Category Archives: Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes

The Frittata

Breakfast, Dinner Ideas, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Side, Vegetables December 6, 2025 Leave a comment

Eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner, did you know that every part of the egg is edible, even the shell. Ground egg shells are sometimes used as a food additive to deliver calcium. Although egg color is a largely cosmetic issue, with no effect on egg quality or taste, I am fortunate enough to live among farmers and ranchers who have hens that lay blue, green, pink, brown and white eggs, Easter eggs all year round. These eggs are the freshest and I believe taste about as good as an egg can taste. Regardless of where you get your eggs, they are versatile and healthy. This recipe is a basic recipe for a baked Frittata, you can use your favorite vegetables and cheese to make it totally your own recipe. A tossed salad and a slice of frittata for dinner is a complete meal.

Spray a deep pie plate, 11”x5” 7” oven proof dish, or muffin cups with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350F.

Ingredients

  • 5 eggs & 3 egg whites
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
  • Dash of salt
  • Dash of pepper
  • 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

Directions for Egg Mixture

  1. Beat all ingredients together
  2. Mix egg mixture with you choice of vegetables and cheese
  3. Bake in a preheated 350F. oven for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Add-in Ingredients in ½ cup increments, up to 1-1/2 cups

  • sautéed

Oven Roasted Bok Choy

Dinner Ideas, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Salads, Side, Vegetables November 14, 2025 1 Comment

bok choy1I received three baby Bok Choy, also known as Chinese cabbage in my Bountiful Basket (a local food co-op) today. I was stumped as to how I was going to prepare them since I have only eaten this cabbage in stir fry or marinated. I decided to experiment tonight with an oven cooked bok choy.

A little about boc choy that you may not know; this vegetable contains glucosinolates. These compounds have been reported to prevent cancer in small doses, but, like many substances, can be toxic to humans in large doses, particularly to people who are already seriously ill. Cultivated in China since ancient times, bok choy is found in soups and stir-fries, appetizers and main dishes. Bok choy’s popularity comes from its light, sweet flavor, crisp texture and nutritional value. Not only is bok choy high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium, but it is low in calories.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

  • 1 baby Bok Choy
  • Olive Oil
  • 4 cloves of fresh garlic, grated or chopped very fine
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bok Choy

Bok Choy

  • Remove outer leaves if they look torn or bruised, or just cut short with scissors.
  • If leaves are overly long you can trim them with scissors, otherwise leave long, they will crisp up when cooked.
  • Wash with cool water and drain and dry on paper towels.
  • Slice the Bok Choy lengthwise into 4 quarters leaving the stem on each piece to hold leaves together.
  • Drizzle with olive oil, rub the olive oil into the leaves
  • Grate the garlic cloves and spread all over the Bok Choy and into the leaves
  • Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese
  • Place on a flat baking sheet covered with aluminum foil – do not use a pan with a lip, you want them to roast not steam.
  • Bake in 350 F. oven for 20 minutes, turn over and let bake for another 5 minutes
  • Be careful not to overcook, the Bok Choy should be crisp tender, at this point you can cut into chunks and serve or drizzle with a good quality balsamic vinegar and serve.

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Cucumber Salad

Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Salads, Side, Weight Watcher Friendly November 6, 2025 Leave a comment

Cucumber Salad

Cucumber Salad

My mom used to make a variation of this cucumber salad when I lived at home. Made with a vinegar/sugar combination, its finish is fresh, sweet, light, and full of flavor. This is perfect at a barbecue with hamburgers and hot dogs,  and goes perfect with pork, or chicken. A refreshing summer salad.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 large cucumbers
  • 2 sliced scallions or thinly sliced sweet onion
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh, minced parsley
  • Bunch of fresh Basil, chopped fine (Optional)
  • 1 tsp fresh minced dill (Optional)
  • 3 tablespoons of white vinegar and water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Mix the sugar, vinegar and water together and let sit
  2. Peeling your cucumber is optional, I prefer to leave the skin on and wash it to remove any wax. Grate the cucumbers into paper thin slices.
  3. Slice scallions or red onion
  4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
  5. Stir in vinegar mixture. Stir
  6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy, eat healthy

Chocolate and Banana Wontons

Dessert, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Weight Watcher Friendly, Wonton Wrappers November 6, 2025 Leave a comment

Chocolate Banana Wontons

Chocolate Banana Wontons

What a tasty dessert.  Use good quality dark chocolate chips and enjoy. The time-honored combination of sugar-sweet bananas and creamy chocolate provide the filling for this mouthwatering dessert.

Serves: 6

Chocolate and Banana Wontons

Ingredients

  • 2 spray(s) butter flavor cooking spray
  • 1 large banana(s), diced
  • 6 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
  • 24 item(s) wonton wrapper(s), half of a 12 oz package
  • 1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

  1. In a medium bowl, combine banana and chocolate chips; mix gently.
  2. Place wonton wrappers on a flat surface.
  3. Drop banana mixture by teaspoonfuls onto center of each wrapper.
  4. Moisten edges of wrapper with wet fingers, fold over one corner to make a triangle and press sides together to seal.
  5. Transfer filled wrappers to prepared baking sheet and coat surface with cooking spray.
  6. Bake until wontons are golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  7. Sift powdered sugar over wontons before serving.

