Weight Watchers - 1 Month!

1 Month of Weight Watchers completed! I can hardly believe it! I ate really great food along the way, didn't ever feel deprived, and if I wanted something, I almost always had it.  I lost 14 lbs this month, which is incredible. 

The other night, I made a dinner Weight Watchers meal plan for someone who is also on WW.  This is a vegetarian plan but I added meat options with additional point values if interested.  I have also included the grocery list.  Each dinner should be served with a side salad or roasted vegetables.  Vegetables are 0 points as long as there is no added fat to them.  Just add points for any fats or dressings you may add.  If you are thinking about starting Weight Watchers, try out these recipes!

Lemon Ricotta Pasta – 7pp

1 Zucchini made into zoodles (0)

1 oz dry angel hair or spaghetti (2)

10 g (or 2 tsp) butter (2)

½ Lemon juice (0)

Garlic (0)

½ can Artichoke hearts (0)

½ Bag of frozen Broccoli florets, cooked (0)

2 oz part skim ricotta (2)

1 tbsp grated parmesan (1)

Make zucchini into zoodles, set aside.  Cook pasta.  In a pan add butter, lemon juice, garlic and grated parmesan (add salt to taste).  Add in canned artichoke hearts, ½ bag of broccoli, cooked pasta and zucchini zoodles just until warmed through.  Stir in ricotta or add in ricotta drops and EAT!

Add in 3oz of shrimp for an extra 2 points!

Brie & Fig Naan – 6pp

1 Naan (or other flat bread worth 3pp) (3)

1 tbsp fig spread (or other fruit spread for 1pp) (1)

Mini Brie Bite (2)

Top naan with spread, add on sliced brie and bake until melted!

Spinach & Artichoke Pizza – 5pp

Naan (3)

Spinach (0)

½ can artichoke hearts (0)

30g light alfredo sauce (1)

14 g light mozzarella (1)

Top naan with alfredo, spinach, artichokes and light mozzarella and bake.

Add 2oz of chicken for an extra 2 points!

Spinach and Strawberry Salad – 5 pp

Fresh spinach (0)

Strawberries (0)

Red Onion (0)

1 oz reduced fat feta (1)

10g candied walnuts (2)

2 tbsp fat free poppyseed dressing (2)

Add 2oz of chicken for an extra 2 points!

Mini Pierogies – 8pp

10 mini peirogi (mrs t’s) (7)

½ container mushrooms (0)

Red Onion (0)

5g butter (1)

Boil peirogi.  While boiling, melt butter and sauté mushrooms and onions.  Add in periogies!

Veggie Cheese Steak Naan – 5pp

½ container mushrooms (0)

½  green pepper (0)

Red Onion (0)

5 g butter (1)

Naan (3)

14 g RF Mozzarella (1)

Sautee vegetables in butter.  Top naan with veggies, add mozzarella and bake!

Add in 2oz of steak for an extra 3 points!

Boston Beanery Naan – 7 pp

1 naan (3)

½ cup vegetarian baked beans (3)
14 g RF cheddar (1)

Top naan with baked beans and cheddar, bake until melted.

Add 2 slices of center cut bacon for an extra 1 point!

Grocery List

Zucchini (1)

Lemon (1)

Garlic
Fresh Spinach (1 bag)

Strawberries (1 container)

Red Onion (1)

Mushrooms (1 container)

Green Pepper (1)

Angel hair or spaghetti

Butter

Part Skim Ricotta

Grated Parmesan

Mini Brie Bites

RF Mozzarella

RF Feta

RF Cheddar

Canned artichoke hearts (in water)

Fig spread (or other flavor, low in points)

Jar Light Alfredo Sauce

Fat Free Poppyseed dressing

Candied Walnuts

Vegetarian Baked Beans

Frozen broccoli florets

Mrs. Ts Mini Pierogi

Naan

OPTIONAL: Shrimp, Chicken , Steak, Bacon

Weight Watchers: Week 3!

I was pretty nervous this week because I always struggle with week 3 of any type of commitment, especially with dieting.  But then I came to the realization that I am eating practically anything I want, in moderation, and still losing weight!  It just takes a lot of planning and will power to not just munch on things throughout the day, but if I do, I just need to count it toward my points.  Well this week I lost more weight and after 3 weeks, I am down over 10 lbs!  I even ordered spaghetti and meatballs from my favorite place, portioned it out to 2 different meals, used the side salad as an entire different meal with steak on top the next day, and didn’t feel deprived what so ever.  This is why weight watchers works for me! Here are a few recipes I made this week:

Egg Salad Naan (5pp): Naan (3) topped with lettuce (0) and egg salad (2).  For the egg salad I took 4 hard boiled eggs, used one whole egg and the rest egg whites.  Chopped up the eggs, added in 1 tbsp light mayo, some mustard, and 5g sweet relish.  This makes 2 servings of egg salad at 2pp each. 

