Weight Watchers Recipe Review: Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Alien glop? Or mounds of meringue marvelousness?

Despite Teeny's best efforts, I made it into the kitchen for some meringue makin' this morning. They turned out very well. Perhaps too well. I kept hanging around the kitchen waiting for them to be done (two hours is a very long time).

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
1 point per cookie, makes 24

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, semi-sweet
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 200ºF and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form; gently fold in chocolate and vanilla.

Drop mixture by heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart, making 24 cookies.

Bake until lightly golden and no longer sticky on the surface, about 1 hour. Turn oven off and let cookies sit in oven for 1 hour. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Yields 2 cookies per serving.

Source: http://www.weightwatchers.ca/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=129171

Recommended?
Sorta. It was easy to make and yielded 24 cookies just like it said. I did make one small modification and that was to use parchment paper instead of cooking spray. Parchment paper releases cookies like a dream. Much simpler and cleaner, too.

As far as taste, they're crisp and chewy with a nice hit of real chocolate. Yum. However, as far as meringue recipes go, I'm sure there's lower point ones out there. If I make them again, I'll make smaller cookies to trick my brain into thinking I'm eating more per serving.

Recipe Review: Wholewheat Buttermilk Biscuits

I finally baked up a batch of Weight Watcher's Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits to have with my homemade freezer jam. Don't they look tasty? Pictures can be deceiving though. While tasty enough when straight out of the oven and smothered in blueberry-lemon jam, they get drier and harder the longer they sit.

I made the recipe using buttermilk (strangely, the recipe first calls for yogurt then buttermilk as a substitute) and found that the amount given was too much; the dough was overly wet. I had to add extra flour to make it rollable. This likely added to the toughness of the finished product.

I also noticed that the recipe was lacking salt. Now I'm no Martha Stewart when it comes to baking, but even I had to raise an eyebrow at the omission. As every biscuit recipe I've ever tried has salt added to it, I decided to add about 1/2 a teaspoon. If I make these again, I'll play with the amount and perhaps add a tich of baking soda as well.

Recommended if you have extra whole wheat flour, time to kill, and don't mind hardtack.

Preserving summer's freshness

BC Blueberries

I might go on and on about fall, but I must say that summer has a certain level of fondness in my heart. I just love all the fresh fruit, berries, and veggies at this time of year. I've been going to farmer's markets and buying locally produced food. It feels good to buy locally. The food hasn't travelled hundreds of miles, tastes fresher, lasts longer, and if that weren't enough, a local farmer gets income at the same time.

Freezer Jam
One of the things I've been doing with all the fresh food is making freezer jam. It's surprisingly very easy and the result is to die for. If you use freezer jam pectin, you don't need to put as much sugar into it. Points-wise, they're not too bad. Depending on the recipe, it can be as little as half a point for one tablespoon.

Here's some of the recipes I made recently:

• Raspberry-Peach Freezer Jam
• Blueberry Freezer Jam

The blueberry turned out the best. The the lemon flavour really comes through. Oh so yummy.


A batch of Blueberry Freezer Jam, cooling on the counter

And what's jam without a biscuit or scone to slather it on? I haven't tried these recipes from Weight Watchers yet, but plan to soon. They're low on points and look easy to make:

• Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
• Classic Scones

If you've never made freezer jam before, give it a try. It tastes extremely fresh; like summer in a bottle. They also freeze well up to a year.

Review: Slow Cooker Ropa Viejo

After spying a new crockpot recipe on my Weight Watcher's homepage, I had to try it: Ropa Viejo! Apparently, the name means "old clothes." Not very appetizing, hey? But it was very good nonetheless. It's also Core, which is always a bonus.


Ropa Viejo with mashed potatoes

To begin with, I halved the recipe because it makes a lot. Preparation was easy and took about 30 minutes the night before. My crockpot tends to cook fast, but leaving it for 10 hours didn't dry out the meat. The only other variation I made was substituting parsley for cilantro.

The result was as promised: a slightly spicy vinegary stew. I was worried it'd taste completely like vinegar, but it didn't; it just lent a small kick to it. I also raised an eyebrow over the inclusion of an apple, but it really added to the flavour and complemented the vinegar. The meat still tasted like typical "I've been stewed in a slow cooker all day" meat but I don't mind that. In fact, that's one of the things I love about crockpots!

