My own cookbook of low Points-value recipes

At my weekly weight in I wasn’t too proud of myself, yet I wasn’t too disappointed, either.

My weight remained exactly the same.

I’ve been losing at such a steady pace that the stop was a bit of a surprise. However I know I didn’t track as closely as I should have over the weekend, so I can’t be too frustrated.

This week I’m back to being a picky tracker, so hopefully I’ll have a loss to report next week.

And thanks to my new tool, I bet I’ll find success:

To help me in planning low-point meals, I assembled a binder of recipes with their Weight Watchers Points values clearly listed. The binder only has recipes that I have determined the Points values. (I have a file of recipes awaiting calculation in hopes of adding soon. But they will not go in there until I know exactly what I might be eating.)

Sure, I have quite the collection of cookbooks and random recipes filed away in my own cookbook-style binders throughout the kitchen, but trying to meal plan with my new eating style was tough. I’d flip through all the books, binders and files of recipes, looking for ideas. I was tempted to buy a few new healthier cookbooks until I realized that I probably have more than a full cookbook’s worth of ideas already in my house… I just needed to get the ones I like, or want to try, together.

By compiling them all in one place I can flip through and make choices rather easily. I know this next confession isn’t too green, but it helped me: I even photocopied recipes out of cookbooks I already own (no copyright infringement) and slipped them in the binder. No more wondering where a favorite or potential favorite recipe is… they are all together. And after we try each recipe I write a few comments about the dish right on the recipe… or rip it out and trash it if I know it won’t work for us.

My new cookbook has been a great help for me. And I bet with time it will come to replace my other binders of recipes as our family moves toward this new healthier lifestyle. Sure, I’ll keep a few favorite indulgences, but I’ll also work to improve them and see how we can replace the unhealthy favorites with much healthier, just-as-delicious options.

I’m excited to begin this new collection and I have to ask… Do you have any recipes you think I should include? Please share in the comments!

I know I need to head on over to Simply Sugar & Gluten Free’s Slightly Indulgent Mondays. Anyone else have any ideas to share? I’d love to learn about them!