Almond and Coconut Balls

This is a delicious no bake treat that you can make quickly and easily and is sure to impress your guests.




Weight Watchers Pro-points/Points Plus: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Almond Flour (Almond meal)
• 1 cup shredded Coconut
• 4 Tablespoons Maple Syrup or Agave Syrup
• 1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract *Optional
• Dark Chocolate **Optional for dipping

Method:

1. Add all ingredients into a bowl
2. Mix thoroughly until a dough forms
3. Roll into evenly sized balls and refrigerate to set
4. If you would like you can dip these in some melted dark chocolate.

Enjoy!

Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto

This is a great recipe, its filling and delicious and it doesn't leaving you feeling heavy. This is a great meat free recipe that is great for Vegetarians and Vegans, or just anybody wanting a meat free meal. This serves 4 people as a main meal or 8 as a side dish.

Ingredients -

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Onion finely chopped
1.5 cups chopped Asparagus spears
1.5 cups Mushrooms sliced
1.5 cups Arborio Rice
4 cups Chicken Flavored Stock or Vegetable stock
Salt - to taste

Method -

1. Saute` Vegetables in olive oil over medium heat until they are softened (do not allow to brown)
2. Add rice and saute` for 1-2 minutes (also, do not allow to brown)'
3. Add 1 cup of vegetable stock and stir regularly until stock is absorbed.
4. Add another cup of  stock, continue to stir.
5. Continue adding stock in 1 cup addition and regularly stirring until rice is cooked through
6.You may need a little more or a little less than 4 cups.
7. When the rice is cooked, serve immediately.

The regular stirring releases starches in the rice that produce a thick and creamy sauce that bathes each rice grain. With a little effort you can create a delicious and healthy meal that is kind on the budget and the body.

If you are following the Weight Watchers plan this meal is only 7 Pro-points (Points Plus) per serve.

Enjoy!!

Banana Bread

This is a delicious and might I add a healthy banana bread. At only 4 pro-points a serving you can enjoy your cake and eat it too! Many Banana breads are high in pro-points and usually have a lot of both sugar and oil, this one doesn't and it doesn't contain any animal fats either.  With only a few ingredients that you are sure to always have on hand this is a great recipe to have in your box.  I really recommend trying it out, it's really tasty and even those who aren't watching what they eat are sure to be big fans!

Ingredients:

• 225 gm All Purpose Flour
• 100 gm Brown Sugar
• 4 medium Bananas, mashed
• 75 gm Vegetable oil
• 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1.5 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
• 1.5 teaspoons Mixed Spice
• 50 gm roughly chopped Walnuts *Optional

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

1. Mix Flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice together until well combined. 

2. Mix mashed bananas, brown sugar and vegetable oil together until well combined. 

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don't over mix or else your bread will become tough)

4. Mix in chopped nuts, until just mixed through 

5. Place in a greased and lined loaf tin and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for a further 40 minutes (if the bread is becoming over brown on top place a piece of aluminium foil on top to stop this from happening)

6. Wait for it to cool and enjoy!

Snack Time Treats

 

So I thought I'd share some great snacks that I have while I'm at work!

I have a desk job so lots of daytime activity apart from walking the 20 steps to our office printer is rare. If it's not busy in the office I can go on a walk, which I welcome!

Each day I try and pack a nutritious lunch and snacks that will keep me going all day, so that there is no 3pm slump!

I find that have lots of high fibre and high protein snacks on hand that they keep me feeling full and I never get ravenously hungry.

Today I have:

Carrot and Celery Sticks
Tuna Dip
2 boiled Eggs
Diabetic friendly Date Slice

Have a great day :)

Chicken Marsala

This is a lovely chicken dish, that you can serve for dinner and no one will know that it's Weight Watchers, so that whole family can sit down and enjoy a dinner that is good for them. I served this with peas that I stewed with a small amount of onion and chicken stock, and mashed potatoes that I made using low fat canola spread, and skimmed milk.

 

Ingredients:
880gms Lean Skinless Chicken Breast
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon low fat canola spread
1 large onion, sliced
1 tablespoon Plain/All purpose flour
250mls Marsala Wine
1 cup Chicken stock
1 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped.

Meat Pie

This is a very delicious and not to mention healthy alternative to the classic fat laden meat pie! It's quick and easy to make and boy does it taste oh so good!

This makes 4 Servings and each serve has 7 Pro-points. 

Ingredients:
1 large Onion sliced
400g lean beef mince
1 cup of Beef Stock*
2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
2 tablespoons Cornflour
8 Sheets of Filo Pastry**

*I usually use chicken stock when making this recipe
 ** The original recipe called for low fat puff pasty but I reduced the pro-points/points plus even further by making this with filo pastry instead. 

Banana and Cinnamon Smoothie

This is a simple and delicious on the go breakfast. I have a blender that makes single servings, so in the mornings or when I need something that will satisfy me for hours I make this. It tastes great and really fills you up, best of all it's only 2 pro-points per serving!

Ingredients:
1 Banana, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup Skim Milk
1/2 cup low fat Vanilla Yoghurt*
1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

*I use low fat unflavored yoghurt