Roni’s Weight Watchen Page(s) - Take 2 (the rebuild)

Originally Posted on February 28th, 2007 9:28 pm

• 1 large zucchini cut into large fry like pieces
• ½ cup of fiber one or all bran cereal ground up in food processor (I measure the ½ cup and then grind)
• ¼ cup of Parmesan Cheese
• Garlic Powder
• Italian Seasoning (basil, oregano, parsley)
• Salt and Pepper
• Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cereal, cheese and spices in a large plastic bag.  Dip the zucchini slices in the beaten egg (you could probably use just the white) and drop in the bag.  Shake to coat. 

Spray a foiled line cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and place the coated zucchini.  Spray the tops with a little more coking spray.  Bake for about 20 minutes flipping once.  Cook a little longer If you like them more done, but I prefer mine a little firm.

Updated cooking variation:I tried to broil them to get a crunchier crust and they came out just as good in half the time. Preheat the broiler and place the zucchini 2 racks from the top. Broil for 3-4 minutes then flip and broil for 3-4 more.

No IDEA on the points! I didn’t use all the coating mixture but the cheese alone is about 2 points.  So I’d say three for the whole batch.  Thoughts?

Labels: DinnerIdeas, SnackIdeas

Posted on February 22nd, 2007 9:06 pm

This is one of my husband’s favorites even though I “weight watcher-ed” it up!

• 8 oz lean beef
• ½ cup of fiber one or all bran cereal ground up in food processor (I measure the ½ cup and then grind)
• ½ cup quick oats
• 1 egg
• Worcestershire sauce
• Chopped onion
• Garlic powder
• Parsley
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 can of French onion soup (I used Progresso French Onion)

Place all in ingredients, except the soup, in a bowl and mix well.  I use my hands but it is quit messy. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each a little more then 3 oz each.  Brown in a large frying pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Once both sides are browned add the can of soup, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce, lower the heat to simmer and cover.  Cook for about 15 minutes.

I’m calculating the points at about 3 points a piece.  I hate to ask again but if you have access to the recipe builder that would be great!

Thicken the soup a bit and add a side of whole wheat noodles or mashed potatoes and broccoli for a great meal.  Here is how I served it tonight.  All for about 7 points!

Labels: DinnerIdeas

Posted on February 18th, 2007 1:38 pm

These were so good, they rival Sweet Potato Fries for me.  

• 1 medium butternut squash. 
• Non stick cooking spray

Peel the squash with a potato peeler.  Cut lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Cut into fry shapes and bake on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray in a preheated 425-degree oven for about 35 minutes.  I flipped them once.  

You can add salt and spices but honestly, I forgot the salt and they didn’t even need it! Crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle, sweet and delicious!

As for the points, they are super low. A 1 cup seving (about 205 g) is about 90 cals, 4 grams of fiber with no fat.  Thats 1 point! Oh! and the toddler LOVED them.  ;)

Labels: DinnerIdeas, SnackIdeas

Posted on February 18th, 2007 1:40 pm

This is how I used the smaller cuts squash leftover from the Butternut Squash Fries. I really winged it and was surprised how good it came out!

• 1 can of fat free chicken broth
• 2/3 cup of water
• Dash of nutmeg
• Dash of ground cloves
• About 2 cups diced butternut squash (I think I had about 1 and ¾ when I made this)
• About ¾ cup of baby carrots cut into small slices
• 2-3 oz of chicken (I pulled 2 frozen chicken tenderloins out of the freezer)

Add the chicken broth, water, diced squash and spices to a medium saucepan, cook on high heat (boiling) for about 20 minutes or until squash is nice and tender.  Lower to medium and add the carrots and chicken.  Cook until chicken is done and serve immediately.

The squash will start to break down giving the broth a nice thickness while holding off adding the carrots they remain crunchy.  It’s a nice mix.

This made about 2 servings about 2-3 points a serving mostly because of the chicken.  I’ll ask again, if anyone is willing please run it through the recipe builder for me that would be great.  

Labels: DinnerIdeas

Originally Posted on February 10th, 2007 11:09 am

As requested my sauce recipe! At first I was hesitant to post this. I make it a little different each time, if I have fresh ingredients I use them if not, dried works, I don’t really measure anything and I cook it all day on a Saturday or Sunday. Well today, I made it and jotted a few things down. I hope it will give you a few ideas for your own homemade sauce.

By the way, my husband did not want me to post this. He said I was letting out a family secret! Seriously, he can eat pasta with my sauce every day of his life and be happy. It’s pretty hysterical! He is really upset!

