photo credit: elev8

Mashed potatoes is one of my favorite foods…you can make them so many ways and they are just the perfect comfort food. But most homemade mashed potatoes recipes come with lots of fat and calories, which can add up to lots of Weight Watchers Points. This alternative dish -Cauliflower Mashed ‘Potatoes’, is a great substitute. While I won’t lie and tell you that it’s as fabulous as traditional mashed potatoes, it definitely makes for a great low point substitute. Just by replacing the potatoes with cauliflower, you eliminate most of the calories. You’ll notice that this Mashed Cauliflower Recipe still uses one small potato. This helps the dish to keep a texture similar to that of regular mashed potatoes and helps add a bit of potato-y flavor. The end result is really quite tasty! And though this is not an official Weight Watchers Mashed Potatoes Recipe, it’s a great meal idea for anyone who wants to eat more veggies and cut excess calories.

Mashed Cauliflower Recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 small head cauliflower, trimmed, core removed, cut into small florets (should yield about 2-3 cups of cauliflower
- 1 small red potato, unpeeled and chopped
- 1 cup turnips, trimmed and cubed
- 2 tbsp fat free half & half
- 1 tbsp fat free sour cream
- 1 tbsp light butter (I used Brummel & Brown)
- Salt and pepper to taste

Top with chives or green onions if you’d like!

*OPTIONAL: add in freshly chopped thyme, sage and rosemary for a fabulous Fall- like flavor

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add about 1 tbsp salt; add the cauliflower, potato, and turnips as they’re prepped. Reduce heat to maintain a fast simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Drain well and transfer to a food processor. Process until smooth. Return pureed cauliflower to the hot pan on medium high heat. Stirring often, cook off the excess liquid, about 5 – 10 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Transfer to serving bowl. Serve and enjoy!

Serving size is 3/4cup
Each serving = 1 Point Total

Though this is not one of Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Recipes, it’s a FABULOUS stuffing recipe for anyone who needs a delicious low calorie stuffing to put on their table this year! Plus, it’s my absolute favorite Thanksgiving recipe because I LOOOOOVE stuffing and I go crazy eating this stuff every year. So I had to find a way of making a lower calorie version of my favorite Thanksgiving food. Using the basic, traditional ingredients, this Thanksgiving stuffing is really too good to be true. To create this dish, I just took my mom’s traditional stuffing recipe, and altered it with lower calorie ingredients. Using the light bread and less butter really makes a huge difference without compromising taste. It has just a 2 point value for a 1/1/2 cup serving! Not bad!! so you can still enjoy all the fabulous flavors of Thanksgiving without sacrificing that diet plan you’ve been working so hard on all year. And it’s so yummy, you may just find yourself making this dish for non Thanksgiving Dinners too! Enjoy.

Low Calorie Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients:
- 8 slices light bread (I used Weight Watchers bread)
- 1 1/2 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 1/2 cup chopped celery
- ¼ cup granny smith apples (finely chopped with skin on)
- 1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh sage
- 2 tbsp. light butter (I used Brummel & Brown)
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Start by drying out your bread. You can either do this by toasting in the oven, or by leaving the bread sit out at room temperature overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium pot, combine chicken broth, onions, celery, apples, butter, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and sage. Cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat. Mean while, break up your bread into small ½” pieces by chopping or just breaking apart with your hands. Put bread into a large oven safe dish.

When broth mixture is ready, slowly pour onto bread, making sure to cover all the pieces. Next, mix in the egg substitute and make sure to cover all pieces. If bread cubes do not seem wet enough (they should be moist, but not saturated), add a tbsp or two of warm water until appropriate texture is reached. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.

Cover dish with foil and transfer to over. Cook for about 25 minutes. Then, take out stuffing, mix it around and fluff it a bit and put back in the oven, uncovered for about another 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Entire Recipe is 4 servings
Serving size is 1 1/2 cup
Each serving = 2 Point Value

With all the food filled holidays just around the corner, it’s time to start stocking up your arsenal of delicious, yet low calorie Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Recipes and Weight Watchers Christmas Recipes. And with Thanksgiving being the first in the lineup, we’ve got one tough holiday feast to conquer! And this delicious Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Recipe is a great dish to add to your lineup of low calorie Thanksgiving recipes! Creamy and delicious, this dessert recipe uses a light graham cracker crust instead of the traditional pie crust recipe. In my opinion, I think it actually tastes better and it helps us cut a lot of calories and Weight Watchers Points from this dish.

