Five Point Friday - Thinking Turkey | Mels Box of Chocolates

Being on Weight Watchers always requires some extra planning, point crunching, substituting, and compromising over the holidays. The great thing about being an online subscriber is that there is a plethora of resources available to help you make Thanksgiving enjoyable without gaining everything back that you worked so hard to lose. Yes, it takes control, but here are also some simple recipes that I found to make your dinner even more point friendly.

The complete dinner below = 11 points per serving!!!

Turkey
Roasted Turkey thigh or leg with skin 3 points
Chicken breast without skin 3 points

Stuffing
Sausage, Apple, and Cornbread Stuffing
2 pt. per serving -serves 12

8 oz raw turkey sausage
2 tbsp apple juice
1 tsp butter
1 medium onion(s), chopped
2 medium celery, chopped
2 medium apple(s), cored and diced
1/4 cup(s) parsley, chopped
2 tbsp thyme, chopped or 1 tsp dried
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
8 oz cornbread stuffing dry mix
1 1/2 cup(s) canned chicken broth, hot
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Coat a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Remove sausage from casing; add sausage to skillet and cook, breaking up into small pieces until no pink remains. Add apple juice and simmer, stirring constantly, until liquid evaporates. Remove sausage to large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in skillet. Add onion and celery; sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in apples, parsley, thyme and poultry seasoning; cook about 3 minutes. Add stuffing to skillet; stir in enough chicken stock to moisten stuffing as you like it. Add to bowl with sausage; stir in enough chicken stock to moisten stuffing. Season to taste.
Yields 3/4 cup per serving.

Green Beans
Point Value 1 - Serves 4

1 pound(s) green snap beans, trimmed
2 tbsp light butter
4 medium shallot(s), thinly sliced
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1 tsp lemon zest

Steam green beans until tender, about 5 minutes. Run under cold water for 30 seconds; set aside. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 5 minutes (add a bit of water if necessary to prevent burning). Add green beans and toss until hot; season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with lemon zest and serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Sweet Potatoes
Candied sweet potatoes with pineapple
2 pt per serving - Serves 6

1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 1/2 pound(s) sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
8 oz canned crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 tbsp McNeil SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
Place potatoes in prepared dish. In a small bowl, combine crushed pineapple, Splenda and cinnamon; add to potatoes and toss until well mixed. Bake, stirring after 30 minutes, until sweet potato mixture is bubbly, about 45 minutes.
Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.
Notes: You can use canned sweet potatoes in water to save time if you prefer.

Bread
Corn Spoon Bread
3 points per serving - Serves 8

2 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup(s) uncooked cornmeal, yellow
1 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup(s) regular egg substitute
1 large egg(s)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup(s) yellow corn
2 oz turkey ham, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a medium-sized soufflé dish with cooking spray. In a saucepan, warm milk and sugar until steaming. Remove pan from heat and gradually whisk in cornmeal. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until very thick. In a bowl, whisk together salt, pepper, egg substitute, egg and baking powder. Gradually whisk in cornmeal mixture. Stir in corn and ham.
Spoon mixture into soufflé dish and bake until puffed and browned, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately.
Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.