Serving size is list as a 1 1/4 cups. However, I should mention that "stew" is not really an apt name for it. After cooking, it's mostly shredded meat with a bit of veggies and a small amount of liquid. As a result, I found one serving to be way too much meat for my taste. Instead, I measured out half a cup and served it over a similar amount of mashed potatoes. It made a relatively low-point and filling meal. Mr. Trim and I really enjoyed it.

I'll be making it again for sure but probably in the fall. Delicious but a bit too heavy for summer!

1-point Apple Cobbler

I love the internet. I typed in "applesauce graham crackers cool whip weight watchers" and immediately found a recipe using those ingredients. I'm reprinting it here because it's too good not to share and the website I found it on might disappear.

1-point Apple Cobbler

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 packet Splenda
2 tsp graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp fat-free Cool Whip

In small individual-sized bowl, mix applesauce, cinnamon and Splenda. Microwave on high for 50 seconds. Stir. Sprinkle crumbs over sauce and top with Cool Whip. Serve immediately.

If you use light Cool Whip as I did, unfortunately the points round up. Count it as 1.5 points in that case. Also, if you make your own crumbs, don't make them too fine or they'll fade into the sauce. Lastly, feel free to skip the Splenda. I've made it both ways and I prefer the non-Splenda version.

Warm comfort in a bowl.

Recipe Review: Easy Macaroni and Cheese

WeightWatchers.ca has been featuring a recipe for Easy Macaroni and Cheese on the Plan Manager home page for a few days now. I couldn't take the temptation any longer, so I decided to jazz up my evening by trying it out.

Since our low-fat cheese selection up here in Canada is pretty slim, the only reasonably close to low-fat cheese I could find was Kraft Cracker Barrel 2% Old Cheddar. I also used whole wheat pasta instead of regular. I recalculated the points value using these ingredients and came up with the same amount of points as listed.

The end result was a rather spicy, smooth and creamy macaroni and cheese. Though it didn't have the deep cheddar flavour of some of the other (full-fat) homemade recipes I've had before, it was still pleasantly cheesy and much better (both in taste and nutrition) than anything out of a box. If you don't like things spicy, ease up on the hot pepper sauce and don't use the pepper flakes. I added both and found it a bit too spicy for mac n' cheese.

Also, I don't really recommend the whole wheat pasta. I find that the whole wheat texture is more pronounced in smaller pasta shapes. Instead, I suggest using Catelli Smart Pasta. It tastes just like white pasta but has the fibre content of whole wheat.

All in all, pretty darned nummy and comforting. And because it was easy to make, too, the recipe is aptly named. Though I have to suspect the cheesy colour of their photo was enhanced after the fact. Mine looked more creamy-white than anything else.

Serving size is listed as 1 cup. I got slightly more than that but would say it's an accurate gauge. One serving is 6 points. 4 out of 5 stars. I'd make it again.

Review: Salsa Chicken

I tried out a new crockpot recipe the other day – Slow-cooker Salsa Chicken courtesy of Julie of New Start~New Life. All I can say is: YUM! Okay, I'll say a bit more. It was super easy to put together and the sauce was divine. I followed the recipe with a couple of modifications: I used Cream of Chicken soup instead as well as fat-free sour cream.

Both my husband and I loved it. In fact, it'll become a standby in our household because it's more than worth the minimal amount of effort involved. Thanks a million, Julie!

Yum! Rich spicy taco-flavoured sauce with fall-apart chicken

I have the best husband in the world

My husband is the best darned man in the world. He woke me up this morning with flowers and breakfast in bed. Not only was that sweet, but it was extra awesome because he found a recipe for Weight Watchers Applesauce pancakes, bought the ingredients, got up extra early and made them all by himself.

I sat in bed for a good ten minutes looking at this plate of perfect pancakes in absolute amazement. He doesn't know how to cook. I mean, making cereal, yes. Making spaghetti, yes. But mixing together whole wheat flour, baking powder, and so on? Unheard of.

