As promised, I will continue with my Smart Points* Survival Guide. It can actually be a Points Plus* Survival Guide too. On either plan, you we be more satisfied and have more Points available to use on treats and splurges if you follow Simply Filling*. For Smart Points, this is even more important, so that you are eating enough high quality food to keep yourself out of starvation mode and fuel your body.
I think most of us realize that we can’t live on junk and be thin or healthy, but there is no reason to starve or feel deprived. We can have good tasting, healthy food on our forks. It just takes a little creativity and some minor tweaks.
In my last post, I made reference to Simply Filling* turkey sausage. The recipe is simple and can be used in many other recipes, like meat sauce for spaghetti, lasagna and breakfast casserole. I like making a double batch so that I have enough to make patties as well as crumbles. A single pound will make nine nice sized patties, perfect for English muffin sandwiches. The crumbles are also nice for omelets, breakfast burritos and flatbread pizzas. There are just a ton of uses. Again, this recipe is Simply Filling, so if you follow that Weight Watchers program option, it does not take away from your Weekly Points. If you are staying on Points Plus, the total recipe is 12 PP. For Smart Points, the total recipe is 6 SP. I was able to make nine patties, so on SP you can have three patties for 2 SP!
SIMPLY FILLING TURKEY SAUSAGE
1 pound 99% fat free ground turkey breast (I purchase mine at Sprout’s)
1 ½ tsp. Sage
1 tsp. Salt (I prefer pink Himalayan)
1 tsp. Black pepper
½ tsp. Thyme
¼ – ½ tsp. Cayenne (use the ¼ tsp for less spicy)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp. Cardamom
1/8 tsp. Allspice
1/8 tsp. Ground cloves
Place all of your ingredients in a bowl and mix well. You do not want random pockets of spices. Once mixed thoroughly, form into 3 inch patties. These are so lean that they will not shrink. Cook in a non-stick skillet on medium heat, about 3 minutes per side. I do it more by sight than time. I like them nice and browned. These freeze just fine, so you can make a large batch to have plenty on hand for easy breakfasts.
If you prefer crumbles, just add the mixture to a skillet over medium heat and brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks.
This is such an easy recipe that lets you control what is going into your sausage. Play with the spices if it is too spicy or too mild for you. Add ¼ tsp oregano and basil to make it Italian sausage. Get creative!
Make your sausage crumbles and then use them to make a Simply Filling breakfast casserole.
SIMPLY FILLING BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
1 pound Simply Filling Turkey Sausage Crumbles
1 24 oz. Bag frozen hash browns (Make sure there is no added oil, just shredded potatoes and preservative)
8 whole eggs
¾ Cup Skim Milk
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
8 ounces of fat free cheese – your choice
Diced peppers, onions, mushrooms and fresh spinach are all optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Thaw hash browns and remove excess water using a colander or layering between paper towels.
Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with the hash browns.
Bake for 10 minutes and check to see if they are browned. Cooking time will vary based on water content remaining in the potatoes.
While the hash browns are browning, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper
Add any vegetables you choose to include to the egg mixture.
Once hash browns are browned, pour the egg mixture over the hash browns, then top with your fat free cheese of choice.
You may either bake immediately, refrigerate for use the following day, or freeze for later.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes
Smart Point total for the recipe is 44 SP , 1/8th of the casserole is 6 SP
Points Plus total for recipe is 54 PP, 1/8th of the casserole is 7 PP
That’s it for today’s post, but there’s plenty more to come! You really can eat normal portions of quality, good tasting food, splurge a little and still lose weight. Stay tuned as we tame our DIETside by continuing to awaken the fork!
If you didn’t see part one of the Surviving Smart Points series, you can find it here.
*WEIGHT WATCHERS is the registered trademark of Weight Watchers International, Inc. SmartPoints, PointsPlus and Simply Filling are trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. Recipes have not been approved or reviewed by Weight Watchers.
