Ferrero Roche Bites

Raspberry Crumble

Creme Brulee Caramel Rice Pudding

Chocolate Brownie Sundae

Banana ice cream, tangy raspberries and rich chocolate fudge brownie, topped with sweet cherries.  

The best value dessert, for 2 Weight Watchers Propoints. 

Fruit & Dark Mint Chocolate

Stewed apple with cinnamon and vanilla, a crunchy topping of oat bran with fresh raspberries and dotted with melting dark mint chocolate throughout.

Eton Mess WeightWatchers Style

Meringue with raspberries and red grapes with a thick layer of melted white chocolate and dark mint chocolate curls on top.  

We may not get a summer but this will definitely bring the sunshine into your house. 

Banofee Pie

Biscuit crumble, caramel, layered banana and cream.  Now that's a mid week treat!

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate, my first love.

Moist chocolate cake topped with a layer a dark chocolate with a hint of mint, served with whipped cream and raspberries, then it's drizzled with white chocolate.  4 Weight Watchers Propoints including the cream!

Weightwatchers Style Rice Pudding

A Little Treat

Baked creamy vanilla rice pudding with a dash of cinnamon for a nice warm treat.

Weightwatchers Apple Tart

Apple Cake, Tart, Pie

When i think of Apple Tart i think of a light, fluffy base, layered with apples and topped with a crumble like sponge.  Then you remember Weight Watchers and your ideas start to sink because to get an apple tart like that will usually cost you at near enough to half of your daily propoints allowance right?  

Then you realize that in order to achieve a cake with that texture, you actually need to be quite a good baker right?  Wrong.

Weightwatchers Halloween Tea Brack

Moist and fruity Halloween Brack

Halloween is my favorite time of year.  I just love the feel of it.  So at the moment im in full Halloween mode, getting costumes ready and planning dinners and what not.  I said yesterday on Facebook that i was going to put this up this week but decided why wait.  All it took was literally soaking some fruit overnight and then a bit of mixing today and that's it. 

Weightwatchers Muffins for 3 Propoints

Mashed banana, Brazil nuts and chocolate chips yum!

Its Sunday, its cold, the colours of Autumn are fabulous.  What's needed today is a brisk walk to get the only colour were used to in Ireland.  Rosie cheeks.  Then come home to a banana muffin with bits of chunky Brazil nuts and dotted with chocolate chips and a mug of steaming hot tea.  

Now that's what Sundays were made for. 

Weightwatchers Apple & Rhubarb Strudel

Its Octoberfest time of year again.

And what better way to enjoy Octoberfest than with an apple strudel.  It's one of those desserts that warms you up from the inside out.  The winter is well on its way and you can feel the chill in the morning times and the smell of the cinnamon and nutmeg really makes the house small like Autumn. 

Weightwatchers biscuits, marshmallow and chocolate S'mores

That's S'more

This is a mix between food finds and a dessert all in one.  S'mores are a very American treat but I did have one when I was in the States and I have to say they were really nice and I've been thinking about doing it but then the problem is melting Marshmallows and I got lazy. 

This is so easy and so tasty all it has is 4 ingredients.  It takes 20 seconds and the kids will love it because I know that mine do.  For the past couple of weeks I've been noticing the jars of American Fluff, the melted spreadable Marshmallow.  Each time I walked past, I kept thinking I must propoint this and then the other day I did.  For 2 Tablespoons its only 1 Weight Watchers Propoints.  Such good value. 

The biscuits that I used were Marietta biscuits and its 2 biscuits for 1 propoint.  Another brilliant find. 

Weight Watchers Propoints per Serving 2
Weight Watchers Propoints per Recipe 4
Serves 2

Ingredients

4 Marietta biscuits
2 tsp of Fluff
1 tub of choccy Philly 
1/8 of tsp of hundreds and thousands

Directions 

Take 2 Marietta Biscuits and put 1 tsp of fluff onto each biscuit.  With the other 2 biscuits spread half the tub of choccy philly unto each biscuit.  You may actually get more.  
Sandwich 1 biscuit with fluff and the other biscuit of chocolate together and sprinkle half the amount of hundreds and thousands.

