Eggplant Parmesan Stack

Eggplant Parmesan Stack for Weight Watchers

This is one of my favorite dishes to make! I love it whether I am trying to lose weight or just hungry!


Makes 4 Servings

• 1 Medium to Large Eggplant
• 1 egg plus 1 egg white
• 2-3 Teaspoons Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese (1.5g fat)
• Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 Large Tomato
• Salt to taste (minimal needed)

1. Peel Eggplant and slice into 1 inch thick slices, salt if desired but don't get carried way because the Parmesan cheese is salty. I usually don't add any salt.)
2. Drop 1 egg + egg white into zippered baggie and shake together.
3. Mix together Parmesan cheeses in flat bowl
4. Add sliced eggplant to egg mixture in baggie and shake to coat lightly
5. Dip each eggplant slice into cheese mixture creating a light batter.
6. Spray pan with non-stick spray and add a little additional olive oil (1 teaspoon or as needed)
7. Brown each side of coated slice of eggplant , testing with fork to make sure eggplant is cooked through (approx 5 to  8 minutes)
8. While eggplant is cooking, slice tomato

On serving plate:

• Place one slice of cooked eggplant
• Stack one to two slices of tomato, a few spoonfuls of marinara sauce and sprinkle a bit of mozzarella cheese
• Stack a second slice of eggplant
• Top with grated Parmesan cheese and another spoonful or so of marinara sauce

4 Weight Watchers Pts
Refrigerate the extra slices for quick future meals. 

Jennifer Hudson's Veggie Lasagna

Jennifer Hudson is an icon when it comes to Weight Watchers and she recently shared some of her weight loss secrets on the Dr. Oz Show.  Her recipe for a "No Noodle Lasagna" went viral on Facebook recently and for good reason! I tried it and it is delicious!

Recipe note: I didn't have the eggplant so I just used zucchini from my sister's garden.

In case you missed this recipe from the Dr. Oz show, here it is:


Jennifer Hudson Veggie Lasagna Recipe

12 servings

(Only 5 Weight Watchers points per serving)

Ingredients :

• Cooking spray
• 1 med eggplant – Trim the eggplant into slices lengthwise
• 2 large uncooked zucchini sliced and trimmed into 1/4 inch thick slices lengthwise
• 1 large beaten egg
• 3/4 pound part skim ricotta cheese
• Fresh basil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 Cups marinara sauce
• 1/2 pound shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
• Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray
• Place the 1/4 inch lenghtwise sliced eggplant on one prepared baking sheet nd do the same with the zucchini on the other baking sheet
• Roast for 8 minutes
• Turn vegetables and roast 7-10 additional mins
• Remove from oven
• Combine egg, ricotta cheese, basil, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• After you have removed the veggies from the oven reduce heat to 350 degrees
• Spray 14″ x 8″ baking dish with cooking spray
• Spread thin layer of marinara sauce on bottom of pan.
• Layer eggplant over sauce
• Add another layer of marinara sauce over eggplant
• Add Ricotta cheese and half the mozzarella cheese over the eggplant and marinara sauce
• Add layer of zucchini
• Add Remaining marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese
• Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-40 minutes until the bottom starts to bubble
• Remove from oven to cool
• After the lasagna cools you can cut it into 12 pieces
• Each piece is considered one serving

Note : If you can’t cut the eggplant or zucchini lengthwise you can cut them into 1/4 inch round slices as well and layer accordingly.

Enjoy! Thank you Weight Watchers!

 

Cheesy Zucchini

I saw this recipe posted on Facebook by Gregg Howard the other day and thought it was perfect for we Weight Watchers who enjoy growing veggies in our backyards or know someone who does.  If you strike out on both counts, look for a local farmers market, like Sprouts and buy a big baggie of zucchini....because this looks delicious!  I plan to keep the points as low as possible by spraying the tops with Olive Oil Spray and using a mixturre of low fat Parmesan and Mozarella cheeses. Yum!

Slice the zucchini in half. Slice off the bottom it sits flat on the pan. Brush with olive oil and top with garlic or garlic powder. Top with sliced tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Use mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese or mixed blend.. Bake 375 for 20 to 30 minutes until soft.

Estimated WW Pts: 1-2 per serving (2 Zucchini Strips) 

To befriend Greg Howard visit his Facebook Page

My Annual Weight Watchers Refresher

Holidays are a time for family and friends!

