Weight Watchers Power Foods are good for you, keep you feeling satisfied, and they’re delicious! Weight Watchers is encouraging members to eat more Power Foods with their new Simple Start Program (brilliant if you ask me).
WW Fact: Power Foods are selected not only because of their fat, fiber, protein, and carb content (which = points value) but also by their abuse potential (i.e. they’re less likely to trigger food cravings and derail you!)
Here are some of my favorites…
Fiber One Original Bran Cereal
My go-to breakfast—and TOP WW Power Food.
Only $3.69 at Target ( Click here for my Target Shopping List)
- Mix it with fat free Greek Yogurt and milk for a long-lasting, super-satisfying breakfast. Add frozen blueberries for extra antioxidants.
- You can even crush it up to make breading! (My hubby would NEVER eat that, so it’s not something we do in my house, but many WW peeps do.)
BTW: Fiber One 80 Chocolate Squares are the best non-power-food nighttime snack—only 2 PointsPlus for 3/4 cup.
Greek Yogurt (not just a food fad)
Greek Yogurt has double the protein of regular yogurt, and even the fat free versions are thick and creamy, and very versatile.
- Mix your favorite flavor with fat free milk to make Zoku Mini Pops—100% guilt-free fun! (Or puree strawberries, bananas, and plain Greek Yogurt)
- Adding it to my morning cereal gives me at least an extra hour before my stomach starts to growl (see above)
- Best mid-morning snack: Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt Blends (my fav is Toasted Coconut Vanilla)
- Sour Cream Substitute: Top Butternut Squash & Apple Soup or Quick Mexican Chicken & Hominy Soup for added protein and creamy tang.
Oats
Don’t think of Oatmeal as just another breakfast food; it’s great for those times when you just need a warm bowl of comfort!
Four of my Top Costco Picks involve oats.
- Microwave Quaker Oats with chopped apples, Splenda and cinnamon if you’re craving sweets at night.
- Minsley Organic Cooked Steelcut Oatmeal: BEST WW Breakfast-To-Go, or emergency office desk food.
- Coach’s Oats: Nutty, hearty, Steelcut Oats without the loooong cooking time.
- Corazonas Mini Oatmeal Squares: 2 WW PointsPlus for one heart-healthy delicious square. I’m obsessed with the Peanut Butter ones—don’t go anywhere without carrying one in my purse!
If you’re nowhere near a Costco, have no fear—you can purchase all of these oaty gems on Amazon! Got Prime? 🙂
-or-
Try Oat Bran for a change! (It’s like Cream of Wheat meets Oatmeal)
You can find delicious Toasted Oat Bran at Trader Joe’s >>
Polenta
Love, love, love, polenta. It satisfies that carb craving without breaking the points bank.
You can find pre-made logs at most grocery stores. (on the shelf with the pastas)
- Sauté slices in cooking spray (try TJ’s Coconut Oil Spray for a change) and top with Fat Free Refried Beans, fat free cheese, salsa and fat free sour cream (or Greek Yogurt!). Can you even believe that all this is FREE? (i.e. WW Power Foods = no points) Yumm!!
Hominy
If you haven’t tried hominy, you are missing out! Its like giant puffed up pieces of corn, with that starchy, pasta-like chew. You can find it at most grocery stores (at least here in California) with the canned corn, or in the Mexican Foods section (if there is one).
- My favorite new WW Power Food Dinner is this quick and easy Mexican Chicken Soup with Hominy (with bonus Greek Yogurt on Top!) >>
Eggs, eggs, eggs
I always have hard-cooked eggs on hand. (You can buy ready-cooked ones now at Costco, Trader Joe’s, etc.)
Only $4.59 for 24 hard boiled eggs at Costco
- Mix with fat free mayo and curry powder (and S&P, of course) I just eat it straight out of a cup, but you can put it on a Sandwich Thin for a Power Food Sandwich Fix. (Boy, I sure wish we had all this when I started WW!)
- Veggie Burger Chop Suey: Sauté an Asian veggie burger with julienne veggies of your choice and eggs beaten with soy sauce and salt for a gr8 Chinese Take Out Fix!
- Make a Light Egg McMuffin with fat free cheese. (These turn out even better if you purchase English Muffin Rings for forming your eggs into rounds.)
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah)
These cute little ancient grains bring me joy—especially now that you can buy them pre-cooked from Trader Joes (freezer) or Costco (Minsley bowls on the shelf). They’re higher in protein than most grains, and have a pleasing chew! (You can find Minsley Cooked Organic Quinoa on Amazon too)
My Sweet & Spicy Asian Tuna Salad has almost reached 200 repins! (I’m thinking it’s the Quinoa… what do you think?)
Click here to pin it (and help me reach 200)
Turkey!
Don’t laugh… but we eat so much turkey in my house, that on Thanksgiving that’s the one thing I DON’T need to eat. 🙂
- Make Turkey Pickle Rollups with Boar’s Head All Natural Roasted Turkey Breast (sooo good!) and your favorite fat free dressing (mine is Thousand Island), eggplant hummus, or even Trader Joe’s Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce—the possibilities are endless!
- Add Taco Seasoning to lean ground turkey, and serve on top of a baked potato (or sweet potato for extra credit). I don’t even need the potato—I just top salad greens dressed with seasoned rice vinegar and olive oil. Yumm!
- Season Lean Turkey Burgers with Bone Suckin’ Sauce Seasoning & Rub (Whole Foods), Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, and Pepper and pan fry in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Click here for Back-On-Track Bun-less Turkey Burgers >>
Fat Free Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette
I’m surprised at how few people know about Trader Ming’s Fat Free Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette. If you haven’t tried it, please rush off to Trader Joe’s and get some! Any time I’m having an Asian-inspired meal, or even sushi takeout, I make a side salad with this dressing to fill me up.
