Weight Watchers and a Frozen Chocolate Dessert You Can Gorge On

About two months ago, Catherine Bowen Brophy, a consultant at Greencore/Weight Watchers, contacted me, asking if I wanted to review a new line of Weight Watchers fresh meals and delicatessen salads.  My first thought was…

‘Umm..has she seen my blog?’

Weight Watchers Skinny, Frozen Minty Chocolate Dessert. It tastes like a frozen Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie! Only 140 calories - the whole thing!

My blog is probably the last place one would look for weight loss or healthy eating.  I think I have maybe one ‘healthy/low-fat’ post, and any others that may or could be good for you, are purely accidental or coincidental.  This had to be some kind of mistake, right?

I like Weight Watchers.  As I’ve said before, I will not review or talk about any product on my blog that I don’t like or believe in.  I’ve turned many products down, but this one I couldn’t.  Truth be told, I think Weight Watchers is one of the few, if not only, diet plans that’s sensible, convenient, doesn’t deprive you, and is most likely to keep weight off once you lose it.  I have friends who have succeeded on it, and back in HS, even though we didn’t need to lose weight at the time, a friend and I used to buy some of the Weight Watchers desserts (along with Rotel tomatoes and Velveeta for that Rotel Dip. Speaking of, is there really a Velveeta chocolate fudge out there?) for munchies, simply because they tasted really good.  Of course we’d eat like 4 desserts each, but again, they were munchies food after a party or a night out – not a diet.

Weight Watchers Skinny, Frozen Minty Chocolate Dessert. It tastes like a frozen Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie! Only 140 calories - the whole thing!

If you’ve ever seen Sex and the City, there’s an episode where Miranda is ready to purchase a stack of diet books in a desperate attempt to take off her baby weight.  The cashier flips through the books as she rings them up, and these are not exact quotes,, but it went something like this..”This one I lost 40 lbs on, then gained back 60″ – “This one made me sick, and I didn’t lose weight” and so on and so forth.  She then tells Miranda to go with Weight Watchers, the only one that ever worked because, as I mentioned above, they don’t deprive you of the foods you like to eat.  I know, I know..Weight Watchers probably paid for that little scene, but one part definitely isn’t BS; the food IS good and it does fill you up.

Weight Watchers Skinny, Frozen Minty Chocolate Dessert. It tastes like a frozen Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie! Only 140 calories - the whole thing!

Photos in collage courtesy of Weight Watchers.  Top Row – BBQ Chicken with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Turkey and Stuffing.  Bottom Row – Three Cheese Macaroni and Meat Loaf with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

After devouring a half pan of the baklava I made in June, and endless candy testing/tasting throughout the month of July, I wasn’t feeling too hot.  Bloated, lethargic, and well, jiggly.  I had already been through many ‘blog’ overnoshings in late 2010 (remember the pots of cassoulet?), so I wasn’t helping my cause by eating more than a bit of my super rich dishes and desserts again.

I received a huge ice packed box filled with 7 fresh meals and three delicatessen salads.  I decided then and there that if I was going to review this properly, I was going to do it right.  Never having been on any weight loss plan my entire life (I dieted in many unhealthy ways, which I won’t get into now, when I needed to lose weight), I was now officially on one.  I gave myself the month of August to see what would happen by sticking to a Weight Watchers meal plan.  I even purchased more of these meals and salads when I ran out of the ones sent to me free of charge, because, again, I wanted to do it right.

Weight Watchers Skinny, Frozen Minty Chocolate Dessert. It tastes like a frozen Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie! Only 140 calories - the whole thing! This is what it looks like in natural light and when it’s not melting – photo courtesy of Weight Watchers.

