Delicious GUILTLESS Recipes!!

Being a foodie has it's disadvantages, mainly the toll it takes on your waistline. Which is why I am SO pumped about these recipes I found on the weightwatchers website. I know, I know...You're thinking, "weightwatchers....diet food? Bleh!"

But this is not diet food!! At least, it doesn't taste like it. It's rich, savory and DELICIOUS!!! My family went crazy over it, even Brinley was chowing it down! And when you find a recipe that's good for you and that your kids will actually eat, well, it's only right to share.

Recipe 1: Mushroom Risotto: 5 ww points per serving

I made two risottos, I'll share both recipes but this one was hands down the family favorite. So flavorful and creamy. Taber was just sad I didn't double the recipe! (by the way, I took this picture when the food was still piping hot and you can kind of see the yummy aromatic steam coming off it. mmmmmmm....)

Ingredients

	5 cup(s) vegetable broth, mushroom-flavor recommended (I coudn't find mushroom flavor but I still thought it tasted awesome with regular vegetable broth)
	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	2 tsp unsalted butter, divided
	1 small onion(s), minced
	1 pound(s) cremini mushrooms, shredded or thinly sliced (also known as baby bellas)
	1/3 cup(s) white wine (They have cooking wine in the vinegar section)
	1 1/2 cup(s) uncooked arborio rice (found this by the regular rice in a little box)
	1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano recommended
	1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
	1/2 cup(s) parsley, fresh, minced

Instructions

• Place broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm.
  
  
• Meanwhile, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add1 teaspoon butter and cook until melted.
  
  
• Add onion; cook, stirring, until onion begins to caramelize, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release moisture, about 5 minutes. Add wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; reduce liquid by half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan; set aside.
  
  
• Add remaining teaspoon of butter to same pan; cook until melted. Add rice; stir to coat with butter. Pour about 1/2 cup warm broth into rice; stir to keep grains from sticking to sides of pan. Keep stirring until all of broth is absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup warm broth and repeat process. Keep adding broth and stirring in this manner until all of broth is used and rice is just cooked but not mushy (should still be slightly chewy), about 18 to 20 minutes. (this is the most time consuming part because you really have to babysit it for the whole 20 minutes, but again, totally worth it!)
  
  
• Stir in vegetables and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in parsley. Yields about 1 1/3 cups per serving.

Recipe 2: Creamy Orzo Risotto with Butternut Squash 5 ww points per serving

The butternut squash was a beast to cut up, but I did that while Brinley was napping so when it was time to make dinner everything went really smoothly. Taber and I loved this one, the butternut squash has a subtle sweetness to it that really balances the creamy parmesan flavor of the pasta.

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	2 cup(s) butternut squash, cut into small cubes
	1/2 tsp olive oil
	1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
	1 cup(s) uncooked orzo
	1 1/2 cup(s) water
	1 cup(s) canned chicken broth
	1 tsp thyme, fresh, or 8 whole sprigs (sprigs preferred) (I didn't have fresh thyme so I used 1/2 tsp of dried)
	2 Tbsp fat-free half-and-half
	1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano
	1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a small rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
  
  
• In a medium bowl, toss squash with oil and salt; spread in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, leaving space between squash cubes. Roast, stirring halfway through, until squash is tender and lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  
  
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add orzo. Stir constantly until orzo begins to smell toasty, about 3 minutes. Add water, broth and thyme sprigs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is nearly absorbed, about 15 minutes.
  
  
• Remove thyme sprigs; stir in half-and-half, cheese and roasted squash. Season well with salt and pepper; serve. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

Recipe 3: chocolate dipped macaroons: 1 ww point per serving

And you can't have a great dinner without dessert right? This recipe looked easy and I had all the ingredients so I figured why not? We tried them with and without the chocolate. Taber liked them better without and I liked them better with! I probably ate more than I needed but hey, at one point each I didn't feel too bad : )

Ingredients

	3 large egg white(s)
	2/3 cup(s) sugar
	1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
	2 1/2 cup(s) packaged shredded coconut, unsweetened
	3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small bits

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line one or two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  
  
• In a large bowl, whisk egg whites with sugar. Add vanilla and coconut; stir to combine.
  
  
• Scoop up a level tablespoon of batter and form into a ball with your hands; repeat with remaining batter. Place each ball about 1-inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.
  
  
• Bake until tops just start to turn light tan, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove cookies to a cooling rack for about 30 minutes.
  
  
• Place chocolate in a double boiler or heavy pot; melt over low heat, stirring occasionally (do not allow to burn). Keep chocolate warm and pliable as you dip tops of cookies into chocolate. Place dipped cookies on a metal tray evenly spread apart so they’re not touching; freeze until chocolate sets, about 20 to 30 minutes. Yields 1 cookie per serving.

Hope you enjoy these! I know I did : )