Ingredients

Serves 4 = 11sp (previously 11pp) each

For the meatballs

450g extra lean turkey mince

2 spring onion, very finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Pinch of crushed chillies

1 tsp oregano

Finely grated zest of one lemon

For the sauce

2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 pepper, thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, chopped

Pinch of caster sugar

Pinch of crushed chillies (and a dash of Tabasco if you like it spicy)

2 tsp oregano

400g box of passata

100g light feta cheese, finely crumbled

80g light mozzarella cheese

1 spring onion, sliced

200g pasta of your choice (I used tagliatelle)

Method

Pre heat your oven to 180c.

Into a large bowl add your spring onions, garlic, crushed chillies, oregano (1 tsp) lemon and turkey mince. Season well with salt and pepper and get your hands in there to give everything a good mix.

Once nicely combined, take tablespoon sized lumps and roll into some nice meatball shapes. Using this much mince gives you 16 meatballs.

Spray a large frying pan with low cal cooking spray and cook the meatballs for around 5 minutes until they start to nicely brown (if you have a small frying pan you might need to do this in two batches). Once all the meatballs are cooked, remove from the pan and pop to one side on a plate.

To the same frying pan add some more low cal spray and a drop of water and fry your onions and peppers until the onions are nice and soft. Then add your garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Then add your passata, pinch of sugar, pinch of crushed chillies, 2 tsp oregano and a good seasoning of salt and pepper, add the meatballs (and a small splash of water if you prefer yours saucy, we like it thick) and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

At this point pop your kettle on and weigh out your pasta ready for cooking. If you are having linguine/tagliatelle like we did then pop this on to cook for 12 minutes.

Whilst the pasta is cooking, pop your feta on top of your meatballs, season with black pepper and then top with your mozzarella. Pop in the oven for 10 minutes (or until your pasta is ready and the cheese is nice and melty).

Serve the lovely meatballs on top of your pasta, add some salad leaves and dress with a slice of lemon for squeezing. The lemon really adds a nice flavour so try and include it if you can.

Enjoy!

The post Greek Turkey Meatballs – 11sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Method

Serves 1 = 5sp (previously 5pp) each

40g Bulgur Wheat, dried

½ teaspoon cumin, dried

30g half fat feta (I use aldi’s greek style salad cheese as its really low in points!)

Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/8 of red onion, finely diced

Half a pepper, finely diced

Finely chopped mint and/or parsley (or basil even!)

Juice of ½ of a lemon/lime

Method

Cook your bulgur wheat according to the packet instructions. Mine need to be boiled for 15 minutes and left to stand for 10 minutes. Put your cumin in with the bulgur wheat before you boil it. Meanwhile chop up the rest of your ingredients, combine everything in a bowl, add in the bulgur wheat once cooked and finally mix in your lemon/lime juice. Serve with a handful of salad leaves or a pitta bread if you fancy!

Enjoy!

The post Bulgur Wheat and Feta Salad – Only 5sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 8 points or 525 cals, 14.3g fat, 65.5g carbs, 37.1g protein

Ingredients

500g extra lean mince (5% fat)

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped (can be left out if you don’t like it hot)

2 peppers, deseeded and diced

250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp tomato puree

1-2 tsp hot chilli powder (I use 2, use less if you don’t like it too spicy!)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tablespoon beef gravy granules

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

400g box of passata

Dash of Tabasco

400g tin of kidney beans in water, drained

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

200g long grain rice

15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Take a large saucepan, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and then fry the mince for 5 minutes until it starts to colour.
2. Add the onion and fry for another 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the mince is cooked through, then add the chilli, peppers and mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms are soft.
3. Add the tomato purée, fry for a minute, then add the chilli powder, cumin and coriander and fry for a further 1–2 minutes. Add the beef gravy granules and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, stir in for a minute, and then add the passata, a dash of Tabasco sauce, the kidney beans, paprika, cayenne pepper and sugar. Season well with salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer.
4. At this point, pop your rice on to cook. I like the chilli to simmer for at least 20 minutes, so putting the rice on to cook now gives it the perfect window.5
5. Just before you serve the chilli, turn off the heat and stir through the coriander.
6. Once the rice is cooked, serve in nice big bowls topped with the chilli and the accompaniments of your choice.

The post Chilli Con Carne first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

I’ve used sausages in this recipe as they add a nice flavour whilst still being low in points. It would also be great if you could get your hands on merengez sausages or chilli sausages but it would equally be as nice with another meat such as chicken or lamb. I am a massive carnivore, but this recipe is so tasty and filling I would even consider omitting meat altogether and going veggie.

The recipe below can be served on its own as a stew and you accompany it with some crusty bread. If you are serving it to more people you could also serve it with a small portion of wild rice. Either way, be sure to add the extra points! If you are omitting meat you could beef it up but adding extra veg such as courgette, butternut squash or aubergine. Getting rid of the sausages take the pp’s down to 4 per person.

