TJ's cannot be beat. I've seen those crackers at regular supermarkets for double.
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I've been doing WW for almost a year and I'd be an unhappy camper without Trader Joes. I also snack on Ak Maks with Laughing Cow and even better, lo fat Halvarti (1pt per oz). Multigrain soy crakers are the bomb ( 34=1pt). I love their ff French yogurt or even better Fago Greek style yogurt. TJ's fat free sesame dressing and balsamic vinagarette are good too. Don't get me started.... TJs is this weight watchers' best friend.
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I got those little multigrain soy crackers too - they're great. TJ's definitely makes it easier OP. I am addicted also to the peach salsa.
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I am not on WW and don't have a recipe to contribute, but I did try their amaretto cheesecake yogurt today and was pleasantly surprised. It's not one of your super healthy all natural yogurts, but as far as taste is concerned it was spot on.
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can someone tell me how many point those cupcakes are? do you use icing on them? and what is the soda substituting for - oil???
also - found this link to a site that lists tons of WW recipes with points:
http://www.angelfire.com/journal/wwre...
enjoy!
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Sorry, no idea on the number of points for the cupcakes. We didn't use any icing on them, since my sister and I just like the cake part. The soda substitutes for everything, really (except the 1 egg if you use it).
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The point value depends on how many cupcakes you make. Really the best thing to do is add up all the calories total, the total fiber and fat and then count how many servings you have, get a calculator and divide total calories by total servings. Do the same with fat and fiber and then use your slider. If I remember right, it's around 2 points per cupcake. You can always use a mini muffin tin for a bite size fix. I think these are good and way cheaper than WW cakes.
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I really like this WW recipe, I substitute fresh dill for the dried, generally, and I like to use the Fage Total 0% yogurt.
Mustard-Dill Chicken in Foil Packs (Freezer-friendly)
POINTS: 3
INSTRUCTIONS
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp dried dill weed
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz pieces
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine mustard, yogurt, garlic salt and dill in a small bowl; thoroughly coat chicken with mustard sauce.
Tear off 4 sheets of aluminum foil that are large enough to wrap each chicken breast individually. Place a prepared chicken breast on each piece of foil; gather foil loosely around chicken and fold over to seal.
Place foil packs on a nonstick baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes. Using oven mitts and keeping your face away from steam, open foil. Broil chicken on foil until lightly browned and cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes more. Yields 1 piece of chicken per serving.
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I'm making this tonight, thanks!
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Creamy Salsa Dip:
I was going to eat some whole wheat pretzel rods last night (TJ's - 2pts. for 10) and was really wanting something to go with so just looked in the fridge and...
1/3 cup cottage cheese
salsa about 1/3 cup (I eyeballed it)
dash hot sauce
slice or two of raw onion
Pulse i the food processer until smooth
It came out to be a great tasting dip. I only had 2% cheese - won't make that mistake again - but even so, the whole thing was 2 points and I have a lot left.
I'm sure there are many variations of this to be made
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