This year for New Year’s day dinner, my in-laws had an Italian theme. One of the recipes we ended up with was a lasagna made with a homemade Ragu. I fell in love with it. The flavor of the Ragu was so delicious. It was rich, but not overpowering and wasn’t tomato based. Most of my pasta sauces are tomato or cream based, so this one was a breath of fresh air. I got the recipe and have made it several times since then. It makes a lot, so I tend to freeze part of it or I end up with too much sauce to use before it went bad. The only downside of this recipe for me, is that you need to simmer it for a couple of hours. I don’t care for wine, so I simmered mine for at least 2 hours to make sure no wine flavor remained (don’t worry, all the alcohol has burned off by then). I’ve also found that the wine adds a depth to the flavor that the Ragu is really lacking without the wine. So, just plan ahead and make this Ragu on Saturday or Sunday (or any day you have the time to do the prep) and then store it until you use it later in the week. If you can’t find the pancetta, just use bacon as a substitute. This is perfect for spaghetti (or any other kind of pasta), or you can use it as your sauce for a lasagna. Any leftovers you won’t use within a week, just put it in a bag and freeze it for the next time. It’s rich, but not overpowering, and incredibly delicious. It’s my all-time favorite pasta sauce, and I love that I get to toss the veggies in the food processor to make the prep really easy.

Now that I live in the Midwest I’ve learned to love potatoes. In fact, we have a lot of potatoes now. And we have them just about every way imaginable. But when I’m doing mashed potatoes or roast potatoes like this, I really like to use Yukon Gold potatoes. Their golden color makes them look like they’re filled with butter, when they’re really not. I pan fried my potatoes in a little butter because I wanted a little brown on the edges of the potatoes. But since I didn’t want to fry them with that much butter, I them baked them until they were tender. This gave me the best of both. They were a little crispy and had beautiful golden brown edges but weren’t so soaked in butter that I could feel my arteries hardening while I ate them. I added my usual garlic and a little crushed rosemary to give them a little woodsy flavor. If you don’t care for rosemary, you can also use a little ground or crushed thyme for a similar flavor. The result was delicious potatoes that went perfectly with roast pork loin. These were quite simple to prepare and incredibly delicious – all without breaking the points bank.

Couscous is something that I don’t make often, but I do occasionally make a batch of couscous. I prefer quinoa (I like the flavor and it’s gluten-free, unlike couscous), but my husband doesn’t like the flavor of quinoa.

As a result, sometimes, I’ll put together one of my favorite quinoa recipes with couscous to make a treat for him. This one was perfect. All of the fresh vegetables are perfect for this recipe.

The dressing is one that I adapted from a citrus salsa recipe for salmon. It’s light and refreshing, and perfect to mix with couscous (or quinoa).

The fresh herbs are what make the dressing come alive, but they go perfectly with the fresh and juicy tomatoes. I like the scallion in here, although green onions will also work.

I find scallions to be milder than regular onions and a little sweeter. For me, it makes the flavor a little less powerful and tends to blend in with the rest of the flavors without being overpoweringly onion-y.

If you like a little bit of zing with your foods, add a healthy dose of crushed red pepper flakes. I typically leave them out, since I find the flavors of the citrus, scallion, and mint to be perfect, but it’s really my personal preference.

Couscous is quick and easy to cook, so I like to prepare the dressing ingredients while the couscous is cooking.

You can also add some garden fresh veggies, oven-roasted root veggies, or a piece of grilled chicken breast to make this a full and satisfying meal.

Fourth of July festivities are just around the corner, and it’s time to start thinking about some low Smart Points meal options that you can serve or bring. And this Mediterranean Baked Tilapia Recipe is a great option! While everyone else is slaving over a hot grill, you can pop these tilapia fillets in the oven and forget about it! It’s super easy to make, and the wonderful herbs and spices help to give the mild tilapia a most amazing flavor. The fish fillets are roasted in an incredible buttery lemon sauce, making it perfectly moist and flaky. At just 3 Smart Points per serving, serve this Mediterranean Baked Tilapia with some salad, steamed veggies, and potatoes, and you’ll STILL have some Points left for dessert!