Yields 4 wontons per serving.

Cooking Endive

Appetizers, Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Salads, Side, Vegetables May 7, 2014 Leave a comment

EndiveI received two little endives in my bountiful basket and wanted to do something special with them rather than just cut them up and add to my salad. I decided to cook them. Endive belongs to the chicory genus, which includes several similar bitter leafed vegetables. I am talking about the little bullet shaped endives, not the curly leaf or chicory. Endive is rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially in foliate and vitamins A and K, and is high in fiber. Endive has a bitter-sweet taste, actually I thought it was very savory, almost nutty. I served it up with my baby potatoes and flounder; it made a very filling side dish. Let your kids eat these little “boats” with their fingers. Make it fun.
endive2Here are a few suggestions on how to enjoy your endive:
1. Slice endive in half lengthwise; I kept the root end intact as it will hold the leaves together after sliced. I brushed both halves with olive oil, and sliced a fresh garlic clove into very thin slices and put the slices in between the endive leaves. I sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper, and a little garlic powder. I put my endive in my small oven with my potatoes at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. When I removed them from the oven I sprinkled some balsamic vinegar over them.

2. Slice your endives in half. Sprinkle cut side with kosher salt and pepper, and any other seasoning you might like. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy pan along with 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Place the endive halves cut side down in the pan, cook on medium-high heat until they are brown. Add ½ cup chicken broth and simmer until almost all liquid is gone. Remove from pan sprinkle with Kosher salt, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar
3. Brush sliced endive with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, a little Parmesan cheese and grill on the BBQ until lightly brown on both sides.

Spaghetti Squash

Dinner Ideas, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Vegetables, Weight Watcher Friendly March 15, 2014 Leave a comment

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

I made spaghetti squash tonight for dinner and instead of steaming it in the oven which is how I have always made it, I roasted the squash and it turned out fabulous. Spaghetti squash can be baked, boiled, steamed, and/or microwaved. It can be served with or without sauce, as a substitute for pasta. The seeds can be roasted, similar to pumpkin seeds (another treat). Spaghetti squash can range from ivory to yellow or orange in color. Its center contains many large seeds. When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash; when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti. Spaghetti squash contains many nutrients, including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene It is low in calories, averaging 42 calories per 1-cup (155 grams) serving. This fruit does not taste like spaghetti; it absorbs the flavor of whatever other ingredient you cook it with or serve it with. It is not only healthy, but gluten free as well.

Ingredients

  • 1 large spaghetti squash
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large Roma tomato finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh basil
  • ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  1. Using a large knife slice the squash in half, not lengthwise, it is too hard to get even slices, I slice it in half.
  2. Use a fork to remove the seeds and center strings.
  3. Drizzle the inside of the two halves with the olive oil, using a brush to be sure all surfaces have been coated.
  4. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and garlic powder all over the inside surface of the squash.
  5. Using an oven safe dish or pan place the cut ends of the squash down on surface.
  6. Bake in a 400 F. degree oven for 40 – 50 minutes or until the squash is soft and the strands pull up easily with a fork.
  7. Remove from the oven and fluff the squash with a fork, pulling the strands away from the sides – leave squash in shellspaghetti squash
  8. Turn oven onto broil
  9. Add the tomatoes and fresh basil to the fluffed squash and sprinkle each half with the mozzarella cheese.
  10. Place under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Recreating The Salad

Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Salads, Side, Weight Watcher Friendly September 23, 2013 Leave a comment

saladHow to build a salad for lunch or dinner

It never fails, when I sit down at work to eat my lunch someone will comment, your salad smells and looks so good, can I pay you to make one for me.  I allow time in the morning to make my lunch, which is usually ½ hour.  If you build your salad the night before do not add the lettuce or dressing, add that in the morning.  At lunch all I have to do is shake my container to distribute my dressing and eat. My unusual salads typically contain any and all leftovers from dinner during the week, things someone would not typically put in a salad, what I get is a plethora of wonderful vegetables marinating in a dressing of:

Dressing:

  • A sprinkling of kosher salt,
  • A dash of pepper,
  • A sprinkle of garlic powder,
  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil,
  • 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or wine vinegar

 Directions:

I mix all of my vegetables and the dressing together and then add my layer of dry salad greens on top, about 2 cups. I do not mix my lettuce into the dressing as the greens will wilt by lunch time. There is no right or wrong ingredient to add to a salad, I have mixed fruit and vegetables. Things you can add to a salad include the following, canned, frozen or fresh:

Cucumber, shredded cabbage, chives, sliced leek, scallions or sliced onion, jarred roasted red pepper, olives, 1/2 sliced avocado, sliced or quartered mushrooms, left over vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, mixed vegetables, green beans, peas, canned artichokes, celery, canned beans, carrots, celery, beets, baby corn, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, quartered tomato, sun dried tomatoes, pasta, Pomegranate seeds, asparagus. I have sliced peaches, apples, oranges, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. and added them to my vegetables. What ever you love to eat.

