Weight Watchers Free Foods

Today seems to be a good day to share a list of Weight Watchers "free" foods, since I have just come from a wedding reception where I ate not one morsel of food (nor did I drink the delicious-looking punch with the rainbow sherbet in it!)

I ran across this list of free foods online and trust it's correct - as I mentioned, I haven't actually JOINED Weight Watchers ...

Zero Point Vegetables
arugula
asparagus
beets
broccoli
brussel sprouts
cabbage
celery
cucumber
eggplant
endive
escarole
green beans
greens

hearts of palm
jicama
lettuce
mixed green salad (exclusive of dressing)
peppers
pickles (unsweetened)
pimentos
pumpkin
radishes
sauerkraut
scallions
spinach
sprouts
spaghetti and summer squash
tomatoes
turnips
watercress
zucchini

Zero Point Fruit
kiwi (1 medium)
orange (1 small)
passion fruit (3)
peach (1 small)

Zero Point Beverages
water
tea (unsweetened or with artificial sweetener)
diet soda
seltzer
club soda
coffee (black or with artificial sweetener and/or non-fat creamer)

Zero Point Condiments & Sauces
baking powder
baking soda
capers
cocktail sauce
flavorings
herbs
horseradish
hot sauce
lemon juice
lime juice
mustard
nonfat creamer
nonstick cooking or baking spray
relish
salsa
soy sauce
spices
steak sauce
sugar substitutes
taco sauce
teriyaki
vinegar
worcestershire sauce

Zero Point Food
bouillon
broth
capers (1 T)
onion soup mix
salsa
whipped cream nonfat  (1/4 cup)

I've become quite adept at turning some of the above ingredients into tasty sauces and dressings, not adding any WW points to our meals.  Of course the veggies and some of the other things do have carbs, so if you're counting carbs, be mindful of that.  But if you are starving and need to grab something in a hurry, it's good to have these things on hand! 

And I've learned to saute vegetables with a spritz of Olive Oil flavored cooking spray (I use Crisco, but there are other brands, too).  This even works with chicken breast, pork chops or steak on my Calphalon grill pan.  I thought it wouldn't be enough lubrication but we really don't notice much difference in the flavor or the texture of whatever we're eating.  I simply spray the pan, and then both sides of the meat.  If I'm sauteing veggies, I might add a second spritz after it's been sauteing a few minutes, depending on the veggies and how quickly they dry out.

Also, using the list above you can gauge what you can put into a pot of soup without too much impact on your meal plan.  I make sure to keep on hand lots of canned tomatoes, green beans, white beans, kidney beans, black beans (we love beans) ... To me, a pot of soup is comfort food, so throughout the colder months, I make one every single Sunday.  Tomorrow night's variety will contain the leftover pork from Thursday and I will turn it into a low-carb, low-calorie tortilla soup.  Yum Yum.

Next Post: Next Week's Meal Plan
A future Post:  Good Carbs (slow) vs. Bad Carbs (fast)