Weight Watchers Recipe

I have held off mentioning the “D” word for the first week of January, but as followers on my social media channels will know, (due to the excess of healthy food photos) I am back on a diet! I say I, but in reality it’s the two of us, Malcolm my husband and I. It’s been really easy so far, so easy in fact that I am feeling a trifle smug – I have two diets that I follow, the 5:2 Fast Diet (as regular readers will know) and good old Weight Watchers. I am a “Gold” member of Weight Watchers UK, having lost a staggering three stone over twenty years ago, and if I’m honest, although the 5:2 Diet is a faster way to lose weight and we both lost over two stone in six months, I prefer the sensible eating approach to food with Weight Watchers; there are NO banned or “forbidden” foods, you count points, which are easily found on-line, in WW booklets, via their own calculator and in WW recipe books, so the calories are all worked out for you in advance. And, we have NOT been hungry once this week. A sneaky “weigh- in” this morning revealed that in five days, I have already lost 2lbs! My “official” weigh in day is not for another two days, and I am hoping that may have gone up half a pound or so.

We have eaten breakfast EVERY day, a bowl of porridge with honey and mixed berries, (8 smart points), a proper cooked meal and then a light supper dish of salad, soup and/or sandwiches. The “extra” points that you are allowed each week, I have 35 at my disposal, are being saved for the weekend, when I am cooking a roast dinner for Sunday with a proper pudding for “afters”. If it were not “dry January” those extra points would be used for a glass or two of wine, but we’ll have to wait until February for that boozy treat. Most fruit and vegetables are “free” on the diet, which means I snack on apples, oranges and bananas when I’m hungry, and I pack in the veggies with the main meal to fill us up. Along with the WW diet, and to kick-start our weight loss, I’m sneaking in a fast day, making our week a 6:1 diet! As I say, it’s been easy peasy so far, and we have enjoyed today’s recipe of Healthy Three Cheese Macaroni Cheese Gratin, Baked Saffron Chicken, Baked Fish and Asparagus Parcels, Quorn Cottage Pie and Baked Fish and Chips………

Coming soon: Baked Saffron Chicken

I plan to share ALL of the above recipes, as well as many new ones I am developing over the next few weeks, in order to help all of my readers who may be looking for some low-calorie but tasty and filling meals to serve during the winter months. Most of the recipes are Weight Watchers, and will have Smart Points (and Pro Points) attached to them, and some recipes are so low in calories, that they will be perfect for anyone following the 5:2 Fast Diet – I will highlight that when I post the recipes. Although I am an avid follower of the 5:2 Fast Diet, I just feel that during the winter, and with my husband being ill lately with man flu’, we both need more than 500 and 600 calories for the day, and I also love my daily bowl of porridge for breakfast, which comes in at a hefty 200 calories when made with milk and with a teaspoon of Manuka honey added, which doesn’t leave many calories for the rest of the day. The recipe I am sharing for today for Healthy Three Cheese Macaroni Cheese Gratin, is STUNNINGLY good! It’s creamy and cheesy and when served with a side salad, is only 11 Smart Points, or 9 Pro Points.

I shared a photo of my plate of Healthy Three Cheese Macaroni Cheese on Instagram three days ago, and everyone loved it, as it currently has 1,345 likes! So, the recipe is obviously a hit already, which I hope it will be here too.  The recipe I am sharing is my adapted recipe from the Weight Watchers website, and serves three people – if you want to serve this for a family supper, then just double the ingredients.  I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did a few days ago, and all you need is a simple side salad to serve this classic comfort dish. Karen 

Coming soon: Fish and Asparagus Parcels

Healthy Three Cheese Macaroni Cheese Gratin

Healthy Three Cheese Macaroni Cheese Gratin

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Serves	3
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Allergy	Milk
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

A delicious healthy version of the classic Macaroni Cheese, which is only 11 Smart Points (or 9 Pro Points) on the Weight Watchers diet. (Adapted from Weight Watchers UK)

Ingredients

• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 175g dry macaroni
• 1 teaspoon half-fat butter or low-fat spread
• 2 teaspoons plain flour
• 300mls skimmed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 75g extra strong mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• 25g half-fat Cheddar cheese, grated
• 25g Stilton cheese, crumbled
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 large tomato, sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Note

A delicious healthy version of the classic Macaroni Cheese, which is only 11 Smart Points (or 9 Pro Points) on the Weight Watchers diet. (Adapted from Weight Watchers UK)

Directions

Step 1	Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
Step 2	Cook macaroni in salted water as directed on package; set aside.
Step 3	Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly add flour, stirring constantly; cook for about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk to thoroughly incorporate flour mixture. Stir in the mustard powder and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently; remove from heat.
Step 4	Combine the Stilton cheese with two-thirds of both types of cheddar cheese, then add the cheeses to the white sauce, mix well to melt the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in macaroni. Pour half of macaroni mixture into prepared casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar cheeses. Pour in remaining macaroni mixture, arrange the sliced tomatoes over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving with a mixed salad.

Some other low-calorie recipes for 5:2 and Weight Watchers:

5:2 Diet Spiced Moroccan Cauliflower Couscous -Tabbouleh with Halloumi (56 calories)

Spice Up your New Year 5:2 Diet Weight Loss! Spinach, Lentil & Sweet Potato Curry (244 Calories)

On the Spice Trail: Moroccan Harissa and Chickpea Potage Recipe (5:2 Diet)

Tasty Low-Calorie 5:2 Diet Recipe: Garlic, Herb and Parmesan Crusted Chicken Schnitzels

Using Christmas Dinner Leftover Carrots for a 5:2 Diet Soup: Smoky Carrot & Coriander Soup with Croutons