Some things o love...

We have been on Weight Watchers for nine weeks now and I've lost 28 pounds, although Ben has lost an astonishing 42 (men!!).  I had promised when we started that this was not going to become a "diet" blog, a promise I intend to keep, but I wanted to share some things that have become favorites and helped us on our journey.  If you are trying to lose a bit of weight, or just want some easy meal ideas, I hope this is helpful.

Corn tortillas and fat free canned refried beans

I have always preferred corn tortillas to flour, but Ben was slower to come around.  But three corn tortillas are only 2 PointsPlus, as is 1/3 can of the beans.  Bean tacos topped with chopped onion, cilantro, and hot sauce have become a common lunch for me, and only 4 points.  We have been eating a lot of burrito bowls, a la Chipotle, and the beans are always at the bottom of the bowl.

Pre-chpped veg and salad in the fridge

Bell peppers, red and green, onions, halved grape tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, romaine, cabbage, radishes, cucumber...these are some of the things that I've been keeping in the fridge already sliced up and ready to go.  Salads, breakfast omelets, pizzas, tacos, burrito bowls. sandwiches- all sorts of meals come together quickly without too much thought or fuss.

Liquid egg whites and fat free cottage cheese

Most of the foods on my favorites list are not new to me, the exception being the liquid egg whites.  A half cup of these and a big handful of chopped veg are the base of a delicious and easy omelet in a bowl, and come in at one teeny, tiny point.  The cottage cheese isn't new, what's new is how much of it we are eating.  A whole cup is only three points and delicious on a salad with some fresh ground black pepper or fresh fruit.  This is good for a gal now in her forties (yikes) who needs to increase her calcium intake, but doesn't like milk.

Single serve tuna pouches

These easy pouches are only 2 PointsPlus and are available with a variety of seasonings, my favorite being the sweet and spicy.  A small can of drained tuna in water is also only two points, but I really like the ease and variety of these packs, and they are sooo much easier for lunch packing.  The last time these went on sale I bought a dozen; now I'm about out and waiting for the next sale.  I really love the tuna and cottage cheese together on a salad dressed only with balsamic vinegar

 Salsas, hot sauces, and pepper flakes

Again, nothing new here, but the amount of salsa we are eating has skyrocketed with the introduction of omelet and burrito bowls. Salsa and hot sauce are "free" additions to your meal, and in addition to adding delicious flavor, capsaicin has been shown to speed up the metabolism and bring on endorphins, which act to improve mood.  So hurray for the heat, bring it on.

Fat free sour cream (and Greek yogurt), prepared hummus and grainy mustard

We were already eating these things, but have practically done away with out use of reduced fat mayo, which is still pretty hefty in the point department, considering what you get for it.  We haven't missed the mayo at all.  An easy snack that I have been having of late is two slices of toasted whole grain bread, each spread with a tablespoon of hummus for a total of 4 or 5 PointsPlus, depending on the bread I use.  Hummus can be a bit pricey if not on sale, but Aldi offers several delicious varieties for only $1.49 (in SW Ohio).

Red grapefruits and clementines/mandarians

I have become seriously addicted to both, sometimes eating two grapefruits in a single day.  And I don't do any of that silly nonsense of cutting them in half and sprinkling with sugar; I peel and eat them like an orange.  It's a bit time consuming to remove all the pith, but well worth it.  The green apples?  Wish I was enjoying them more, but just not feeling it right now.  Maybe once the citrus is out of season and not so flavorful.

Some other favorites not pictured:  2% milk cheeses and part skim mozzarella  are lower in fat but still provide the melty nature of cheese- the fat free cheeses just don't cut it.  Flat breads for pizzas and wraps- the Flatout brand lights are 3 points each, and the Aldi brand Fit and Active are 2 points each.