WeightWatchers recipes to help you lose up to half a stone for summer (2024)

We launched this exclusive series with WW in yesterday's Daily Mail Weekend magazine to help you lose up to half a stone and transform your health by the start of the summer holidays. Here, we continue with more mouth-watering recipes for breakfasts, lunches and dinners that should be very handy without compromising on taste.

If you fear that a healthy-eating programme will mean goodbye to treats you love – be they a morning bacon sandwich or a gooey chocolate dessert – that's not so with WeightWatchers. WW nutritionist Jess O'Shea says: 'No food is off-limits and we think it's important to enjoy your meals and not feel deprived.'

Research shows crash diets and programmes that require cutting out whole food types are counter-productive. Appearing restrictive, they make it easy to slip back into old habits, triggering cycles of guilt and yo-yo dieting.

But Jess explains: 'The flexibility of WW's PersonalPoints programme gives control to spend your Points however you want – meaning you're free to enjoy a treat without sabotaging your health goals, so long as you don't exceed your budget. 'Also, with PersonalPoints, you can choose your favourite foods to base your meals around, making it easy to plan recipes that work for your lifestyle.'

A guide to how PersonalPoints works is on the following page.

Today's menu includes a bacon and egg wrap for breakfast, a sticky sausage sandwich for lunch and a choc fudge lolly for dessert.

Our series continues in the Daily Mail tomorrow and on Tuesday with scrumptious suggestions for veggie feasts and tasty barbecues, as well as advice on budget-friendly ways to lose weight.

WW are also offering two months' free membership to Mail readers. See the end of this supplement for details.

A recommended safe rate of weight loss is up to 2lb a week

STICKY SAUSAGE OPEN SANDWICH

Serves 2 | Prep 5 mins | Cook 30 mins

PERSONALPOINTS: 8

• 3 reduced-fat pork sausages
• 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges,
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• 2 slices calorie-controlled brown bread
• Handful of rocket

1. Preheat the oven to 200C, fan 180C, gas mark 6. Put the sausages and onion in a small roasting tin, drizzle with the oil and bake for 25 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked and golden.

2. Dot the sausages and onions with the redcurrant jelly and sprinkle with the chilli flakes. Bake for another 5 minutes, until sticky. Slice thickly on the diagonal.

3.Top the bread with the sausages, onion and rocket, season with freshly ground black pepper and serve.

BREAKFAST

BACON & EGG WRAPS

Serves 4 | Prep 15 mins | Cook 35 mins

PersonalPoints: 7-11

• 240g sweet potato, cut into small chunks
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 125g bacon medallions, chopped
• 4 eggs
• 4 wholemeal tortilla wraps
• 80g sauerkraut (or shredded white cabbage)
• 125g baby plum tomatoes, halved
• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
• Small handful fresh coriander leaves

1. Preheat oven to 200C, fan 180C, gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Put the sweet potato on the tray and drizzle over 1 tsp of the oil. Roast for 25 minutes, or until tender.

2. Heat 2 tsp of the remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat. Fry the bacon for 3-4 minutes or until crisp. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and fry the eggs for 3 minutes or until cooked to your liking.

4. Meanwhile, warm tortilla wraps to pack instructions. Top each tortilla with the sauerkraut, sweet potato, tomatoes, onion, bacon, coriander and a fried egg.

SUNSHINE SMOOTHIE

Serves 2 | Prep 10 mins |

PersonalPoints: 5

• 175g frozen tropical fruit chunks (we used pineapple, mango and papaya)
• 1 ripe small banana (75g peeled weight)
• 200g plain soya yogurt
• 75ml fresh orange juice
• 10g fresh ginger
• Pinch of ground turmeric (or a fingertip-size piece of fresh turmeric root)

1. Put the frozen fruit chunks, banana, soya yogurt, orange juice, ginger and turmeric into a blender and blitz until smooth.

2. Serve straight away, or keep in fridge for 1 day. If you've left it in the fridge, stir before serving.

LUNCH

MISO FISH WITH SPINACH RICE

Serves 4 | Prep 5 mins | Cook 15 mins

PERSONALPOINTS: 9-12

• 75g miso paste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 x 120g white fish fillets
• 2 x 250g packs microwaveable brown rice
• 250g frozen spinach
• 200g edamame beans
• 200g Tenderstem broccoli
• 90g pickled ginger

1. Put a large foil-lined baking tray under the grill. Preheat grill to high. Combine miso, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sesame oil in a medium bowl. Add fish and turn to coat.

2. Carefully remove the hot baking tray from under grill and arrange fish on the tray. Grill for 6-8 minutes on one side or until fish is just cooked through (be careful that the coating on the fish doesn't burn).

3. Meanwhile, fill and boil the kettle. Pour the boiling water into a large saucepan, add broccoli and return to boil over a high heat for 3-5 minutes. Microwave the rice, spinach and edamame beans according to the pack instructions. Combine rice, spinach and edamame beans in a large bowl. Serve the fish with the spinach rice, broccoli and pickled ginger.

QUINOA & VEGETABLE SOUP WITH MINT PESTO

Serves 4 | Prep 20 mins | Cook 30 mins

PERSONALPOINTS: 4-5

• 20g pistachio kernels
• 30g fresh mint, leaves picked
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 carrot, cut into 2cm pieces
• 2 celery sticks, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
• 200g prepared butternut squash, cut into 2cm pieces
• 55g quinoa, rinsed
• 750ml vegetable stock, made with 1 reduced-salt stock cube
• 250g broccoli florets

1. To make the pesto, put the pistachios, mint and a third of the garlic in a mini food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Add the lemon juice, 1½ tbsp of the oil and 2 tbsp water, then blitz to a chunky paste. Season to taste.