Sometimes, I just want a big, heaping plate of spaghetti with a rich, flavorful meat sauce. But the Smart Points in a typical bolognese could end up adding up to a whole day’s worth of Points! So in order to satisfy my craving without ruing my diet, I created this simple, no-frills Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Bolognese Recipe. I just sub out the carb heavy spaghetti noodles for the light, nutritious, and 0 Smart Points oven-roasted spaghetti squash.

Topped with a decadent, lightened up turkey bolognese sauce, this recipe is one seriously satisfying meal! When I have a few extra Points to spare, I’ll also add some grated Parmesan on top – soooooo good! Serve with your favorite salad or roasted veggies, and even a slice of garlic bread, for a meal that is sure to fill you up.

In college, Chinese takeout used to be a staple of mine. But now that I eat lighter and smarter, creating healthier versions of my favorite Chinese fast foods became a top priority.
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry was a meal I used to eat a lot, because I assumed it was one of the “healthier” choices, having chicken and broccoli in it.

Little did I know. But now I can make my own light and healthy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry for a lot fewer Points and with minimal effort. This stir fry tastes authentically delicious….even my kids gobbled it up! And at just 6 Smart Points per serving, I’m able to enjoy one of my favorite Chinese foods without ruining my day.

I’m not a huge fan of shrimp, but I do try to cook it every once in a while. As usual, I fell back on an Asian inspired shrimp stir fry. I’m someone who thinks you really can’t go wrong with stir fry veggies and some really delicious Asian seasonings.

This one really exceeded my expectations. For me, the sweet chili sauce was what made this a little different than my normal stir fry. For my normal stir fry I use soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar. I didn’t want to add the really rich and dark flavor of the hoisin, but the sweet chili sauce added a really delicious flavor without overpowering the flavor of the whole dish.

In addition to some projects we were working on last weekend, my in-laws also brought us some really delicious, fresh, ripe blueberries. I love blueberries. Growing up, my grandparents lived on the coast of Washington. Grandma had the most amazing blueberry patch ever.

It was about 6 feet by 10 feet and completely encased in a large chicken wire cage, to keep the birds out. The only downside was the bugs because we could go in there and have as many blueberries as we could eat.

Each summer, I try to get some fresh blueberries so that I can freeze them to add to sauces, muffins and all sorts of other things the rest of the year. A few blueberries have to be saved to be eaten fresh, and a few have to be used in a special recipe.

This year’s special recipe was fresh blueberry muffins.

Today’s Mushroom Chicken with Creamy Wine Sauce has quickly become one of my all-time favorite Weight Watchers Chicken Recipes. The earthy mushrooms and juicy, tender chicken are roasted to perfection and then smothered in the most divine, creamy wine sauce. It tastes fresh from a restaurant, yet is quick and simple to prepare at home, with very minimal prep. The sauce was so good, that I was actually spooning out the remaining bits of it from the baking dish before I washed it. Yes, I did. No shame in my game! And at just 6 Smart Points per serving, this is an ideal light and tasty dinner recipe for a busy weeknight. If you want to make an average meal taste like you slaved away all day in the kitchen, this Mushroom Chicken with Creamy Wine Sauce is a must try. Enjoy!

I’m so grateful that my kids love beans as much as they do. And this 13 Bean Soup Recipe gives me an opportunity to provide them with a healthy and delicious soup that is not only full of nutrients, protein, and fiber, but it’s just 5 Smart Points per serving – which is great for me! It’s also a really filling soup, so perfect for when you really need to satisfy your hunger without going through all your Points. This 13 Bean Soup is also incredibly easy to prepare. You can really use any dry bean mix that you like. I’m personally a fan of Bob’s Red Mill bean soup mix, so that’s what I use. It also freezes and reheats really nicely, so if you have any leftovers, it’s great for lunches or when you need a meal in a pinch.

With the first whiff of Spring this year, I was already beginning to crave cool summer drinks and treats. One of my favorites is this Mint Lemonade Slushy recipe. I first had one of these drinks on a trip to Israel, where it’s referred to as “limonana”.

Under the hot desert sun, I don’t think I’ve ever had a more refreshingly delicious drink! The original recipe uses sugar as a sweetener, but to cut out those calories and Points, I just replaced the sugar with organic stevia.