Oh boy, have I been MIA!  So sorry.  But my absence doesn't mean I have abandoned my Weight Watcher attitude. In fact, after the holidays my daughter and I decided to sign up for a 90 day stint to lose the holiday pounds that crept on.

I think it's important to be realistic about maintaining my weight loss.  I've lost a total of 50 pounds over the past few years, 35 of that since joining Weight Watchers last January, but we all know that it's never a straight line from fat to thin, especially if you regularly track your weight. When I went on maintenance, I made a vow to jump back on the WW weight loss routine if I gained more than 2 pounds, which I have now done.

Yes, I enjoyed celebrating the holidays with family and friends, and don't apologize for eating an Almond Roca occasionally during this time-frame.  But I NEVER want to have to lose those 50 pounds I've already lost ever again. At this point, I have lost the few pounds I gained from all the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's parties.
 
Even though my eating slipped on occasion end of the year, one thing I've never stopped doing is weighing myself weekly.  Every Friday I step on that scale religiously, sometimes with trepidation, and it always makes me feel better afterward.  Better to know the truth than imagine the worst.

In addition to losing the holiday pounds, my goal this time was to lose an additional 5 pounds, which I am still working on....3 more pounds to go!  I think this will be an annual event for me.  It erases any guilt I had about enjoying life with my family for our celebrations, and it reminded me of the WW basics.

Staying healthy is a lifetime endeavor, so if you slipped a bit during the holidays, don't despair.  Jump back in and you'll be ready for those Spring clothes in no time at all! Losing a few pounds now is much easier than 50 pounds later, trust me!

Find Your Favorite Food Staples, Develop a Routine, and Be Adventurous!

Image courtesy of Click/morguefile.com

Sorry I haven't posted recently, but please be confident that even so doesn't mean I'm not still a bona-fide weight watcher! I recently hit a new low weight for me, having lost a total of 34.5 pounds on WW. I'm very close to my newest goal weight and confident I'll reach this weight soon. In fact, I've canceled my online subscription for August, but I'll continue tracking manually. I'm sure I'll still be checking into the WW site occasionally since I'll have that available to me, but I feel I have the tools I need right in my kitchen and purse!

It's been 7 months of eating the Weight Watchers way and it's inherent now for me to shop smart, measure portions and stop before I've gotten out of control. I've been able to enjoy special events with family, accept dinner invitations and watch a movie with popcorn (no butter!).

Much of my success on Weight Watchers is that I have a shopping routine at the grocery store and have discovered many "favorites" that I buy weekly to keep me on target.I imagine I will continue this practice forever, modifying from time to time, adding new "favorites" which have low enough point values to make it into my kitchen.

My Pantry Staples

Everyone likes different foods, which is the best thing about Weight Watchers because you can build your own "favorites" that fit into the program point guidelines. I shop weekly and replenish my food stock with my favorites each week. My refrigerator and pantry usually include:

Fruits and vegetables, depending on the season:

• Watermelon
• Bananas
• Carrots
• Bell Peppers
• Strawberries
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Eggplant
• Zucchini

 Dairy and Frozen Food

• Frozen hash browns (for my crockpot potato soup) (3.5 pts per cup serving)
• Frozen broccoli
• Low fat cream cheese (for soups and WW Spinach Artichoke dip)
• Fat free sour Cream (basically a free food)
•  Frozen green beans
• 2% fat grated cheddar cheese (2 pts for 1/4 cup)
• Low fat parmesan cheese(1.5% fat- I don't even adds pts for this type)
• Low fat plain Greek Yogurt (for dips and cooking)
• Carbmaster or Yoplait fruit flavored yogurt (2 pts per 6 oz. carton)
• Fat free frozen dairy topping (such as Cool Whip) (0 pts)
• Chicken breasts 
• Snack sized flour tortillas (there are brands that are 2 pts each - Mission Low carb for one)

 Pantry

• 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
• Rosarita fat free refried feans (2 pts for 1/2 cup)
• Special K Cracker Chips (3 pts per 27 - 30 chips)
  
• Rold Gold Pretzel Sticks (3 pts for 53 pretzels)
• Baked Tostitos corn chips
• Wasa Crisp'n Light Crackerbread
• Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (3 pts)
• Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies (2 pts)
• Pop Weaver Light butter popcorn (6 pts for the whole bag) 
• Del Monte No Sugar Added canned fruit cocktail or peaches (For Fruit Salad mixed with Cool Whip) (0 pts)
• Salsa

Of course, I buy other items from time to time, but I always calculate points right at the grocery store with my handheld calculator! (When I get an iPhone I will use their cool scanning app.)

