Pumpkin Smoothie for 4 to 6 Weight Watchers Points

I modified this pumpkin smoothie into a pumpkin pie smoothie that has a hint of orange flavoring via the orange juice because it makes so much and the kiddos didn't really like it as written, so I'll include the original and how I modified it.  I added a dollop of whip cream on top for the kiddos too, but at 1 extra point, you may be able to do so on your own as well.

One servings of this smoothie gives you all the vitamin A you need for a day and almost half of your daily requirement of vitamin C!! BONUS! It also serves up 5 grams of protein!

The whole smoothie batch comes out to 24 points, so if you divide it up into 6 servings, each serving is 4 points.  Divide it up into 4 servings, and each serving is therefore 6 points.  Divide it into 2 and each serving is now 12 points.

Ingredients:

1 15-oz. can pumpkin, chilled
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk, chilled
1 cup orange juice, chilled
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 medium banana, cut into chunks (optional as written) (I added banana for body)
Ice cubes (optional, but I added for body)
Ground nutmeg or cinnamon (optional as written)  (I added 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
Orange wedges (optional as written)


Directions:

Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, orange juice, brown sugar, and, if desired, banana. Blend until smooth.

If desired, serve smoothies over ice cubes or blend them in and sprinkle each serving with ground nutmeg and garnish with orange wedges threaded onto a skewer.

Serves: 4 - 6
Points: 4 servings=6 points each, 6 servings=4 points each

Nutritional Information:  188 calories, 5 g total fat (3 g saturated), 17 mg cholesterol, 71 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein

Breakfast Smoothies for 2 Weight Watchers Points

I've been wanting to try tofu and found a recipe in my smoothie book that contains it for that extra punch of protein.  It's VERY low in points too--BONUS!  Seeing how I bought a bunch of cherries on sale, I Figured this would be the one. The smooth tofu available to me in my local store is a little too smooth/soft I think because even after freezing the cherries it doesn't have a lot of body to it, but the photo in the pamphlet has it looking very thick.  It's good though with the cherry and orange juice being the predominant flavors and doubling it up is only 4 Weight Watchers points!  The good news is I can get the kids to drink it too.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup soymilk or milk (I went with the soy)
3/4 cup orange juice, chilled
3/4 cup frozen unsweetened, pitted dark sweet cherries whole, or strawberries or peach slices
1 medium carrot, cut up and chilled
1/4 cup soft tofu (fresh bean curd)
1 Tbsp. honey (optional)

Directions:

Put all ingredients into the blender EXCEPT the honey and blend until smooth.  Add in 1 tablespoon of optional honey and blend again.  (Putting honey into smoothies atop frozen items can cause it to seize a little and not blend very well.)

Serves:  2
Points: 2 point per serving

Nutritional Information:  124 calories, 3 g total fat (0 saturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 225 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 6 g protein

Nutella-Coconut Smoothie for 5.5 Weight Watchers Points

I named this the Funky Mud Smoothie so as to be more attractive to the kids.

Ingredients: 

1/2 banana (about 2 oz.) for 1 point
1/2 cup sweetened almond milk, sweetened chocolate almond milk, or Fat-Free milk for 1 point
1 Tablespoon shredded coconut (I keep mine in the freezer) for 1 point
1 Tablespoon Nutella for 2.5 points
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract, coconut extract or both for 0 points

Remember....spinach is 0 points too and that is why mine looks Funky/muddy, and because I used the sweetened chocolate almond milk. Baby spinach does not affect the taste, however, and it's a great way to work in a serving of vegetables.

Fast Tip:  Place your banana chunk(s) topped with 1 Tablespoon of Nutella on a cookie sheet and place them (nontouching) in the freezer.  Once frozen, place in individual baggies and throw in a tablespoon of shredded coconut.  Seal the baggies and put back in the Freezer for a quick way to blend up that smoothie. Here are my Frozen bananas, Nutella, and coconut batches that I just throw into the blender as they are and add the remaining ingredients.

