Happy Wednesday all! I am so glad the week is officially half over today. Not that I am counting down the days until the weekend or anything. Today’s Simple Start eats might be the best food I’ve eaten so far. Every single thing was so delicious that I honestly could eat it all over again.
Before I jump into today’s journal, I wanted to say sorry to my Points+ friends. I completely forgot to post the points+ values of everything along with the Simple Start calcs for those that are counting. I will make sure to add in my daily points+ too ~ thanks for letting me know.
I am also having my recipe page fixed as the last upgrade made the points+ disappear. However, if you click print on any recipe, you can see the points+.
I started craving this Oatmeal Protein Pancake last night when I was thinking of what I planned on having for breakfast today.
I love this Simply Filling Pancake (yep, it’s Simple Start too!) because you can make it as one gigantic pancake and it takes minutes to make with what you have on hand in your kitchen.
I patted 1 Tbsp. of whipped butter over the top (whipped but saves you 1 points+) with a 1 Tbsp. pour of pure maple syrup and a sprinkle of coconut.
Paired with a side of organic blueberries for crunching as it cooks….
And topping that melt in your mouth, Oatmeal pancake with a little berry goodness. I used 3 WPA for the butter & syrup. The entire pancake with toppers is 11 points+.
I actually took the time to pack my lunch this morning, but, The Husband ended up surprising me at the office and taking me to lunch. The temptation…..this Simple Start Southwestern Cobb Salad from the Buckhorn Grill in Napa!
Check out all the Simply Filling Foods ~ Grilled Southwester Chicken Breast, Tomatoes….
Radishes, Jicama, Corn & Black Beans!
I used my WPA for this creamy AVOCADO goodness (4 WPA) and skipped the shell & cheese.
Served up with the Basil, Honey Lime dressing on the side. (2 WPA for the dressing). 9 points+ for the entire salad.
Dinner tonight was pretty amazing. It’s been awhile since I’ve made Burgers Without a Bun and now I am wondering why. The Husband has never been a fan of meatloaf ~ ever. So, a few years back one of my awesome readers who made the recipe told me to tell him what she told her husband ~ They are just funny shaped Burgers. Whenever I want to make these, I ask the Husband if he wants to have BURGERS WITHOUT A BUN and he was like YES!
Cheesy Stuffed Mini Meatloaves totally look like “funny” shaped burgers without buns.
This recipe is super simple to make and could definitely be made up in advanced so all you have to do is come home and cook it.
Sautee 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves in nonstick spray until softened, about 3 minutes.
Then, mix everything up in a big bowl….I think the two key ingredients in this recipe surprisingly are the cheese (I used low-fat Sharp Cheddar, but, you could use fat free) and the horseradish. I also subbed out Wheat Germ for the bread crumbs to keep it Simply Filling. He doesn’t know about the wheat germ either 
Form into mini meatloaves. You will want to use parchment paper or a sil-pat because when the cheese oozes all over, they will stick if you don’t.
Top with a little ketchup & bake for 25 minutes at 425 or until done.
I count it as Simple Start or 7 Points+ and they are worth every single bite. I love the little "fried cheese disks” that surround each burger without a bun!
Funny fact ~ every time I make these, The Husband says they look like mini meatloaves and I say ya, that’s the funny “burger” shape. 
Click HERE for the recipe.
I paired our “burgers” with a bunch of organic greens for one tasty dinner.
I am really surprised I did not have a single snack today ~ the bigger surprise, it never crossed my mind until now.
Here are my stats for today:
- Simple Start Day 4 Success, 9 WPA used, 20 WPA remaining (I am not sweating using 2 extra, I’ll just keep it to 49 by the end of the week.
- 27 Daily Points+, WPA used & WPA remaining will be added next week
- My Fitbit Flex Dashboard for today
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Do you ever “trick” your family into eating something good for them?
Night all!