Warning this will get messy but its really worth it. 

Enjoy the Niptuck way, so you don't have too!

Weightwatchers Style Banana Split

Cold, creamy, nutty smothered in chocolate sauce.  Now that's what im talking about!

There's been a lot of talk recently about banana based desserts and it got me longing.  So the other evening, in my usual, its late, there's a film on and i need to stuff my face with something mode, i thought of this.  Not only am i mad about bananas but ice cream and then ice cream with nuts really does it for me. 

As im sure you all know at this stage, im loving Choccy Philly.  Its just so versatile and i really helpful for Weightwatchers Style desserts especially the little portion tubs.  I just love them and smothered on top of this  is just the icing on the split. 

Now as much as i love nuts, peanuts, pistachio (my favorite) old style halloween nuts or monkey nuts as they used to be called, well their not very propoint friendly although they are very nutritional when it comes to have excellent natural fats.  I actually ate a lot of nuts after being sectioned on my second baby and i feel that they really helped me.  Im probably way off with the above statement and im sure some nutritionalist would probably disagree but just at the time i was so run down (as is normal after delivering a baby but i felt better after them.  Don't take my word for it, its just my personal opinion or feeling really.  Anyway i realised that 2 brazil nuts works out with a Weightwatchers Value of 1 Propoint which is really good because their very large and you feel like your getting more than you bargained for, 

Anyways a banana split has always been a favourite in my house.  Now this is not fancy, pretty or even a recipe but it sure is tasty. 

Weightwatchers Propoints per Serving 4
Weightwatchers Propoints per Recipe 8
Serves 2

Ingredients

2 bananas peeled and sliced very thinly
2 measured scoops of Weightwatchers Vanilla Ice Cream (measuring spoon comes with the ice cream)
1 small 30g tub of Choccy Philly
6 Brazil nuts sliced thinly
2 99 Flake

Directions

In 2 small serving bowls, place half of the sliced bananas at the bottom of each bowl so that should be one banana between the 2 of the bowls.  Place 1 scoop of ice cream into each bowl.  

Top with the remaining bananas.  Remove the film off the top of the small tub of Choccy Philly and place in the microwave for 20 seconds.  Pour half the tub over each of the bowls.  Slice 3 brazil nuts thinly and sprinkle over 1 bowl and repeat the process for the second bowl.  Insert a Flake 99 into each bowl and serve. 

Enjoy the Niptuck way, so you don't have too!

Weightwatchers Gooey Beetroot Chocolate Cake

Light, fluffy, gooey and super moist chocolate cake topped with spreadable chocolate, strawberry and coconut.

Well we have been warned to baton down the hatches because their is a storm brewing and that it will be a good match to hurricane Charlie!

If this is true, its going to be a long day so why not spend it baking.  This post is early enough for you to get the ingredients in while on your way home from work. 

Actually this wont take that long at all because again it uses Betty Croker Devils Food Cake Mix .

Im aware that put a lot of recipes/combos that include these mixes but they are so handy and can be made guilt free with the addition of good nutrition.

This cakes uses pureed beetroot.  I actually bought a jar of pickled beetroot and washed it.  Now when i say washed it, i mean it was like washing a dye out of your hair, waiting for the water to run clear.  It took a while, but that was actually the longest part of the process.  So if you can use fresh beetroot otherwise just do what i did and it will be fine.  

There are lots of benefits to beetroot so if you want to know what they are click here.

Just like the Chocolate Brownies i posted a while back that used Lentils, you will not taste the beetroot at all.

I actually made these for some work colleagues and none of them thought that there was beetroot in them.  In fact the general chatter was that people were going to have to go on a long walk to shift the cake. 

Little did they know that in fact, the calories were nowhere near what they thought.  

To top this i used Choccy Philly,  I just love this stuff its so versatile.  I have found so many uses for this that i think im actually going to have a little folder on the blog the says Choccy Philly recipes.  

So here's my advise if become housebound especially if you have the kids during the anticipated storm.  Play the Wii or other activities, it will help with your activity Propoints and wears the kids out.  Bake this beautiful cake and and enjoy without a shred of guilt. 

