Zero Points Value Slow Cooker Soup

One of my favorite things to make is a good soup. Soups can climb high in sodium and calories if it uses cream base or fatty meat as the flavoring. Here is a 0 point (new and old system) soup from Weight Watchers that will add great flavor, vegetables, and fiber to any meal.

Zero POINTS® Value Slow Cooker Soup

10 oz spinach, baby leaves
2 medium carrot(s), chopped
2 medium celery, ribs, chopped
1 large onion(s), chopped
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
4 cup(s) vegetable broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 piece(s) bay leaf
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker; cover and cook on high power for 5 hours. Remove bay leaves, stir and serve.

Yields about 1 cup per serving.

POINTS® Value: 0
Servings: 8

Ginger-Steamed Cod Fillets

Got this recipe from WeightWatchers. I love a good fish recipe!

Ginger Steamed Cod Fillets

3 pts/serving, makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 medium scallions (minced)
• 1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced, or to taste
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp dry sherry, or nonalcoholic cooking wine
• 1 1/2 pounds uncooked cod

Directions

1. Place fish in a single layer in a glass baking dish
2. In a small bowl, combine scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sherry
3. Pour over fish and marinate in refrigerator up to 2 hours
4. Fill a sauce pan with an inch of water
5. Set over high heat and bring to a boil
6. Place fish in a steamer basket; discard marinade
7. Set steamer basket in saucepan, making sure basket sits above water
8. Cover saucepan and steam until fish is completely cooked (it should easily flake when tested with a fork)-about 10 minutes
9. Divide into 4 pieces and serve

Lemon-Ginger Asparagus

This recipe is from the March 21-27 2010 Weight Watchers Weekly newsletter.

Lemon-Ginger Asparagus

0 points per serving

prep: 10 minutes

cook: 8 minutes

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 (1/2) lbs asparagus, tough ends removed
• 2 Tbsp canned chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp fresh grated gingerroot
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp minced scallion
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

• Bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium skillet
• Place asparagus in skillet, reduce heat to medium and cook until asparagus is tender-crisp-about 6-8 minutes
• drain well and place asparagus in a large glass serving bowl
• In a cup, combine broth, ginger, lemon juice, scallion, salt, and pepper
• pour over asparagus
• Set aside for 30 minutes to marinate

Nacho Popcorn

Here is a recipe for Nacho Popcorn that I found in Weight Watchers Weekly from some time in 2010. Enjoy!

Nacho Popcorn

2 points per serving*

5 minutes to prep, 9 minutes to cook

3 cups per serving, serves 4 people

Ingredients

• 12 cups popped 94% fat free butter flavored popcorn
• 1/4 cup light butter
• 2 tsp reduced sodium taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican style cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 300* F
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil
• Place popped popcorn in a large bowl; remove any unpopped kernels
• In a small microwave safe bowl, microwave butter until melted; stir in taco seasoning mix
• Pour mixture over popcorn; toss until evenly coated
• Spread popcorn on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake until cheese melts, about 6 to 8 minutes

If you want, set out 1/4 cup each sliced jalapenos, sliced olives, and diced tomatoes to be used as toppings for the popcorn (will increase points to 3 per serving*)

Serve with small bowls and spoons

Point values may be different due to new points plus system

Individual Chili Meatloaf

Here's another meatloaf recipe. This one comes from Weight Watchers Weekly from the week of March 14, 2010 with a spicy twist.

Individual Chili Meatloaf

Our Mexican version of a comfort food classic is made in mini loaf pans for easy portion control. It's full of spices, topped with scallions and sour cream.

