Chicken butternut squash & white bean soup - 1 point on WW

I am going to be very sad when winter is over! I am not a summer soup eater but soups are so easy to meal prep for low point options on Weight Watchers! Meal prep is key to staying on track :-)

This soups has only 4 points in the whole pot! The majority of these points come from using a little but of olive oil to sauté the onions. You can reduce the points by using cooking spray instead but I personally don't think it cooks the same way. You need a little bit more grease to get the onion cooking nicely.

I used pre-cut butternut squash for this recipe because I just hate cutting it up so much! We have to take short cuts where we can right? Many of the other ingredients I chopped up while the onions and chicken were cooking to save time.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray

2 tsp of olive oil

1/3 of a white onion, diced
1 large chicken breast (around 10 oz), cut into small cubes of about 1/2 an inch

3 cloves of garlic

2 tsp of cumin
1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp of salt

fresh ground pepper to taste

8 oz of butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 ribs of celery, diced

15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

6 oz of frozen peas (I buy a 12 oz bag and use half)

4-5 cups of water

2 cubes of low sodium chicken bouillon

Cooking equipment: 6 quart Dutch oven and garlic press

Directions:
Spray a 6 quart Dutch oven with cooking spray this allows you to use less olive oil. Add diced onion and olive oil to the pot and sauté on med-high heat until the onions are translucent, about 5-6 minutes. While the onions are cooking, I cut my chicken into cubes. Add chicken to the pot and using a garlic press, add the garlic. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to the pot and cook until the chicken is mostly cooked, about 5-7 minutes and then add the squash cubes. While the chicken and squash are cooking, I dice my celery. Add the celery, beans and peas to the pot. Cover the contents with water, about 4-5 cups and add the bouillon cubes. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.

The recipe makes about 6 bowl-sized servings which the recipe builder calculates at 1 point each. There are only 4 points in the whole pot, 3 from olive oil and 1 from the bouillon cubes.

This blog is not affiliated with Weight Watchers in any way. This post may contain affiliate links, if you make a purchase using one of these links this blog may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

10+ Weight Watchers breakfast ideas - 5 points and below!

Yes, we get tired of eating eggs but they are an easy breakfast a lot of days o  Weight Watchers. I like to make frittatas with almond milk (low points) on the weekends for a quick grab and go breakfast. They are usually 0-2 points depending on what I put in them. Freestyle friendly!

But sometimes...you want something else, something that isn't eggs! Here are 10+ ideas for 5 or fewer points and no eggs!

**update: I originally wrote this post when WW was on the Freestyle plan, which is now the blue plan. If you are following green or purple plans, check your points.

1) Avocado Toast

I might be a millennial because I love this. To make it Freestyle-friendly, I use a 2 slices of 1 point bread, such as Aldi's light and fit wheat, and weigh out 2oz of avocado (3pts). I put 1 oz on each slice. Normally, half an avocado is 1.75-2.5oz.

A dash of salt on top is nice too.

Total: 5 points

2) Toast with powdered peanut butter

Avocado isn't ripe yet? Well, you can also use peanut butter powder on your toast! My favorite kind is PBfit but I have tried a bunch of different kinds. Put 3 tbsp of powdered peanut butter (mixed up with water per the directions on the package) on 2 pieces of toasted 1 point bread.

I also like to add a dash of salt or cinnamon on top. You can also add banana or apple slices for no additional points. Sometimes I will also only have 1 piece of toast with peanut butter and a banana (3 point version, shown above).

Total: 4 points

3) Peanut butter banana wrap

Use a 2 point wrap, such as Aldi's light & fit multigrain flatbread, and spread 2 tbsp of powdered peanut butter (mixed with water into peanut butter). Slice half of a banana and layer on top of your peanut butter, sprinkle with a little cinnamon and roll it up. I eat the rest of the banana as a morning snack. You can also do this with apples.

Total: 3 points

4) Cheese pretzels slims

This is not a very traditional breakfast food but for me, if you eat it in the morning, it's breakfast. So think outside the box!

Take 1 wedge of light cheese, such as light laughing cow, and spread it on 32 pretzel crisps. You will probably not have enough cheese for all of them but the extras make a good snack on their own.

Total: 3 points

5) Pumpkin muffins

Do yourself a favor and prep a batch of these pumpkin muffins, eat some and keep the rest in your freezer for busy mornings. You can have 2 muffins for 3 points and there's no artificial sugar.

Total: 3 points

6) Peanut butter pancakes

I make these peanut butter pancakes usually for breakfast on Sunday and the have the leftovers the next day. I eat them plain without syrup a lot of times, especially when leftover but you could also mix up some peanut butter powder that's extra thin as a drizzle or dip (extra point for 2 Tbsp of powder). You can have 2 pancakes for 4 points.

