Lemon-Raspberry Ice Squares - 5.5 Weight Watchers Smart Points or 3 Winning Points

This dessert was a find by me for using up raspberries many years ago.  It can be lightened up further, as the points depend greatly on the sugar cookies, butter, and yogurt used.  I tend to use real ingredients.  Vegan yogurt might be a good option to try with light butter and fat-free yogurt for fewer points.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find some lower-calorie vanilla sugar cookies and there were a lot of points involved in the ones I chose, but I also only used about 7 of them compared to the 18 called for in the recipe.  

The image above is a slice of the entire recipe cut into 9 portions and it's sitting on a salad-sized plate, so it's a good size.  Cutting the entire batch in 18 portions would halve the points. The whipped cream topping is not included in the points for this recipe, as that depends on your choice for whipped topping. 

The lemon and raspberry go so well together.  Just make sure you let it sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes to soften a tad because "Ice" squares are pretty hard to get through with forks and spoons otherwise.

Ingredients:

1 c. (about 18) crushed lemon-flavored sugar cookies
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbs. butter
1 c. raspberry-flavored yogurt
1 c. low-fat buttermilk
1/3 c. sugar
2 c. frozen or fresh raspberries
sweetened whipped cream

Instructions:

In small bowl, stir together crushed cookies, 1/4 cup sugar and butter.  Press on bottom of 9" square baking pan and set aside.

In medium bowl, stir together remaining ingredients except raspberries and whipped cream.  Fold in raspberries. Pour yogurt mixture over cookie crust.  Cover and freeze until firm, about 3 to 4 hours.

To serve, let stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.  Cut into 18 squares (or 9) and garnish with whipped cream.

You can also change up the flavor for this recipe.  Use blueberry-flavored yogurt and blueberries or strawberry-flavored yogurt with strawberries.  Heck, switch it all up and make it a combo deal, just remember the lemon flavor in the "crust" and choose complimentary flavors.

YIELDS:  18 servings
SERVING SIZE: 1/18
POINTS:  5.5 Smart Points or 3 Winning Points

YIELDS:  9 servings
SERVING SIZE: 1/9th
POINTS:  11 Smart Points or 6 Winning Points

Chocolate-Chocolate-Chip Avocado Cookies for 2 Points Each!

Seriously, if you need a chocolate Fix, this is a good one. Especially Fresh out of the oven with the ooey gooey chocolate and even warned in a microwave for a few seconds afterward.

Yes, it's dairy free and gluten free (if you use gluten-free flour, which I do), and even vegan too. It's so easy to make and the whole Family gobbles them up completely unaware they're made with avocado!

I've tried this recipe with different types of flour, regular all-purpose, whole wheat flour, gluten-free versions, and I've settled on Cup-4-Cup gluten-free as my favorite in this recipe.

I've also tried this recipe with different chocolate chips--milk chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet, etc. and I've settled on semi-sweet chips as my favorite, but feel free to pick your poison here.


INGREDIENTS:

parchment paper
1/2 cup mashed avocado
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (method to making sugar-big rough, crystal-like granules)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c gluten-free flour
100 grams of chocolate chips of your choice


INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.

While the oven is preheating give your avocado and turbinado sugar a good whirl in a food processor or blender.

Add vanilla and apple cider vinegar and give another quick whirl until blended well/incorporated.

Mix the cocoa powder, the flour, the baking soda, and the cinnamon in a separate bowl with a whisk and add half at a time to moist mixture and blend after each addition.

Mix in chocolate chips by hand.

Spoon about a tablespoon of cookie dough onto your parchment-lined cookie sheet and use the backside of your spoon to flatten and shape the cookies somewhat, as they don't expand and shape much on their own.  Try to make sure there are no thin spots on the outer edges as they will cook/burn quickly and affect the taste of your first bites.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl Brownie Cake

The kids asked for something sweet as a treat after school this afternoon and thought up this one that I haven't made in a long time. It's only 4 Weight Watchers points per square out of a total of 16 squares/servings. I changed the recipe a little and got more of a brownie-like texture, so I'll share how I have it on my recipe card that I'm sure I got from Weight Watchers eons ago and then what I did to get a more brownie-like texture as well in parenthesis next to specific ingredients. I bet you can sub in some other nut butters as well to switch it up a little.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 Tbs all-purpose flour (I used Pam baking spray for the pan)
1/2 c. reduced-calorie stick butter, softened
1-1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large egg whites (I substituted 1/2 cup pasteurized egg product of all egg whites)
1 large egg (I substituted 1 egg yolk with egg-white product above)
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray and dust with the 1 Tbsp of flour (or Pam baking spray) and set aside.