2. Heat remaining oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot, celery and fennel, stirring, for 5 minutes until softened. Add remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute.

3. Stir in the squash, quinoa, stock and 500ml water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Add broccoli and cook for 3 minutes, or until just tender.

4. Ladle soup into bowls and serve topped with the pesto.

DINNER

GREEK-STYLE PORK SOUVLAKI WITH TOMATO RICE SALAD

Serves 4 | Prep 20 mins | Cook 25 mins

PERSONALPOINTS: 9-11

• 4 x 150g pork loin medallions
• 1 lemon, zest grated, then cut into wedges
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• Calorie-controlled cooking spray

FOR THE TOMATO RICE SALAD

• 125g long grain rice
• 375g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, plus 1 tbsp of the oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 red onion, diced
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 40g pitted black olives, chopped

FOR THE TZATZIKI

• 150g 0% fat natural Greek yogurt
• ¼ cucumber, deseeded and grated
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp dried dill

1. Put the pork on a plate. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon zest, oregano, black pepper and some salt. Sprinkle the seasoning all over the pork and set aside.

2. To make the tomato rice salad, cook the rice to pack instructions, then drain and set aside in a serving bowl. Put 75g of the cherry tomatoes in a mini food processor along with the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, the vinegar and oregano. Blitz to a smooth dressing, then add to the rice along with the remaining cherry tomatoes and red onion, chickpeas and olives. Stir until well combined.

3. Heat a non-stick griddle pan to high and mist the pork all over with cooking spray. Griddle for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through. Set aside to rest for 2 minutes while you make the tzatziki, then cut into thick strips.

4. For the tzatziki, combine the yogurt, cucumber, garlic and half of the dill in a small bowl, then season to taste and scatter over the remaining dill.

5. Serve the rice salad topped with the pork and tzatziki. Drizzle over any juices from the griddle pan and serve with the lemon wedges on the side.

TOMATO, MINT & MOZZARELLA FUSILLI

Serves 4 | Prep 5 mins | Cook 15 mins

PERSONALPOINTS: 12

• 240g fusilli
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 600g cherry tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Large handful fresh mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped, plus extra whole leaves, to serve
• 225g light mozzarella, drained and roughly torn

1. Bring a pan of water to a boil, add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes, until al dente. Drain, reserving 200ml of cooking water.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan and cook tomatoes over a medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, until just broken down. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

3. Add the pasta to the pan and toss to combine. Gradually add reserved cooking water, stirring after each addition, until you have a light sauce.

4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and mint. Season to taste and serve topped with torn mozzarella and extra mint leaves.

DESSERTS

RASPBERRY & COCONUT SOUFFLÉS

Serves 6 | prep 20 mins | cook 20 mins

PERSONALPOINTS: 6-7

• 200ml chilled unsweetened coconut drink
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 450g raspberries
• 4 tsp icing sugar
• Calorie-controlled cooking spray
• 10g plain flour, for dusting
• 5 egg whites
• 80g caster sugar
• 2 tsp desiccated coconut

1. In a small jug, mix 1 tablespoon of the coconut drink with the cornflour to make a smooth paste, then whisk in the rest of the coconut drink. Pour into a pan and set over a medium-low heat, stirring, until it begins to simmer. Cook for 1 minute until thick, then remove from heat, cover with cling film and let cool.

2. Cook the raspberries in a separate pan for 1-2 minutes over a medium heat until they start to release their juices. Transfer to a food processor and blitz to a purée, then press through a sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside 125g to cool for the soufflés, and stir the icing sugar through the remaining purée to make a coulis.

3. Preheat the oven to 220C, fan 200C, gas mark 7. Mist 6 x 250ml ramekins with cooking spray, then dust with the flour. Put the ramekins on to a baking tray.

4. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in the caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a soft, shiny meringue mixture. In a separate bowl, beat together the coconut mixture and raspberry purée. Gently fold in a third of the meringue mixture, then fold in the rest in 2 additions.

5. Spoon into the ramekins, flatten the top with a palette knife and run your thumb around the rim to remove any excess mixture so it doesn't stick to the ramekin and hold back the soufflé. Scatter over the coconut, then put the tray on the middle shelf of the oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 200C, fan 180C, gas mark 6 and bake for 11-12 minutes until risen. Serve immediately with the raspberry coulis.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE LOLLIES

Serves 4 | prep 15 mins + freezing

PERSONALPOINTS: 4

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 280ml unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 dates, stones removed
• 15g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 4 almonds, finely chopped

1. Spoon cocoa powder into a jug, add 1 tbsp almond milk. Stir to a paste, then slowly add remaining almond milk and mix till combined. Stir vanilla extract into the chocolate milk.

2. In a blender, blitz dates and a little of the chocolate milk until smooth. Add remaining chocolate milk and blend to combine. Pour mixture into 100ml silicone lolly moulds and freeze for 1 hour.

3. Push a wooden lolly stick into each mould. Freeze 3 more hours or until solid.

4. Put chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute in 20-second bursts, then stir with a teaspoon until smooth. Leave to cool slightly. Remove lollies from moulds and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle chocolate over lollies, then immediately sprinkle over almonds. Return to freezer until chocolate is firmly set.