Tag Archives: Smart Swap

Peanut Butter “Ice Cream” Sandwich Cookies

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So every once in awhile I need something sweet…and creamy….and cold.  I decided to go in my way-back machine and pull out a recipe that made the rounds of Weight Watchers back when I did it the first time, the early 2000’s.

Basically you put cool whip between two graham crackers and froze it.  Trust me at the time this was about the best thing ever invented because it was like a point or two if I remember correctly.

Times and tastes change, and as I’ve gotten older a little frozen cool whip doesn’t exactly cut it, and those graham crackers are way more points then they used to be.

I’m also a peanut butter addict.  Did I ever tell you that?  I could sit and just eat peanut butter out of the jar.  I love it that much.

So I decided to replace the graham crackers with Pizzelle cookies, and Italian waffle cookie that is a bit more Smartpoint friendly.  They are also way better in my opinion.  And bigger…lol

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Weigh in 6-10-17, Stages of Weight Loss, and Popsicles oh my

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So weigh in went well this week, I lost 2.8, pushing me over that 45 pound loss mark.  Yeah!  Thirteen pounds left to goal!  I can’t even believe it!

Speaking of that 45 pound mark, I have found that there are certain stages of weight loss.  Let me illustrate them for you with my dear friend Oprah:

  • stagesof2

I’ve been getting the “but you are wasting away” comments.  The “you don’t want to get to thin” comments.  I’m a 10/12 right now so I most certainly am not wasting away or to thin thankyouverymuch.

I see a lot of people in that under 20 pound range that have hurt feelings because no one has noticed, and I’m here to tell you a story that will make you feel better.

I had a friend that I hadn’t seen in awhile and I commented on how she had lost weight and looked great.  She hadn’t.  Maybe it was the outfit, maybe it was because I hadn’t seen her in a long time, but she hadn’t lost weight and demanded to know if she looked fat before.

Uh…Uh…yeah awkward to say the least.  So asking people if they lost weight ranks up there with asking someone if they are pregnant.  Unless I am positively sure, or if they mention it, I do not say a word.  Not. A. Word.

And make sure you enjoy that 20-30 pound stage.  It’s about the only time someone won’t be critical of you!

I also wanted to share with you an easy swap for pudding pops with low smartpoints since it is hotter than the seventh layer of hell today.

It’s so easy.  You just make your sugar free/fat free pudding and pour them into Popsicle molds.  Freeze.  That’s it.

sugar

I normally use my metal mold from amazon.

You can find them anywhere, I just like the way the metal ones come out.  I have a set of plastic ones that I don’t like as well, but they do the trick!  I think I found them at Target in their clearance bin, so keep an eye out!

pop2

You can even do cool stuff like put fruit in them!  The picture above used vanilla pudding with strawberries and it was delicious!

So get creative and beat the heat without breaking your smartpoint balance!  Mine usually come out to about 2 points a pop, which for a dessert/ice cream like item is awesome!

Click here to view my disclosure statement.

Fettuccine Alfredo Lightened Up

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For me there are two dishes that are my go to comfort foods.  The Queen Fettuccine Alfredo and the Queen Mother homemade baked Mac and Cheese.  I’ve seen a couple of different recipes for Fettuccine Alfredo that cut back on the Smartpoints using laughing cow cheese, but they were missing something.

I don’t play when it comes to my Alfredo.

Even before Weight Watchers there was a product I had to ban from my home because my ass was expanding at an alarming rate and I just wanted to eat it all the time.

alfredobottle

This product easily makes an awesome Alfredo sauce – and it does it easily.  I found that if I had it in my house I could have one of my favorite comfort foods in no time, so I stopped ordering it.

Then Weight Watchers happened, and once I felt secure enough I ordered some more to see if I could use it without all the butter and higher smartpoint ingredients.