Cream the butter and gradually add in the brown sugar until well blended on medium speed.  Add vanilla extract, egg whites (or egg product), whole egg (or 1 egg yolk), and beat well.

Mix the 1-1/2 cups flour with 1/2 tsp. baking powder in a separate bowl and slowly add into mixture until well blended.

Divide the mixture evenly, about 1-1/2 cups in 2 parts. Into one part mix in the 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa and into the other bowl mix in the 1/4 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter (you will have two batters now).

Spoon each mixture alternately into the prepared pan. Bang on the counter to level and using a knife create swirls.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

YIELDS: 16 servings

POINTS: 4 points per square

It's a Warm, Nutty, Peach Shortcake Dessert for 4 Points!

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.  Such a nice, warm treat.  I call it peach shortcake!  The kids and Mr. F had their's with a bit of Fat-Free whipped cream.  Mine without.  The whole batch comes out to 16 points, so I divided it into 5 servings for only 3 points per serving.  At 4 servings per batch, it's 4 points per serving. Add a point if needed should you use the whipped topping!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c. low-fat biscuit and baking mix, such as Bisquick
1/4 cup sugar, divided
2 Tbs chopped pecans toasted
3 Tbs skim milk
1/8 tsp butter extract
2 c. drained canned sliced peaches in juice
2/3 cup white grape juice (I used apple juice since I had that handy)
1/4 tsp applie-pie spice


INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine the baking mix, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the toasted pecans in a bowl.  Add the milk and the butter extract and mix just until moist, then set aside.

Combine the remaining sugar, the peaches, the grape juice, and the apple-pie spice in a medium saucepan (that you can later cover) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Drop the dough into 4 mounds on top of the boiling peach mixture and cover.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes or until dumplings are done.

Spoon peach mixture evenly into 4 dessert dishes and top each with dumplings.

You can store the leftover peaches in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

YIELDS:  4 servings

POINTS:  4

Nutritional Information:  189 calories (17% from fat); 2.6g protein; 3.6g fat (0.4g saturated); 38.1g carbs; 0.6g fiber; 0mg cholesterol; 1.2mg iron; 184mg sodium; 38mg calcium

Raspberry-Chocolate Floats for 2 Weight Watchers Winning Points

This is such a yummy treat for ONLY 2 Weight Watchers Winning Points!  The whole Family loved it.  I need to keep searching for a sparking water brand that does not have artificial sweetener in it because I don't like that taste, but other than that, this was good!  Granted, it could get expensive with the price of raspberries these days, but I have my own raspberry patch in my own backyard and it's raspberry season! So when I managed to pick 3 whole cups of raspberries today, this was on the menu this evening! I used black raspberry-flavored sparkling water and used low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt.

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 c. fresh raspberries
4 tsp sugar
2 c. raspberry-flavored or plain sparkling water, chilled
1 c. chocolate low-fat ice cream (total, as only 1/4 c per serving)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place raspberries in a food processor and process 15 seconds or until smooth.  Now for the annoying part, strain out the seeds in a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and toss out those pesky seeds.  Add the sugar into the puree and stir well.  Set aside until sugar is well incorporated and no longer gritty.

Combine 2 tablespoons raspberry puree and 1/2 cup sparkling water in each of 4 glasses and stir gently.  Add 1/4 cup ice cream to each glass. Serve immediately.

YIELDS: 4 servings

POINTS: 2 points per serving

Nutritional Information:  94 calories (17% from fat); 1.9g protein; 1.8g fat (0.8mg sat); 18.5g carb; 0g fiber; 5mg cholesterol; 0.3mg iron; 0 mg sodium; 60mg calcium

Mixed Berries and Maple Cream Dessert Recipe for 7 to 9 Weight Watchers Points

This Fruit-based dessert is a Family-Favorite in our household.  The points can vary as little or as much as you would like by the number of total servings you divide it into.  The original recipe indicates it serves Four, but since there are Five of us in our house, it serves Five.  The entire recipe came out to 36 points, so when divided into Four servings you get 9 points per serving, but when divided into Five servings, you get 7 points per serving. You can probably lessen the powdered sugar in the whipping cream and and leave out the nuts to trim it out a little Further as well.

Because it makes me Feel like I have come a long way in my domestic diva journey, I want to brag a little. The blueberries come from a Friend's Farm, and the maple syrup and raspberries from my own back yard. I Freeze the raspberries each Fall and use throughout the remainder of the year and make Freezer jam with them as well. This is my second year making homemade maple syrup from my own maple tree, and it is delicious! Toot toot! ;) 


Fruit Layer Ingredients:

1 (6 oz.) container fresh blackberries (about 1-1/2 cups) (I frequently used raspberries instead)
1-1/3 cups fresh blueberries
1-1/3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. grated orange peel

Maple Cream Layer Ingredients:

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup or honey (I use maple syrup)
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, whole shelled pistachios, toasted sliced almonds (I use almonds)

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine all the berries, sugar, and orange peel and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a small bowl stir together sour cream and maple syrup and set aside.  In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer beat the whipping cream just until slightly thickened and add in the powdered sugar and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.  Then fold in the sour cream/maple syrup mixture.