I’m not ashamed to admit that Brussel sprouts are one of mine (and my children’s) favorite vegetables. I make them A LOT, and to keep them from getting too boring, I try to find new ways to prepare them. One of my favorites is this Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Lemon Garlic Dip Recipe. The creamy, tangy, and refreshing dip is the perfect complement to the salty, smoky, bitterness of the Brussel sprouts. Plus, the dip can be made in a pinch, so it’s a great way to jazz up your vegetable side dish with little effort.

Calculating only the dip and the oil for roasting, this dish clocks in at just 1 Smart Point per serving! That’s pretty hard to beat for something so tasty. If you are in need of a healthy, vegetable side dish recipe that is sure to impress, these Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Lemon Garlic Dip are sure to be a hit. Enjoy!

It’s Cinco de Mayo, and I’ve got nothing but Mexican food on my mind today! So, I’m sharing my favorite, super easy, authentic pico de gallo recipe. Not only do I use this 0 Points dish as a dip for tortilla chips, but I use it to top many other foods as well…chicken, fish, salads, sandwiches. My husband will even eat it straight up with a spoon!

It may take a few attempts for you to customize this salsa recipe, and have it adjusted to your specific tastes. If you like it spicy, you may want to add a bit more jalapeño and garlic. If you want a slightly sweeter flavor, you may prefer red onion. But you really can’t go wrong with this…experimenting with the recipe is fun and delicious! My kids eat it a lot, so this is my mild version. It tastes so fresh and flavorful, I just can’t ever get enough of it. Good thing it’s 0 Points! Now, if we could just do something about those tortilla chips…

I always love ordering chicken tortilla soup at my favorite Mexican restaurant. But depending on how it’s prepared, this dish can be dangerous in terms of Weight Watchers Points.

Adding in your favorite fixin’s can really rack up the extra fat and calories too. After a bit of work in the kitchen, I came up with own version that is a LOT healthier than the restaurant version, but very healthy and low in Points.

I don’t about you folks, but when I go to IKEA, I can’t wait to get down to their cafeteria and wrap my taste buds around some of their famous Swedish meatballs! They are just soooooo good! Since I can’t really make a trip to IKEA every time I want their meatballs, I got to work making a healthier IKEA Copycat Swedish Meatballs Recipe. It’s actually a pretty easy recipe to make, and these meatballs turned out just as good, if not, BETTER than IKEA’s.

Now, I just need to create a lighter version of their delicious Lingonberry sauce to go with it, and I’m set! At 9 Smart Points for 6 meatballs and sauce, this delicious dish makes a perfect Weight Watchers substitute for the original version. If you love IKEA’s Swedish Meatballs as much as I do, this copycat version is a must try!

One of the best parts of pasta in my opinion is the sauce. There is nothing like homemade pasta sauce, whether it’s a cream sauce or a red sauce. The flavors of homemade sauce are so much more vibrant and rich than canned pasta sauce. I’ve found that it’s worth my while to make my pasta sauce. Lasagna is one of those pastas that is truly delicious when topped with a homemade pasta sauce. This simple Bolognese sauce is just what it needs to really be delicious. I decided to try a lasagna without cheese this time, so I needed the sauce to pick up any slack from the missing cheese. And this sauce did just that. It was really quite easy to prepare and the end result was something that was really rich and the flavors were vibrant. Since it’s homemade, you can tweak the flavors to fit your individual taste preference. This lasagna with Bolognese sauce is a little more work, but the flavor in the end makes it worth every minute.

Lately, I’ve been a bit behind on my meal planning and food organizing. Things have been really chaotic for my family these last few months, and sometimes, life just gets in the way. Unfortunately, this had led to a lot of eating out, less cooking at home, and poor food choices. However, during this tumultuous time, the few times that I have managed to cook a healthy meal, I’ve been lucky enough to have a few quick and easy recipes up my sleeve to rely on. Meals that I can prepare on the fly and require just a handful of ingredients. This Honey Soy Chicken drumstick is a hit with the family EVERY TIME. I’m not kidding! It’s incredibly flavorful and tender, and really helps to satisfy everyone’s sweet and salty cravings. Serve over a bed of fluffy, steamed brown rice and with a side of roasted veggies, and you’ve got a delicious meal in a pinch. Enjoy!