Every day I’d have fresh fruit or a little cereal for breakfast, along with my usual spirulina carrot apple ginger juice, then a bit of one of the salads they sent, for lunch (I received the chicken salad with dried cranberries, the potato – egg white salad, and the macaroni salad, but there’s more, which you can see HERE), and one of the fresh meals for dinner.  The fresh meals are not as small as you would think, and they’re delicious; they taste fattening.  I especially loved the meat loaf with garlic mashed potatoes, the three cheese macaroni, and the BBQ chicken.  The delicatessen salads tasted just like the stuff you get from a deli! The only criticism I have is, the egg whites in the potato salad were a tad rubbery and need to be cut smaller.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVED the chicken salad!

Verdict.  I try not use a scale, as I prefer to go by how my clothes fit and how I feel.  However, I did this time.  I dropped 6 lbs barely doing anything other than sticking to these meals.  Whether you need to lose a little, or a lot of weight, I one hundred percent recommend you give these fresh meals and delicatessen salads a shot.

Having said all that, here’s the best part..they’re cheap!  Fresh Meals are only $2.99 each, and delicatessen salads are $1.99-$2.99!  You can find them in the refrigerated areas of the delicatessen or meat sections at most supermarkets. Once again, you can see the various selections of Fresh Meals and Delicatessen salads, HERE.

Weight Watchers Skinny, Frozen Minty Chocolate Dessert. It tastes like a frozen Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie! Only 140 calories - the whole thing!

Now, of course I’m not done.  Weight Watchers did not send me any desserts, so you’re probably wondering what the photos of the fattening looking chocolate thing with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and candy pieces is.  It’s a Weight Watchers recipe! There’s no way I’m going to review anything without making something, and this was one of the desserts I chose to satisfy my sweet cravings.  It tastes like a rich, chocolate – minty pudding pop or fudgesicle..and again..it tastes fattening!

Speaking of pudding pops, I miss pudding pops! Do any of you? At a restaurant in Delaware, a few years back, they had strawberry cheesecake pudding pops that were okay, but it wasn’t those chocolate and vanilla swirled pudding pops of yore. If anyone is listening, please bring them back!!

So, this frozen minty (or almond) chocolate dessert looks pretty good doesn’t it? It takes 5 minutes to put together, and after two hours of freezing, you can eat the whole dessert without guilt! I’m going to post the recipe, verbatim, with a few italicized tips of my own, from weightwatchers.com.

Weight Watchers Skinny, Frozen Minty Chocolate Dessert. It tastes like a frozen Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie! Only 140 calories - the whole thing!

                                              How quicketh it melteth..

The Weight Watchers Fresh Meals are currently available in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West regions, at nearly all major grocery stores as well as online at Peapod.com. Soon Fresh Meals will be available in stores in North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, as well.

By the way, this blog will remain a 99% rich, fattening blog, as it’s always been; I just wanted to make that perfectly, crystal clear.

EASY Frozen Minty Fudge Dessert
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 6 servings
 
Recipe from Weightwatchers.com
PointsPlus® Value: 3
ingredients:
  • 1 oz chocolate wafer(s), about 5 cookies
  • ¼ teaspoon mint extract (I used peppermint extract)
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
  • 7 oz fat-free whipped topping, about 1 whole aerosol can
  • ¼ cup(s) fat-free skim milk
  • 3 piece(s) Weight Watchers by Whitman's Mint patties, frozen, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
  • 6 tablespoons whipped topping, light or fat-free, vanilla or chocolate
directions:
  1. Line six muffin holes with foil muffin liners. (I used paper liners)
  2. In a blender, combine wafers, extract, cocoa, fat-free whipped topping and milk; blend until completely combined. Divide mixture among prepared muffin liners; freeze for at least 2 hours. (Fill each cup half way. Anymore and you won't get 6 desserts, and your points will go up on each one.)
  3. Just before serving, top each with ⅙ of mint patties, 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup and 1 tablespoon whipped topping. Yields 1 dessert per serving.
notes:
This easy chocolate dessert can be made in several flavors. For a pure chocolate treat, replace the mint extract with chocolate or vanilla extract and swap the mint patties for an ounce of mini chocolate chips (could affect PointsPlus values). My note : You can also make it a chocolate - almond dessert by using almond extract instead of mint, and Weight Watchers almond patties.