In each dessert cup layer even amounts of the berry mixture, the maple cream, and if desired 1 Tbs. nuts. Come back in with the berry mixture, the nuts, and top off with some more cream. Serve immediately.

Servings: 4 or 5
Points: 9 for each of 4 servings or 7 for each of 5 servings

Per Serving: 375 calories, 23 g fat, 14 g saturated fat, 85 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, and 4 g protein.

Vanilla-?-Berry Chia Seed Pudding for Either 4 or 5 Weight Watcher Points

This dessert and snack recipe can be either 4 or 5 Weight Watcher points depending on how many servings you divide it into....4 servings or 5 servings. I'll include the nutritional information and points for both options.

While you begin with a vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt, you can switch up the extrat Flavoring for a little hint of something else.  In the mood for more maple flavoring? How about coconut, almond, or extra vanilla?

You need a minimum of 8 hours to allow the chia seeds to set up in the yogurt-almond milk mixture, at which point it become a tapioca-like consistency.

Pudding Ingredients:

1 cup Vanilla-Flavored 100% NonFat Chobani Greek Yogurt
1 cup Vanilla-Flavored Blue Diamond Almond Milk
1 tsp. flavored extract (vanilla, maple, coconut, almond, etc.)
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. 100% Pure Maple Syrup

*1/4 cup chia seeds* 

*Mix above ingredients in bowl with wire whisk. Now whisk in 1/4 cup chia seeds. Allow to sit on counter until seeds begin to set up rather than sink. Once thickened to where seeds stay put, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Topping Ingredients:

1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
4 tsp. or 1-1/3 Tbsp. 100% pure maple syrup
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Mix topping ingredients into a bowl and allow to the syrup to break down the fruit somewhat creating juices for a couple of hours. Don't be afraid to try adding other berries into the mix, such as raspberries, as well. Just make sure to refigure your points! After dividing your pudding mixture up into either 4 or 5 equal servings, divide the nutty-fruit topping up accordingly and place on top. You can mix it all up together too!

Servings: 4
Points: 5 points each
Nutritional Information:  286.5 calories, 7 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 2.5 mg cholesterol, 68.25 mg sodium, 49.75 g carbohydrates, 5 g Fiber, 8.75 g protein

Servings: 5
Points: 4 points each
Nutritional Information: 229.2 calories, 5.5 total fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 54.6 mg sodium, 39.8 g carbohydrates, 4 g Fiber, 7 g protein

A Fantastic Treat for 5 Weight Watchers Points - A Fab Grab Option

I stumbled upon this Muller yogurt Fab Grab because I had a coupon for it that I paired up with a sale to get each one for just under a dollar at $0.99 each. Once I tried it, I felt like I was eating a dessert!

If you're like me and don't actually like Greek yogurt and need to add a bit of honey to lessen the tartness of it, then this would be 1 more point for a total of 6 points.

A Fab Grab Snack Option for 1 Point Per Cookie

I love these things.  The serving size listed is 3 cookies or thins, so it's 1 point per cookie/thin.  They have multiple flavors for which I have not Figured the points, but this Flies with me. ;)

Pineapple-Basil Salad for Only 1 Weight Watcher Point!

I'm not really a pineapple Fan, but Mr. F is, so I thought I'd try this recipe out tonight for him.  Turned out to be very delicious and I had the whole allotted cupful of it for a single Weight Watcher point.  Felt like I should be in the Caribbean or something.

Ingredients: 

4 cups cubed fresh pineapple
4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Instructions:  Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Cover and chill if needed.

Yield: 4 servings (about 1 cup each)
Points: 1

91 calories, 0.2 g fat, 0.9 g, 24 g carb, 2.3 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 mg sodium, 23 mg calcium

Cherry Fudge Brownies at Only 3 Weight Watcher Points per Brownie (Make a Sundae for 5!)

This is obviously G-O-O-D! Can you believe I have somebody in my house who doesn't like it though! For real! My husband would prefer I not add in the candied cherries, but too bad because this year is about me.

Just as the post title says, it's only 3 points per brownie and when you turn it into a warm brownie mint sundae, it's still only 5 points!

