You’ve had a long day and the last thing you feel like doing is spending hours cooking dinner. Despite your best intentions, an unhealthy ready meal or takeaway is calling.
This is where Weight Watchers Flex steps in. For as well as helping you lose up to a stone in eight weeks with its ingenious SmartPoints system, it also offers quick and easy meal solutions for those moments when you’re a little strapped for time.
Our exclusive recipe series, which concludes tomorrow, shows you can make a healthy tasty meal in 20 minutes or less . . .
Quinoa burger pitta: 8 SmartPoints
Serves 4
- Calorie-controlled cooking spray
- 2 courgettes, sliced lengthways
- 1 red pepper, deseeded, cut into strips
- 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 250g sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
- 50g tricolour quinoa
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 1 red onion, ½ finely chopped, the other ½ finely sliced
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 x Weight Watchers Wholemeal Pitta Breads
- 70g rocket
- 1 tbsp chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 200c, fan 180c, gas 6. Spray courgettes, pepper and tomatoes with cooking spray and roast for 25 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Keep oven on. Boil the sweet potato for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash. Cook quinoa according to pack instructions, then drain and add to sweet potato. Mist a frying pan with cooking spray and stir-fry garlic and chopped onion for 2 minutes. Add to quinoa and sweet potato. Season and mix. Shape mixture into 4 patties and mist with cooking spray. Cook in oven for 40-45 minutes, turning halfway. Once cooked, cool for 5 minutes. Combine roasted vegetables with balsamic vinegar and season. Warm pittas in oven for 2 minutes, then fill each with a burger, roasted veg, rocket, sliced red onion and parsley, and serve.
Peach Fool – A sweet treat for 0 SmartPoints
On Weight Watchers’s new programme, you can eat more than 200 foods in portion sizes that suit you, without using up a single SmartPoint — from succulent chicken to fresh fish, filling eggs to fat-free yoghurt, and nearly every fresh fruit and vegetable. All week we’ve shown you the variety of meals you can create from zero SmartPoints foods — and there’s more today with this creamy treat.
Serves 4
- 400g tin peach slices in natural juice, drained
- 150g quark
- 300g 0% fat natural Greek yoghurt
Puree the peach slices using a stick blender or food processor. In a small bowl, mix the quark with the yoghurt until well combined. Layer the puree and quark mixture in small glasses or dessert bowls and swirl. Chill for an hour before serving.
Breakfast – Salmon kedgeree: 5 SmartPoints
Serves 2
- Calorie-controlled cooking spray
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp each curry power, ground turmeric and ground coriander
- 100ml fish stock, made with ½ cube
- 40g split red lentils
- 2 x 130g skinless salmon fillets, thinly sliced
- 2 x 250g basmati rice pouches
- 2 eggs
- 100g asparagus spears, trimmed
Mist a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and fry the onion, garlic and spices over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the stock and lentils and cook for 5 minutes, then add the salmon and cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for 5 minutes until hot. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil, carefully lower the eggs into the water and cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, then peel and halve. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Drain. Divide the kedgeree between plates and top with the eggs and asparagus. Serve seasoned with black pepper.
Lunch – Chicken and cannellini bean salad: 6 SmartPoints
Serves 2
- 400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ red onion, finely sliced
- 250g cherry tomatoes, chopped
- Handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 200g cooked chicken breast, skinless
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Pinch of smoked paprika
Combine the cannellini beans, red onion, cherry tomatoes, parsley and chicken in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and smoked paprika. Drizzle the dressing over the salad then season and serve.
Keralan coconut fish curry: 9 SmartPoints
Serves 4
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2cm piece fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 tbsp hot curry powder
- Grated zest and juice of ½ lime
- 300ml reduced-fat coconut milk
- Calorie-controlled cooking spray
- 450g firm white fish fillets, cubed
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 100g baby leaf spinach
- 2 x 250g pouches microwaveable basmati rice
Put the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, lime zest and juice in a small food processor with 2 tbsp of the coconut milk and whizz to a paste (or use a handheld blender). Mist a non-stick saucepan with the cooking spray and add the spice paste. Fry for 4-5 minutes to cook out the raw flavours. Add the fish to the pan and turn gently to coat in the spice paste. Pour the rest of the coconut milk into the pan and stir in the tomatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes until the fish is cooked but not falling apart. Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach to wilt in the heat of the sauce. Season to taste. Ladle into warm bowls and serve with rice.