I was so flabbergasted that I took everything out into the kitchen and took a picture of it in case I was dreaming. And yes, that is no-sugar added pancake syrup. I'm the luckiest gal in the world ♥

Review: Sesame-Orange Marinade

I tried a new marinade recipe from WeightWatchers.ca the other night and it turned out rather tasty:



I do have a picture of the marinade itself, but I think the finished product is tastier looking :)

It was easy to put together and lent a nice subtle flavour that worked well with the salmon. Though it's not as good as some orange marinades I've tried (notably, Salmon Cowell from ESBM), I'd make it again because it's quick and easy. And I love Salmon. But that's like saying the sky is blue ;)

The recipe is free and can be found over on the WeightWatchers.ca website:

• WeightWatchers.ca Sesame-Orange Marinade

Review: Three Bean and Pork Slow Cooker Chili

I made a crockpot of this on New Year's day and boy is it ever gooooood! The recipe and a picture can be found by following this link:

• Weight Watchers Three Bean and Pork Slow Cooker Chili
  5 points per serving, Core
  

I used center loin pork instead of tenderloin (which is rather expensive!). I also used a canned chipotle pepper instead of the jalapeño. In fact, I recommend chipotle pepper over jalapeño as it adds a lovely smokey flavour. As you only use one chipotle from a can, just freeze the leftovers in individual packets for the next time you make chili. Be sure to freeze some of the sauce, too!

Oh, and just be aware that prep time is rather long. Either prepare ingredients the night before if you don't have time in the morning or save making it for a weekend morning. Fortunately, the effort is well worth it as it also makes a LOT of chili. Be prepared to freeze some for lunches if you don't have a big family. Serving size is a little over 1 cup and it's very filling.

HMCS Crock Pot: The Sunday Dinner

This being a lazy Sunday, I've thrown together a pork roast in the crock pot for tonight's dinner. I cobbled together two ideas (Junebaby's and Brodiegirl's) and it looks pretty tasty so far.

Pork roast, 1 cup chicken broth, 1/3 cup dry sherry,
1 small sliced onion, half a sliced apple, salt and pepper to taste.

Hopefully it'll turn out okay! (At my house, cooking experiments sometimes go horribly wrong.) At the very least I triple checked to make sure I removed the absorbent pad from the bottom of the roast. Not that I've accidentally cooked the pad in with the meat many times before. *shifty eyes*

UPDATE:
Well, it turned out rather dry but it's not the recipe's fault. It's my $%@%# crock pot's fault. I really need to get another one. The manufacturer missed the "slow" part of slow cooker. This thing gets very hot despite being on low and will overcook things in about five hours. Even though I know this, I always think (for some reason) that this time will be different.

It's time to keep my eyes peeled for a new one with a timer. Because really, what's the point of a slow cooker if you can't leave it on all day while you're at work?

Review: Mexican Cafe con Leche

I saw a recipe for something called Mexican Cafe con Leche on WeightWatchers.ca a few weeks back and I finally had a chance to try it out. It was really good!

It's a creamy and sweet cinnamon-flavoured coffee drink and is well worth the points. Preparation was easy and the coffee itself had a nice sharp kick to it - mostly likely due to the fact that the coffee is boiled. I made it for some friends who seemed to like it. I know I definitely did! I'd for sure make it again, especially on a cold dreary night. Yum!

Preparing for T-Day

If they had an award in high-school for "person most likely to be stuck cooking big family dinners for the rest of her life" I would've won it, hands down. In my family, holidays are important. It's a chance to sit down and be awkward together. In spite of this, or rather, because of this, my husband and I are always the hosts. The family dynamics are too long and complicated to go into, but suffice it to say, the family feels the most comfortable at our place.

This Thanksgiving, I thought I'd be able to dodge hosting duties because of the half-marathon on Sunday. Saturday we're resting and taking it easy, Sunday we're walking, and Monday is recuperation day. And after all these years of hosting, it'd be nice to have a year off.

Unfortunately, every time I try to take a year off, something invariably conspires to keep me from doing so. This year is no different [insert long story here]. So this is where I'm at: planning a last-minute Thanksgiving dinner for Friday night.

This means last-minute mental rehearsals because I didn't think I'd have to deal with eating a big Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings! Fortunately, I still have a couple of days to get into the mindset and have already made great strides towards a hopefully guilt-free dinner. I'm serving ham instead of turkey. I like ham, but I love turkey. Specifically, turkey skin. I could eat the skin off an entire bird if given half the chance. But ham? I like it but not with the unending devotion I have for turkey. And with my weigh-in the very next morning, I have even more reason to be good at dinner.