For protein: A ¼ cup canned white beans, black beans or chick-peas, cheese, hard boiled egg, cooked chicken, left over pork, or beef,  If you use tuna or salmon, pack it in another container or plastic bag and add to your salad at lunch. Add walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds etc.  All you need is a 1/4 cup of any protein.

You can put anything you love to eat in a salad.  It is fresh, and filling and it is a meal.  I think the salad is underrated. Don’t eat a boring salad, get rid of the iceberg lettuce, buy a bag of mixed greens, spring mix or use fresh spinach.  Ditch the bottled salad dressing, the flavor of olive oil and balsamic vinegar is amazing and healthier.  Add chopped fresh basil and parsley to your dressing.  Create or rather recreate the healthy salad.  Make it your own – Enjoy!

*To steam fresh vegetables; add to a microwaveable container with a tablespoon of water and cook on high for 2 minutes, remove from microwave and add ice cold water to stop the cooking. Vegetables will be crisp-tender.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Appetizers, Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Soup, Vegetables, Weight Watcher Friendly September 20, 2013 Leave a comment

Roasted Tomatoes

Roasted Tomatoes

It is that time of year where tomatoes are in abundance especially on the East coast where I am from.  Here is a wonderful recipe for roasting your tomatoes, you can then use them in sauces, soups, gravies, appetizers or freeze them.  Try roasting cherry tomatoes for bruschetta. Roasting tomatoes brings out the sweetness in the tomato and just gives it a rustic, hearty flavor.

OVEN ROASTED TOMATOES

This recipe can easily be increased. The important thing is to use a baking dish or pan big enough so that you do not crowd the tomatoes. You want room between them for the moisture to escape, which will concentrate the tomato flavor.

If you use a metal pan, make sure it’s not aluminum or made of another material that might react with the acidic fruits.

 Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ tsp of sea salt or kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp of ground pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (throw some unpeeled whole garlic cloves in the pan to roast, you can squeeze the soft garlic out of the clove after the roasting and add to your favorite dish)
  • Fresh herbs; basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary – mix or add your favorite herb
  • 1 pound (450g) tomatoes, (8 small or 4 medium-sized)

 Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF
  2. Pour the olive oil into a shallow baking dish or pan and add the herbs and salt and pepper
  3. Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally, then use a sharp knife to remove the stems. (note: stems will come out easy after roasting)
  4. Toss the tomatoes with the oil and seasonings, lay them cut side down in the dish.
  5. Bake for two hours, or until the tomatoes are completely softened and wilted, and start to wrinkle. Depending on the tomatoes, they may take longer to cook.

    Storage: The tomatoes will keep for about five days in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen for up to six months.

Whoopie Pies

Dessert, Fun Stuff, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes May 16, 2013 Leave a comment

Whoopie Pies = 2WW points

Whoopie Pies

Whoopie Pies

18 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 cup fat-free milk
  • 3/4 cup marshmallow cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

  1. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
  2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the sugar, shortening and egg white in a medium bowl until fluffy and well blended (about 2 minutes).
  3. Stir in the flower mixture, then the milk until just blended.
  4. Drop the dough by spoonful’s onto large, ungreased baking sheets, making 36 cookies.
  5. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched (5-7 minutes).
  6. Cool completely on the sheets on a rack.
  7. Spoon 2 tsp marshmallow spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies.
  8. Top with remaining cookies.
  9. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Tortoni Frozen Dessert

Dessert, Fun Stuff, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes May 16, 2013 Leave a comment

Weight Watchers friendly with only 3 points per serving, great for the warmer weather when you are craving something cold.

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Tortoni Frozen Desserttortoni

 Ingredients

  • 9 reduced-fat Oreo cookies – divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons butter (melted)
  • 3 (3 1/2 ounce) fat-free vanilla pudding cups (snack packs)
  • 1/2 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Place paper or foil muffin cup liners in each of 6 muffin cups; set aside.
  2. Place 4 cookies in a zip-top plastic bag; finely crush cookies using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
  3. Combine cookie crumbs and butter; stir well.
  4. With a spoon, press cookie-crumb mixture evenly into bottom of each muffin cup liner.
  5. Place remaining 5 cookies in plastic bag, and coarsely crush.
  6. Combine 1/4 cup crushed cookies, pudding, whipped topping, and vanilla in a bowl; stir well.
  7. Divide pudding mixture evenly among prepared muffin cups.
  8. Top each evenly with remaining crushed cookies.
  9. Cover and freeze until firm.
  10. Store in freezer for up to a month
  11. Note: To serve, let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before serving, squirt fat free Cool Whip on top and enjoy.