My 3 Favorite Weight Watchers Dessert Recipes

Rose Mary's mother and all of her aunts are great Southern cooks. She likes to think she's not so bad herself.

This is my fifth recipe article about my favorite Weight Watchers recipes. In this article, I will share some of my favorite WW desserts:

• Mandarin Gelatin Yogurt
• Strawberry Pineapple Sherbet
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Treats

I report the portions in number of WW exchanges for milk, fruit, protein, etc. This is the old Weight Watchers system, before points. I chose the point system because it meant that I could buy a WW cookbook and get started on my own.

Mandarin Gelatin Yogurt

I have made this dessert many times. I’ve said before, I’m a hardy eater, and this dessert is a satisfying portion. It is “Mandarin Mold” in the Weight Watchers Quick Start Cookbook. I never made it as a mold. I just put it in bowls for individual servings, though it would make a nice dessert for a gathering if you doubled or tripled the recipe. I’ll share the mold recipe in case you want to do a mold. Then I will outline my modifications, which are mainly related to texture.

Ingredients

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin (I use a small, sugar-free orange Jell-O.)
• 2 tablespoons thawed frozen orange juice concentrate (Not needed if you use orange Jell-O.)
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 mandarin orange sections
• 2 teaspoons sugar (or 4 packages sweetener)

Instructions

1. Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water (or gelatin and OJ).
2. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, mandarin, and sugar.
3. Gently fold gelatin mixture into yogurt mixture.
4. Rinse 2 cup gelatin mold with cold water and pour mixture into mold.
5. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours.

Yield: 2 servings, each with 1 fruit and 1 milk exchange.

My Substitutions

When I first got the WW Quick Start Cookbook, it was about 1990. I used sugar-free orange Jell-O. Artificial sweeteners deplete the immune system. I seldom use artificial sweeteners. My naturopath recommends stevia. Now I just use regular orange Jell-O.

I don’t like the firm texture necessary for the integrity of the mold. I use 1 cup of water with the Jell-O, and I either double the recipe for 4 servings or use 1/2 cup gelatin mixture in the yogurt mixture and the other 1/2 prepared as a regular Jell-O with mandarin.

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Strawberry Pineapple Sherbet

Ingredients

• 2 cups strawberries
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 packets Truvia

Instructions

1. Combine strawberries and pineapple in blender, reserving 4 strawberries for garnish. Process until smooth.
2. Add buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, and sweetener. Process to combine.
3. Divide mixture equally into 4 non-aluminum freezer safe containers. Freeze.
4. Thaw enough to “fluff” before eating.

Yield: 4 servings, each with 1/2 milk exchange, 1 fruit.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Treats

This is a simplification of the Quick Start “Nutty Chocolate ‘Ice Cream’”. I actually learned this in another diet support program more years ago than I’d want to say.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup no sugar added, “diabetic” chocolate frozen yogurt
• 2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

Instructions

1. Thaw frozen yogurt enough to make it workable.
2. Stir yogurt and peanut butter together until thoroughly mixed.
3. Take a baking sheet or cutting board and cover with waxed paper. Drop spoonfuls of mixture on surface so that they form about 2-inch circles. Make sure to adequately space between drops.
4. Freeze until set.

Yield: 2 servings, each with 1 protein, 1 fat, and 1 milk.

Weight Watchers Daily Exchanges

In brief, women’s daily exchanges are as follows:

• 3 fruit
• 2 milk
• 2 bread
• 3 fat
• 6 protein
• at least 2 vegetables

I tweaked my program a bit per my food preferences and targeted 4 bread and 5 protein.

Men get the following exchanges:

• 4 fruit
• 2 milk
• 4 bread
• 3 fat
• 8 protein
• at least 2 vegetables

The exchanges are similar to diabetic exchanges, so I have included a video explaining the method. Don’t get too bogged down in the details. Just pay attention to how many calories in an exchange for each food category, such as bread, protein, etc., and how much of various foods constitutes a serving or exchange.