The biggest tip I can give you in regard to picking foods on Weight Watchers is for you to find the lowest point value foods for things you like. You HAVE to eat and there's no reason to feel that you can only eat salads or a chicken breast. Experiment, look for recipes, and always figure out the point value so you'll know how much you can eat at a sitting.  It's really that simple!

After 7 months on Weight Watchers, I can't imagine going back to my old bad habits even after I hit my goal weight, but if I slip and gain more than 2 pounds, I know what to do to regain control. THAT feels great to me...and no longer do I feel afraid of food or guilty about eating.  I look at each day as a new 24-hour period to make good food choices and use up all my points. Every shopping trip is an adventure for me to discover a new low-point food option!

It's nice to have a plan, isn't it? Thanks Weight Watchers!

Weekly Weigh-in Update: Lost 2 pounds!

32.6 pounds lighter thanks to Weight Watchers!

I was a bit unsure what the scale would tell me this week.  After-all, my granddaughter had just gone home after nine days with me, while her Mom and Dad were on their Alaskan Cruise. Occasionally, I was tempted by foods she was eating and went into my bonus points almost daily.  However, I did stay within my weekly allowances so I was hopeful I hadn't gained.

Imagine my surprise when I stepped on that scale and discovered that I'd lost 2 pounds!

I should have expected it from another perspective, however. Yesterday I pulled out a dusty box of jeans that my oldest daughter had given me after losing weight a while back after her divorce. At the time, I remember looking through her 'too big' jeans, and thinking, "Right...I'll never fit into those jeans!" I couldn't even get them past my thighs!

Recently she asked me if I had tried on her old jeans yet, which I hadn't.  So yesterday I got them out, still doubting they'd fit....but they did!  One by one I held up a pair and thought, no way.....but got them over my thighs, zipped them up and admired how they fit on my slimmer body in the mirror.

A lower number on the scale is very encouraging, but fitting into those jeans did wonders for my resolve! My weight today was only 1/2 pound from goal, but I'm not done.  I lowered it another 5 pounds, and when I hit that number, I will probably lower it again.

I'm so happy! I had decided that this time I would be in no hurry to lose those unhealthy pounds but that once I did, I wanted to KEEP THEM OFF! I hoped that Weight Watchers would be the answer and I'm feeling hopeful it is! I've developed new habits and realize I can now stay in control, even during special situations.

Thank you Weight Watchers!

Weight Watchers: Beware of Red Robin and Plan Ahead!

 
My youngest granddaughter is spending a week with me while my daughter and her husband celebrate their anniversary on an Alaskan cruise.  It seemed appropriate to eat out tonight as a treat to her, so we chose Red Robin, where  my older granddaughter works.

I forgot to check the nutritional info before I left (my bad), so I chose their "Simply Grilled Chicken Sandwich and switched the bun for the cibatta bun. I added a little ranch, catsup and mustard. Instead of fries, I chose the fruit bowl (they call it freckled fruit salad) and ate 5 Steak fries off Kenzie's meal.   I calculated total points for my meal at 10.  After looking at some of the other meal choices I considered, I think I deserve an A for selection! (However, the cibatta bun added fat grams, so I guess I should have stuck with their menu bun!)

Other meals I considered:

Whiskey River Wrap: Leaving off the fries, it would have been 1064 calories, 64 grams of fat, 71 grams of carbs, 48 grams protein and 3 grams of fiber. Grand total =  28 Pts!

Baja Turkey Club: Fully loaded per the menu it would have been 734 calories, 47 grams of fat, 29 grams of carbs, 46 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber. Grand total = 19 Pts!

California Chicken Sandwich: Leaving off the guacamole and mayo, it has 597 calories, 22 grams of fat, 51 grams of carbs, 48 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fiber. Grand total = 15 Pts! (This wouldn't have been too bad of a second choice)


Yikes! Thank goodness I chose the Simply Grilled Chicken Sandwich!

If you like to visit Red Robin with your family, be sure to plan your meal ahead of time or you may be in for an unpleasant surprise when you calculate the points afterward.  A link to The Red Robin nutritional calculator is below


Red Robin Meal Customizer