Guest Blogger: Friday Food Finds - Microwaved Baked Potato

Happy Friday!! 

Remember Here when I shared about my sister and her Weight Watchers journey.  The other day I was talking with my sister and she mentioned a soup she found and how much she liked it.  That got me thinking, as a somewhat newbie to Weight Watchers she was at a different stage.  She was enjoying the discovery stage of find new and exciting healthy food.  I occasionally find that new recipe or new product, but I really already went through that discovery stage.  I approached her and asked if she would like to be a guest blogger and share with my readers some of her finds.

Without further ado, I give you Friday Food Finds with Guest Blogger Rebecca!!   
__________________________________________________ 

When I know that I am going somewhere in the evening where there will be rich foods, I like to plan ahead by having a low point, filling lunch. (even more so when those rich foods are the night before weigh in!) So, for lunch today I did a baked potato, 1 cup of Progresso Light Vegetable soup and some pretzels. I know pretzels aren’t filling, but crunchy is my weak spot!

You may be thinking “I could never do a baked potato for lunch, it takes too long.” I thought the same thing until someone introduced me to microwaving them last week! A plain large baked potato is only 3 pts! (set point of 5) Doing them in the microwave is super easy and quick!

Step 1: This is the most important step. If you don’t do this, it will blow up in your microwave! (or so I’m told) Take a knife and cut 3-4 slits down into your potato.

Step 2: Microwave your potato for 3-4 minutes. If it is on the smaller size, start with 3 minutes. The time needed in total will depend on the power of your microwave. I just put the potato directly on the microwave tray. If you are in an office with a shared microwave, you could put it on a paper towel for easy clean up.

Step 3: Check your potato: Take a fork and stab it into the potato. Lift it up. If it is done, the potato will easily slide off your fork. If it needs more time, I recommend doing 1 minute increments until it does slide from the fork.

Now for some toppings, because lets face it potatoes are boring! If you have the points for it, you could do some cut up turkey bacon (1-2 points depending on how much and brand), or even some fat-free sour cream (only ½ a point for 2 TBLS)!! Today I just did 1 TBLS of country crock margarine (1 point) and 2 TBLS of shredded cheese (1 point). There are so many low point options that you could use as toppings for your baked potato!!

I like to pair my potatoes with some nice hot soup! Progresso has some great soups that are 0 or 1 point per serving! Remember, there are 2 servings in a can! If you are taking it to work, I would suggest dividing the can into 2 tupperware containers that morning or the night before. The 0 point ones are still about 1.5 points for the whole can, so not too bad if you have the points for the whole can.

Enjoy your quick and filling baked potatoes!