Weight Watchers, Week Four

All of the recipe links I am posting on these weekly posts can be found on my "Weight Watchers" page in my Pinterest account (Mary Pendley).

Mustardy Chicken - 10 points (3 oz of chicken). To eliminate 3 points, fry or bake after spraying with Pam, but I like the taste much better when fried in oil (3 tablespoons per recipe).  This is a family favorite I have been making for years, and even kids who are picky eaters usually like it.  It freezes well, and makes great sandwiches.  When I was still working, it was one of my go-to lunches to take with me. Serve with salad or veggie side dish.  Add ons for family could be rice or potatoes, bread, and/or dessert.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin - 3 points (4 oz) plus from 1-4 points for the marinade.  Buy the unmarinated tenderloin and make your own marinade.  The recipe link gives you several homemade ones to choose from.  Serve with a small baked potato (4 points) and 2 tablespoons light sour cream or crumbled feta cheese (2 points).  Add a salad with a squeeze of lemon juice instead of dressing or a no-point veggie side dish.  Add ons for family could be bread, mashed potatoes, dressing for the salad, and/or dessert.

20 Minute Beef & Broccoli - 3 points (4 oz meat).  Serve with 1/2 cup white or brown rice (3 points). Add ons for family could be bread, additional rice, and/or dessert.

Shrimp Etouffee - 5 points (6 oz of shrimp). Serve with 1/2 cup white or brown rice (3 points). A Cajun classic that is actually not all that complicated. A salad with reduced fat dressing (2 points) would make a good side.  Add ons for family could be a good crusty bread, cornbread, and/or dessert.

Photo courtesy of goodcheapeats.com

Rice and Black Bean Salad - 7 points (1/8 of recipe). When I make this again, I will double the cumin and up the amount of lime juice. I made this for the Dream House moms and staff on one of the days that I cooked for them. The chairman of the Board of Directors for Maia Moms joined us for lunch, although somewhat reluctantly because he said I only cooked "healthy stuff".  He took a very small portion, just to be polite, but then went back and helped himself to a much larger amount.

Slow Cooker Southwest Taco Soup - 8 points.  It would be easy to cut the point total down for this soup if you cut both the butter and the ground beef in half.  By doing that, you would leave plenty of room to add toppings such as cheddar cheese and/or sour cream.  Add ons for the family could include toppings such as cheddar cheese, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and/or good crusty bread.