Note: I’m including the meat because I think it adds to the flavor of the sauce. If I try to make it alone it never comes out right. So I make a HUGE batch of the sauce and use it all week. I have also been known to freeze the finished sauce in freezer bags with a meatball or two for single servings so I can pull them out in the middle of the week.

• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz) I use furmanos
• 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes (15 oz)
• 2 small cans of tomato paste (6oz) or 1 larger can
• Package of Turkey Sausage with each sausage cut in half (I use shadybrookfarms)
• About 1-2 tbsp of garlic powder, onion powder, basil, parsley
• About 1 tbsp of oregano
• 1-3 crushed bay leaves (or you can leave them whole and fish them out later)
• A dash of crushed red and black pepper
• 1tsp olive oil

In a large pot brown the sausage with the olive oil over medium heat to get a nice crust. Add the crushed tomatoes and a full can of water (using the crushed tomato can), 2 cans of diced tomatoes and the 2 cans of paste with 2 paste cans of water. Add in the cooked meatballs (recipe below or use frozen premade). Turn up the heat to high and add all the spices. Stir and bring to a boil, you should see pinkish red bubbles forming. Once the bubbles form, lower the temp to simmer and place the lid on the pot. Cook all day! Make sure to stir occasionally! Note: About halfway through cooking, take the lid off and the sauce will thicken a bit.

Quote from one of my favorite movies… Tell Michael not to let the sauce stick. - Henry says don’t let the sauce stick. - I’m stirring it.

Homemade Turkey Meatballs

• I only make these with sauce so I didn’t think they needed their own post.
• About a pound of lean turkey ground turkey, (I had about 12 oz when I made this batch)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup quick oats (instant oatmeal)
• About 2 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, basic and parsley
• About 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until well blended. Form into 1.5 oz balls and broil 2 racks from the top for about 4-5 minutes. Learn from my mistake; spray the broiling pan with non-stick cooking spray! This batch made 10 meatballs.

As for the points, I never figured it out. I have always counted everything at 1 point and never had a problem. 1 meatball = 1 points, 1 sausage (which is really ½) = 1 point and 1 point for the sauce when I top pasta with it. If anyone wants to run it through the recipe builder that would be great!

12 Original Responses to “Roni’s Homemade sauce with Meat”

1. on 10 Feb 2007 at 8:26 pm1 Jessica

   Can he see it as doing the rest of us a favor? Tell him his picture can be on the jar when you go commercial :)

2. on 11 Feb 2007 at 8:03 am2 Sandy

   Thank’s for posting your recipe!!! I can’t wait to try this!! Tell your husband sorry~I just LOVE all your recipes and idea’s!!!

3. on 12 Feb 2007 at 11:04 am3 Chris

   Hi Roni - I ran it through the recipe builder on WW.com and came up with 4 pts for 12 servings or 2 pts for 24 servings — so I guess it depends on how big a serving you use!

4. on 28 Feb 2007 at 8:42 am4 kat

   Chris - thanks for running it through recipe builder, but how large are the servings for the 12 or 24 servings? 1 cup sauce and 2 meatballs or 1/2 cup sauce and 1 meatball or ??

   Sounds yummy!

5. on 14 Mar 2007 at 2:58 pm5 cathy

   I made this sauce today it is great! I measured out everything it made 9 cups of sauce,10 1/2 pieces of sausage,20 meatballs. The meat that I used was 97% lean hamburg and the package was 1.25 lbs,The sausage was TJ sundried tomato and basil chicken sausage. I came up with 1 pt for 1 cup sauce,1 pt per meatball 2 pts for 1/2 sausage. If you use 1/2 cup sauce it would be 0.5 pts for the sauce. I will be making this often. I also sprayed my entire pan with nonstick spray I think it kept the sauce from sticking.

6. on 18 Mar 2007 at 11:56 am6 Deb

   I made this yesterday evening & let it cook all night. I wasn’t sure I would like the meatballs because I am used to the ones I always make (fattening) but I LOVE them. This sauce is the best I have ever had !! I can’t wait to try it on my family. I am making the “Lasagna” right now & it smells so yummy!! The only changes I made to the sauce were the tomatoes. I couldn’t find the brand you use so I used Contandina brand with Itilian spices. Thanks for all your hard work !!

7. on 18 Mar 2007 at 1:58 pm7 Molli

   Thanks for the sauce recipe. My family just loves it! So easy and so delicious.

8. on 01 May 2007 at 3:48 pm8 Lauren

   Well….I felt like spaghetti and decided to make your recipe today while I am home sick. The only problems I have run into and wanted to question are:

   1 - I have the sauce simmering as of 2:30 and I’m looking to have it at 7:30 or 8. Hopefully this will be enough time, as it wasn’t simmering “all day”

   2 - When I made your meatballs, I broiled them for the 5 minutes, and when I took them out…..they really didn’t look completely done. Was this just to get the outsides solid enough to hold together in the sauce, then during simmering, the rest would cook through?