Almond-Coconut Smoothie for 5.5 or 6.5 Weight Watchers Points - Good for Meal Skippers

This is another smoothie great for meal skippers.  In Fact, I seem to be doing better drinking two such-style smoothies a day in lieu of breakfast and lunch.  It is better than skipping altogether, as is my usual habit when I'm in a rush with too much to do.

This one is a little less thick, so if you like a truly frozen and thick smoothie to eat on a spoon, I would recommend freezing the 1/2 banana, spinach, and almond butter overnight prior, and try freezing half of the almond milk as well, then adding the remainder of almond milk in at blending time.

I also choose to add spinach to mine, because why not?!  You can't taste it and it helps gets those veggie servings down.

Ingredients: 

1/2 banana (abaout 2 oz.) for 1 point
2/3 cup vanilla almond milk (or FF milk) for 1 point (or chocolate for 1 more-total of 2)
1 Tablespoon shredded coconut (I keep mine in the freezer) for 1 point
1 Tablespoon almond butter for 2.5 points
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract for 0 points (or almond or coconut extracts)

Remember....spinach is 0 points too.

I wanted to try it with 1/8 tsp. of coconut extract too, but I'm Fresh out of it right now.

As a side note, this post took me an hour to get up with constant interruptions from my jabberjaws 8-year-old and my daughter's Fill-you-in play-by-play after returning from a Friend's house as I was trying to add labels.  And....I type 110 words per minute!

Fast Tip:  Freeze your banana and almond butter on a cookie sheet. I just put my nut butter on top of the banana. Sometimes they tip over, sometimes not, but either way, they Freeze together.  When Frozen, place in a baggie and add the tablespoon of coconut, then seal it up so it's ready to grab and go. 

Here are my Frozen ingredients minus the spinach that I now add regularly:

Grinch Smoothie for 3 Weight Watcher Points

Update 2/10/15:  I'm so excited that I took the time to refigure the points on this smoothie.  Somehow I had marked on the bag of flax meal that the two-tablespoon serving was 4 points. It is NOT! The two-tablespoon serving size is only 1 Freakin' point! It must've been blonde math that made me quadruple the points in my notes/translation rather than divide it into Fourths. At any rate, it's almost an entire two points less than I originally thought! Lately, now that I'm working on improving my cholesterol numbers, I've been adding 1/4 c. of pomegranate juice for 1 point.

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Here are the ingredients to make a single serving with a slight banana flavor:

2/3 c.vanilla almond milk (1 point rounded up from .67)
1 oz. banana*
1 c. raw baby spinach loosely packed (0 points)
1/4 c. unpeeled (skin on) green apple (about 1 oz.)*
1/8 avocado (about 1 oz.)* (1 point for the 3 fruits combined)
1/2 rounded Tbs. flax meal (0.25 points per 1/2 Tbs.)
1/2 Tbs. honey (0.5 points)

* I have assigned the three-fruit combo a single point, as it is 0 points individually, but it's fruit! (The old WW Plan has points for fruit. I understand newer points systems have fruits as freebies)

Take all ingredients and blend well.

On my old Weight Watchers plan, this comes out to just over 3 points for me, at 3.25 points.  

Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s, which have been shown to have heart-healthy effects.  Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types of fiber too.  Research indicates that flax may reduce risks of certain cancers, as well as cardiovascular disease and lung disease. For more on flax, check out this information at WebMD. I also add it to other things where it fits.  They say 2 tablespoons a day offers a healthful heart benefit.

I adapted the above recipe into a single-serving size, but there's no issue with using a whole tablespoon of flax in it either.  Now that I fixed the points on this smoothie, I, as you, can double it up or have it again later in the day should I find myself hungry in between meals. 

Tip:  Freeze ingredients! I put the apple, banana, and avocado on a cookie sheet and freeze them in piles (per smoothie).  I put the spinach into individual bowls/cups and freeze that too! When all four items are frozen, I take one serving of the raw, frozen baby spinach and put it into a Food Saver bag with the pre-portioned, Frozen apple, banana, and apple and then add the flax meal to it too.  This way, all I have to do is cut open a bag, plop it into the Blender, add the almond milk and the honey, blend, and voila!