Total: 4 points

7) Breakfast Sandwich

Don't start dreaming of McMuffins, but this Weight Watchers version isn't too shabby. Take one light English muffin and toast it, smear on a wedge of light cheese (light laughing cow or similar) and add a couple of slices of deli turkey or ham (check the point value of this, you need something that is 1pt for up to 2oz but there are lots of options). Voila - breakfast sandwich.

You *could* put an egg on this, if you wanted but I promised no eggs.

Total: 4 points

8) Cheese and an apple

Two pieces of light string cheese and apple slices. Cheese also pairs well with grapes. Plus this a grab and go option.

Total: 3 points

9) Almond Milk Crepes

Don't hear "crepes" and think "this is too fancy, I cannot make this!" because you definitely can. Crepes are basically flat pancakes but also a blank canvas for topping with delicious things. These are definitely a meal-prep item, here is the recipe.

The recipe page has lots of low-point ideas for topping them, check it out for many options! You can also eat them plain and they are quite good.

Shown below is a crepe topped with bananas and powdered peanut butter made into a drizzle (1pt crepe, 1 pt drizzle).

Total: 2 points for 2 crepes (toppings extra) 

10) Sausage veggie scramble

Take 3 turkey sausage links and dice them up. Spray a pan with cooking spray and saute the sausage with your choice of zero point veggies such as broccoli, peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini. Just about anything you have in your fridge! I add a little garlic salt for seasoning.

This isn't really a grab and go option, but can be prepped for a few days in advance. It's also good with avocado or cheese on top, for additional points.

Total: 2 points

11) Oatmeal

I could eat oatmeal every day of the week! Depending on how you make it, the points can vary a lot. I use 1/3 of dry quick oats (3pts blue) and I like to make it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk (1pt) or you can make it with water for zero. If you want a zero point sweetener, I like monkfruit but you can add what you prefer. I usually just toss some berries or banana slices in mine.

If you want to prep a little in advance, this baked oatmeal is delicious and you get a little more volume for your points.

Total: 4 points for either 1/3 cup oatmeal with almond milk or 1 serving of the baked oatmeal

This blog is not affiliated with Weight Watchers in any way. This post may contain affiliate links, if you make a purchase using one of these links this blog may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Mediterranean chicken salad – 2 points on Weight Watchers

Easy lunch alert! When you are trying to plan your meals, can you have too many easy lunch ideas? I don’t think so!

This chicken salad was inspired by a local Mediterranean deli that makes the best chicken salad ever.
I seriously didn’t even like chicken salad until I had theirs. I’m not really a mayo fan but they use an olive oil mayo and magic, which makes their chicken salad fantastic.

So I set out to recreate it and recreate it in a way that was Weight Watchers (or I guess now it’s Wellness Works!) friendly. First the recipe and then I’ll give you some ideas on low-point pairings!

Ingredients:

12.5 oz can of 98% fat free chicken breast (must be breast! And at least 98% FF or it has points!)

2 tbsp of olive oil mayo or reduced fat mayo

1 cup of fat free, plain, Greek yogurt (approximately, see directions)

Juice of half a lemon

15-20 grapes cut in half

1 rib of celery diced

1 tsp salt

1 clove of fresh minced garlic or 1 tsp of garlic powder

½ tsp of celery seed

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp of ground pepper

Directions:

In a medium bowl with a lid, put chicken breast, mayo, grapes, celery and all spices. Add about half of the yogurt (or a big spoonful)  and the juice from the lemon. I suggest squeezing the lemon juice directly into the bowl using a small strainer to catch seeds. Stir until all ingredients incorporated, shredding the chunk chicken and adding more yogurt until it reaches desired consistency, approximately 1 cup.

The recipe makes two servings of a little more than 1 cup each, each serving is 2 points on Weight Watchers Freestyle program. Or the whole recipe is 3 points. If you use regular mayo instead of the suggested olive oil/reduced fat, each serving is 3 points.

So what are you gonna eat it with? Here are some ideas!

• Pretzel slims (3pts/oz)
• In a low point wrap (I like Aldi fit & active wraps for 2pts)
• On low point bread (1-2pts/slice depending on the bread)
• On top of a salad
• With baby carrots (0 pts)
• With celery sticks (0 pts)
• On top of sliced cucumbers (0 pts)

Do you have any other ideas on what to eat it with? Leave them in the comments! 

This blog is not affiliated with Weight Watchers in any way. This post may contain affiliate links, if you make a purchase using one of these links this blog may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Skinny yogurt banana bread - Oven or Instant Pot

If you are looking for a moist banana bread, look no further! This might be a light recipe but don't let that fool you into thinking it is anything short of delicious. It makes a good breakfast or a nice dessert.

