Every Saturday I share my Weight Watchers Weekly Meal Plans with Points and Recipes here on Simple Nourished Living. It includes what I'm planning to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well a few snack and dessert ideas.
Taking the time to think about what I'm cooking and eating ahead of time makes meal times so much easier. With the shopping done and weight watchers recipes at the ready I can just walk into the kitchen and get cooking. I don't stick to it one hundred percent. Life happens. But, it helps to have a rough guide and prevents me from reaching into the cookie jar or bag of chips too often. Whoever said that failing to plan was planning to fail was spot on!
I think we all know that cooking at home as much as we can is better for us. I recently ran across this study linking home cooking with a healthier diet. Basically, the study confirmed that people who cook at home more frequently ate fewer calories and less sugar than those who cooked at home less.
And there's more good news: When these people did eat out, the home cooks tended to consume fewer calories out of the home as well. I think the process of cooking gives home cooks better awareness of the ingredients and associated calories involved in preparing various dishes so we have the understanding to make better choices when we eat out.
We are all really busy, so the key to successful home cooking is to keep things simple. I tend to rotate between the same one or two breakfasts and lunches the days I eat at home. And because we are a family of two most recipes I make result in leftovers that we are happy to eat again. So, I usually only cook from scratch three or four times a week. We like to eat out a couple of times, usually during the weekend.
If I end up with more food than we can eat, I portion it out, package it up and pop it in the freezer for future quick and easy lunches and dinners.
I hope these posts make it easier for you to stay on track with your weight loss and/or healthy eating goals too. It's a process that gets easier with practice.
And remember, there's a Weight Watchers Weekly Meal Plans Section on the blog so you can get inspiration from all of the previous weekly meal plans too. Enjoy!
Weight Watchers Weekly Meal Plan (Week #49)
Okay, it's October Crocktober, the official beginning of Crock Pot Season. Are you as excited as I am? I know, it doesn't take much! I love my slow cooker's. I think they're a busy Weight Watchers best friend and I've got more than 300 Weight Watchers friendly slow cooker recipes posted here on the site. Crockpot cooking requires advanced planning and creates a steady supply of leftovers that can be enjoyed another night, re-purposed into a new meal or frozen for future meals, so you never have to wonder what's for dinner. Talk about helping a Weight Watcher stay on track!
Have a lovely week and remember to take the time to cook something healthy and delicious for yourselves, dear friends!
Breakfast
This week I'm going to begin the day with a skinny latte (2PP) and either:
1) English Muffin (3PP) with Peanut Butter (3PP) and Fruit (0PP) on the side
2) Slow Cooker Baked Oatmeal (7PP) - This was so good last week, I'm making it again. This week I'll stir a chopped apple or two into the batter.
Lunch
I like to keep lunch quick and easy. Limiting my choices makes weight loss/maintenance easier. (Here's research that supports the idea.) I usually eat lunch out a couple days a week, which prevents me from getting too bored.
1. Fall Fruit and Grain Salad (6PP)
2. Leftovers from dinner
Dinner
Because we are a family of two most recipes result in leftovers, so, I only cook from scratch three or four times a week. (We eat out once or twice.)
1. Slow Cooker Turkey 3-Bean Chili (5PP) with Slow Cooker Cornbread (4PP) and a Simple Tossed Green Salad (0PP) dressed with Light Dressing (1T - 1PP)
2. Skinny Artichoke Spinach Baked Pasta (7PP) with Roasted Carrots (1PP- for the oil)
3. Leftover Slow Cooker Turkey 3-Bean Chili (5PP) over Baked Potato (4PP) with Simple Tossed Green Salad (0PP) dressed with Light Dressing (1T - 1PP)
4. Roast Pork with Applesauce (5PP) Slow Cooker Roasted Broccoli (1PP) and Baked Sweet Potato (4PP)
5. Leftovers
Snacks
I try to limit my snacks to one in the late afternoon which keeps me from being overly hungry when I'm getting dinner. To prevent snacking while I'm making dinner, I often chew gum.
1. Apple (0PP) and Peanut Butter (1 T - 3PP)
2. Toast (2PP) with 1 slice reduced fat cheese (2PP)
Dessert
I usually try to limit dessert to once or twice a week.
Butterscotch Blondies (3PP) - This makes a big (9x13 pan) of sweet treats, so I'll plan on freezing some and sharing some to avoid going too far overboard!
If you make one of our weight watchers recipes, we would love for you to take a picture and share it on Instagram. Use the hashtag #simplenourishedliving. We want to see what you are making and would love for you to follow us on Instagram.
And remember, there's a Weight Watchers Meal Plans with PointsPlus section on the blog so you can get inspiration from all of the previous weekly meal plans too.
Have a wonderful week!
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Debbie Eidson
Thanks Martha! Looks like a yummy week! ?
judy Isackson
Thank you.