Weight Watchers - Week 18

Easy Chili - 8 points (1/4 recipe using 4 cups of cooked beans and 1/2 lb. lean ground beef).  Crumble and brown the ground beef, adding 1 cup of chopped onions and 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic for the last few minutes, cooking until onion is translucent (I usually do this in the same pan I will use for the chili). Add 4 cups of beans and a regular sized can of chopped or diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, and salt to taste.  Use any kind or combination of beans, canned or cooked from dried beans. Simmer for at least 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to meld.  Serve with corn tortillas (3 points for 2 tortillas) or multi-grain crackers (1 point per cracker). Add-ons for family could be cornbread, tortilla chips, toppings such as shredded cheddar cheese or sour cream, and/or dessert.

Crockpot Pork Chops & Potatoes 9 points (1/4 recipe using 1 lb of boneless chops and 4 medium red potatoes).  This is a good recipe for a make-ahead dinner in a slow cooker.  Serve with a salad with reduced fat dressing (2 points for 2 tablespoons) or a selection of raw fruits and/or veggies.  Add-ons for family could be additional potatoes, bread, potato salad, and/or dessert.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken - 8 points (4 oz. of chicken breast or one drumstick with skin).  This recipe is written for wings, but it works equally well with other parts of the chicken.  To see another take on it using drumsticks, check out this post.  To keep the points down, serve with 1/2 cup rice (3 points), roasted veggies, a salad with reduced fat dressing (2 points for 2 tablespoons dressing), or a fruit salad with no dressing.  Add-ons for family could be crusty bread, potato salad, coleslaw, mac 'n cheese, and/or dessert.

Nicoise Salad Wraps - 5 points (per wrap, 1 tablespoon dressing per wrap).  Use a good quality canned tuna packed in water. This is an interesting take on the classic Nicoise salad, and if your lettuce leaves are big and sturdy enough, you can eat them out of hand.  Otherwise, serve with a knife and fork. This a complete meal in itself and doesn't need a side dish, so there is plenty of room in the point total to eat two.  Add-ons for family could be crusty bread and/or dessert.

Black Bean and Couscous Salad - 10 points (1/4 recipe, leave out the oil - you won't even miss it).  Fast and easy, and a complete meal in itself.  Add-ons for family could be a meat entree, bread, and/or dessert.

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Soup - 5 points. This is a hearty soup (or maybe closer to stew) loaded with veggies and so low in points that you can add a slice of crusty bread (4 points for 2 oz.) for dunking. You won't need any sides with this one!  Add-ons for family could be extra bread and/or dessert.