Weightwatchers Propoints per Recipe 60
Weightwatchers Propoints per Serving 3
Serves 20 

Ingredients 

1 box of Betty Croker Devils Food Cake Mix
1 Normal sized Jar of Beetroot
2 Egg Whites 
1/8 tsp of Salt

For the Frosting

180g of Chocolate Philidelpia 
3 Tbl of Shredded Coconut ( I used Odlums) 
20 Strawberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 or 140 degrees. 

Remove beetroot from the jar, place in a colander and allow water to pour over the beetroot.  This takes a while but wait for the beetroot to run clear. 

Pour the cake mix into a bowl, add the egg whites and the salt.  Give a little stir. 

Place the beetroot back in the jar and fill the jar up with water.  Pour the whole thing into a large bowl and puree with a hand mixer until smooth.

Add the beetroot by pouring a little at a time into the cake mix and stir with a whisk.  You may not need all of the beetroot but you will need to use at least 3/4 of the beetroot.  The mix should still be thick but loose, not stuck together.

Use an oblong or rectangle baking try but make sure its quite long.  Mist with spray oil especially at the corners.

Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack.  Allow it to cool for about 1 hour. 

Once cooled, cut the cake into 20 pieces, their fairly substantial pieces for 3 Propoints

Melt the Choccy Philly in the microwave for about 40 -50 seconds until its loose. Pour 1 tsp of the Philly over each piece of cake and spread with the back of a spoon until each piece is covered in chocolate. 

Place one strawberry unto each square and sprinkle with coconut. 

Enjoy the Niptuck way, so you don't have too!

Weightwatchers Easy Madeira Cake

You can still have your cake and eat it, just Propoint it first!

In my pre Weightwatchers life, i love a good slice of maderia cake, not too extravagant, however i loved it with lashing of Kerry gold full fat butter or even thickly spread with Nutella.  I know, how indulgent!  Now, i still love my treats, i just tweak them so that i can still have them. 


There has been lots of media coverage about how bad sugar, fat, honey etc is for you and yes, if like me you needed a cow out your back, next to the cocoa tree with a direct line to Dominos, well yea it aint going to be long before the results of that show.  However, im a firm believer that a "little" of what you fancy wont kill us.  In fact i believe that it helped me shed those stones.  Over 9 for me.  It helped because i never felt deprived.  


I realised that to make it work for me and for me to have any chance of sustaining my weight loss, i needed to be able to live and enjoy my food.


So if your starting to feel the slump after joining Weightwatchers, or your motivation is starting to wane because you've been soooo gooood.  Try this!  


Weightwatchers Propoints per Serving 2
Weightwatchers Propoints per Recipe 32
Serves 16


Ingredients 

1 pack of Odlums Quick Original Cake Mix
1 Tin of pear halves in its own juices
1 Egg white
1/8 tsp of Salt
Spray Oil


Directions


Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 or per pack instructions.


Pour the juice and the pears into a jug and liquidize until smooth.  In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, the egg white and the salt.  Give a little stir to combine and then add in the liquidized pears and mix with an electric mixer.  

Mist a loaf tin with a little spray oil, especially in the bottom.  Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and place in the oven for the amount of time given on the cake mix instructions.  I have a gas cooker and it took 20 minutes more for me. 


Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the tin.  Wrap the cake in a clean tea towel and place on a rack and allow to cool completely.  This helps it stay moist and it wont harden. 


Slice and serve. 

Enjoy the Niptuck way, so you don't have too!

Strawberries and Chocolate Sauce

Im so lazy with the Olympics on tv.  I know it should give me motivation but i find myself glued to the tv watching the diving and kayaking and swimming.  In all of these games there is a lot of incredibly fit young men and it has not helped move me from the sofa at all.

Also Mondays in my house are a backwards day whereby we dont function as we usually do.  At 3 o clock today, i got the slump and really needed a pic me up and i had strawberries, as per usual i have to have something more naughty than nice on top and i found little tubes of Choccy Philly.

Perfect i thought.  I have found more uses for this choccy philly than i thought possible and i plan on using it a lot more.

So if your looking for something really quick and tasty with a touch of healthy, try this Olympian.

