Turkey is on everyone’s mind these days as Americans prepare for Thanksgiving. Turkey and lots of high-fat, must-make family sides like Grandma’s stuffing, Aunt Harriet’s green bean casserole and — read it and weep— 23 WW Points-per-serving pecan pie. I suggest that we try something different before the big day (from Weight Watchers, no less) that will knock your socks off without adding to your sense of holiday indulgence. It’s completely different from the usual holiday far

Thanksgiving is a cherished annual holdiay where we give thanks for our blessings and then dig into a veritable food fest. Potatoes always appear in some rich, calorific form, aka mashed potatoes steeped in lots of butter. Here's a suggestion for potatoes that won't break the calorie bank: baby potatoes well seasoned and roasted until browned and crisp. They're utterly delicious, and what's more, you’ll have room for a slice of pecan pie! Life is about moderation, not depriva

From November 16, 2009: One of our family’s favorite Thanksgiving traditions is this sweet potato casserole. My daughter Elizabeth, who has been known to cast a suspicious eye on my attempts to make recipes more Weight Watcher-friendly, once said to me, “Don’t go messing with this recipe. It’s perfect just the way it is.” It took me years to admit to her that it came from an old Cooking Light cookbook. It’s not exactly “diet” friendly, but it’s a good example of how you can

In the 1950's, the Cabbage Soup Diet became popular as a fast way to lose pounds. Most recipes included dry onion soup mix and lots of chopped cabbage. Dieters were instructed to follow the diet for one week, during which they could eat as much soup as they wanted. I'm pretty sure no one could tolerate it for more than 7 days, and results were likely only short-lived. Even Weight Watchers took a turn with Cabbage Soup, calling it Zero-Point Soup and praising its ability to be

Ina Garten is famous for her delicious recipes from more than a dozen cookbooks, as well as her TV show, the Barefoot Contessa. Her recipes are highly acclaimed for good reason: Ina loves butter and lots of it. Thankfully, not all of Ina's recipes are steeped in butter fat. Whenever she publishes a recipe that's healthy, you can rest assured that it's the best of its kind, as with this fabulous Winter Minestrone. She adds cubed butternut squash along with the usual vegetable

Recently I invited a friend for dinner and told him that it wasn't going to be a gourmet dinner but more like what Grandma used to serve. He quickly replied, "Great! I love Grandma food!" Actually, I didn't get this recipe from my Grandma, who was an immigrant from Switzerland. A good friend gave it to me years ago, and I make it whenever I need something warm and comforting for dinner. If you're a Weight Watchers member, you know that WW has enhanced its Zero-Point food list