Adding Greek yogurt not only helps to make this bread extra moist, it adds protein and doesn't give you the sour taste that using sour cream would.

It's also a great way to use up bananas that are past their prime. You can use bananas that have been frozen but you need to thaw them first. I usually zap them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and they are thawed enough to mash them up

You can make this in your oven or Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. I first made this in my Instant Pot because we had finished the loaf I had made in the oven and I was craving more but my loaf pan was in the dishwasher which was running. It's nice to have options!

Ingredients ready to go

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 of unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup of low fat, plain Greek yogurt
3 overripe bananas
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
cooking spray

If you want a little different variety you can try adding 1 tsp of cinnamon or 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.

Cooking equipment:
Electric mixer
For baking in the oven you need a loaf baking pan or for the Instant Pot a 7" round cake pan. I use a 3" deep Fat Daddio pan in my 6 quart Instant Pot.

Oven directions:

Batter all mixed up

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash up bananas in large mixing bowl using a potato masher or large fork. Add all ingredients to mixing bowl and beat on med-low speed until all are fully incorporated, about 3-5 minutes. You may need to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to get the flour fully mixed in.

Grease the loaf pan with cooking spray and pour in the batter. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Instant Pot directions:

Place 1 cup of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot. 

Mash up bananas in large mixing bowl using a potato masher or large fork. Add all ingredients to mixing bowl and beat on med-low speed until all are fully incorporated, about 3-5 minutes. You may need to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to get the flour fully mixed in.

In the Instant Pot

Grease the 7" round cake pan with cooking spray and pour in the batter. Cover the cake pan with foil and using your trivet, lower it into your Instant Pot. Put your lid on and seal the vent. Press

the cake setting and set for 55 minutes. If you don't have a cake setting you can use high pressure. When the cooking cycle completes, quick release the pressure. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

I calculated this recipe at 150 calories per slice (recipe makes 10 slices) compared to a whopping 420 calories for a slice of Starbucks' banana bread. Wow!

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The easiest, healthy, instant pot marinara sauce

This is the easiest recipe for homemade marinara you will ever find and thanks to the instant pot electric pressure cooker, it's also the fastest. I may never buy marinara sauce again.

This recipe also doesn't have any added sugar! By my calculation, the whole recipe is 3 points on the Weight Watchers Freestyle program. The 3 points come from the olive oil used to saute the onions and garlic but you could use cooking spray instead for a zero point recipe.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 of a small onion, diced
4 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled (or you can substitute 4 tsp of chopped refrigerated garlic)
32 oz crushed tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tb dried basil
2 Tb Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt

Equipment:
Instant pot or other electric pressure cooker, I use a 6 quart duo.
Garlic press, if you don't have a garlic press you can dice your garlic before you begin.

Turn your instant pot on the saute setting, low temperature and add the olive oil and onions to the bottom. After the onion cooks 2-3 minutes, add your garlic. I use my garlic press and press it directly into the pot. Saute the garlic and onion and additional 2-3 minutes.

Add all remaining ingredients to the pot, using the half cup of water to rinse the remaining tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes from the cans into the pot. Lock the lid in place on the top of your instant pot and turn the vent to sealing. Press cancel on the pot to end the saute setting and then set the pot to the pressure cook, high setting and set the timer for 10 minutes. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and allow the pressure to naturally release for at least 15 minutes.

After the natural release is finished you can quick release any remaining pressure, carefully.

I have not tried to double this recipe in the 6 qt or made this in a mini 3 qt instant pot, I have intentionally not filled the pot full to avoid spraying sauce out of the valve.

I have used this recipe as a marina sauce for pasta and also as a pizza sauce for 2-ingredient dough pizza.

This blog is not affiliated with Weight Watchers in any way. This post main contain affiliate links, if you make a purchase using one of these links this blog may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Berry cobbler - 2 WW points

When it's 2 smart points, I always have room for dessert.

This berry cobbler uses a variation of the fabulous 2-ingredient dough where you add an egg which gives you a fluffier dough. This dough topping isn't as buttery as a typical cobbler topping because, well, it doesn't contain any butter but it works pretty well for a lighter version of this summer dessert staple.

Fruit with sweetener and flour

This was one of my baking experiments using my new monk fruit sweetener. This is actually a blend of monk fruit & erythritol, which gives it the same sweetness as sugar so you can use it to bake at a 1:1 ratio, which is convenient! You can use another sugar replacement or real sugar if you prefer, but this will impact the point count of the recipe.

You can use any kind of fruit you would like, either fresh or frozen. I used mixed frozen berries and added some extra blueberries because I didn't have quite enough. For the 4 cups of fruit needed, I used more than whole 16 oz bag of frozen fruit. If you use frozen fruit, you need to thaw it first.