Low Calorie Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 4 oz reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers
- 2 Tbsp light butter, melted (I suggest Brummel and Brown)
- 2 large egg white
- 1 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp light Pancake Syrup (I used Aunt Jemima Butter Light Syrup)

For the pie filling:
- 1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp light Pancake Syrup (I used Aunt Jemima Butter Light Syrup)
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
- Top with a dollop of Fat-Free Reddi-Whip whipped cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, combine graham crackers and light brown sugar, and process into fine crumbs. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and the melted butter, and pancake syrup, and mix with hands. Then transfer to an ungreased 9” pie pan, and distribute crust mixture evenly, pressing it against the pan with your hands. Put in the fridge and chill for 40 minutes. Then, bake about 8-10 minutes, or until the pie crust starts to turn that yummy golden brown.

In a large bowl, whip egg whites into a soft peak, using an electric mixer. Fold in remaining ingredients (except the whipped cream). Beat the mixture until smooth, creamy and lump free, and pour into your pie shell. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut into 8 even slices and top with a nice dollop of the Fat Free Whipped Cream. Enjoy!

Total servings per recipe: 8
Serving size = 1 slice
Each serving = 3 Point Value

This fantastically healthy Weight Watchers Sweet Potato Soup Recipe is the perfect dish to heat up as the temperature drops. It’s loaded with lots of vitamins and antioxidants and packs a lot of nutritional value for the 4 Weight Watchers Points that it carries. Not to mention, it’s incredibly yummy! It’s warm and creamy, and has such a delicious seasonal flavor, it’ll make a great Thanksgiving Recipe and Christmas Recipe. But of course, it’s perfect to serve at any time of the year! I love this soup because it adds a little variety in flavor compared to other soup recipes. Try serving it with a nice low Point salad for a tasty and healthy lunch!

Weight Watchers Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 2 cups canned chicken broth, divided
- 1 tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
- 1 tbsp chopped pecans

TIP: For an extra flavor boost, consider adding a dash of curry powder with the flour and ginger. And toast the pecans to help maximize their flavor.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Pierce potatoes in several places with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool. When cool, remove and discard skin; chop potatoes.
Combine sweet potatoes and 3/4 cup of broth in a blender or food processor; blend or process until smooth, about 1 minute. Set potato mixture aside.
Melt margarine in a medium-size saucepan; stir in flour and ginger, and then add milk. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Cook 1 minute more and then stir in sweet potato mixture and remaining 1 1/4 cups of broth. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes more. Pour into 4 serving bowls and sprinkle each with 3/4 teaspoon of pecans.

Serving size is 1 cup
Each serving = 4 Weight Watchers Points

This super easy Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe is a perfect 0 Points side dish to have with just about any meal. I typically use it as a Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipe, but it’s so versatile, you can really do a lot with it. Loaded with fiber, antioxidants and tons of vitamins, this naturally fat free spaghetti squash has 0 Weight Watchers Points. It’s a large, intimidating looking, watermelon shaped squash that often goes overlooked at the grocery store, but don’t pass it by next time! Instead, pick one up and try it grilled or baked and prepared like this recipe, eaten alone, or try substituting it for spaghetti or pasta noodles and top with a low Point marinara or Alfredo sauce! You can also drizzle it with some low calorie butter or reduced fat cheese as well! It’s really such a fabulous vegetable to incorporate into any healthy diet plan and a huge asset to Weight Watchers who want to get a lot of quantity in their meals, but not a lot of excess Points and calories.

Weight Watchers Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 ripe spaghetti squash
- Non-fat cooking spray
- Kosher or salt and fresh pepper to taste
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder

Directions:
Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and fibers with a spoon. Place on a baking sheet, cut side up, spray lightly with the non-fat cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bake at 350° about an hour or until the skin gives easily under pressure and the inside is tender. Remove from oven and let it cool 10 minutes. Using a fork, scrape out the squash flesh a little at a time. It will separate into spaghetti-like strands. Place in a serving dish and serve hot. Total servings per recipe will vary depending on squash size.