Mini Fiesta Flats (7pp): 6 Mini Fiesta Flats Shells (3) topped with 50g fat free refried beans (1) 1 oz lean ground beef (1) 14g reduced fat cheddar (1) 2 tbsp light sour cream (1) mixed with salsa verde (0) and hot sauce (0).  I microwaved them for 30 seconds and they were delicious!

 

Mexican Chicken Bowl (7pp):  115 g fat free refried beans (2) topped with 2 oz shredded chicken (2) 14g reduced fat cheese (1) lettuce (0) onion (0) and leftover chipotle southwest sauce I had from subway (2).

Cheeseburger Naan (7pp): Naan (3) topped with 1oz lean ground beef (1) American cheese (2) lettuce (0) tomato (0) onion (0) pickles (0) and fry sauce (1).  Fry sauce is just 5g light mayo mixed with 10g ketchup. 

Pizza Rice Cakes (5pp):  2 lightly salted rice cakes (2) topped with 2 tbsp sauce (1) 14g light mozzarella (1) and 4 pepperoni (1). 

Buttered Noodles  (8pp):  1.5 oz dry Ronzoni Smart Taste Extra Wide Noodle (5) with 60g sweet peas (1) 5g butter (1) 9g fresh parmesan (1) and squeeze of lemon juice (0). 

Naan Snack Plate (6pp):  Almost done with the naan – I promise!  Naan (3) 1 cheddar cheese stick (2) 5 pepperoni (1) pickles (0) and mustard (0).

Cheerios & Chocolate (6pp): Woke up with a sweet tooth! 1 cup multigrain cheerios (3) with ½ cup 2% milk (2) and 7g chocolate chips (1).

Shrimp Pasta (8pp):  1 oz dry angel hair pasta (2) 1 zucchini made into zoodles (0) mushrooms (0) tomatoes (0) garlic (0) 2 tbsp light alfredo sauce (1) ¼ cup of tomato sauce (1) fresh lemon juice (0) and 5oz old bay seasoned shrimp (4).

Oh, and by the way, Boom Chicka Pop is really good, comes and many flavors, and you get a lot for a small amount of points.  Perfect for snacking!

WW Week 2 Success!

I had another successful weight watchers week! Here are some of the meals with recipes that I made, they vary in points but were all very good!

Breakfast:

Cranberry & Chocolate Baked Oatmeal (5pp) – The picture below is the recipe since I put it in the WW recipe builder.  The entire bake makes 8 servings at 5 points each. I baked it at 350 degrees for 40 minutes in a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. I ate this with fruit and was full, and it also satisfied my sweet tooth!

Breakfast Platter (5pp) – 1 egg (2) with a homemade potato pancake (2) brussel sprouts (0) 2 slices center cut bacon (1) and cantaloupe (0).  This was kind of a use up everything in the fridge breakfast, but was delicious.  See dinners to get the potato pancake recipe!

Yogurt (5 pp) – This Chobani grape Greek yogurt is my new favorite yogurt and the best flavor I've had.  5pp is a lot, but it is filling, especially with fruit!

Breakfast Pizza (8pp) – Naan (3) topped with a scrambled egg (2) 1 slice of American cheese (2) 1 slice of center cut bacon (1) and sautéed mushrooms (0) and onions (0).  Pop it in the oven for a few minutes to allow everything to melt.  I could eat this every single day. 

Egg Whites & Chicken Sausage (3pp) – 3.5 oz egg whites (1) with 1/2  Aidells chicken and apple sausage (2).  This was perfect before my trampoline aerobics class!

Pepper, Mushroom, Onion, and Bacon Omelet with Potato Pancake (6pp) – 3.5 oz egg whites (1) with green peppers, onions, and mushrooms (0) 2 slice center cut bacon (1) 1 slice of American cheese (2) and a potato pancake (2). 

Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (9pp) – 3 pancakes (7) with a sliced banana (0) 14 chocolate chips (1) and 1tbsp syrup (1).  I woke up starving and this helped me to not eat everything!

