Light and Easy Recipes and Meal Ideas

Sides, Sauces & Dressing

Fajita Marinade

Calories: •

This is a delicious marinade that makes a healthy, easy summer meal you can make any day of the week. See video demonstration on how to make amazing chicken fajitas on the grill in just a few simple steps.

Recipe ingredients listed below are for the marinade only. Recipe makes about 1 cup of marinade - which very generously coats up to 2 lbs of chicken breast.

... Read More
Loaded Potato Skins

Calories: 216 •

These potato skins are filled with center cut bacon, fresh broccoli, sour cream and chives. It's a quick and really tasty lunch you can make on weekends to change things up a bit. Just 5 SmartPoints for 2 halves on Green and Blue, or 3 SmartPoints for 2 halves on Purple.
... Read More
Marinara Sauce

Calories: 1 •

You don't need a lot of effort and ingredients to make a delicious zero point marinara sauce. I make this on meal prep day and use it throughout the week for 2 ingredient dough pizza, raviolis, grilled chicken pizza and other stuff.

Recipe makes about 10 cups of sauce. Serving size is 1 cup.
... Read More
Coleslaw

Calories: 56 •

This coleslaw makes a good side dish any time of year. I especially like it with fish.

Recipe makes 5 servings. Serving size is 1/2 cup.
... Read More
Smashed Acorn Squash

Calories: 137 •

This is an easy, delicious side dish. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Note for this recipe: Once the acorn squash is cooked, the skin peels right off.
... Read More
Zucchini & French's Crisp Fried Onions

Calories: 109 •

This is a quick, delicious side dish you can make in about 15 minutes. I used the 2.8 oz container of French's Crisp Fried Onions. The entire container is 19 SmarPoints (all plans). I used a 9" x 9" dish to get 9 servings. So each serving comes to 2 Points.

... Read More
Diced Potatoes, Peppers and Onions

Calories: 138 •

This is a really tasty and yummy side dish that goes well with fish, beef or chicken. You can even save the leftovers for an omelette the next day.

Recipe makes 4 servings. One serving is about 3/4 cup.
... Read More
Mini Broccoli Cheddar Casseroles

Calories: 130 •

Easy to prepare and portion in advance. These delicious little cups of goodness are a great accompaniment to chicken or turkey.

Notes for this recipe: The casseroles will expand in the oven, and then sink a little after cooling. These are a bit soft so be sure to let them cool and set before removing them from the cupcake cavities.

If you are making these in advance for meal prep, you can store these in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Just be sure to remove the foil layer of the liner before heating in the microwave.
... Read More
Chickpea Chicken Salad

Calories: 329 •

This is a very easy and tasty lunch or side dish. Serve in a pita for lunch, or in a bowl as a side dish.

Recipe makes 2 servings (about 1 1/4 cups each).
... Read More
Zucchini Tots

Calories: 88 •

These tots are delicious! 2 WW Freestyle Points for 10 tots. Just a fair and honest warning that these are a bit of work for a side dish. You may want to make these on a day you are feeling really ambitious in the kitchen.

Recipe makes 4 servings of 10 tots - about 40 tots in total (1 1/2 tsp of the mix per tot).

*NOTE: If you end up with a different number of tots - adjust the serving size accordingly - or adjust the Points value. The total points value for the entire recipe is 7.
... Read More
Chili Lime Marinade

Calories: •

This is a super easy and versatile marinade for chicken, packed with zesty southwest flavors. The entire recipe makes about 1/2 cup and coats about 1.5 lbs of chicken with some juice leftover.

... Read More
Mini Quiche - Breakfast Bakes

Calories: 115 •

These mini breakfast egg bakes double as a crustless quiche that you can have as a side dish. Recipe makes 12 breakfast bakes/mini quiches. Serving size is 1 mini quiche.
... Read More
Summer Fruit Salad with Pepitas

Calories: 147 •

I promise you will love this! It makes a great side dish for Mother's day brunches, lunches or a dessert. Or just make it for a healthy delicious snack to have on hand.

Note: if you make this recipe in advance, be sure to wait to add the mint leaves until you are ready to serve. All other ingredients can be prepared before hand. The Champagne Pear Vinaigrette from Trader Joe's has a little Gorgonzola in it, so I did not add cheese such as Goat Cheese or Feta to this salad.

If you do not live in close proximity to Trader Joe's, you can substitute the dressing with my easy recipe for Champagne Vinaigrette. I think the points are the same but the nutrition values may differ.