This post was sponsored by Weight Watchers.  I received free fresh meals and delicatessen salads, but all opinions are my own.

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31 Responses to Weight Watchers and a Frozen Chocolate Dessert You Can Gorge On

  1. Aparna E. says:

    My sister loves Weight Watchers! She lives by it and has lost a ton of weight from it and has kept it off for years! It teaches people the healthy way to lose weight, which is key. I tried it for a little bit, but it wasn’t really my thing. I stuck to the diet and exercise since that seemed to work the best for me. But I admire people who can stick with WW! I’ve heard it’s truly one of the easiest and best ways to lose the weight and keep it off!
    Um, now can we talk about how delicious that chocolate dessert looks and sounds? Kthx. <3

  2. Sue says:

    This dessert looks absolutely indulgent, Lisa! No deprivation at al. Pretty darn good to lose 6 lbs. eating food that you enjoy~painless. Guess I need to wait until it comes west:)

    Today though, I already have your berry ribbon cake in the works! 🙂

  3. Dan says:

    When I was a kid my mom did weight watchers and she would get mad because we loved all her food. Now I never had a weight issue but the food was real good and now a days it looks even better. Your weight watcher dessert looks rich and gooey and I could eat tons of eat and not have to run the next day.. what a concept. Thanks for the memories and new ideas… well done as always Lisa.

  4. That is a delightful chocolate dessert! I’d love to shed a few kilos… Nothing drastic. Just for beauty’s purpose, although I’m told I don’t need to lose weight. A woman’s thing indeed… ;-P

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  5. I have never tried the Weight Watchers meals. I’ll look for them next time I’m at the market. (I won’t mention anything about my eating ice cream while commenting on your skinny post.)

  6. I know a lot of people who have had success with Weight Watchers, and you certainly make a good case! That dessert looks sinful – hard to believe it’s “skinny!” Love it.

  7. Simone says:

    I’ve been on many a weight watchers diet and you’re right. They’re one of the few sensible diets out there. I’ve never tried using any of those meals as they’re not easily found here but I love their cookbooks for all the times I need to watch my weight ( which is sort of like always!) great dessert!!

  8. Beth says:

    Congratulations on losing six pounds – very impressive, especially since you didn’t think it was too hard! The dessert looks great. My only problem is what happens to the rest of the chocolate sauce once you’ve used two tablespoons….

  9. Suzanne says:

    My mom was on weight watcher’s when I was a kid and I have tried it too and they really are one of the best ways to loose weight. Wow, congrats on 6 pounds in 1 month I should do that 🙂 My problem is getting past the first week. Your dessert looks fabulous and with the addition of the mint I could down a few of those in one sitting (oops..not supposed to eat that many at one time). I unfortunately had to eat most all those candies I made from the DB challenge last month too 😉 it’s tough keeping it off when you like to bake and eat all the time.

  10. Oh boy! that looks gooey. And the chocolate flavor is full of delighting attraction.

  11. Casino Pier says:

    Man, that looks gooooood…decadently rich and refreshing at the same time. Your presentation and pictures have improved dramatically; They are now as professional as your baking. Recently I’ve been told a niece of mine has just begun decorating cupcakes for a Florida woman whose dessert business is booming and expanding across the country like crazy. It seems many corporations and businesses are buying her high-end desserts. They can NOT be any better than yours. Knock and ye shall find, Grasshopper. First stop: YANKEE STADIUM! (Try this, Mr. Costanza…) You are a yet undiscovered star, Miss Di Vinci, Unfortunately I will NOT be available as your ‘Director of Cupcake Decorator Operations.’ 🙁

    • lisamichele says:

      Do you think I could open up a business beneath my desk at Yankee Stadium? Mini stove, tiny shelf for mixers and gadgets, and of course a small mattress for naps! BUT, the oven timer might cause a problem when it goes off 😉 BTW, two extra inning 5-4 losses to the O’s? Are you kidding me??