4 points per serving

12 servings (1 meatloaf each)

18 minutes prep

65 minutes cook

Ingredients

• 4 sprays cooking spray
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups diced onion
• 2 large poblano peppers, deveined and seeded, chopped
• 29 oz canned diced tomatoes, fire-roasted (about 3 cups)
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp paprike, smoked variety
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp table salt
• 15 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 2 lb uncooked lean ground beef (7% fat)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped scallion

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Coat 12 mini loaf pans with cooking spray (or a muffin pan)
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds-do not allow garlic to burn
• Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes
• Add peppers and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes more
• Stir in tomatoes, lime juice, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, kidney beans, black beans, and cilantro; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring mixture to incorporate flavors from bottom and sides of pan, about 10 minutes. Allow mixture to cool.
• Place beef in a large bowl and add chili mixture; mix to thoroughly combine
• Place about one cup of meatloaf mixture in each prepared mini loaf pan
• Bake until juices run clear, about 35 to 45 minutes
• Let stand for 10 minutes before turning out of pans
• Top each meatloaf with 2 tsp each of sour cream and scallions

Random Recipe Idea

brought to you by Weight Watchers Weekly, March 14, 2010.

Having roasted or grilled chicken breasts in the fridge is like having money in the bank. Cook extra when you're preparing dinner and you'll be set for lunches and dinners (think wraps and main course salads) for the next few days.

Quick Chicken Wrap

2 oz sliced chicken breast

2 oz sliced avocado OR 3 slices turkey bacon

1 medium whole wheat tortilla

Cajun-Style Potato Skins

I found this in Weight Watchers Weekly from the week of January 31, 2010. It can also be found on their website.

Cajun-Style Potato Skins

3 points per serving

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 8 minutes

Serves: 4 (1 potato half per serving)

Ingredients:

• 1 spray cooking spray
• 2 large potatoes, backed, cooled completely and cut in half lengthwise (be sure they are cooled completely before slicing and scooping out the flesh or you may have a hard time forming the skins)
• 1/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce
• 1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 3/4 cup cooked chicken breast, finely chopped or shredded
• 1/4 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 425* F.
• Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray
• Scoop half of the potato flesh out of each potato half (save this to make mashed potatos or soup!)
• Combine barbecue sauce and hot pepper sauce in a cup and spoon over potato halves
• Fill each potato half with 3 Tbsp of chicken and 1Tbsp of cheese
• Carefully place potato skins on prepared baking sheet
• Bake until cheese melts and potatoes are hot, about 8 minutes
• Sprinkle with parsley and serve

*Hint* for a zesty alternative, substitute 1/4 cup of hot and spicy ketchup for a combination of smoky barbecue sauce and hot red pepper sauce

Kickoff Turkey Sausage with Spinach

My Weight Watchers leader in Syracuse sent me this recipe for Turkey Sausage with Spinach...it sounded pretty good and kind of different. enjoy!

KICKOFF TURKEY SAUSAGE with SPINACH

Serves 6 - 7 POINTS each serving

6 SWEET ITALIAN TURKEY SAUSAGES

1 1/2 cups low-sodium CHICKEN BROTH

1 (1 pound) bag frozen PEARL ONIONS, thawed

1/2 cup GOLDEN RAISINS (I didn't have any so I used DRIED CRANBERRIES instead)

Large pinch KOSHER SALT

Large pinch BLACK PEPPER

1 (11-oz) container BABY SPINACH

1 Tbsp BALSAMIC VINEGAR

3 cups hot cooked RICE (I used BROWN RICE)

1. Spray large heavy skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add SAUSAGESand brown, turning, 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

2. Add BROTH to skillet and cook, scraping browned bits from bottom, 2 minutes. Transfer to 5 or 6 quart slow cooker. Stir in ONIONS, RAISINS, SALT, and PEPPER; top with SAUSAGES. Cover and cook until SAUSAGES and ONIONS are fork tender, 4 - 6 hours on high or 8 - 10 hours on low.

3. Transfer SAUSAGES with slotted spoon to cutting board. Cut each diagonally into 5 slices. Stir half of SPINACH into slow cooker, cooking just until wilted. Repeat with remaining SPINACH. Stir in sliced SAUSAGES and VINEGAR. Serve with RICE.

Per serving (5 slices sausages w/ about 1/2 cup onion mixture and 1/2 cup rice):

341 Calories

9 grams Fat

619 mg. Sodium

3 gr. Fiber

Fish and Chips

This recipe comes from Weight Watchers Beyond Chicken book.