Serving size is 1 cup
Each serving = 0 Weight Watchers Points

Everyone loves a good meatball…they are such a tasty appetizer and are perfect for any party or celebration. And this spicy BBQ meatball recipe is sure to be a hit at your holiday celebration this year! They are so easy to make and each serving of 2 meatballs is just 1 Weight Watchers Point. By making a few substitutions in the tradition hors d’ouvre recipe, its now much lower in fat and calories but still tastes fantastic, making it a wonderful Weight Watchers Holiday Recipe to serve this year. These juicy little meatballs taste so good, no one will even know that they are eating less calories than most all other meatball recipes! If you are a Weight Watcher and you want a healthy, low Point appetizer to prepare for your holiday bash, put this awesome holiday appetizer recipe into action!

Weight Watchers Spicy Meatballs Recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1 cups uncooked quick oats
- 2 medium egg whites
- 1 large onions, finely chopped
- 1 medium garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 cups parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp beef bouillon granules
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups barbecue sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine all ingredients, except barbecue sauce, in a medium-size bowl; mix well.
Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Shape meatball mixture into sixty 1-inch balls; place on baking sheet.
Bake at 350ºF until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a chafing dish or crockpot to keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat barbecue sauce over medium-high heat until hot. Pour sauce over cooked meatballs, toss gently and serve. Yields 2 meatballs per serving.

Each serving = 1 Weight Watchers Point

This pairing of sweet apple juice and spicy curry powder makes for a salad that’ll have your taste buds talking! This butternut squash recipe is so unique and festive, it will make a wonderful holiday side dish to any Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa dinner. With just 3 Points per serving, this is one filling Weight Watchers Salad Recipe that is sure to please your dinner guests and yet still help you stay within your daily Points range. Plus, it’s incredibly healthy — low in calories and fat and packed with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. This dish is so deliciously flavorful and colorful, I’m betting it will become a squash recipe that you’ll end up preparing more than on just the holidays! The thing I love most about it is that it’s so easy to prepare and yet so impressive! – much better than the traditional, albeit slightly boring, green leaf salads. And if it’s a good Kwanzaa recipe that you are looking for, this butternut squash salad will be a wonderful compliment to your meal. This Weight Watchers Holiday Recipe is sure to dress up any dinner table this year, so make sure to give it a try!

Weight Watchers Butternut Squash Salad Recipe

Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 pounds butternut squash
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp apple juice
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp red onions, chopped
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil.
Cut squash in half crosswise where it starts to widen (where the round “bulb” meets the “neck”). Place both pieces of squash cut side down in prepared pan. Bake until bottom half of squash is just tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes; remove bottom half from oven and set aside. Bake top half of squash until just tender, about 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool.
Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
Peel and seed cooled squash; cut into 3/4–inch cubes. Place in a serving bowl and toss with dressing. Makes 6 servings.

Yields about 2/3 cup per serving
Each serving = 3 Weight Watchers Points

Here’s another tasty holiday dessert recipe that is sure to go over very well with your dinner guests! It’s incredibly easy to make, tastes fabulous and is a great Weight Watchers Christmas Dessert to enjoy, if you are counting your Points. This apple cobbler recipe or apple streusel recipe, is great to make in lieu of an apple pie because it will save you a lot of Weight Watchers Points, but still have the same general taste as your traditional apple pie recipe. Another thing I liked about this dish was that it was SO easy to serve. Most apple cobblers, streusels or pies can get messy when served in the usual pie dish. When I made this for a dinner party, I prepared individual servings in little dessert bowls, and simply set them out for guests to grab as they mingled around. It looked so CUTE and was a unique, gourmet way of serving it. And of course, it tasted so good, no one knew that each serving of these cute little serving was so low in calories. If you are a Weight Watcher, the holidays can be tough — so give this low calorie apple streusel recipe a try this Christmas and enjoy a traditional holiday treat without all the extra fat and calories!

Weight Watchers Apple Streusel Recipe

Ingredients:
- 4 medium apples
- 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
- 3 tbsp reduced-calorie margarine

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir together apples, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice; pour into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
Cut flour, oatmeal, remaining brown sugar and margarine together with a pastry blender or fork in a medium bowl; sprinkle over apple mixture.
Bake until apples are tender and top is browned, about 45 minutes.

