Wine & Books...and WW Bean Dip!

I have been wanting to be part of a book club for a long time. Although I do love great stories of struggle and books I can learn something from, I really enjoy "colored" books. You probably gasped when you read that, but let me explain:

I dated a guy once that had such low self esteem that he had to act like he was so much smarter and better than everyone else. He read political books and books about changing the world, one vegetarian at a time. Gag! I always liked the books about the single, successful, 20-something girl in a big city looking for love and purpose. Those books just happen to have colorful covers; pastel pink, blue, yellow, green. You get the picture. Anyway, he never understood what I got out of those "colored" books. It's called ENTERTAINMENT! And validation, and hopes that someday I would meet someone who was way better than him. LOL!

But I digress...

So, Kristen decided to make this book club just that, chick lit. But more of the 'I don't have to think about anything when I read these books' kind of chick lit. Not the kind about heroic women who do all these great things. So, without knowing better, she picked our first book:


Had this book been about Lauren Conrad's actual experience during the filming of Laguna Beach or The Hills, it would probably have been great. This was more along the lines of Sweet Valley High level writing meets a huge cover up of the taping of The Hills as to not violate any contractual stipulations. It was NOT GOOD. I think I lost brain cells reading it. But, you live and you learn.

Our book club met at Kristen's house, and she offered to provide the beverages if everyone brought an appetizer. Given every girl's weight loss goals, I figured I would bring something that is yummy, but also not high in fat and calories. That way we could drink more of them :) I brought a Weight Watchers bean dip that I got the recipe for years ago from a high school friend. It was a big hit, so I thought I would post it here for anyone else who would like to try it:

16 oz. can of fat free refried beans (I get the zesty ones for an extra kick)
8 oz. of fat free cream cheese
1 cup of light sour cream
2 Tbsp taco seasoning (lower sodium is a good choice)
1/2 cup low fat shredded cheese
1/2 cup chopped olives
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tomatoes, chopped

Heat oven to 350 and spread the beans over the bottom of an 8x8 dish
Combine cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning - spread over beans and sprinkle with cheeese
Cook 15-18 minutes
Remove from oven and top with the remaining ingredients
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips

Our next book is:


We all weighed in on this one, so let's hope it doesn't suck. Happy reading and eating!