Trying to eat lighter this week

Jalapeño Chicken
Weight Watchers Five Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook Copyright 2005

4 teaspoons 40%-less-sodium taco seasoning (I used a homemade blend)
4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves
Cooking spray
½ cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (I used Cabot's 50% Light)
2 tablespoons sliced jalapeño peppers

1. Sprinkle taco seasoning over both sides of chicken.
2. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Coat chicken with cooking spray, and add to pan. Cook 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. (I cooked the chicken on the George Forman Grill)
3. Remove pan from heat; sprinkle chicken with cheese. Cover and let stand 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Top each chicken breasts with jalapeño slices.

Yield: 4 servings 6 points per serving, 250 calories

Spanish Rice and Beans
Weight Watchers Five Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook Copyright 2005

1 (8.8 ounce) package ready-to-serve cooked Spanish rice (such as Uncle Ben’s)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup salsa

1. Combine rice, beans, and salsa in a 1 ½ quart microwave-safe casserole; toss well. Cover with lid; microwave at HIGH 1 ½ minutes or until hot.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size about ¾ cup). 2 points per serving. 133 calories.

These are so simple, they practically don’t qualify as recipes. I wasn’t expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't feel deprived at all. The beans really made this a filling dish. Even the 22-month old liked the rice and beans. I do take issue with the name of the chicken recipe. You don’t name a dish after the garnish.

Weight Watchers Five Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook is one of those magazine-style cookbooks that they display on the magazine rack for almost $10. It seemed like a rip-off until I compared it to the regular paperback-style Weight Watchers cookbook I borrowed from the library, a book that retails for almost $14. The ‘smaller’ magazine-style cookbook has around 70 more recipes, recipes that are much easier (and realistic) to prepare, and the cookbook itself takes up little room on the bookshelf (an important consideration these days). This particular cookbook takes advantage of a lot of the newer convenience foods on the market too. When you’re trying to lose weight, you still want to be able to put dinner on the table quickly. The book from the library is filled with complicated recipes with ingredients lists miles long. I've said before, I'm only willing to go through so much trouble for a 'light' recipe.