Fun in Australia

I was browsing the Weight Watchers site in Australia and came across this article.  The food may not quite be what we are used to, the spelling, in some cases. is odd and it talks about ProPoints (PointsPlus), but message is universal.  I hope you like it.

Easy food maths
Article By: Shelley Norman

What you add and subtract from your eating plan everyday can really make a difference.

Look forward to that fluffy cappuccino every morning? Swap it for a skinny flat white and you’ll drop around 2 ProPoints® values every day.

Follow our incredibly easy food tweaks and downsize the total ProPoints value of every meal.


Breakfast club
If you eat breakfast, congratulations! Statistics show you’re more likely to maintain a healthy weight than those who skip breakfast. But let’s make that healthy habit even healthier with just a few adjustments.

You choose...	Replace...	With...	And...
Cereal	Full cream milk	Skim milk	Save 3 ProPoints values per 250ml
Fruit	A glass of unsweetened orange juice	A medium orange	Fill up on fibre to stop mid-morning munchies
Toast	1 tbs butter on your toast	2 tsp reduced-fat butter	Save 3 ProPoints values

Total saved: 6 ProPoints values.

Lunch break
Salads, sushi, sandwiches, soups or tuna – all great lunch choices, but there’s still room to improve.

• Watch fatty extras on your salad, such as full-fat cheese, croutons, bacon or fatty meats.
• Sushi is a great choice but watch out for fillings that are fried or crumbed.
• Tomato based soups beat creamy ones, and watch portion sizes. A large can or tetra pack holds two serves.

You choose...	Replace...	With...	And save...
Salad	Oil and vinegar dressing	Oil-free dressing	1 ProPoints value per 2 tbs
Sushi	Tempura prawn roll	California roll	1 ProPoints value
Sandwich	Full-fat cheese and tomato toastie	Lean ham and salad sandwich	3 ProPoints values
Soup	Laksa*	Minestrone soup	3 ProPoints values
Tuna	Canned tuna in oil	Canned tuna in water	3 ProPoints values

Total saved: 11 ProPoints values over 5 lunches.

* Laska is a spicy noodle soup of Asian heritage

Dinner winners
Cooking methods make a big difference to the number of ProPoints values in a meal. Let’s look at steak, potatoes, hot veggies and dessert.

You choose...	Replace...	With...	And save...
Steak	2 tbs olive oil for cooking	3-second spray of cooking oil	6 ProPoints values
Baked potato	Full-fat sour cream topping	Weight Watchers Sour Cream topping	2 ProPoints values per 1 tbs
Steamed vegies	2 tbs butter, melted	Ground black pepper	9 ProPoints values
Apple pie	3 tbs whipped cream	1 scoop of low-fat vanilla ice cream	4 ProPoints values

Total saved: 21 ProPoints values.

Time to dig out your Crock pot?

Here is a tried and tested WW Slow Cooker recipe you might like to get started with.  It makes lots, it's filling, warming and makes the house smell amazing when you get home from work to find dinner (almost) on the table!

Serve it as a soup or as a stew with rice or penne pasta, (for added PPV).

PointsPlus® Value:    5
Servings:  6
Preparation Time:  25 min
Cooking Time:  420 min

Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 large zucchini
1 LB of lean beef round, cut into 1" chunks
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 TBSP canned tomato paste
3/4 cup dry lentils
32 oz beef broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil - slivered

Instructions
Place all the ingredients, except the basil, in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker.  Stir well and set on a LOW setting for 6-7 hours.  Remove the cover, stir in the basil.  Cover and cook for further 5 minutes.  Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

See you at your meeting this week:  We are going to brainstorm how to socialize without awkwardness and without consuming food or beverages!!