Week one of the new year, and still going strong on my Weight Watchers Points Plus + Zumba plan, though I must admit I had a wee-bit of a fall back when I went to The American Girl Lunch with my my Mother and Daughter- I *had* to try the delicious hot cinnabuns and sweet chocolate mousse. I am only human. But we were making memories people, so I am pretty sure that cancelled out any points overage. (are you with me?)
Ok, so maybe it that making memories theory holds about as much water as my “cramps burn calories” theory when I have my period (though I have to admit, I kind of think that one should be scientifically tested).
Eating out and dealing with PMS cravings is *the* hardest part of dieting- at least for me it always has been- and without fail, every time I start a diet- Aunt Flo comes to visit and we are invited to dine out somewhere. For me these times make me crave 2 things- Sweets and GREASE… neither of which are particularly Weight Watchers friendly.
So I wanted to share my favorite source for making my favorite junk-food, healthier & Points Plus friendly.
Meet my BFF, Hungry Girl.
Ok so maybe Hungry Girl doesn’t know that she’s my BFF.. but believe me we are.
If you have not already discovered & checked out hungrygirl.com, you need too. I *love* her site- I own all of her books -unfortunately now all the point values have changed- but- Still, they’re all really delicious recipes for foods you love and they’re EASY -which lets be honest is almost as important as the taste.
See below?
Photo credit: HungryGirl.com
The Hungry Girl Quesadilla Burger on the left is 7 Points Plus points. The Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger on the right? yea… 36 Points Plus points!
See why you need to visit her?
Here are some more of my tried and true favorite SWEETS recipes from her:
Points Plus Value: 3pts!
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We love these, even when we aren’t following a strict diet. I’ve made them to bring to friends houses when we visit- and I love to hear them say how good they are and never tell them that they’re dietary! *snicker* lol
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Points Plus value: 7 pts!
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On the old plan this recipe was only 5pts, which definitely made it sweeter. Dessert to me isn’t typically worth using 7pts to me, but there are definitely exception days. And when you are having Sunday dinner with your family who is not on a diet, its nice to be able to make a dessert you know exactly what the point value is. I’ve brought this one to my Mom’s for Sunday dinner. They loved it.
Oh, and remember that Mousse I had at American Girl Place? Check out this swap….
Points Plus value: 5 points!
*sigh* wouldn’t the world be a better place if all restaurants and fast food places cooked with Hungry Girl recipes?
If you want to know some of the “greasy” swap out’s I’ve tried from Hungry Girl let me know… I have a list of those too!
.Week one results: Down 3 lbs! (12 more to go!)
Maria over at Bored Mommy is down 6.5! Read about her first week on Points Plus here. She has some excellent points about the pros and cons of the plan.
Disclosure: I did NOT receive compensation for this post. The opinions and suggestions are completely my own. I have used Hungry Girl recipes for years and wanted to pass on the love.