Fish and Chips

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

4 Sprays Olive Oil cooking spray
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
1/4 tsp table salt or more to taste (enough for potatoes and fish)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper or more to taste (enough for potatoes and fish)
1/4 cup fat free milk
1 Tbsp Dijon mustar
1/2 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
20 oz uncooked cod (four 5 oz fillets)
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray. Place potato wedges on one baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray; season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Whisk milk and mustard together in a shallow dish. Place bread crumbs in another shallow dish and put flour in a third shallow dish. Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper. Place fish in flour and turn to coat Place fish in milk mixture and turn to coat. Place fish in bread crumbs and turn to coat. Transfer fish to second prepared baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake until fish flakes easily with a fork; about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve fish and potato wedges with vinegar on the side.

Italian Style Stirfry

Got this recipe from my Weight Watchers leader back in Syracuse. It's an Italian spin on stirfry.

Italian-Style Stir-Fry

Makes 6 serving
Yields about 6 cups total

POINTS® value | 0 per serving

Ingredients

· 3 sprays cooking spray, olive oil-variety recommended

· 1 tsp olive oil

· 1 Tbsp fennel seeds

· 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

· 1/2 tsp salt

· 1 large Spanish onion, peeled, cut in half, thinly sliced

· 4 medium peppers, 1 each red, orange, yellow and green, thinly sliced

Instructions

· Coat a very large nonstick skillet (or wok) with cooking spray; heat over medium to medium-high heat. Add oil; heat until shimmering. Add fennel seeds and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add salt and onion; stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add peppers; stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Notes

· How to make it faster: Buy precut vegetables at your grocery store or a salad bar. Or use thawed frozen pepper and onion strips (could affect texture).

Use any color or variety of pepper. Add chopped tomatoes and/or a tablespoon of fresh basil or 2 teaspoons of rosemary instead of the fennel. Oregano and thyme are nice additions, too.

Terrific over pasta, as a topping for a sandwich, or served with pork, chicken or fish.

Apricot Almond Crisp

Found this recipe in Weight Watchers Weekly from the week of February 7, 2010.

Apricot Almost Crisp

Enjoy this sublimely satisfying slow-cooker dessert with loved ones-or any time you want a memorable, yet easy, treat.

4 points pers serving
Prep: 15 minutes
Slow cook: 4 hours
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 spray cooking spray
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup whole blanched almonds, finely chopped
1 Tbsp cold butter
1 to 2 Tbsp fat free milk
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 tsp ground ginger
2 (14 oz) cans apricot halves in juice, drained and cut in half
3/4 tsp almond extract

Directions

Spray 5 or 6 quart slow cooker stoneware with nonstick spray
To make topping, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, wheat germ, and almonds in medium bowl. With fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add milk, tossing lightly with fork, just until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Mix granulated sugar and ginger in medium bowl. Add apricots and almond extract; toss to coat. Transfer apricot mixture to slow cookers. Sprinkle with topping; lightly spray with nonstick spray. Cover and cook until topping is crisp and begins to brown, about 4 hours on low.

Serve wtih 1/4 cup fat free vanilla frozen yogurt

Mixed Greens Stir Fry

Here is another stir fry recipe from Weight Watchers

Mixed Greens Stir-Fry

Makes 6 serving
Yields about 3 cups total

POINTS® value | 0 per serving

Ingredients

· 3 sprays cooking spray, olive oil-variety recommended

· 1 1/2 tsp olive oil

· 3/4 lb baby spinach

· 3/4 lb baby arugula

· 1/2 tsp sea salt

· 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

· 1/4 tsp sugar

· 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

· Coat a large pot with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat; heat oil until shimmering. Add spinach and arugula; cook until just wilted, turning greens over with tongs from the bottom of the pot to the top, about 1 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar; stir and heat through, about 30 seconds. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

Notes

· How to make it faster: Use reduced-calorie Italian or vinaigrette dressing instead of salt, pepper and vinegar (could affect POINTS values).