Lunch:

Gyro with Green Bean Fries (8pp) – Naan (3) topped with 2 oz leftover lamb from Easter (3) lettuce (0) tomato (0) onion (0) and “cucumber sauce” made of 2 tbsp light sour cream (1) and diced cucumbers (0).  I also added some Greek seasoning that I had (0) and ate with green beans (0) and fry sauce (1).  For the green beans, I microwaved them according to directions as they were frozen, then patted dry and sprayed with olive oil cooking spray and allowed to roast in the oven on 400 for 15 minutes, and then seasoned with salt.  The fry sauce was just 5g of mayo mixed with 10g of ketchup. 

Easter Lunch (7pp) – 3oz turkey (3) with 1/2c stuffing (3) 1/4 cup of jarred gravy (1) and brussel sprouts (0).  The stuffing is measured dry for accurate points, then it was only prepared with water.

Spinach & Artichoke Pizza with Caesar Salad (7pp) – naan (3) topped with 30g jarred alfredo (1) 14g RF mozzarella cheese (1) spinach (0) artichokes (0) and a salad with romaine (0) 1 tbsp caesar dressing (2) and a sprinkle of parm (0).  The pizza was baked in the oven until melted and warmed through.  For the salad, warm water was added to the dressing to thin it out some and easily coat all of the lettuce.  Also added some fresh lemon!

Dinner:

Easter Dinner (11pp) – 5oz lamb (6) with 5oz sweet potato (3) with 1tsp butter (1) and lemon, garlic, parmesan asparagus (1).  For the asparagus, I roasted it in the oven with quick spray of olive oil cooking spray, garlic powder, salt, squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Breaded Fish Dinner (8pp) – 2 Gorton’s Smart & Crunchy breaded fish fillets (5) with a side caesar salad (2) and lemon, garlic, parmesan asparagus (1).  For the side caesar, I used 1 tbsp of caesar salad dressing for and added a bit of warm water to thin it out and coat the whole salad.  I also added a sprinkle of fresh parmesan and added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over everything! The asparagus was leftover from Easter dinner!

General Tso Shrimp (7pp) – 4 oz shrimp (3) over 3oz cooked brown rice (2) and roasted broccoli (0) with 2 tbsp general tso sauce (2).  Easy and much healthier than takeout!

Kielbasa Dinner (10pp) – 4oz turkey kielbasa (5) with sauerkraut (0) and 2 potato pancakes (4) with 2 tbsp light sour cream (1).  I made up the potato pancake recipe and put it in the weight watchers recipe builder.  This makes 7 potato pancakes, each at 2 pp.  9.5 oz shredded red potatoes, 3 tbsp flour, 1 egg, ½ onion chopped, and 1 tbsp canola oil.  Combine potatoes, flour, egg and onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  In a pan over medium high heat, add canola oil.  Form mixture into pancakes and sear on each side.  Once seared, put potato pancakes in the oven at 375 to cook for an additional 10 minutes. 

Pasta & Meatballs (9pp) – 3/4 cup quick cook rotini (measured dry) (5) with 60g organic tomato sauce (1) artichokes (0) and 3 oz spinach turkey meatballs (3).  For the meatballs, I took 1 lb ground turkey, added in a handful of spinach (I used frozen spinach, cooked it, drained it really good, and added it in), 1 egg, garlic powder, salt, and less than 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (just enough to allow them to form better).  Formed the meat into tiny meatballs, seared in a pan, and then finished them in the oven for 15 minutes.  Each oz = 1pp. 

Roasted Red Pepper & Spinach Sausage Dinner (7pp) – 2 Casual gourmet roasted red pepper and spinach sausage (6) (3pp each) over sautéed  peppers, onions and mushrooms (0) with crispy green bean fries (0) with fry sauce (1). 

Snacks/Dessert:

Salami & Cream Cheese (4pp)  – If you haven’t had salami and cream cheese, you’re missing out.  5 slices of Aidells Salami (3) topped with 2tbsp Philadelphia whipped chive cream cheese (1) and pickle slices (0).  The perfect bite!

Strawberries & Chocolate (1pp) – Strawberries sliced (0) topped with 4g whipped cream and 10 chocolate chips (1).

321 Carrot Cake (3pp) – 321 mug cake (2) topped with 2 tbsp whipped cream cheese (1) and 6g of whipped cream (0).  321 mug cake is so easy.  You just have to take a gallon storage bag and mix a box of angel food cake and any other flavor you would like (I chose carrot cake).  Mix both packages together thoroughly in the storage bag.  When you are ready for cake, mix 3 tbsp of cake mixture with 2 tbsp of water and microwave for 1 minute, hence 321. Now it isn't going to be the best cake you've ever had, but it at least will satisfy a sweet tooth quickly, and you can add in anything to make it even better, just adjust your points. 