Ingredients:

1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt 1 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/3 c. chopped candied cherries
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar (I never add this)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8"-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Get 2 bowls out. Combine into one bowl the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and in the other the granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add the sugar mixture to the cocoa mixture and stir just until blended (takes some work and gets very thick). Fold in the cherries and the chocolate chips. Work batter into the pan evenly. Bake until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 28-32 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 30 minutes. Cut into 16 bars. Remove from the pan and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Yields 16 servings.
Points: 3 points

141 calories, 5 g fat, 34 mg cholesterol, 86 mg sodium, 25 g carb, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein

Sundae Version: Points=5 points
Add 1/2-cup scoop of fat-free mint ice cream, a tablespoon of fat-free whipped topping, and a maraschino cherry.

Blueberry Mango Sundae Recipe

I made this Fruit topping mixture over the summer, and I had a lot left over, so I decided to portion it up individually and Freeze the portions in the Freezer using my Food Saver system after learning the points value was reasonable at only 4 points.

I just pull one out of the Freezer and defrost to later top a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt.  Sometimes I'll halve both the fruit topping mixture and the scoop of Frozen yogurt for half the points too.

Here is a picture of the whole Fresh Sundae with a 2-point 1/2-cup serving of low-Fat vanilla Frozen yogurt:

Below is a picture of the defrosted version in which the blueberries stain the mango giving it that reddish color, but the taste is still the same as Fresh and still delicious.

What you can't see in this photo is the yummy, sweet sauce that ran to the bottom, but you can see it in the photo of the Fresh Sundae above.

Here is a photo of the peel-removal in process and completed (the more lime peel you add, the stronger the lime flavor you will have):

The nutritional information noted below is information I had recorded from an old recipe I got from somewhere and put into my recipe book. The type of Frozen yogurt is unspecified, so I have separated the topping from the yogurt.  I used online sources to Figure nutritional information of approximate amounts of topping ingredients used in this recipe and come out a bit higher in points, so I rounded up. I use a 2-point low-fat Frozen yogurt, which comes out to 2 points per 1/2 cup, so together, I come out to 5 points for this dessert.  If I halve the dessert, it comes out to 2.5 points for me.

Here is the recipe and nutritional information:

Ingredients: 
2 mangoes, pitted, peeled and diced (about 2-1/4 lbs.)
3 cups blueberries
2 limes
1/2 cup sugar
5 mint leaves
vanilla frozen yogurt

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl combine mangoes and blueberries and set aside. 
2. Remove peel from limes in strips (can use a vegetable peeler or cut strips) and set aside. 
3. Juice the limes for 3 tablespoons juice and set aside. 
4. In a small saucepan bring 1/2 cup water, lime peel, sugar, and mint to boiling over medium heat.
5. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat. 
6. Place the syrup in a small bowl and stir in lime juice. Let stand 15-20 minutes. Remove peel and mint and discard. 
7. Drizzle syrup over fruit and toss to coat. 
8. Scoop yogurt into dessert dishes.  Spoon fruit over yogurt. May top with mint for garnish. 

Fruit Topping Servings: 6
Fruit Topping Serving Size:  Approximately 1/2 cup (turns out to be just shy of 1/2 cup for me)
Fruit Topping Points per Serving: 3 points (rounded up)


Nutritional Information: 230 cals, 0g fat, 0g sat fat, 0mg chol, 70mg sod, 55g carb, 5g fib, 5g protein

Family Friendly Sweet Snacking Sandwich for 3 Weight Watchers Points

F Words: Family Friendly

Tonight I made a "Sweet Snacking Sandwich" that I got from an old Weight Watchers recipe book I bought.  Probably about 12 years ago or so.  The points came out to 3 points per serving for me, but I'll include the nutrition information so you can figure your points in the event you use the new plan.  

I like this for a more healthful snack for my kids.  Because they are not dieting, I embellished their servings just a tad with Nutella and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. 

Here is the kid's version:  

 ....and here is my diet-friendly version:

Recipe for the dieting version is as follows (easy peasy!):

1 banana
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 oz. nonfat cream cheese
2 cinnamon-raisin English muffins, split and toasted
4 ripe strawberries, thinly sliced

(you can substitute peach, mango, pineapple, or kiwi for the strawberries or cinnamon-raisin bread-toasted-for the muffins)

1. Combine 1/2 of the banana, the ricotta, and the cream cheese in a blender. Whirl just until smooth.  Thinly slice the remaining banana half. 
2. Spread the banana mixture evenly over the toasted muffin halves.  Top with overlapping slices of the fruit. 

Per Serving (not including Nutella or powdered sugar)  (1 open sandwich=serving size): 142 cals, 2g total fat, 1g sat fat, 5mg chol, 187 mg sodium, 26g total carb, 2g fiber, 6g protein, 106 mg calcium.