   It smells delicious though (what I can smell through this stupid cold I have) and I can’t wait for dinner!!

9. on 01 May 2007 at 10:45 pm9 roni

   @Lauren - That should be enough time. I’ve cooked it everywhere from 3 to 8 hours. As for the meatballs, you are correct. They finish cooking in the sauce. Your 5 hours will finish them off. :)

   Hope you liked it!

10. on 01 May 2007 at 11:04 pm10 Lauren

    Loved it!! It did make a TON so I am definitely going to set aside most of it into individual freezer bags for future use.

    Thank you so much for posting it and I can understand why your husband didn’t want you to let the recipe out for public consumption!

11. on 06 May 2007 at 1:55 pm11 Eloisa

    Hello there:

    I am new to your web site, and I am learning a lot. I have read all your recipes and tips, and I am just loving them. I am running to the grogery store to buy all the ingredients missing in my pantry for this wonderful recipe.. Thanks for being so generous.

    Eloisa

Labels: DinnerIdeas

Originally Posted on February 7th, 2007 9:34 pm

These are definitely worth a try! Two points a bag, totally whole grain and worth it. I only tried the chocolate but they also come in cinnamon. There so new Quaker doesn’t even have them on their web site and I couldn’t find a picture online anywhere!

For those who are in my area, I found them at a local grocery store named Giant.

Labels: FoodFinds

I get RealAge Tips emailed to me weekly and every once in awhile they send a gem. This week it was about low energy density foods and how they contribute to weight loss.

When you eat more foods that are dense in everything but fat and calories -- think juicy melons, pears, cucumbers, broccoli, and berries -- it not only helps keep you slim but also revs up the nutritional quality of your diet.

When I started Weight Watchers, particularly the Flex plan, it became very clear to me, what types of foods gave me more “bang for the buck”. I have never lied about this I liked to eat and it seems that Flex plan taught me to eat low energy density foods.

After reading the RealAge Tip, I started to do research about energy density and found this great article written by the MayoClinic,

…the concept of energy density can indeed help you feel satisfied with fewer calories.

So what are Low Energy Density foods? You probably guessed it, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Here is a partial list of foods listed by their Energy Density Index as posted on BPersonal.com

I thought all this was interesting and maybe it will help us decide what to grab next time we want a snack. ;~)

So today, I made mashed potatoes again (what a great winter comfort food) but this time no milk, just a bit of broth and they cam out delicious! No added fat and so it’s just the points for the potato.

You will notice I’m skipping the workout goal this week. I know this isn’t a good excuse but I’m too busy this week. I’d rather be realistic then make a goal I know I can’t attain.

Labels: journal, Tips

This is one of the most asked questions on the Weight Watchers boards. Why is it so to calculate points for popcorn? Let me break down the brand I eat.

Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop 94% Fat Free Butter 2.9oz bag (regular size bag, not the mini or 100 cal pack)
According to the bag, a serving size is 3 tbsp unpopped (7 cups popped) there are 2 servings per container which means the bag contains 6 tbsp of unpopped popcorn (14 popped)

Nutritional information for 6tbsp unpopped:

• 240 calories
• 4 g of fat
• 8 g of Fiber
• 4 points

Now the bag gives the calorie count for 1 cup popped as 15 calories. If you multiply that by 14 (number of cups in the bag) you get 255 calories for the bag. This still gives you 4 points. So, no matter how you look at it the normal size bag (meaning not the mini bag) of Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop 94% Fat Free Butter is 4 points for the whole thing.

Next I looked up another brand online, 94% Fat Free JOLLY TIME® Healthy Pop® Butter Flavor. According to their site, a serving size is 2 tbsp unpopped (5 cups popped) and there are 2.5 servings per bag which means the bag contains 5 tbsp of unpopped popcorn (12.5 cups popped).

Nutritional Information of 5 tbsp unpopped:

• 225 calories
• 5 g of fat
• 22.5 g of fiber (find this hard to believe, but it doesn’t really matter because of the fiber cap)
• 4 points

They give the calories of 1 cup popped as 20 calories. 20 times 12.5 is 250 calories which still gives you 4 points.

In my opinion, most larger bags of 94% fat free popcorns are 4 points. As for the smaller or single servings bags, I don’t buy them much, but when I do I count them as 2 points. I know there are some brands out there that are 1 point, but they are usually the 100 calorie bags.

I hope that helps a little but. I think everyone has asked the popcorn question at least once. If you calculated the points for other brands let me know in the comments.

Labels: journal