      • Casino Pier says:

        LOL @ “oven-timer” snafu….Yes, mini everything! Now THAT’S called “thinking outside the box” (or under your desk, lol.) A cozy set up for sure, but with your resourcefulness and George Costanza’s inspiration, YOU CAN make it work Lis! On a saaaad note 🙁 ANOTHER 1-run loss, this time to the Angels?? No, they are NOT kidding US! (shaking fist at sky)

  12. Liz says:

    LOL….you and I write the same sort of blogs…not a lot of low cal foods. But how wonderful that this started you on a program and you’ve lost weight! Congratulations!!! But I still expect to see some decadent treats posted here later 🙂

  13. Jennifer says:

    I made the chocolate desserts last night but used almond extract and just a bitt of candied almonds I had leftover from some almond cupcakes I made for my daughter’s birthday. I’m so thrilled with how they taste! No one, I mean, no one..thought they were low-fat! They do taste rich and fattening! I think I’m going to have to try those meals too! Yeeea for weight watchers! Thank you for opening me up to this!

  14. I love weight watchers, too. I can’t believe that is a diet dessert–it looks so decadent!
    BTW, I feel so bad I didn’t get to post my candy post in time for DB. For the record, I made two different kinds of pina colada truffles, and taffy (fail) and rock candy (even bigger fail). The pina colada centers are in the freezer, still not dipped in tempered chocolate. As you can see from my last post, I FINALLY got around to finishing a truffle recipe and I meant to mention DB in a “better late than never” way.

  15. I am very pro Weight Watchers! I’ve never had these meals, but followed the online program. I agree, the reason why weight watchers works is because you’re not deprived of any foods. It’s all about moderation. That dessert looks amazing!

  16. kellypea says:

    I have preferred all my life to judge my weight by how my clothes feel as well and now that I don’t have to get dressed to go anywhere, guess what? Buh-donk-a-donk. Muffin top extraordinaire. Jiggely, wobbly, sponginess. I’d like to blame it on middle age, food blogging, sitting in front of a computer all day, wine, food blogging, and did I mention food blogging? hahaha! Nice write up Lis. I need to do something like this or OMG, I’ll explode.

  17. Sandra says:

    Ha ha, loved that SATC episode, esp with the guy who ‘over ate’ her. I id weight watchers back in ’09, and lost 20 plus lbs. Gained some back, but only because I didn’t follow portion control when eating out or on my own. I need to get back on the plan, and these meals look to be the way to go. The dessert looks great!

  18. LOL Lisa you made me laugh with those first few lines. I have had a few personal trainers offer me training and I think it was precisely because they had seen my blog 😛

  19. Elia says:

    Your desset looks great! Not lowfat at all!

  20. Diane says:

    Hard to believe that dessert is low-fat, it looks so rich!

  21. FOODESSA says:

    Although I can appreciate how these products can help many people, I’ve always had a difficult time with any program that promises to help you lose pounds. I should know since from the ages of 12-25…I put myself through the ringer of yo-yo dieting. That said, a few friends of mine did succeed with W.Watchers and they sing their praises.
    As for me, I first need to get my thyroid balanced…get over the fact that I’m in my hormonally challenged mid-40’s and never deprive myself of dessert ;o)

    Lisa…post and review well done…as honest as it gets.

    Flavourful wishes,
    Claudia

  22. I remember that Sex in the City the episode! I just have a hard time sticking to a diet, hate the word. But I agree WW is one of the better ones. Guilt free desserts are always welcomed thought, like yours.

  23. Jenni says:

    Oh, how awesome! I loved doing the weight watchers stuff, so its exciting to hear that they are coming out with some fresh foods that are actually good!!

  24. This looks very decilious, will have to try it later. Is it sweet still?

  25. Pingback: 25+ Amazing Low Calorie Dessert Recipes! - Pretty Providence

  26. Ken says:

    My wife uses weight watchers and we saw this on pinterest and tried it. All I can say is you just gave us a great summer ice cream recipe that really does taste like a fattening pudding pop! Thank you so much for this!!

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