Serving size = 1/2 cup
Each serving = 3 Weight Watchers Points

A traditional holiday favorite, this pumpkin pie recipe won’t weigh you down! With just 3 Points per serving, it’s the perfect Weight Watchers dessert recipe to try out this Christmas or next Thanksgiving! It tastes amazing, and has all the creamy, pumpkin-y goodness of the traditional pumpkin pie, but with a lot less fat and calories. It’s also pretty easy to make and will make a fantastic ending to your holiday meals. Try topping it off with a bit of Fat Free Reddi-Whip for an added touch! Without a doubt, you’ll be gobbling down some pumpkin pie this Christmas, so why not make a much healthier version of it to share with friends and family. The key to this classic holiday recipe being so low in Weight Watchers Points, is replacing a butter-laden crust with layers of light, crispy phyllo dough; using fat-free egg substitute instead of whole eggs; and using vanilla extract for sweetness. Not only is this a great dessert to serve after Christmas dinner, but make sure to keep this Weight Watchers Pumpkin Pie dish on file for next Thanksgiving too, as it’s the best Weight Watchers Thanksgiving recipe for pumpkin pie that you’ll ever find!

Weight Watchers Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
- 4 sprays non-fat cooking spray
- 4 sheets phyllo dough
- 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp table salt
- 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
- 1 1/2 cups fat-free evaporated milk
- 1/2 cups fat-free egg substitute
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch round pie pan with cooking spray.
Cut phyllo sheets in half. Place 1 sheet in prepared pan and lightly coat with cooking spray. Top with another sheet of phyllo, placing corners just to the right of the previous sheet’s corners. Repeat with remaining sheets to form a circle. Press layered phyllo into pan and roll in edges. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Whisk together brown sugar, spices, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg substitute and vanilla in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
Pour filling into crust. Bake until set, about 50 minutes. (Cover crust edges with foil during baking if they are becoming too brown.) Cool completely before cutting into 8 slices.

Makes 8 serving (slices)
Each serving = 3 Weight Watchers Points

The time to make that yummy Thanksgiving feast, and I’m SO excited!!! Sweet potatoes or candied yams are one of my absolute FAVORITE Thanksgiving recipes. But this dish is usually LOADED with fat and calories, so I try to avoid it at all costs. However, after denying myself this tasty dish for so long, I became determined to find a way to make a healthy, low calorie version of it. And after many, many attempts, I finally found a truly unique Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Recipe for sweet potato pie that will please your eager taste buds, and has just 4 Points per serving!! This sweet potato recipe is so amazingly delicious that you’ll be incredibly surprised that it’s not only super low calorie, but that it’s incredibly good for you too, and loaded with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Good Weight Watchers Thanksgiving recipes are hard to find, so don’t let this one go untasted!! Seriously — you MUST try it!

Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
PIE:
- 4 cups of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly equal sized pieces
- 1 banana
- 2 tbsp of light butter (I like Balade Light Butter)
- 3 packets of Splenda No Calorie Sweetener
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- tsp fresh lemon juice
TOPPING:
- 1/2 cup Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
- 1 cup liquid egg whites
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Prep the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large pot, add water to barely cover. Cover and bring to a boil, let cook until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Drain. When the potatoes are nearly cooked, puree the banana in a food processor. Add the hot sweet potatoes, butter, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg, and Splenda packets. Mash together until well blended. Transfer to a pie dish lightly sprayed with a non-fat cooking spray. Bake at 350F for about 15 – 20 minutes or until heated well through. Remove from oven and let cool about 15 min.

For the topping, start by beating liquid egg whites, vanilla extract and sugar to a soft peak. Then, in a separate bowl mix Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme with 1 part of the soft peaked egg white mixture with a wire whisk, until well blended and marshmallow creme has softened up. Then, beat remaining egg white mixture to a stiff peak and SLOWLY fold into marshmallow mixture in 2 parts. Once everything has been folded into one meringue looking batch, evenly spread onto top of pie, creating small peaks and mounds for an aesthetic look. Bake in oven on 350 degrees for about 15 min or until marshmallow/egg white layer turns a soft golden brown. Serve fresh from oven. Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings
Each serving = 4 Weight Watchers Points