Any combination of leafy greens will work: beet greens, Swiss chard, kale, collards, mustard greens, etc.

Baked Beef Ziti

Found this on Dr. Oz's website. Here is a recipe from Weight Watchers that they posted for Baked Beef Ziti.

Weight Watchers Baked Beef Ziti

Ingredients

Serves 8

12 oz uncooked ziti

2 tsp olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/3 lb raw lean ground beef

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.

Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Weight Watchers POINTS® Value: 5

(c) 2010 Weight Watchers International, Inc. (c) 2010 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.

Putting Yourself First

I found this little excerpt in the February 7-13 issue of Weight Watchers Weekly

If it's hard for you to accept the value of putting yourself first, think about being on an airplane. The flight attendants always tell you to put your oxygen mask on before helping others.
The Message: When you take care of yourself, you're better able to take care of others.

Japanese Style Stir Fry

This one was also sent to me from my old Weight Watchers leader in the collection of Stir Fry recipes.

Japanese-Style Stir-Fry

Makes 6 serving
Yields about 5 to 5 1/2 cups total

POINTS® value | 0 per serving

Ingredients

· 1 Tbsp fresh minced gingerroot

· 1 large minced garlic clove

· 1/2 Tbsp sugar

· 1 Tbsp mirin or sweet sherry

· 1 Tbsp rice vinegar

· 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

· 2 sprays cooking spray, canola-variety recommended

· 1 tsp sesame oil

· 4 cups broccoli florets

· 3 medium carrots, julienned

· 1 medium red pepper, cut into chunks

Instructions

· In a small bowl, combine ginger, garlic, sugar, mirin, vinegar and soy sauce; set aside

· Generously coat a large nonstick skillet (or wok) with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat; heat oil until shimmering. Add broccoli and carrots; stir-fry about 5 to 7 minutes. Add pepper; stir-fry for about 1 to 3 minutes more. Add sauce and heat through, about 30 seconds to 1 minute; serve immediately. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

Notes

· How to make it faster: Parboil the broccoli and carrots the night before to decrease the stir-fry time. Or use quicker-cooking vegetables such as spinach and matchstick carrots. You can even buy a bottled Japanese stir-fry or teriyaki sauce (could affect POINTS values).

Wonderful as side dish for flank steak, pork roast or miso-glazed fish.

Running Tips

I got this from a Weight Watchers Meeting and thought it'd be a good thing to post on here as well.

1. When you stretch, pay particular attention to your calf and thigh muscles including the hamstrings
2. If increasing your speed leaves you feeling winded or tired, slow back down to a more comfortable pace
3. When running, look ahead and keep your body upright and bend your arms at a 90 degree angle
4. Vary your route to make it more interesting-you'll appreciate the change of scenery
5. Enroll in a local runner's clinic to train with a group if you'd rather not run alone
6. Invest in a good pair of athletic socks; ideally ones that are designated for running. If you want to splurge, a good digital watch is great to keep track of your time

credit: Weight Watchers Book 9: Add Variety to Your Workouts-Beyond Walking

Stir Fry: Jade Green Vegetables

Stir Fries are one of my favorite things to add to, or use as a meal. When done the right way and with just vegetables, you can have a delicious side dish added to your meal with minimal fat and calories additions. When tossed with chicken or meat, it makes a delicious meal paired with brown rice for some whole grain good measure. My old Weight Watchers leader send me an email full of different tasty stir fry recipes that will put a tasty spin on vegetables.


Jade Green Vegetables

Makes 6 servings
Yields 3 cups total

POINTS® value | 0 per serving

Ingredients

· 1/2 cup any type of broth, chicken recommended

· 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

· 1/2 Tbsp sugar

· 2 sprays cooking spray, canola-variety recommended

· 1 1/2 tsp peanut oil

· 1/2 tsp salt

· 3 thin slices of fresh ginger

· 1/2 lb uncooked string beans, trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces

· 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces

· 1 cup scallions, finely sliced

Instructions

· In a small bowl, combine broth, soy sauce and sugar; set aside.