I started this blog because of Weight Watchers Connect.  I’d post pics of my recipes and people would want the recipe, and on Connect you can only post on your phone.  I didn’t want this site to become a walking advertisement for my business, I already have a community for that, and I always try to put substitutes in so people can get the ingredients they need from the grocery store.

I don’t know if there is a sub for this one though.  I’ve never used a powered mix for Alfredo before, but you could try it.  You could also try the recipe without any powered mix at all, but it is so much better with it!

This makes 5 7 smartpoint servings.  9 if you add the chicken.  I’ll tell you this now, it does not reheat well but never fear!  Cut the recipe by 1/5 to make a single serving (just go with one laughing cow wedge) and it comes out just as good to make enough for one!

Ingredients:

1 cup fat free milk
6 The Laughing Cow Light Garlic and Herb Wedges
2 tablespoons Wildtree Alfredo Extraordinaire
1/8 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
10 oz Carba-Nada Egg Fettuccine Noodles

Put a big pot of salted water on high heat for the noodles and bring to a boil.  In a separate sauce pan, add you milk and laughing cow wedges, stirring occasionally over medium until your wedges melt.  Whisk in your Alfredo powder and add your pepper and Parm.  Stir occasionally over low heat while you wait for your noodles to get done.

Once water is at a boil add your noodles and cook for 3-4 minutes.  strain, put back in the pot, and add your Alfredo sauce.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for a minute or so – until all the noodles are covered in sauce.

The chicken was just some left over chicken I had that I had marinated in roasted garlic grapeseed oil and our California style Garlic and Pepper blend. and baked.  You could use your favorite chicken recipe if you’d like to add meat.

You get about a cup and a half a serving, or you can weigh it and it comes to about 2 1/2 ounces per serving.  7 smartpoints!  That’s it!  Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo is like 56 smartpoints and your first born child!

Is this as good as Olive Garden?  No, but it’s damn good and stands on it’s own!

If you’d like to try Wildtree products you can visit my site here.

Click here to view my disclosure statement.

Smart Swap – Tzatziki Sauce

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When I am trying to keep my weight in check my problem isn’t with my meals – I love healthy food.  Like when I was a kid I used to cry if we didn’t have salad.  Yeah, I was a weird freakin’ kid and pretty much still am.

No, the fruits and veggies are not my problem but what is my problem are the things I add to those fruits and veggies.  Sugar, sauces, dressing….I love those too and they can sometimes be more calories then if you just had a flippin’ steak!

Tzatiziki Sauce is a Greek sauce that I keep in my fridge at all times!  It is made with Greek Yogurt, Dill, Cucumber, Garlic, and Lemon and it is delicious and flavorful.  It is a great sub for a lot of things, like marinades (FAB on chicken), veggie dip, and even salad dressing.  It adds a nice kick to sandwiches too.

I use the Wildtree seasoning blend when I make mine, which makes it easy and organic, but there are tons of blends out there in your local grocery store, or there are tons of recipes out there for it.  If you’d like to try the Wildtree blend you can click here.

It is literally 3 points for a whole cup!  2 tablespoons are ZERO and you can have up to 8 tablespoons for one point!

Cucumber toasts are awesome!  Use your favorite carbohydrate delivery device, add some sliced cucumber, Tzatiziki sauce, and maybe some olives – delicious and low smartpoints!

Smart Swap – A Love Letter to Bulgar Wheat

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Bulgar, Burghul, Bulghar….It’s spelled many different ways but this staple in my pantry is one of my very favorite foods.  I learned about Bulgar Wheat my first go round with Weight Watchers, back in 2002.  I didn’t even know it existed, but I joined to support my Armenian friend who was getting married.

To her family Bulgar was like potatoes to my family.  It was something they ate quite a bit.  This gem is a complex carb and can easily replace rice in most dishes.  White rice comes in at 7 Smartpoints a cup, and Bulgar at 4.

