Weight Watchers Recipes

The Flex Plan

This is the original Weight Watchers diet plan.
Under this plan, participants are assigned a set number of points to consume per day based on their current weight.
The number of points allowed may be increased with exercise.
The “Flex” part of the plan is that several additional points are allotted (which is not based on weight) that can be used or not used during the week.

The Core Plan

Weight Watchers has recently developed a separate plan, known as the Core Plan.
This plan classifies certain types of food as “core“, and permits participants to eat core foods with the restriction that they should only eat these foods “until satisfied, not full”.
Core foods are a list of healthy foods from all the food groups, including fruits, vegetables, fat free dairy, lean meats, and whole grains.
Non-core foods are assigned the usual point values, and participants are given an allottment of 35 non-core points that they can eat in a week.

The Turnaround Plan

The TurnAround Program (introduced in August 2004) incorporates the Points and Core food plans, but is also intended to assist people with developing an overall healthy lifestyle.
The program includes healthy food intake, and also includes following 8 Good Health Guidelines, activity and member support.
Members are able to not only reach their weight loss goals, but to make permanent changes to support lifetime weight management.

Other Plans

In countries other than the United States (Australia, New Zealand and the UK), the plan names and specifics differ. There are generally two base plans, one built around the POINTS system, and another around a limited group of allowed foods.

Minestrone is a traditional Italian soup that is very thick and contains a variety of vegetables, and often also meat, pasta or rice.

There are probably as many minestrone recipe variations as there are cooks. Here’s one made with beef roast (of course, you can experiment with other types of meat and/or vegetable combinations).

Weight Watchers Minestrone Soup recipe
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
1 lb boneless beef roast, cut into small cubes
2 quarts water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup frozen green beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup small shell pasta

Preparation
1. In a soup pot, put beef and the next 9 ingredients.
2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Add tomatoes and sauce, simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add green beans, kidney beans and pasta.
5. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often until pasta is tender (about 8 minutes).

WW POINTS per serving: 4
Nutritional information per serving: 226 calories, 5.4g fat, 4.6g fiber

This shrimp balls recipe is an easy to make appetizer that can be very popular at cocktail parties.

But be careful - just because one ball has 0 points doesn’t mean that ALL balls have 0 points!

Weight Watchers Shrimp Balls recipe
Makes 30 balls

Ingredients
1 lb fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 slice bread, crusts removed,soaked in water and squeezed before using
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sherry wine
4 water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 cup cold water
vegetable oil, for frying

Preparation
1. Wash shrimp and dry well with a paper towel.
2. Chop or grind shrimp very fine; put into a bowl; add bread, salt, egg, cornstarch, sherry and water chestnuts; stir vigorously 1 minute until well mixed.
3. Dip a teaspoon into the cold water, then dip spoon into shrimp paste and scoop out enough to form a ball the size of a walnut; repeat this dipping process with each ball, it will prevent sticking.
4. Heat the oil to 375°, and as you’re dipping, drop in the balls and fry for about 2-3 minutes, turning halfway through.
5. Do about 4-5 at a time, if you try to do more the oil temperature will drop too much and your balls will be greasy!
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Serve hot with any sauce of your choice.

WW POINTS per ball: 0
Nutritional information per ball: 40 calories, 0.7g fat, 1.8g fiber

An article from The Indian Express writes about the Weight Watchers diet plan, listing some of its advantages:

• Freedom to choose from a variety of regular foods accompanied by sound advice. Every food item is assigned points and one is required to adhere to the points assigned for the day.
• One can even eat out.
• The company’s medical advisory board comprises of a team of experts who guide the plan.
• Weekly group meetings and weigh-ins provide a support system
• Guidelines for exercise given. Physical activity of all kinds earns points which one can spend on food or leave unused.
• There is no need for supplements or diet pills.

You can read the rest of the article here.