Weightwatchers Propoints per Recipe 2
Weightwatchers Propoints per Serving 1
Serves 2

Ingredients

A punnet of Strawberries, i like mine dark red as i always find that's when there at their sweatest
1 Mini tube of Choccy Philly

Directions

Wash, and clean strawberries and remove the green.  Place the mini tube, cover off, into the microwave for 15 seconds.

Dip each strawberry into the chocolate until its all used up.  Place strawberries into the fridge for 10 minutes until entirely cooled.

Serve and enjoy.

Enjoy the Niptuck way, so you don't have too!

Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake

Show me the love

I just love cheesecake.  Lemon, raspberry, baileys, chocolate you name it.  what i don't love is making them. For the following reasons, they never set as they should for me.  Its either not crunchy enough biscuit, soggy cheesy cake or stiff cheesy tasting. 


After my last disaster i decided that if i was going to eat it, it would have to be the store bought Weightwatchers cheesecake or out for dinner in a restaurant as a treat from my weeklies. 


Then a little brain wave came.  Im so in love with the Chocolate Philadelphia right now but my other long term relationship has been with Sugar free jelly. 


Many a dodgy situation has been saved by sugar free jelly whether it be in powdered form or store bought made up jelly i love it.  


Now what would happen if i combined the 2 and got rid of my horrible biscuit bases and replaced it with a Belgian chocolate cup? 


Heaven.  That's what happens. 


There not huge but they really taste nice and they also look great so if you need a dessert because you have people coming over this will really go down a treat and you can still be in control of what your eating. 


Win Win


Weightwatchers Propoints per Recipe 30
Weightwatchers Propoints per Serving 5
Serves 6


Ingredients


500mls of Diet 7up or 7up free
100mls of boiling water 
1 sachet of strawberry sugar free jelly
160g tub of Choccy Phily
6 Belgian chocolate cups
Fruit of choice i used strawberries and Kiwi


Directions




Mix the boiling water with the sachet of jelly and stir with a fork to combine together.  Add in the 7up a little at a time because it will start to foam so make sure you make this is a jug where it has plenty of room.  Stir it all together when the foaming settles.


Whisk the chocolate with an electric whisk for about 1 minute.

Pour in the jelly mix and stir very well to combine.


Place the chocolate cups on the baking tray and pour the mix into the cups.  It should go all the way to the top

Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until set. 

Remove from fridge and decorate with fruit and serve immediately once removed from the fridge.

Enjoy the Niptuck way so you don't have too!

Chocolate Ice Cream Cups

We Lost the match but theirs always a treat

Well the match we did not win, its very disappointing.  However, on the upside, the support from the Irish fans was unbelievable and it really looked like they were enjoying themselves.  


So after the match, with still 4 PP from my daily allowance, i decided that a little treat was necessary and i needed to use up some bits and bobs i had in the cupboard.  With this, the Chocolate Ice Cream Cup was born.  3 ingredients and that's all it took. 


I love weeknight simple and quick dishes and desserts because as you all know, life is busy and its when it gets really busy that sometimes our good intentions sways, from the interruptions that is life.


I find it so handy to have certain items on hand so that, when these times arise, im not left in a situation whereby its starve (as in you've had your three meals and 2 snacks but you shall go to bed without supper sort of starving) or fall into the fridge and emerge an hour later with that guilty chocolate smudged face that one usually finds on a 4 year old while mammy was busy in another room. 


I usually put these items into food finds.  There also handy to have, if like me at the start of my journey, i didn't notify anyone that i was doing Weightwatchers.  So having incriminating items in full view aren't what your looking for. 


So here's this combination and it literally take about 3 minutes. 


Weightwatchers Propoints per serving 4
Serves 1 


Ingredients

1 Belgian Chocolate Dessert Cups
1 Scoop of Weightwatchers Vanilla Ice Cream

1 Flake 99

A small sprinkling of hundreds and thousands
Fruit of choice


Directions


Place 1 scoop of ice cream into the Chocolate cup, stick the flake into the ice cream.  Decorate with fruit and hundreds and thousands. 


Simple yet delicious and all for a Weightwatchers Propoints Value of 4. 

Enjoy the Niptuck way, so you don't have too!