I'll also be serving a lot more veggies than normal and may even try the WW recipe for Sausage, Apple and Cornbread Stuffing if there's time. I know stuffing isn't supposed to go with ham, but what the heck :)

If you've got any tips for a guilt-free Thanksgiving, please feel free to share!

Recipe: Chicken and Vegetable Tortellini Stew

As requested, here's the crockpot recipe I made earlier this week. Note, that I didn't write the recipe, but I did modify it. The ingredients listed include my modifications and are cut and paste from the WW Recipe Builder. The points value is likewise from the WW Recipe Builder though I encourage you to recalculate on your own in case I made a mistake. Bon Appétit!

Chicken and Vegetable Tortellini Stew
Source: Best Slow Cooker Meals, Pillsbury Most Requested Recipes, Volume 9, No. 1, 2004
Makes 6 servings, approximately 5 points per serving

• 9 oz cheese tortellini, without sauce
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 2 medium carrot(s), sliced
• 2 clove garlic clove(s), minced
• 2 medium scallion(s), sliced
• 1 cup spinach, baby, firmly packed
• 2 cup water
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 500 gm boneless skinless chicken thigh(s), trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4" pieces
• 284 ml Campbell's (Canada) Chicken Broth (non-fat, reduced sodium)
  
• 398 ml Eden (Canada) Organic Navy Beans

In 3 1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker, layer carrots, garlic, chicken, and beans. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour broth and water over top. Stir to combine. Cover; cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, stir tortellini, spinach, onions, and basil in chicken mixture. Increase heat setting to High; cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until tortellini are tender.

My modifications include the omission of a medium fennel bulb (chopped) and Parmesan Cheese (sprinkled on individual bowls). I also changed the amount and type of beans from a 19-0z can of Cannellini beans, to a smaller can of navy beans. And lastly, I used non-fat chicken broth instead of regular. As for serving size, the original recipe says that each serving is 1 1/2 cups, but as I've made modifications to the ingredients, only take this as a very rough guide!

Lastly, one shout out for the magazine this came from. Just about everything I've made from it turned out great. If you can find it used, do pick it up! Otherwise, keep an eye out for other Pillsbury publications.

Half-marathon: training update, froggies and a recipe

The first week training for the half-marathon is going very well. We went out on Tuesday night for our first group walk and guess what we saw? I scooped this lil guy off the road so he wouldn't get hit. He was so docile that I started to think maybe he was injured. That is until he jumped straight up and out of my hands! Scared the dickens out of me but it did remind me of how awesome walking is. Since I've started walking, I've seen many wild animals and it's always a special experience. This froggie ranks right up there with the owl my husband and I saw when we first started walking.

Aside from that walk, I did some cross-training on Monday at Curves and went for another training walk today on my lunch hour. That worked out so well that I think I'm going to bring my runners to work. This weekend will be an endurance walk and I'm looking forward to it.

And, as the weather around these parts has been dreary and altogether autumny, I thought I'd share a recipe my leader gave to us.

WW Steamed Apple with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar

• 1 apple
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. light margarine
• Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Core apple, leaving bottom intact. Fill with brown sugar, margarine, cinnamon and nutmeg. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until soft. 2.5 to 3 points depending on the margarine used; be sure to recalculate using your own tracker in case I made a mistake!

I made it tonight and it was pretty good. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to eat it without spilling the liquid that accumulated inside. I may tweak the recipe next time. It seemed a bit too sweet to me and like it could do with real margarine (or butter) and a wee sprinkling of chopped walnuts. But all in all, a good experiment that bears repeating!

Healthy Living?

Although I love Cool Whip, I've never actually laboured under the delusion that it's anything close to a "healthy" product. When I saw an advertising banner on WeightWatchers.ca that combined a picture of Cool Whip with the words "healthy living" I scoffed quietly to myself but clicked through anyways. I was surprised to find an assortment of recipes using Cool Whip, Jello gelatin, pudding, and/or fruit.

• Kraft Canada Healthy Living Desserts

Despite what the marketing firm would have you believe, these sorts of recipes aren't actually healthy in the sort of organic free-range whole-food sort of way. But dayum if they don't look tasty! I think I'll keep these recipes in mind the next time there's a family dinner, picnic or otherwise special occasion.