Recipe makes 4 one-cup servings.
... Read More
Roasted Asparagus

Calories: 69 •

Just a very simple side dish that goes well with so many things. Or just eat it as a snack by itself. You can cook these in so many ways - the air fryer, toaster oven, regular oven, or just a pan on the stovetop. I used my regular oven for these with just a light spray of oil and seasonings.

Recipe makes 2 servings. 69 calories - or 1 SmartPoint per serving.
... Read More
Black Bean & Tomato Salad

Calories: 68 •

This black bean & tomato salad is so versatile. It makes a really tasty dip, side dish, topping on tacos, or just by itself. It really easy to make and zero points for the whole bowl here.

I enjoy it with Sanissimo Baked Corn Cracker Bites (20 crackers for 2 points).

Recipe makes 4 servings. 1 cup per serving.

WW SmartPoints and nutrition values exclude crackers.
... Read More
Strawberry Salad

Calories: 168 •

Super simple, easy and delicious. I made this salad for lunch, along with some grilled chicken and sugar snap peas - but I think it would also make a nice dish to bring to a summer barbecue.

Recipe makes 2 one-cup servings, but multiply ingredients if you would like a bigger batch.
... Read More
Winter Grilled Corn

Calories: 148 •

I found this beautiful fresh (not frozen) corn at the grocery store, so I charred it up in a dry frying pan on medium heat. Spray of olive oil, salt, pepper and some torn fresh basil leaves. So delicious.
... Read More
Artichokes

Calories: 246 •

I think some people might hesitate to make artichokes because they are not sure what to do with them. But they are so delicious! Especially stuffed. All the points are in the stuffing here, but when paired with a low SmartPoints protein like fish or chicken, it makes a great complete meal. Recipe makes 4 servings.

When I'm not watching SmartPoints, I drench these in olive oil and use a lot more breadcrumbs and cheese. Just letting you know. :-D I suppose that's why I need WW.
... Read More
Toasted Artichoke Hearts

Calories: 120 •

Frozen artichoke hearts - toasted in the toaster oven with olive oil and Everything Bagel Seasoning.

Recipe makes 2 servings.
Read More
Alfredo Sauce

Calories: 55 •

This home-made Alfredo sauce is light and creamy with a hint of Parmesan and garlic. Quick and easy to make.

Recipe makes 8 servings (1/4 cup serving).
... Read More
Roasted Fall Vegetables

Calories: 149 •

Easy and delicious vegetable platter that goes well with almost any main dish (chicken, fish, pork or even beef).

Recipe makes 4 servings of mixed vegetables.
... Read More
Champagne Vinaigrette

Calories: 52 •

This is a very basic, but delicious vinaigrette. It's good on softer lettuces such as mixed baby greens, arugula and spinach. Serving is 2 tbsp. Recipe makes about 3 servings.
... Read More
Chipotle Lime Dressing

Calories: 41 •

This dressing is totally delicious on any kind of fish or taco salad. I use this on Trader Joe's Mahi-mahi burgers, shrimp tacos, chicken taco salad and with Panko Crusted fish. Recipe makes 2 servings.
... Read More
Balsamic Vinaigrette

Calories: 72 •

This home made balsamic is easy to mix up and super delicious. Recipe makes 4 servings (2 tbsp per serving).
Read More
Ranch Dressing

Calories: 42 •

A much lighter take on bottled ranch dressing. Still so delicious and creamy. You may never buy store bought ranch again. Recipe makes about 4 servings. 2 tablespoons per serving.
... Read More
Teriyaki Sauce

Calories: 42 •

This teriyaki sauce is delicious with chicken, pork or salmon. Recipe makes 4 servings. 2 tbsp per serving.
Read More
Sesame Ginger Dressing

Calories: 63 •

Great on salads and chicken. Dressing recipe makes about 6 servings. 2 tbsp per serving. For the sesame oil, Sushi Chef brand is superior to other sesame oils I have tried. It has a black label and can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. You can also find Tamari soy sauce in this section.
... Read More
Tzaziki Sauce

Calories: 39 •

Use this creamy tzaziki sauce on greek wraps, salads or as a dip. Recipe makes 3 servings (2 tbsp for a serving).
Read More
Fresh Pico De Gallo

Calories: 36 •

Fresh pico de gallo goes well with so many different things such as fajitas, tacos, salads and chips.

Recipe makes four servings (1/2 cup serving).
... Read More