Weight Watchers Pinterest board

I've had the snuffles. Like half of you have I'd imagine. I wouldn't mind, but this is the third cold I've had so far in 2012, and I'm eating ALL THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. And a daily multi-vitamin. Last year however, when my diet was less than nutritious, I seemed to dodge every cold doing the rounds. Go figure.

Anyway, this is just a quick post to let you know about a Pinterest board I've created for Weight Watcher recipes, which you can find here.

It's a collaborative board, so if you want to add your finds to the board leave a comment on this post and I'll add you.




Are you a Pinterest addict?

Weight Watchers Porridge/Breakfast Oats, and Weigh In

So, the dreaded weigh in.

Actually I wasn't particularly dreading weigh in this week. I'd stuck to my daily ProPoints this week, squeezed in some exercise and upped my fruit and veg intake. Saturday wasn't the healthiest as we had dinner with friends, but then I guess that's what those weekly ProPoints are for.

I've lost 1lb, which I'm pleased with. That basically means that in theory I'll hit my target weight by the end of the year. Slow and steady wins the race (and fits into the cute dress)

One of the things that I've been enjoying this week, and has helped with reducing my daily ProPoints, is the Weight Watchers Porridge. I tend to have porridge a lot, either the sachet ones at home or those microwave pots at work. They're filling, but usually around 5-6 ProPoints.

The Weight Watchers Porridge is just 3 ProPoints, and because it's sweet you don't need to add much on top. I used a banana, but blueberries work really well too. To prepare it, just fill a large bowl with 150ml of cold water (I fill the empty packet up to where 'Breakfast Oats' starts if I don't have a measuring jug) and the Breakfast Oats. Pop it in the microwave for around a minute and a half (depending on the power), stir, then microwave for another minute.

A word of warning though:  Keep an eye on it when it's in the microwave. I didn't, and was left scraping it off the microwave when I misjudged the timing. Porridge in general is like the concrete of the food world, once it dries it won't budge.

What are your favourite low ProPoint finds this week?

The lazy 15 minute Weight Watcher curry

Don't you just love a lazy, quick recipe? One that means you can justify not having a takeaway when you're tired and tight for time?

I tend to have a few recipes up my sleeve that are quick and easy to cook when it's been a long day. Stir frys, fajitas and paellas all feature often, along with slow cooker meals and those handy roasting joints you can get in Sainsbury's that have just enough for two. But I haven't made a curry from scratch yet.

One of the products Weight Watchers sent me was a trio of curry pastes in handy little pots. Each packet contains two meat pots and one vegetable pot.

So, I gave the vegetable curry paste a try. Here's what I started with:

Ah, aren't camera phones the best? I really need to invest in a proper camera.

Anyway, this is what I started with: frozen veg (best invention ever for fat fighters), and the little pot of veg paste. You can do it with fresh veg but..well, it'll take longer than 15 minutes.

Throw it all in a hot pan sprayed with oil. Keep stirring it until the veg has defrosted. You might want to add a little water to stop it burning. Then throw in the pot of paste and continue to stir. The instructions suggest you might want to add more water if you want more of a sauce, but I found it was the perfect consistency for me.

(I ended up throwing in some wafer thin chicken for a bit of added protein, but it would be lovely if you threw in most leftover meats, or just on its own.)

Throw it in a bowl, and get munching. It's got a kick to it, so you might want to keep a drink at your side.

Overall, this couldn't have been easier - and it really was tasty. It's not the prettiest dish, but the flavours made up for it. The whole thing was about 8 ProPoints (the same as a Weight Watcher frozen chicken curry), and really filling. I think there's probably a lot of potential for versatility with this dish too.

What's your go-to dish for a quick dinner?  

p.s I've added a Disqus comment system, so it should be easier to comment if you want to.

Here we go again - Weight Watchers 2012

Gosh, that last post was very whingy, wasn't it? Let's draw a line under that eh? It's a new year and I'm back on WW.

A lot of things have changed in the last year. I got a part-time job next to my freelance work (at a Student Union, so I'm surrounded by student food...) bought a house with my boyfriend Peter....and then on Christmas Day he proposed.

What better weight loss motivation does a girl need than a wedding dress?

So, since January I've been back on the Weight Watchers plan, and for the first time so is Peter. Which is great, as we're not going out as much (perks of buying a home), being more sensible about cooking choices and encouraging each other.

January was good, and we both lost about half a stone (er, half a stone I'd put on over Christmas. Mince pies are little pastry shells of evil.)

February was a bit of a blip (we both were seriously overworked and had family birthday meals out), so we didn't lose anything.

March so far is going really well, especially as Weight Watchers got in touch to see if I fancy trying out some of their new products, along with their new cookbook. We've got into a habit of cooking certain meals each week, so it's nice to have something to shake things up again.

Here's what they've sent me:

It includes:

• A pack of Weight Watchers Peach and Pear fruit pots (which I'm eating right now).
• A pack of Weight Watchers  Authentic Curry Pastes (Get. In. My. Belly) 
• A pack of Weight Watchers Garlic and Herb Bag 'n' Bake (looking forward to trying that one)
• Weight Watchers Cappuccino Sachets (I don't drink coffee and try to avoid caffeine products, but my mum will love these)
• A box of Weight Watchers Original Breakfast Oats (Lower in points than the porridge pots I've been taking to work - only 3)
• A pack of Weight Watchers Mediterranean Sauce (Lovely for summer!) 
• The latest Weight Watchers magazine
• A Weight Watchers cookbook - Members' Favorites. I really want to try the Mashmallow and Squash brownies, and Peanut Buttery and Banana Bread Pudding in this!

I'll be blogging about how I'm doing, and what I think of these products (and what the fiance thinks) up until our wedding next April.

I'd love to hear how you're all doing though! Is everyone used to the ProPoints plan now? Any tips? Let me know in the comments.

p.s I discovered Sainsbury's do individual bags of frozen fruit, designed especially for smoothies straight from the freezer. Fruit always goes bad in my fridge/kitchen (especially as Peter doesn't eat much fruit or veg), so I'm chuffed with this find. Lazy? Yes. Improve my fruit intake? Yes!

p.p.s Weight Watchers seems to have a YouTube channel with some great videos. Worth having a look for some recipes.