Litehouse Toasted Sesame Ginger Dressing is also great. (I found it at Ralphs/Kroger and Gelsons Market with the refrigerated dressings)
Click here for the Litehouse Foods Store Locator >>
Whip up a Light Asian Broccoli Slaw Salad in no time: top broccoli slaw (or cole slaw) with tuna (or Dr. Praeger’s Asian Veggie Burger), pomegranate seeds, edamame, and your favorite Fat Free Ginger Soy Vinaigrette.
94% Fat Free Kettle Corn
The first thing on my list when I need to get back on track. A little salty, a little sweet—the perfect nighttime snack!
So, whether you’re trying Weight Watchers Simple Start, or you’re a die hard Simply Filling follower, or you’d just like to try being healthier by choosing more WW Power Foods, I hope I gave you some ideas. (I didn’t list the obvious fruits and veggies, because… well, they’re obvious!)
If you found this list helpful, PLEEZ share it, pin it, tweet it! Thanks! 🙂
What are your favorite Weight Watchers Power Foods? I’d love to hear from you.
More on Weight Watchers Power Foods and Simple Start:
- Five Simple Start Veggie Upgrades & Meal Ideas >>
- Trader Joe’s Shopping List (with Power Foods and WW PointsPlus) >>
- Costco Shopping List (with Power Foods and WW PointsPlus) >>
- Orna’s Weight Loss Journey (with before and after pics) >>
- Weight Watchers Power Foods Will Change Your Life For Good >>
26 Responses
Hi Orna,
Thanks for the recommendations! I bought Costco’s Coach’s Oats after I saw it on your blog and wanted to try it. Even though I love the taste, have you found that when you are microwaving it for the recommended time, half of it spills all over the bowl? I have tried many different oatmeals before and have never encountered that before. Does this happen to you? If not, any suggestions on what might be happening?
Hi Victoria, Sorry it took so long to respond, but I was hoping to hear back from Coach’s Oats when I forwarded your comment. In the meantime, I usually cook them on the stove, not the microwave. But when I was developing the recipe for my Oaty Chews, the first time I used Coach’s Oats instead of regular oats, the mixture bubbled up all over my oven! And I remember them saying that they do rise higher than regular oats. Can you try making them in a larger bowl? Let me know how you fare!
Hi Orna,
I did try a bigger bowl and it worked. Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
-Victoria
I found this wonderful bowl at bed bath and beyond for soups and oatmeals that overflow. It has a top that clicks down on the sides so it is sealed tight and on the top is an air valve you pop open. Saves all that mess in the microwave and you dont have to worry about watching it close. (for some reason I dont like to stand too close to the microwave when on)
Sounds great Pam! I found this Sistema one at Amazon – is this the one? http://www.amazon.com/Sistema-Oatmeal-Porridge-Microwave-Container/dp/B00GSUQURS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1402947971&sr=8-3&keywords=microwave+oatmeal+bowl+with+lid
I got the noodle bowl at Bed Bath yesterday Pat – can’t wait to try it for my oatmeal! I’ll let you know…
Thank you for Sharing your journey.
My favorite new meal: Spinich/Salmon salad:
Big bowl of baby spinich
Sliced red and yellow bell pepper
Sliced mushroom
Sliced apple
Shredded beet
1 oz of crumbled feta
4 oz of smoked salmon
2 tablespoons of basalmic vinaigrette
About 7 points and just awesome!
Bennett, that sounds delicious and must look gorgeous with all the different colors! Thanks for sharing.
thank you for your great ideas, I started ww last week and appreciate some ideas for the simple start plan.
Congratulations for joining WW Marie! I’m sure you will find it life-changing, and I’m so happy to be able to give you ideas! Please let me know how you do…
Were can I get the sinply start book? I do ww on line and don’t go to meetings.
Hi Cindy, If you belong to Weight Watchers online they should have sent you the Simple Start book. I recommend calling the WW 800 number.
Love new information on WW and simple start. Any and all help is needed.
My pleasure Pat!
I saw you had fiber one 60 cal cereal on your lust. Is it a free food that you can eat with the simple start program.
Yes Su! It is one of my favorite WW Power Foods – in fact you’ll see it’s #1 on my Top 10 Weight Watchers Power Foods list.
You made me happy by saying on simple smart I can eat 60 cal fiber one, now my husband wants you to try to make him happy. He eats the fiber one Oats and Cocolate bars. Can you eat them also on simple smart. Thanks for your response. I look forward to the next one and I am enjoying your website.
I’m afraid the Fiber One bars and treats aren’t power foods so you would have to count the points on Simple Start or Simply Filling. Thanks for the positive feedback about my website – it’s always nice to hear that people are enjoying what I write.
Does anyone use Walden Farms products? I love their salad dressings (mainly Italian, balsamic and ranch). They have no fat, calories or anything else but do have some sodium. They have many more products like jams, jellies, barbeque sauce, cole slaw dressing, etc. Some grocery stores sell these, but I buy them from http://www.netrition.com and they have a $4.99 flat rate shipping charge, so even if you purchase 10 lbs of items, that’s all you’re going to pay.
Nancy, Walden Farms products are fabulous – and thanks for the shipping tip!
Does anyone know if coconut oil is a Weight Watchers power food?
Hi Kim, I’m afraid coconut oil is not a power food. 🙁
Are all FF Greek Yogurts 0 points or is it just plain FF Greek yogurt?
Can you tell me where to buy the yogurt pop mold? Love the idea of making my own desserts.
Just found your site. Fabulous. What a way to start my new year and new life!! Brava Orna.