Ingredients
Serves 4 = 6sp each

6 x Weight Watchers Pork Sausages
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 peppers, deseeded and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 heaped tsp Ras El Hanout Paste (I got mine in Tesco)
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 x tin of chopped tomatoes (if you only have one you can make up chicken stock in the used tomato tin and use this as a replacement for the second)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
1 x 240g tin of chickpeas
Couple of large handfuls of spinach, shredded
Large handful of fresh coriander, shredded
1 lemon, quartered
4 x eggs

Harissa to serve, optional
Natural Yoghurt to serve, optional

Method
Take a large frying pan, spray with 1kal, and cook your sausages for 6-7 minutes until they start to brown nicely on the outside. Then add your onions (and a splash of water to stop them sticking to the pan) and fry for another 4-5 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Then add the garlic, peppers and carrot and fry for another minute or two. Next add the Ras El Hanout Paste and smoked paprika and another small splash of water. Give a mix and cook for a minute or two. Then add the tomatoes, salt and honey. Mix and simmer for around 10 minutes. Next add the chickpeas and spinach and cook for another five minutes.

Add a little water if you think it needs to be a little more saucy). Then add the coriander, a good squeeze of lemon and a twist of black pepper and cook for another few minutes. When the chickpeas are nicely cooked, turn up the heat and make a small well in one quarter of the pan. Quickly crack in one egg. Repeat this in each quarter of the pan, cover and cook on high until the whites of the egg are cooked but the yolks are still nice and runny (around 3 minutes). Serve in a nice big bowl, and top with a little fresh coriander and a slice of lemon.

You can also top it with a scattered teaspoon of harrisa or with some fat free natural yoghurt with harissa swirled in.

Enjoy!

The post Morrocan Sausage and Chickpea Stew – Only 6sp! first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

This was another recipe that had been scribbled onto a piece of scrap paper and given to me! Herbs and spices are one of the best 0pp treats to fill your cupboard with. If you have herbs and spices, even with a pretty empty fridge, you can usually manage to knock up something delicious. This recipe is the perfect example of that as you don’t need too many fresh ingredients.

The ingredients list may look a bit long but once you have invested in the herbs and spices they really last. This is a really easy curry to make and it tastes so authentic. The slow cooker really brings out all the flavours of the herbs and spices and it’s such a treat to come home to at the end of a long day at work!

Ingredients
Serves 2 = 13sp each

250g lean lamb, diced into small chunks

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tbsp dried crushed chillies

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric

2-4 garlic cloves, peels and crushed

5cm fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato puree

400ml lamb stock

2 peppers, deseeded and sliced

1 bag of spinach, washed and roughly chopped

1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander

120g basmati rice

Method
Heat  the oil in a frying pan, add the mustard seeds and crushed chillies and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the rest of your spices along with the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for around five minutes. You might need to add a little water to reduce to temperature of the pan and stop the spices burning. Then add the meat and onion to the pan and give a good stir until coated in the spices.
Add the tomato puree and stock to the pan and bring to the boil and then carefully pour into your slow cooker. Add your peppers to the slow cooker and stir in. Cover with a lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours. The curry should thicken up nicely but if you want it a little thicker mix 1 tbsp cornflour with a little water to make a paste, add and simmer in a frying pan for a few minutes, it should thicken up a treat!

When you go to put your rice on throw your spinach into the slow cooker with the coriander. Once the rice has cooked serve in a nice big bowl with a tablespoon of fat free yoghurt and a sprig of coriander.
Enjoy!

The post Slow Cooked Lamb Madras – 13sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Through creating and consuming the recipes I was creating, I realised very quickly that by making a few small substitutions and eating the right amount of certain foods, I could have a fabulous diet without feeling like I was missing out on anything. In this way I found you could eradicate the ‘guilt factor’ from many meals which I once thought would be off limits.

I successfully maintained my weight loss for over 7 years and then came along my two beautiful babies and so today I find myself back to losing once more. Whether maintaining or losing weight, I am always trying out new ideas, tips and recipes to keep food tasty and exciting.

As a result, you will find that my website is filled with low calorie and low point recipes and ideas that I make at home on a daily basis. The one thing they all have in common is that they are all portioned out and pointed up to make it as easy as possible for you to either lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle.

**DISCLAIMER**

Where the recipes on my website state the ‘points’ value, these have been calculated using the Weight Watchers Points System (which I do not own and belongs to Weight Watchers) and the points stated are for your guidance only. The point calculations are my own, are subject to change and have been worked out using the wonderful online ‘Recipe Builder’ on the Weight Watchers app. In this way, by specifically stating weights and amounts to use in each recipe, I have tried to be as accurate as possible in producing the end point value, leaving you with as easy a life as possible. Sometimes however, something may go wrong. If you adjust any of the weights or measures, it might be worth running the recipe back through the recipe builder to find out how your own adjustments have changed the total points value of the dish. Additionally, since Weight Watchers tweak their plan on an annual basis, the points value stated relate to the points system in place at the time. If the points stated are not the latest iteration of ‘points’ (i.e propoints or smart points for example), again pop the recipe back through your own recipe builder to get an up to date calculation.

While my recipes aim to help all my fellow Weight Watchers out there, my recipes are generally low in calories/fat and packed full of veg and so are great for most diet plans, including for those of you just seeking out a healthier version of a recipe.

I hope you enjoy my recipes and if you have any questions or comments, I’m always grateful for feedback!

Laura

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