· Generously coat a large nonstick skillet (or wok) with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add oil, salt and ginger; stir to combine. Heat until oil begins to shimmer and ginger becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add string beans; stir-fry about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add asparagus; stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add scallions and broth mixture; toss to coat. Heat through, about 30 seconds to 1 minute; serve immediately. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

Notes

· How to make it faster: Mix the sauce the night before, buy precut vegetables from a salad bar or buy bottled stir-fry sauce instead (could affect POINTS values).

Great over brown rice or served with steamed shrimp or shredded chicken.

Hot Fiesta Dip

This recipe for Hot Fiesta Dip is from a Weight Watchers Weekly magazine. It's a great alternative to fatty sour cream based dips.

Hot Fiesta Dip
1 point per serving/10 (1/4 cup) servings
prep: 4 minutes
cook: 5 minutes

Sweet, crunchy corn adds texture and flavor to refrigerated salsa. Serve this dip with baked tortilla chips.

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz package frozen whole kernel corn
• 1 .5 cups refrigerated fresh salsa
• 3/4 cup (3 oz) Weight Watchers reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese
• 2 Tbsp chopped scallion

Directions

• Microwave frozen corn according to package directions. Drain.
• Combine corn and salsa in a microwave safe 9 inch pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap, vent.
• Microwave on high 2 minutes or until bubbly
• Sprinkle shredded cheese over corn mixture; cover and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese melts
• Top with chopped scallions
  

Outback Steakhouse madeover by Hungry Girl

This is from one of my absolute favorite healthy/weight loss recipe/advice websites, Hungry Girl.

Do you love eating out at Outback but hate how much guilt goes into the food you eat? Here is some advice from Hungry Girl about how to eat better at Outback.

Outback Steakhouse: Menu Makeovers, Survival Tips, and More!

Meal Makeovers!

No worries... You can have steak and seafood, as long as you order right!

STEAK

Don't Do It... 7 oz. Victoria's Filet with a House Salad (Tangy Tomato Dressing) and a Baked Potato (Sour Cream & Chives)
PER SERVING (total meal): 1,289 calories, 71.5g fat, 3,500mg sodium, 105g carbs, 11g fiber, 55g protein -- POINTS® value 31*

Oh, come on! A small filet (NOT topped with anything crazy), a salad (with FAT-FREE dressing), and a baked potato (NO butter, bacon, or cheese) -- more than 1,200 calories!? Lame. Luckily, you can get your steak with a much lighter nutritional price tag...

Just Chew It! 6 oz. Outback Special with Fresh Seasonal Veggies and Half a Sweet Potato (All Without Butter)
PER SERVING (total meal): 493 calories, 10.25g fat, 633mg sodium, 58g carbs, 10g fiber, 42.5g protein -- POINTS® value 10*

Steak 'n sweet potato... and just the right amounts. (No one needs a whole 418-calorie potato as a side order. Trust us.) Add a heaping pile of veggies and you've got a filling meal (plus half a potato to take home)!


SEAFOOD

Beat It... Shrimp en Fuego with a Double Order of Fresh Steamed Green Beans
PER SERVING (total meal): 1,484 calories, 97.5g fat, 2,885mg sodium, 76.5g carbs, 23.5g fiber, 77g protein -- POINTS® value 37*

Okay, sauced-up shrimp and veggies, extra veggies on the side, and no pasta or potato... this is a BAD idea?! Sadly, so. The shrimp part alone has over a thousand calories. And even those green beans pack about 230 calories and 11g fat per serving! There are better ways to order under the sea...

Eat It! Lobster Tails with Fresh Seasonal Veggies and Half a Sweet Potato (All Without Butter)
PER SERVING (total meal): 495 calories, 4.25g fat, 1,004mg sodium, 63g carbs, 11g fiber, 52g protein -- POINTS® value 9*

Lobster becomes ridiculously guilt-free when you ditch the insane amount of butter it's typically drenched in. And yes, we're recommending the sweet potato again because, well, sweet potatoes ROCK. And by our calculations, the entire spud alone weighs in at more than a POUND (no joke!), so having half is still totally indulgent.