Dinner – Veggie Pad Thai with satay dressing
Serves 4
- 300g pack spiralised butternut squash
- 300g pack microwave ribbon rice noodles
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
- 100g young leaf spinach, roughly torn
- Handful fresh basil, leaves picked and torn
- 30g unsalted peanuts, chopped
For the dressing:
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
Microwave the squash and the noodles according to pack instructions. Put the squash and noodles in a large bowl and toss together with the spring onions, spinach and basil, letting the heat from the noodles wilt the spinach. Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients, along with 1 tbsp water until combined. Divide the noodles between plates and serve drizzled with the dressing and topped with the peanuts.
Swirly wrap: 6 SmartPoints
Serves 1
- ½ red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunky strips
- Calorie-controlled cooking spray
- 25g reduced-fat houmous
- 1 Warburtons Square Wrap
- 1 tsp harissa paste
- Large handful rocket
- 1 small carrot, cut into very fine matchsticks
Heat a griddle pan to high, mist the pepper with cooking spray and griddle for 3 minutes until softened and just charred. Spread the houmous over the wrap, then dot with the harissa. Top one half with rocket, the other half with carrot and put the pepper in a line down the middle. Roll up tightly, then cut in half and serve.
Strawberry parcels: 6 SmartPoints
Serves 4
- 4 tbsp reduced-sugar strawberry jam
- 4 Weight Watchers White Wraps
- 200g strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tsp freeze-dried strawberries, crushed
- 350g 0% fat natural yoghurt
Spread 1 tbsp jam over each wrap, then halve. Preheat the oven to 180c, fan 160c, gas 4. Put the strawberries in a bowl with half the orange zest and toss to combine. Spoon berries over one half of each halved wrap, leaving a 1-2cm border. Stir the remaining zest through the beaten egg and brush a little along the edge of the wraps. Fold the plain side of the wraps over the filling to make 8 triangles. Press down to seal the edges with a fork. Put the parcels on a large baking sheet. Brush with half the remaining egg wash and bake for 18 minutes, until crisp and golden. Remove from oven, brush with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with freeze-dried strawberries then bake for a further minute. Stir the orange juice into the yoghurt and serve with the strawberry parcels.
Grilled chicken with pesto pasta: 7 SmartPoints
Serves 4
- 600g skinless chicken breast fillets
- 260g wholewheat fusilli
- 24 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 tbsp reduced-fat green pesto
- Large handful fresh basil leaves, to garnish
Preheat the grill to medium-high. Season the chicken and grill for 15 minutes, turning once, until cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly, then slice into bite-size pieces. Meanwhile, cook the pasta to pack instructions, then drain. Combine the chicken, cooked pasta, tomatoes and pesto in serving bowls. Garnish with the basil leaves to serve.
Crab, chilli & tomato linguine: 7 SmartPoints
Serves 4
- 250g linguine
- Calorie-controlled cooking spray
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 335g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 x 170g tins white crab meat, drained
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Put the pasta in a large pan of boiling water. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 6-7 minutes, or until the linguine is al dente. Drain, reserving a little of the pasta cooking water. Meanwhile, mist a large pan with cooking spray, add the garlic and chilli and cook over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes until they begin to break down. Gently stir in the crab meat, lemon juice and olive oil until combined. Add a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the sauce, then add the cooked linguine, tossing everything together until well combined. Divide between bowls and serve garnished with the lemon zest and parsley.
Lamb & black bean stir-fry: 14 SmartPoints
Serves 4
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 400g lean lamb mince
- 200g pack Tenderstem broccoli and green beans, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped
- 175g baby corn, halved
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 x 250g packs microwaveable brown rice
- 150g black bean sauce
- 1 tsp cornflour
Heat a wok over a high heat. Add the olive oil and heat for 20 seconds, then add the lamb mince and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Add all the vegetables and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the pack instructions. Mix the black bean sauce with the cornflour and 60ml water in a small bowl until smooth. Add the sauce mixture to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute or until heated through. Serve the stir-fry with the rice in serving bowls.
Dessert: Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
Serves 10
200g gluten-free self-raising flour
1½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Seeds of 3 cardamom pods, ground
Zest of ½ orange, plus extra to decorate, and 1 tsp of the juice
75g low-fat spread
80g light brown soft sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
175g carrot, grated
50g eating apple, grated
125g low-fat soft cheese
1 tbsp icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 180c, fan 160c, gas 4, then line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add cinnamon, ground cardamom and zest of half an orange, and mix. In a separate bowl, beat together the spread and sugar, using a hand-held electric whisk, until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the grated carrot and apple until evenly distributed. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until browned on top and a skewer comes out with a few wet crumbs. Put it on a wire rack until cool then remove cake from the tin. For the icing, beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar and the orange juice. Spread on the cooled cake and scatter with orange zest.