Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar Chicken and Parmesan Breadcrumb Spinach

Sorry for the delay in a new post!  Josh and I had a busy weekend with family visiting on one side and a birthday party on the other.  For my mom's birthday, I made Weight Watchers Raspberry Chocolate Heart Cake.  If anyone wants the recipe, let me know; it's to die for!

Tonight I wanted to use the remainder of my raspberry preserves.  This recipe is simple and easy.  I chose Polaner's Raspberry preserves because it offers a sugarless and seedless version. 

Weight Watchers Balsamic Chicken (6 pts)

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt, divided
4 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves
2 TB balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add onion, saute 5 minutes.  Combine thyme and 1/4 tsp salt and sprinkle over chicken.  Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

I always use a meat thermometer to tell when meat is done.  Chicken breast must be at least 165 degrees F.  Does anyone know any other methods?

When chicken is done, remove from pan and keep warm.

2. Reduce heat to medium.  Add 1/4 tsp salt, preserves, vinegar, and pepper, stirring constantly until preserves melt.  Spoon raspberry sauce over chicken.

So delicious but I am not done yet!!

Parmesan Breadcrumb Spinach (only 1 pt per serving)

Ingredients

1 1/4 tsp olive oil, divided

1/2 cup(s) bread crumbs

1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp minced garlic

18 oz spinach, baby leaves, washed and well-drained (I used a big bag of regular spinach)

1/2 tsp table salt



Instructions

1.Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese. Spoon bread crumbs into a small bowl; set aside.



2.Heat remaining 1/4 teaspoon of oil in same skillet. Add garlic, cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Gradually add half of spinach to skillet, tossing mixture and adding more spinach as some of it cooks down. Continue cooking and tossing, until spinach is wilted and tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from skillet and repeat with remaining spinach.

Return cooked spinach to skillet; add salt and toss over low heat. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with crumbs. Or toss with half of crumbs and sprinkle remaining crumbs over each serving. Yields about 3/4 cup of spinach and 2 tablespoons of crumbs per serving.

A great way to know how much you are eating is to use a kitchen scale.  I used the Weight Watchers scale to measure the 24 oz chicken the first recipe calls for.

What tools or items do you use for portion control?