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Top 10 Weight Watchers Power Foods

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).

 

Top 10 Weight Watchers Power Foods - OrnaBakes

 

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.

Fiber One at Target

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.

 

Vanilla Greek Yogurt and Milk Mini Zoku Pops

 

  • 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!

Oats - Top Ten Weight Watchers Power Foods from OrnaBakes

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 >>

Trader Joes Toasted Oat Bran

 

Polenta

Love, love, love, polenta. It satisfies that carb craving without breaking the points bank.

Trader Joes Organic Polenta

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).

Springfield Fancy White Hominy

 

 

Eggs, eggs, eggs

I always have hard-cooked eggs on hand. (You can buy ready-cooked ones now at Costco, Trader Joe’s, etc.)

Hard Boiled Eggs at Costco

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)

 

Weight Watchers Simple Start Asian Tuna Salad, 6 PointsPlus - from ornabakes.com

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. 🙂

 

Turkey Pickle Pepper Rollups - OrnaBakes

 

  • 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.

Trader Ming's Sesame Soy GInger Vinaigrette

 

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!

Orville Redenbacher SmartPop Kettle Korn

 

 

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:

 

Orna
Orna Purkin is a foodie, a baker and the creator of OrnaBakes—where healthy meets yummy. Orna turned her passion for food into something to cherish instead of something to fear. On a constant journey of self-discovery and personal growth, Orna hopes to inspire you to be kinder to yourself, find more joy and bake!

26 Responses

  1. 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?

    1. 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!

    2. 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)

  2. 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!

  3. thank you for your great ideas, I started ww last week and appreciate some ideas for the simple start plan.

    1. 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…

    1. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

    1. 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.

  6. 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.

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