Cheese & Pepperoni Rice Cake (3pp) – 1 rice cake (1) topped with laughing cow wedge cheese (1) and 3 slices chopped pepperoni  (1).  

Weight Watchers Recipes!

I decided to recommit to Weight Watchers this week – having two babies 13 months and 3 weeks apart is no joke!  I started on Monday but my weigh in days will be Friday, so I did weigh in today and lost 4.6 lbs!  I will not be sharing my weight losses each week, but decided I would this time because the first week always brings such success and is encouraging for those possibly considering trying Weight Watchers.  If you have any questions, please let me know!  If you do not want to pay for the monthly WW membership, there is an app called iTrackBites that will follow the same point system and such, you just don’t have a lot of the luxury features as you would with the WW app!  I plan to share my WW recipes on my blog, in addition to what I already do post.  There likely won't be as many recipes each post as there is this week, but I will try to keep creating new things! 

On Sunday, I completed some meal prep that would allow for me to quickly make low-point meals.  I roasted some asparagus, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions.  I also shredded some fresh brussel sprouts, and cooked center cut bacon and lean ground beef.  This really made my life so much easier, especially for breakfasts, as the mornings are so hectic with the kiddos!  Here are some of my Weight Watcher recipes I created throughout the week:

Breakfasts (which I eat with fresh fruit for 0pp):

Bacon & Potato Hash  (4pp) – 49g roasted potatoes (1)  2 slices center cut bacon (1) onions (0) and a fried egg (2) cooked in a quick spray of olive oil Pam (0).  I also added some hot sauce (0) for extra flavor.  Since the potatoes, bacon and onion were already cooked, I just had to chop them up and add them in a pan to heat through, which allowed me to make this breakfast in about 5 minutes!

Open-face McGriddle (7pp) – 1 pancake (2) topped with ½ piece of american cheese (1) 2 slices center cut bacon (1) fried egg (2) cooked in a quick spray of olive oil Pam (0) and topped with 1 tbsp of syrup (1).  We buy pre-made pancakes often at Aldi, they come in the freezer section, and make breakfasts really fast for us.  I used to make them and freeze them myself, but the ones at Aldi use all regular ingredients and no ridiculous additives, so it saves me time! I just microwaved the pancake and the bacon, and fried up the egg, added it all together, and it was delicious!

Smoked Salmon, Asparagus & Sweet Potato Hash (5pp) – 75g sweet potato (2) with onions (0) asparagus (0) 1 oz smoked salmon (1) and a fried egg (2).  Again, the asparagus, sweet potato, and onion were cooked on Sunday with meal prep, so I just had to chop up and put it in a pan to warm through.  Add in 1 oz of smoked salmon, then just cook an egg and throw it on top! So fast, easy and delicious. 

Chicken & Waffles (7pp) – 1 whole grain waffle (3) toasted topped with 2 Perdue Simply Smart chicken strips (3) with 1 tbsp syrup (1) and hot sauce (0) to taste! Fast and filling!

Bacon, Spinach & Cheese Omelet (7pp) – 2 eggs (4) with fresh spinach (0) 1 slice American cheese (2) and 2 slices center cut bacon (1).  I added some ketchup to mine for an additional point, because ketchup and eggs, always.  And the bacon was cooked already from Sunday meal prep!

Lunches:

Taco Salad (7pp) – Fresh spinach (0) topped with grape tomatoes (0) 28g reduced fat cheese (2) 30g avocado (1) 3 oz lean ground beef (3) seasoned with ground cumin and chili powder (0) and dressing made of 2 tbsp light sour cream (1) 2 tbsp salsa (0) and hot sauce (0).  The ground beef was made during Sunday meal prep as well, so this was super fast!

Buffalo Chicken Salad (7pp) – Fresh spinach (0) topped with grape tomatoes (0) 14g reduced fat cheddar (1) 14g blue cheese crumbles (1) 2 Perdue Simply Start chicken strips (3) with 2 tbsp light ranch (2) mixed with 1 tbsp hot sauce (0).  When I make this again, I will not use the blue cheese… I didn’t think it was necessary and it would save me a point!

Skinny California Sushi Bowl (5pp) – Cucumber noodles (0) topped with 50g avocado (2) 85g imitation crab (2) and spicy mayo made of 15g olive oil mayo (1) sriracha (0) and splash of white vinegar (0).  I made the cucumber noodles with a veggetti, which spiralizes vegetables into noodles!  I’ve also made this before with brown rice to bulk it up some, and if you mix the rice with soy sauce, the entire thing tastes exactly like a California roll!