Aussie All-Stars! Here are some menu items that are great choices, with practically no special ordering required... Appetizer: Seared Ahi Tuna PER SERVING (1/4th of a regular-sized order): 108 calories, 6g fat, 467mg sodium, 3g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 7g protein -- POINTS® value 3* If there are just two of you, go for the small order -- 162 calories and 10.5g fat (POINTS® value 4*) in half of that. Add a side of veggies or a salad, and this shared starter could become a great meal for one. If you're not a fan of almost raw ahi (don't knock it 'til you try it), the Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp supposedly has some decent stats. But we're leery of anything with "beer batter" and "fried" in the description. Entrée: Grilled Chicken on the Barbie with Fresh Seasonal Veggies (Both Without Butter) PER SERVING (total meal): 388 calories, 3.5g fat, 1,211mg sodium, 32.5g carbs, 4.5g fiber, 54.5g protein -- POINTS® value 7* A perfect option for the red-meat-dodging, fish-loathing friend in your life. Ken you handle it? (Get it!? Barbie... Ken... Never mind.) Add Ons: Lobster Tail (No Butter) PER SERVING (total): 123 calories, 1g fat, 427mg sodium, 4.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 23.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2* Grilled Scallops (No Butter) PER SERVING (total): 194 calories, 8.75g fat, 1,862mg sodium, 7.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 21g protein -- POINTS® value 4* We think either of these would make a nice addition to your meal. They kinda put the 392-calorie, 36g-of-fat Lobster & Mushroom Topping to shame...

Tips & Tricks & Need-to-Know...

* As you've probably picked up on, Outback Steakhouse melts butter on pretty much everything. (In fact, we're fairly certain if you stumbled into the kitchen by accident, they'd baste YOU in butter.) The good news is that it's super-easy to modify menu items and save tons of calories and fat grams by simply saying, "No butter, please!"

* Beware of the seemingly innocent Mustard Vinaigrette and fat-free Tangy Tomato dressing. The first contains an alarming 285 calories and 29 grams of fat per serving, and even the Tangy Tomato has close to 100 calories per serving. And those numbers only apply when you order a side salad -- DOUBLE 'em if you order an entrée-sized salad. Eeeks!

* Like many chains, the menu varies a bit by location. For example, some locations offer crab legs instead of lobster -- that's also a good choice! So check out your local menu on the OS site before you head in with your heart set on something specific.

* Speaking of Outback's site, definitely check out the Interactive Nutritional Menu Tool. It won't let you customize everything (we'd love to know how many calories the Grilled Chicken & Swiss sandwich would contain without the sauce and cheese), but it's still pretty helpful. There's also a gluten-free guide, allergy guidelines, and tips for low-carb dieters. Nice!

* In our experience, the Outback peeps are super-accommodating (as long as you're nice, of course). So if you have a special request, just ask. And BTW, the food ROCKS

Quick Beef and Pinto Chili

This recipe is from Weight Watchers Weekly from the week of February 21, 2010.

Quick Beef and Pinto Chili

6 points per serving
Prep: 14 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Servings: 4 (1 and 1/4 cup servings)

Chili doesn't get any easier than this-we used well-spiced convenience foods and pantry staples to boost the recipe's flavor while minimizing preparation and cooking times.

Ingredients

• 1 spray cooking spray
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 package frozen, chopped onion and bell pepper mix
• 1 lb uncooked lean ground beef (7% fat) (can sub lean ground turkey)
  
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chipotle chilis (if you can't find this, use just a can of diced tomatoes and add chipotle chili powder. For a spicier option, use a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes and green chilis)
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, fire roasted
• 2 tsp chili powder, medium heat suggested
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 15 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic and frozen onions-pepper mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables thaw and any liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add beef; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up clumps of beef with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes.
Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and beans; cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until some liquid evaporates, meat is cooked through, and chili thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.