It fills you up big time, and takes on the flavor with a slight nutty tone to whatever liquid it is cooked in.  I would be hard pressed to eat a cup of this along with a meal, and that’s saying something as I am a champion at eating 🙂

You can find this in your International section of your local grocery store.  The store closest to my house didn’t carry it, so I recommended it and now they do.  I always use the course #3, as it is bigger and more rice like.  You will see this over and over in my recipes, because it is just that good!

Smart Swap – Turkey Sausage Links

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So normally I am not a huge fan of the substituting Turkey for everything to lower the points.  I’m not even a fan of Turkey, but I have acquired a new appreciation for it.

My Mother, God rest her soul, was one of the best cooks on the planet.  Okay so maybe no one knew that outside of our family and friends, but she was phenomenal in the kitchen.  Everything I know I learned from her.

Anyway the one thing that woman could not get right was Turkey.  Anyone remember that scene from the movie Christmas Vacation where they stick a fork in the Turkey and all the air comes out and it collapses because it was so dry?

Yeah, every Thanksgiving was like that and no one ever said a word.  We just gnawed on our Turkey Jerky like it was the best thing ever because my Mama was not someone you messed with.  Ever.

I asked her about it after I was older, didn’t live with her, and was pretty sure she wouldn’t kill me.  Basically she was afraid of it being underdone and making someone sick.

So Turkey is not my favorite thing, but I’m coming to realize that as long as you don’t cook it with the fires from the seventh layer of hell it’s not bad.

I’ve tried several different turkey breakfast sausage things and Jimmy Dean has the best in my opinion.  I love love love (did I say love?) breakfast and at 3 Smartpoints for 3 links it saves my breakfast loving Weight Watcher heart every weekend!

Food Find – Tumaro’s Wrap

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Anyone who is doing Weight Watchers knows that 30 points is the lowest you can go, hence my blog name.  I’m not big on fake/artificial stuff, so swapping out things isn’t always easy for me.

The Tumaro Wrap is a lifesaver!  It is ONE POINT PEOPLE.  Not only is it one point, it is GOOD.  I won’t eat stuff just because it’s low in points, it has to be delicious too!

I found these at Meijer’s, and they have all different kinds.  I love the Chia seed one also.  This whole wheat one is my favorite for making little pizzas and sandwiches.  I’m going to have pizza later, so I’ll post it!

Smart Swap – Rice Rollers

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So I’m not a big fan of processed food.  Back in the day when Weight Watchers first started the “CORE” program it really changed the way I view food and how I eat.  Even after I fell of the wagon and was dragged for miles and miles I still ate a mostly whole food, cooked from scratch diet.

That being said, sometimes you just have to do a smart swap – swapping out a high point item for a more point friendly option.

Breakfast is a big deal for me.  I may have grown up in the Chicagoland area, but my family is from the south and skipping breakfast was not an option.  Ever.  Growing up that way I have to eat in the morning.

During my work days I always have the same thing.  1 cup of Kirkland Greek Yogurt (from Costco) mixed with one cup of blueberries, a dash of vanilla, and a drop of stevia extract.  That is 3 points, which is really good for that amount of food.  I’m a texture person though.  I have to have something besides mush, so I’d add 1/4 cup granola, which gave my breakfast a 4 point boost.

Now I have no problems having a 10 point breakfast on my days off, but during the week…when I don’t have time to cook and am going just for nourishment… Nope!

So I found these rice rollers while at Costco, and they save me 2 points.  Each rice roller is just 2 points.  I break it up into smaller chunks and add it to my yogurt.  I get the texture and it is really more filling.

Never mind that they kind of remind me of that Sugar Snap cereal from when I was a kid.  Oh yeah, they are delicious, something I never thought I’d say about a rice cake kind of deal!

You can find these at Costco sometimes.  It has been hit or miss for me so I started ordering from this link to Bamboo Lane Crunchy Rice Rollers: 3.5oz 8 Packs of 8 Rollers“>Amazon.  They have become to important in my daily routine to run out!

I’m hoping to have at least one Smart Swap a week, so be sure to check back!