Today’s question made me chuckle…there’s a girl at work that makes baked tofu taste like chicken…she uses the sprouted tofu from WF, and when she brought it in for our covered dish at the office, even the meat eaters went crazy! Yesterday we were trying to figure out how I could trick my meat-eating Aussie into trying it 🙂 Still working on it…..loved your recipes today! I will need to make the pancakes over the week-end! And those mini meatloaves are also on my list! I’ve been eating an avocado every day, they help keep me filled up 🙂
I cook with fresh herbs a lot and one day I tried a meatball recipe with spinach. I just told my kids it was parsley and they gobbled them up. They are both teenagers so after dinner I confessed that the green stuff was actually spinach and boy were they surprised. They will both eat spinach in anything now that they know they like it. 😉
so you’re just counting for the cheese in the meatloaves and the flax/agave in the pancake, plus toppings? i forgot about those pancakes, but haven’t made any since starting simple start
Hi Brandi,
I actually did not add any of the agave or flax to my pancake. The flax is Simply Filling so you wouldn’t have to count it, but, the agave and toppings you would. the 3 WPA I used were for the whipped butter and syrup.
BTW, congrats on the new job! I keep meaning to pop over and tell you that 🙂
Danica
I don’t understand how the meatloaf can be simple start without counting any points. The cheese and breadcrumbs alone are not part of simple start.
Hi Lisa,
I subbed out the bread crumbs and used wheat germ – you could also use ground oatmeal or oat bran as well.
With respect to the cheese, one of the “tweaks” I make to the program as I did on Simply Filling is to use low-fat over fat free cheese because I feel fat free cheese is full of chemicals. I try to stick to clean foods with ingredients I can recognize and I can keep low-fat cheeses in check portion wise.
Here is a post I did awhile back on how I work Simply Filling to explain how I’ve managed to work it into my every day lifestyle and the rationale behind some of the choices I make.
http://danicasdaily.com/weight-watchers-simply-filling-technique
You could easily sub out fat free cheese or count the points+ for the low-fat cheese (1 per serving as 3 oz = 6 points+ with 6 servings) and this would be Simple Start.
Thanks for asking,
Danica
I agree with you on the cheese. I cant stomach fat free cheese or sour-cream. I feel ok using low-fat, I don’t eat that much so I am not going to sweat over 1 or 2 points. Btw, we stayed at a B & B in Cambria over xmas and one morning we had ricotta pancakes. The cook said it was a ww recipe. They were so good. 1 c. of fat free ricotta, 2 eggs, 3tbls of flour( could probably use ground oatmeal), 1tsp sugar and 2tsp oil( I only used 1tsp). dash of vanilla. It made a lot of silver dollar size pancakes. They were delicious.
Everybody should be aware, though, if you don’t use the fat-free cheese, you need to count the points for the regular or low-fat cheese as your indulgence points if you are following Simple Start or Simply Filling.
Hi Linda,
One of the “tweaks” I make to the program as I did on Simply Filling is to use low-fat over fat free cheese because I feel fat free cheese is full of chemicals. I try to stick to clean foods with ingredients I can recognize and I can keep low-fat cheeses in check portion wise.
Here is a post I did awhile back on how I work Simply Filling to explain how I’ve managed to work it into my every day lifestyle and the rationale behind some of the choices I make.
http://danicasdaily.com/weight-watchers-simply-filling-technique
You could easily sub out fat free cheese or count the points+ for the low-fat cheese (1 per serving as 3 oz = 6 points+ with 6 servings) and this would be Simple Start.
Thanks for asking,
Danica
oh, Danica, I do not use fat-free cheese, either. I just didn’t think it was clear to people that they need to count the cheese only as points on Simply Filling or Simple Start.
Where do you find low fat cheddar cheese in cubes or blocks? All I can find is processed slices and shredded ?
Hi Ashley,
I buy the 2% block cheese at my local grocery store (local brand) although I know Kraft makes a 2% block as well. I then cubed it myself for this recipe. I believe Safeway carries their brand and Kraft 2%.
Thanks,
Danica
The pork cookbook arrived today. It is gorgeous! Thanks so much for drawing my name. I had told my WW leader how you blogged about the Simple Start program when it began. Our meetings (I’m on S. Ontario, Canada) are on Thursdays so I’d already heard about the program thanks to your blog post. Today she told everyone about your site and asked me to write the web address on the board at the front for everyone to copy down. You may have just increased your readership. Keep up the good work and I loooove all your photos of the food. I am going to try the mini meatloaf burgers soon.
Linda
Where in Ontario? I used to live in Exeter.
Man oh man those funny burgers look delish. Can’t wait to try!
I made the “burgers without a bun” tonight and this recipe is definitely a keeper. My six year old won’t eat meatloaf. Not only did he eat it, but he asked if I would pack the “burgers without a bun” in his school lunch!