I’m not someone who loves sandwiches, but every once in a while, I get on a kick where I really like sandwiches and really want sandwiches. It’s nice to have some variety for sandwiches though. While I like turkey and Swiss with tomatoes and lettuce, I thought I’d really change it up by trying a vegan sandwich that was completely different than my normal one. I think the keys were the hummus and the avocado.

The beef hummus not only added a beautiful color to the sandwich, but it also served as the sandwich spread. The avocado added the right flavor and texture to the sandwich, as well as giving it a delicious moistness.

While the serving size is only a half a sandwich, it’s easy to pair this with a side salad, a cup of soup or even just some fruit and nuts. It’s a perfect size to really hit the spot and satisfy your bread craving without going overboard.

I love granola with yogurt for breakfast in the morning. I’m not a big morning person, so any weekday breakfast that is quick, easy and delicious is a winner for me. This granola is perfect. It’s light and delicious, but isn’t overwhelming. I can add any fruit I want to in my yogurt and it goes perfectly with the granola. I liked how much it made, it was plenty for a couple of weeks, but since it’s granola, it holds well in an airtight container for a month or more. If you’re concerned, just refrigerate or freeze the airtight container. The honey and raisins add all the sweetness I thought it needed, but for me, coconut adds a little more sweet that is a richer flavor. The cinnamon and vanilla really serve to pull the whole combination together so that the flavors work well with each other. If you like softer granola, just make sure to keep an eye on it so you can pull it out when it gets to the right consistency. If you like crunchy granola, leave it in for the full 20 minutes and then let it sit out for an hour or more to get more crunchy.

These Country Potatoes make for a simple, minimalist side dish recipe that is fast and easy to cook, yet has the wonderfully distinct flavor of good old fashioned home cooking! A handful of ingredients are brought together in a perfect, hearty, comforting dish that pairs really well with steak, chicken or fish. In fact, they were so good that my family nearly gobbled them all up before I was able to snap a picture! I love that these potatoes cook up so quickly, and the flavor of all the vegetables aren’t overwhelmed with seasonings or sauces, allowing them to really shine. I’ve also served these as my take on breakfast potatoes a few times too, and they were a real treat alongside some turkey bacon and eggs. At just 5 Smart Points per serving, you’ll get a seriously satisfying side to your favorite main course, without going overboard.

This thick and hearty vegetarian Lentil Bolognese is not only delicious but incredibly satisfying. While it doesn’t taste the same as a traditional meat-based bolognese, the unique flavor is wonderful in itself. And with all the fiber and protein this dish delivers, it packs quite a nutritional punch.

The sauce is definitely not lightweight…it’s rich and abundant and does a great job of satisfying your hunger. It’s well worth the 10 Smart Points per serving, as you’ll be full for quite a while.

Serve with a light salad or your favorite roasted veggies for a complete meal.

This Miso Ginger Salmon is one of my most favorite dishes at a local Japanese restaurant. It’s the perfect blend of salty and tangy and works like a dream with the slightly sweet and smoky salmon. Ideally, I’d cook this on a grill, but when I’m too busy (or lazy) to head out to my grill, a simple broiling in the oven works fantastically!

I love giving the fish a nice charred edge, and marinating the salmon beforehand really helps give it excellent flavor. Serve over steamed rice alongside some roasted vegetables or your favorite Asian-style salad.

With El Nino in effect, we’ve been getting a few chilly and rainy days here in SoCal, so I’ve been using that as an opportunity to whip up some tasty, hot soups and chilis. Since I am making it a goal to eat less meat, I’ve been really into making new Weight Watchers vegetarian recipes, and this Vegan Quinoa Chili was a hit! By simply substituting quinoa for the meat, I was able to put together a super easy chili that tastes just as hearty and delicious as a traditional, meat-based chili. The quinoa and beans provide a lot of protein and fiber, so this chili will definitely leave you feeling full and satisfied. Feel free to add your favorite fixin’s on top like cheese, sour cream, diced red onion, avocado…whatever your heart desires. Just make sure to add them into the total Smart Points value! This chili also reheats and freezes really well, so make sure to store some extra in the freezer for lunches or quick weeknight dinners. Enjoy!