Carol Cowsert of Bruce has been the local Weight Watchers leader for 10 years. A lot of recipes are shared at Weight Watchers, with their goal being healthy eating and portion control.

They learn to take every day food and make healthy choices, and that’s what Carol enjoys doing. She loves to ‘fix new stuff’, loves to cook, and loves to experiment with new recipes--figuring out ways to cut the calories and make it more healthy.
All of her recipes are ones that she loves, are low fat, and easy to make. She says she fixes the pork chops at least once a week.
The salsa chicken and lemon pie are good and especially easy. The dressing is a family favorite for the holidays and she says you really can’t tell  it has cauliflower in it--she says it doesn’t change the taste, just takes up the space of something with more calories.
Carol didn’t do much cooking until she married, and their first meal was a chicken casserole. It turned out so well, that she continued to make it often. Finally after six weeks, Joe told her he didn’t really like chicken! Carol loves grilled chicken with a baked potato and salad, and she and Joe do a lot of grilling. All of her family loves green beans, so she always fixes them. And she always makes a sugar free dessert for family gatherings, along with one that’s not. Daughters Amy and Emily both like to cook, as well as grandson Peyton, who also likes to  grill, and last year for a science project created his own steak sauce.

Saucy Pork Chops
4 lean boneless pork chops, 4 oz. each--all fat trimmed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 can cream of chicken soup--98% fat free
1/4 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. canola oil
(I also add?oregano, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder)
Combine soup, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in small bowl, set aside. Heat oil in large skillet. Season chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and brown in oil, both sides, but don’t cook through. Top with sliced onions. (I sometimes add sliced bell pepper here if I have it.) Add soup mixture and your choice of spices. Cover and simmer 30 minutes until chops are done. (I uncover the dish in the last 10 minutes or so if my sauce looks too runny. I like it the consistency of brown gravy.) I serve it over a cup of cooked rice.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
Add chicken to slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Pour salsa and soup over chicken.?Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve with rice.

Buttermilk Salad
1-6 oz. pkg. sugar-free Jello
15-20 oz. can crushed pineapple (in own juice)
2 cups buttermilk
8 oz. box light cool whip
1/2 cup pecans
Bring pineapple and juice to a boil. Add Jello and mix until dissolved. Remove from stove and let completely cool. Add rest of ingredients and refrigerate until firm. I put this in a 9x13 pan and cut into 15 squares.

Cauliflower Cornbread Dressing
2 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/4 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg white
2 tsp. oil
Mix all ingredients together and bake in pre-heated, lightly greased cast-iron skillet on 425° until done.
Then you will need:
4 cups cooked cauliflower cut into large pieces (cook until fork tender)
5 cups crumbled cornbread (from above recipe)
1 medium diced onion (1 cup)
1 cup diced celery--cook in microwavable bowl until tender, then add to other ingredients at bottom
1 can fat-free chicken broth
1 can fat-free cream of chicken soup
3 egg whites
1 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Mix all above ingredients in large mixing bowl until combined well and pour into 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Cook 30-40 minutes, then lightly stir and taste. Add any salt, pepper or sage as needed and cook additional 30 minutes. Dressing will be moist due to ingredient of cauliflower. Cook until desired consistency. (Note:?You can add white-meat turkey or chicken to this recipe if desired.)

Lemon Pie
8 oz. low fat cream cheese
1 tsp. Crystal Light lemonade mix (add more to make more lemony)
1/4 cup fat free milk
8 oz. sugar free Cool Whip
1 sugar free graham cracker crust
Soften cream cheese and mix with Crystal Light, slowly add milk, fold in with spatula the Cool Whip. Pour into pie crust and chill four hours.