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Yeah, like that one!
I find that as I continue to diet, I am looking for ways to maximize quantity of food while minimizing calories/points. It's hard enough in this weight loss journey to fit in exercise, but when the food reward looks more like this...
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...I begin to feel a little too deprived! Yeah, yeah...the scale looks a little better and I have more energy, but I'm still HUNGRY!
OK, so onto the "trick" I discovered! Tonight I made my Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce, substituting Splenda for sugar and eliminating olive oil in the recipe. I knew I was going to want more than 1 Cup of spaghetti, so I went searching through my pantry for some lo-cal veggie I could mix in with the sauce to make it seem like more. Then, I saw it:
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Eureka! What if I mixed a whole can of French Style Green Beans in with my 1 Cup of spaghetti? That would make almost 3 Cups on my plate! (I'm a piggie, I know!) I drained the beans well to get as much salt off of them as possible before mixing them with my spaghetti portion.
I can tell you now, having just finished my dinner, that it was way too much and I couldn't possibly finish it. I will put in only half of the can next time! The taste wasn't too bad either, especially if you like canned beans, which I really do!
The Fake-It Yourself Breakdown:
Weight Watchers "Fake" Spaghetti (1 Cup Spaghetti + 1 Cup French Style Green Beans + Modified Homemade Sauce)
Points: Spaghetti (5 Points), Beans (0 Points), Sauce (2 Points)
Total Weight Watchers Points: 7 Points! Not to shabby for a big pile of food!
Linking Up at Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, The Frugal Girls, and these other Great Parties!
I too am into VOLUME! I serve mine over fresh spinach leaves. The spaghet' is just hot enough to wilt the spinach slightly. Yum! And another serving of vegetables!
ReplyDeleteI mix whole wheat spaghetti (which knocks off one point!) with spaghetti squash. You get the extra vegetable serving, plus it looks more like spaghetti noodles and "blends." For some reason, it works for me! Oh, and I'm a volume girl too (especially if I'm exercising regularly).
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the idea. I have the same problem, and this is an easy fix. Spaghetti squash is great, but not something I have on hand. Keep the helpful hints coming, I'm doing my best to stay on track and learn new habits.
ReplyDeleteI do this too, but I use finely shredded steamed cabbage. I tried it with bean sprouts, but even cooked, they're not quite soft enough to pass as spaghetti. They're good to bulk up chow mein though. I'll try green beans next time though. Sound good!
ReplyDeleteI'm a piggy, too...I love this tip! I have also seen recipes using sliced zucchini as a replacement for pasta in lasagna recipes. Thanks for sharing this!!!
ReplyDeleteI love your weight watcher posts
ReplyDeleteYup, I do this too! I like the frozen green beans better, I have also used cauliflower or zucchini ribbons : )
ReplyDeleteThis is a great tip- that 1 cup would make me sad too! Love your solution! Thanks!
ReplyDeletetry broccoli slaw to add to your spaghetti. blanch in water until texture you like
ReplyDeleteLove the ideas!
ReplyDeleteI made this last night.. and hubby and I both loved it... thanks for the great 'outside the box' tip!
ReplyDeleteTry www.hungry-girl.com. She specializes in more food/less calorie recipes, fakes, and substitutes. Takes all the guesswork and thinking out of calorie cutting and weight watchers.
ReplyDeleteAlways can substitue eggplant or zucchini as well. Adds volume n flavor. Sautee w. Minced garlic to add a kick of tangy tastes to your mouth!
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