Satisfying Dessert

A poster to the Weight Watchers message boards put me on to this delightful treat. Jell-O Mousse Temptations. In chocolate. Mmmm...

Above is a pic of Chocolate Indulgence, but the one I can vouch for is the Dark Chocolate Mousse. At 60 calories, it's an indulgence that's truly affordable in a diet! This light-textured confection is sugar-free, but you'd never know. In addition to the regular chocolate flavor, the mousse also comes in caramel creme.

It was just released nationwide this month, though, so you may have to do some hunting for it.

A Twist on Lasagna

You're probably used to getting Mexican-themed recipes from me. Well, here's another one! This time, I do a remix on lasagna. And it's pretty easy to put together!

Salsa Verde Lasagna (Makes 9 servings)

• 12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 2 12.5-oz. cans of chicken
• 2 16-oz. jars of salsa verde
• 1.5 cups of reduced-fat cheese
• Minced garlic, to taste
• Diced onion (dessicated), to taste
• Salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain chicken and place in a large bowl. Break into chunks. Add one jar of salsa verde, and the garlic, onion and salt; mix well.
3. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, and add salsa verde from the second jar to the pan, about one-third of the jar, more than enough to cover the bottom.
4. Add 3 lasagna noodles, top with a third of the chicken mixture. Add 3 more noodles, top with another third of the remaining chicken mixture. Add 3 more noodles, top with the rest of the chicken mixture.
5. Add the final 3 noodles. Top with the remaining salsa verde. Top with the cheese.
6. Bake until noodles are tender.

With a salad or a side of vegetables, this is a reasonable Weight Watchers meal. To tone down the heat of the salsa, you could mix in fat-free sour cream to the chicken and salsa mixture, or top your serving of the lasagna with 1/4 cup of fat-free sour cream. Buen provecho!

Spruce up Your Spinach

I got a delicious tip from Weight Watchers magazine a month ago and used it last night: To make a lighter knockoff of creamed spinach, toss a wedge of Laughing Cow light cheese into your heated spinach.

I only had the Original Creamy Swiss flavor on hand, but the light cheese also comes in garlic and onion flavors. I seasoned the spinach with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Laughing Cow cheese isn't only good for spinach. Try it on light toast or a light English muffin for breakfast (I add turkey ham for a satisfying breakfast sandwich), or eat one wedge plain with fruit or vegetables.

Leslie Sansone Video Rocks!!!

A couple weeks back, I got the "Leslie Sansone Walk at Home 5-Mile Fat Burning Walk" DVD because I thought it might fit better into my busy schedule to get a good workout in 12 minutes.

The DVD did not disappoint! There are five routines on the video, each a 12-minute mile. Each sequence starts out with a light walking routine, then gets a little faster, then goes into a "boost" for two minutes, where you're actually jogging while doing the moves. You can customize your workout by stringing the sequences together in any order you want.

As I am a novice exerciser, I'm just starting out with doing one mile at a time. So far, I've tried miles 1, 2 and 3 individually, and they are no joke! I felt the burn in my legs, and I also got to a point of labored breathing around the six-minute mark.

The video is also great because of Leslie's upbeat attitude, the music, and the fact that she features folks on the video doing the workout in different shapes, sizes and ability levels. It feels like a video of "real" people, not ripple-muscled gym rats who could try out for the Navy Seals. Additionally, Sansone's encouragement to just keep up with the pace of the music and not obsess over mirroring her movements exactly takes some of the anxiety out of the equation when it comes to wanting to do a video as effectively as possible.

Bonus features of the video include an interview with a woman who is working out on the DVD alongside Sansone and has lost more than 100 pounds.

I give this video two dumbbells up. It's great to know that I can get excellent aerobic exercise in less than 15 minutes. I am hoping to work up to doing the video twice a day.