Ingredients

cooking spray

Fruit, all mixed up!

Filling:
4 cups of fruit, chopped, thawed if necessary
1/4 cup of flour (doesn't need to be self-rising, but can be)
4 tsp Lakanto Monkfruit sweetner

Topping:
1 cup self-rising flour
1 egg
1/4 cup of Lakanto Monkfruit sweetner
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 10in square baking dish with cooking spray. Mix fruit with 1/4 cup of flour and 4 tsp of Lakanto Monkfruit sweetner. Spread the mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Using a dough hook, blend all of the topping ingredients. If you don't have a dough hook, you can use a wooden spoon. Spread small amounts of the dough on top of the fruit mix, using your hands to flatten the dough. The dough doesn't need to fully cover the fruit.

Bake for 23-28 minutes until the dough has lightly browned on the top.

This recipe is 2 points for a serving on Weight Watchers Freestyle, one serving is 1/9 of the recipe. I normally like to cut the pan into servings but this is a little liquid-y for that, one serving was about 3/4 cup.

This blog is not affiliated with Weight Watchers in any way. Points were calculated in August 2018 on the Weight Watchers Freestyle program. This post main contain affiliate links, if you make a purchase using one of these links this blog may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

9 ways to use powdered peanut butter

Aldi's brand - SimplyNature

I'm still kind of in awe of powdered peanut butter. It is amazing to me that it has so few calories but still basically tastes the same as regular peanut butter. I found this magical substance, "astronaut peanut butter" as I like to call it, when I started Weight Watchers. It was quickly apparent that there wasn't room for full-fat peanut butter in my daily point plan.

There are bunch of different brands available including PB2, PBFit, PB Trimmed and TruNut and these come in a variety of flavors including chocolate, honey and salted caramel. I posted a taste test of all of the ones I have tried and will update it when I have tried more types!

If you have bought some but aren't sure to how to use it, here are all the uses I have come up with so far:

1) As peanut butter

Peanut butter toast and fruit dip!

This is the most obvious way but really, when mixed with water you will barely notice the difference.
I prefer PBFit for "regular" peanut butter use. I put it on toast, in wraps and dip fruit in it.

2) For baking
You can replace up to half of flour in recipes with powdered peanut butter! This will make your recipes healthier by adding extra protein. It is also fewer Weight Watchers points than flour. You can try this in my black bean brownies, where I added it instead of flour to make them more cake-y. You probably can't replace all of the flour in regular recipes with the powered PB so you might need to experiment a little bit; I have had success replacing up to half of the flour without having to make other changes.

3) In smoothies

Drizzled on a banana crepe

Instead of using protein powder, you can add peanut butter powder to your smoothies to add extra protein. It can also make them peanut buttery, which is great with certain fruits like bananas. Blended fruit does have points on Weight Watchers, so keep that in mind.

4) As a dessert drizzle
Instead of indulging in something like chocolate sauce, you make a drizzle to put on top of your favorite dessert such as ice cream. To use it like this you want to mix it with water as normal but add a little more water until it's a thinner sauce consistency. I would start with an extra tsp of water and add 1/2 tsp increments after than until it's how you want it. Chocolate flavored versions are really good for this.

5) Add flavor to plain yogurt

Peanut sauce

Plain yogurt can be really boring, a little peanut butter powder can help to jazz it up. I would add about 2 Tb for 1/2 cup of yogurt. Try this with the chocolate, salted caramel or vanilla flavors for more variety.

6) Make peanut sauce
Especially if you are doing Weight Watchers, you need something to jazz up your daily chicken breast. Peanut sauce turns your boring chicken into chicken sate! Doesn't that sound exotic? Here is a recipe for you to experiment with.

7) Use it in high-protein peanut butter pancakes
This was one of the first ways I used powdered peanut butter. I bought some Krusteaz high-protein pancake mix and used some PBFit with it to make 2-point peanut butter pancakes.

8) Make these frozen PB pops
You can try out these frozen almond milk popsicle with this recipe from PBFit.

9) In oatmeal

After my original list of 8 ideas, I have since discovered that peanut butter powder is delicious in oatmeal. It's funny because I wouldn't think to put peanut butter in oatmeal normally but a little of the PB power (I just add a little extra of the water/milk/almond milk I'm using for my oatmeal and stir it in) is amazing. I also suggest adding a few mini chocolate chips and cinnamon. It's basically dessert oatmeal.

This blog is not affiliated with Weight Watchers in any way. Points were calculated in July 2017 on the Weight Watchers Freestyle program. This post may contain affiliate links, if you make a purchase using one of these links this blog may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.