Bacon Cheeseburger Salad (7pp) – Fresh spinach (0) topped with tomatoes (0) onions (0) 2 slices center cut bacon (1) 2 oz lean ground beef (2) with 1 slice American cheese (2) and a dressing made of 1 tbsp olive oil mayo (1) 1 tbsp ketchup (1) a little mustard (0) and 1 tsp sweet relish (0).  The ground beef was already cooked from Sunday meal prep, so I microwaved it with the American cheese on top!  Obviously, you could eat much healthier salads, but this was so very good. 

Chicken Fajita Melt (6pp) – 1 mini naan bread (3) 2 oz chicken fajita mix (2) 14g reduced fat cheddar (1) 1 tbsp light sour cream (0) and hot sauce (0).  I put the chicken and cheese on top of the naan and microwaved for a minute and it was delicious. For the chicken, I made it out of my freezer meal prep in the crockpot from a couple weeks ago.  I had everything made up in a bag ready to go so I just had to defrost it, throw it in the crockpot on low for 4 hours and it was done.  As far as the naan goes, I bought it at Costco and it is delicious.  I can’t wait to make salad pizzas and sandwiches with it in the upcoming weeks!

Naan Hot Dog (5pp) - 1 naan bread (3) with an organic Applegate beef hot dog (2) and mustard (0).  Honestly - these are the best hot dogs I have ever had ... and I love a good hot dog.  The ingredients for them are organic grass-fed beef, water, sea salt, organic spices, organic dehydrated garlic, organic dehydrated onion, organic paprika, and celery powder.  Oh - and P.S. the Naan is the only bread item I bought for the week/weeks ... so you will see it used in some ridiculous but amazing ways.

Dinners:

Salmon Dinner (13pp) – 6oz salmon (8) seasoned with salt and garlic powder, seared in quick spray of coconut oil (0) with 155g mashed sweet potatoes (3) mixed with 1 tsp butter (1) an 1 tbsp brown sugar (1) with roasted asparagus (0).  Salmon is high in points on Weight Watchers, but I love it, so I saved my points for it!

Chicken Thigh Dinner (7pp) – 5oz boneless skinless chicken thigh (4) seasoned with salt and garlic powder, seared in a quick spray of olive oil Pam (0), topped with 1tbsp garlic parmesan wing sauce (1) served over sautéed shredded brussel sprouts (0).  I also ate this with fire roasted vegetables in a balsamic butter sauce (2) that I found in the freezer section of Aldi … and I wouldn’t buy them again.  I would rather just roast up some fresh vegetables.  Also, the wing sauce was found at Aldi, and I absolutely would buy that again!

Turkey and Spinach Meatloaf Dinner (7pp) – 4 oz of meatloaf (4) with a salad made of fresh spinach (0) sliced beets (0) tomatoes (0) marinated artichokes (1) 9g of shredded parmesan cheese (1) and 2 tbsp light balsamic dressing (1).  To make the meatloaf, I combined 1 lb ground turkey, 2 handfuls fresh spinach, 1 egg, 1/2 chopped onion, salt and garlic powder.  Press meat mixture into a loaf pan and bake in oven at 375 for 30 minutes covered.  Drain liquid from loaf and continue to bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.  This made four 4oz servings!

Flounder Dinner (5pp) - 3 oz flounder (2) topped with 1 tbsp general tso sauce (1) and served with 3oz cooked brown rice (2) and a ton of roasted broccoli (0).  The general tso sauce I found in the international food aisle at the grocery store and it is really good! 

Snacks:

Smoked Salmon Bites (2pp) – Cucumber rounds (0) topped with 2tbsp Philadelphia whipped chive cream cheese (1) and 1oz smoked salmon (1)!

Peanut Butter & Chocolate (4pp) – 16g peanut butter (3) on a spoon and topped with 17 milk chocolate chips (1)!  This was because I still had a lot of daily points leftover and needed to use them.  Usually when I have leftover points before bed, I eat some peanut butter… It keeps me full… especially since I’m up pumping (breast milk) through the night. 

Orange & Chocolate (2pp) – My favorite combination!  A fresh orange (0) with 15g semisweet chocolate chips (2)!

Tuna Stuffed Celery (3pp) – 1 tuna pouch (2) mixed with 1 tbsp olive oil mayo (1) mustard (0) 1 tbsp sweet relish (0) and stuffed in celery sticks!