Just as a lot of folks are doing at this time of year, I’m opting to exercise more and eat a little lighter. When I go for that mindset, my family isn’t always totally into it… so I opt to cook meals that are definitely lighter but not noticeably so. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s completely possible to cook a “lighter” meal that is 100% delicious and noteworthy without presenting it as “something that works with your diet” or “low fat.” Some family members might be freaked out by that concept. So I just go ahead and make dinner (a little lighter) and serve it to my family. They never know, the meal is fabulous, and everyone benefits by consuming a healthier dish. This recipe comes from a cookbook I’ve had on my shelf forever: Weight Watcher’s New Complete Cookbook. I’m not on WW (just simply watching my daily calorie intake), but it’s a good resource to draw from when looking for lighter meals.
Preparation of the meal begins with pasta (yes, you can still eat pasta when eating light!) I chose to use Delallo Whole Wheat Linguine. It’s the best whole wheat pasta brand on the market because it doesn’t taste overly whole grain and weird. My family seems to like it, and I know it’s better for us than plain ol’ white pasta. They have the Delallo brand at my local grocery store (Raley’s) and I have also spotted it at Walmart and Whole Foods.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the apples. They are sauteed in a little bit of oil, then sprinkled with brown sugar until tender. I wanted to stop right here and eat the apples!
I had two large boneless chicken breasts. When I cut them in half, they were about 4 ounces- that’s the serving size for this recipe. It may seem like a small amount, but I assure you that if you serve it on the pasta and include a vegetable too… it’s plenty of chicken. My husband and my 5 foot 9″ middle schooler were plenty happy. The chicken is sprinkled lightly with cinnamon, salt and pepper.
Now for the onions… I used a red onion. You can certainly use a white onion too. The onions are cooked until softened- then add the apple cider or juice and apple cider vinegar too.
The chicken is added back in (and cooked a little longer until completely done)- and then the apples too! Serve over noodles with onions, apples and sauce drizzled over. It’s a “lighter” meal to serve for dinner… but your family will have no idea that you’ve “healthified” dinner for sure. Nutritional information and weight watcher’s points are included in the recipe below. The cinnamon taste is definitely not overwhelming (that would be weird)- it’s just enough to pair nicely with the sauce and the apples. Enjoy!
Here are a few more chicken recipes you might enjoy:
Honey Mustard Chicken by FoodieCrush Easy Chicken Tikka Masala by Recipe Girl Skinny Chicken Cordon Bleu by SkinnyTaste Skillet Chicken Parmesan by Recipe Girl
