[staja]

Hello WWers!

I am looking for some advice on some easy meals I can cook in advance for myself and freeze in single portions, with lower point values. I'm looking for some new ideas that are healthier than Lean Cuisines and easy enough for me to get over my kitchen fears. (I can bake anything under the sun, but show me a chicken breast, and I run screaming from the room, because I have no idea what to do with it!) Also, saving some money is another benefit I'm looking for!

I think my silliest question may also be, How do I find out the point value for my individual servings? Is it really as easy as putting all my ingredients into WW's recipe building and dividing it by the number of servings? In my old days, a lasagne would be 4 servings!

In addition, where is the best place to pick up an inexpensive food scale? The WW is $40, and has lots of features I don't really need.

Thank you!

[jillnicole03]

Hello Staja
I'm not on WW any longer, but I do cook for 1 most of the time and it's easier than it seems. Soup, and beans are an easy thing to make in large quanity and freeze. I also love making 'veggie wraps' which you can make and keep in a zip lock for when you want to eat them.

Crunchy Veggie Wraps:

4- 10in Wheat Tortillas
1/4 c Light Cream Cheese
1c Shredded Spinach
1/4c alfalfa sprouts
1/2c shredded red cabbage
1/2c sliced avocado
1/4c chopped tomatoes
1/2c diced cucumbers
2 tbsp finely diced red onion
sea salt & pepper to taste

Spread 1 tbsp of cream cheese on each tortilla. Sprinkle an even amount of the remaining ingredients on each wrap and roll up.


I personally picked up my food scale at a thrift store. It's real basic. Look online and see if you can compare some prices

[g35]

Have you tried something like Chilli? I make mine in a crockpot, but you can easily simmer on the stove for an hour. You can then divvy it up easily into individual containers and freeze.

I put all my recipes into the recipe builder and then determine the number of servings to obtain the number of points. It really is the best feature of the online tool! I have found that if something I typically make has too many points for my liking, I start changing the recipe a bit (using less EEVO, leaner cuts of meat etc) or just reduce the serving size to get the points per serving I can live with. But then I make sure I do stick to that particular serving size :-)

[Institches21]

WW has a Recipe thread here, lots of great recipes. I also like to look up traditional recipes and skinny them up a bit. I do have a few recipes, but I will need to post them tomorrow, I need to get to bed.

[philadelphiab]

One of my favorite hot lunches is this:

One medium red potato, cooked in microwave while I am drinking my coffee in the morning.-1pt
one cup of frozen spinach or broccoli-0pts
one quarter cup reduced fat grated cheese-2pts

Put the potato in the bottom of the container top with frozen veggies and cheese with salt, pepper, garlic or adobo to taste. By lunch time the veggies are thawed so just 3 minutes in the microwave and you have lunch! for 3 points! You can always add 2 fat free hotdogs cut up for 1.5 points more or a couple of oz of cooked chicken breast for 2 pts.

This is a satisfying a delish lunch...does not feel like "diet food".

A friend of mine does a similar lunch with one c. ww pasta, roasted veggies and parmesan cheese. But this is a little more involved and she makes her lunches on Sunday. She quarters roma tomatoes, cuts up summer squash, zucchini, peppers (whatever sounds good) puts them in the oven with a little evoo and roasts for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile she cooks the pasta. In the containers go 1 cup pasta, roasted veggies and 1/4 cup parm...for a grand total of about 6-7 points.

I hope this helps....hmmm I think I am going to put a potato in right now!
-Phil

[philadelphiab]

I just thought of a couple of other things you can add if you want to the stuffed potato. 1Tbsp light sr cream for .5. 1 1/2 tsp of smart balance margarine 1 pt or same amt of smart balance light margarine for .5.

[JennyG]

I bought my food scale at walmart, very basic, 9.97... and then there is another I bought from Superstore maybe, digital one, measures in ounces and grams... 19.99, just a suggestion.

[Institches21]

staja These two I got at my WW meeting, they both can be made in the crockpot then put in ziplocs and freeze up nice.

Cheese Soup- 1pt for a cup
2- 16oz bags of frozen broc/califlower
2- 14-15oz cans tomatoes
1- 32oz can ckn broth
10oz velvetta 2%
Red Pepper flakes-if you like spice if not leave out

Put all ingred, in crock pot on low-6-8hrs, then once veggies are mushy, you will need to put in a blender or mash by hand, leave some chunky if you like your soup that way. Once you puree your soup, divide into 1cup servings
makes 16cups
*********************
WW Hearty Chili
10oz ground turkey
med onion diced
2 green peppers
2 14oz cans tomatoes
1 15oz can kidney or black beans
32oz beef broth
4 celery stalks diced
1 packett of chili seasoning
2med yellow squash
2med zuccinni

Saute turkey, onion and green peppers until meat is browned, Add this and everything but the yellow and green squash. Cook on low for 6-8hrs, 30mins before you are ready to eat, shredded or chop your squash and add to chili, just need to heat up the squash. Makes 10cups

[Arlene Dallas]

Hi Staja,I cook for two but I make everything in bulk so we have leftovers for lunch the following day and I am a huge user of my crockpot, especially in the cold months. I make a lot of chiles, soups and stews and they freeze beautifully. I have recipes for about 40 WW soups that range in points from 0 to 2 per serving. I also poach about 1.5 to 2 pounds of chicken breast each Sunday that we use throughout the week in salads, quesadillas, ff tortilla pizzas, etc. I am making blackened catfish for tonights dinner but I have made enough for lunch tomorrow and enough oven roasted potates and grilled asparagus to make it through another couple meals.