Welcome!

Hi there! My name is Tina. I'm a faithful Weight Watchers member who has come to love to experiment in the kitchen. There are all kinds of foods out there that lead me to believe that (almost) any ingredient can have a light substitution - and that it doesn't have to be flavorless. Come along for the ride. I'll be making all kinds of dishs - ethnic cooking, simple comfort foods, desserts, salads, pastas, and anything else I can get my hands on! I'll also be reviewing new products I find that can help you turn your weight loss journey into an enjoyable way to maintain a lifelong healthy eating plan.

Three things I should mention.
One: I love all-natural foods; they're pure and delicious and there's nothing like them. However, as a chocoholic, I know that there is no such thing as an all-natural, unprocessed, low-fat brownie. I have no shame in using processed foods when they have fewer calories and fat than their natural counterparts.
Two: I mix measurements. Often. I switch from weight to volume and from standard to metric, all within the same recipe. I know it can be frustrating, but sometimes weight is just more accurate, and grams are much more accurate on my scale than ounces (plus I don't have measuring spoons!). This way I can be more sure of the calorie and fat contents of each ingredient.
And three: I may forget to do this now and again, but I plan on highlighting any product that's a staple in my kitchen.
That being said - let's kick it!

My first recipe actually came to me this morning. I woke up kind of late and wanted a big breakfast to tide me over to dinner, but couldn't find any decent light hashbrown recipes to go with my Egg Beaters with one slice of 2% cheese and Boca Burger Veggie Breakfast Sausage Links. So I experimented, and here's what I came up with:

Hashbrowns
7 ounces of potatoes, grated
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup peppers (red or green, though red gives this a great color), chopped
14 gms I Can't Believe it's Not Butter! Light (or similar product)
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
Cooking spray
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 t. Sriracha hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)

1. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and put it over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and peppers, and keep mixing until onions are translucent and celery and peppers are cooked to your liking (but still with a little bite). Remove from pan and put aside.

2. Spray the pan with cooking spray again. Bring back to medium-high heat. Add potatoes. Cook to your liking. Add celery, onion, and pepper mixture. Mix and keep moving for about a minute.

3. Add in the chicken broth, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Keep the mixture moving until the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from pan and put aside.

4. Melt butter in pan. Split potatoes to make 4 servings. Put the potatoes in the pan, but remember to keep them separate so you can make them like 4 potatoes "cakes." Let them sizzle in the pan for a little while, getting a crust. Then flip and do the same for the other size.

I totally plan on making this again! The Sriracha gave it such a great kick and the crust makes the butter totally worth the extra fat.

WW points: 1 point* per hashbrown --> totally worth it, I promise!