If I had to pick one TASTE - not calories - I've really missed since having started our healthy-eating lifestyle, it would have to be what used to be a meal out for Mexican food a couple of times a month. For instance, chips and salsa plus two chicken enchiladas with queso, refried beans and rice from On the Border packs a whopping 1710 calories and 88 grams of fat!Last night, I tried my hand at creating a healthier alternative that would deliver a variety of textures and the taste of Mexican food. Here's how I did it for two. (If you need more, double as needed, except for the chili, which makes enough for 6-8 servings, anyway.)
Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts marinated in 1/4 c. lime juice and 1/2 t. garlic powder. Before grilling, dust with chili powder and cumin.After all the prep work, here's how we layered it on the plate:
Combine 1/4 c. Chinese black rice with 1/4 c. brown rice. Use lo-fat chicken broth for liquid. Add 1/4 c. cilantro and 1/4 c. diced red bell pepper to rice before cooking.
Chop 1/2 c. each - celery, green bell pepper, red bell pepper - plus 1/4 c. green onion tops and bottoms.
Make one pot of 2-Alarm Chili - which is great because it has all seven seasonings in pre-measured packets. I brown one pound of 93/7- percent ground turkey with one chopped onion to start the process. We also like kidney beans in our chili.
1/2 c. rice mixture
1 c. turkey chili with beans
Raw veggies - celery, bell peppers, onions
Grilled 4-oz. chicken breast - sliced on the diagonal
2 Tbls. 2-percent cheddar cheese
Microwave just long enough to melt cheese.
I promise this is a MOUNTAIN of food, fully satisfying,
but only 606 calories.
If you like, serve with fresh fruit salad - strawberries, kiwis, tangerines, grapefruit and banana - tossed in lo-fat yogurt.
Add 200 calories.
Holy mackerel. We were stuffed (sorry), but MAN, did it ever satisfy my Mexican-food craving!!
11 comments:
That sounds delicious! You are quite the cook.
We're having Mexican food either tonight or tomorrow (depending on how things work out with this other couple we're going with). I always get chicken fajitas, which seem to be the least damaging thing.
Hmmm...I used to get shrimp fajitas, but I find shrimp disgusting now, for absolutely no reason at all. As anything like that ever happened to you?
I love mexican food, thanks for the recipe and the visit!
I've also added you to my blogroll!
MMMMMMMMMMmmm I miss Mexican food too! Thanks for this, I'm so gonna try it! =)
That's great. You really know how to treat yourself right and you deserve that! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Yummy!
I read your post about rice yesterday and interestingly enought there was an article in today's paper about rice being hard to get (Costco had to limit the amount of bags people could buy--was it the States?) There are also issues with getting some of the exotice ones from places like Indonesia (trade barriers). I'll have to see if I can put it into a post.
Stock up while you can get it :)
That sounds wonderful! The kids love Mexican food, so I usually skip out when the kids and hubby go out to eat.
Your recipes sound good enough to eat. ;-) Thanks for sharing them. Isn’t it amazing what we can come up with when we set our minds to creating some healthy? Good for you!
And thank you for your kind comments on my blog recently. You've hit on a dream of mine: to write a book. Any suggestions on actually making it happen? :-)
Sounds so yummy, I will have to try it some time this week! Thanks for the great sounding recipe!
Your blog is great! Love mexican food & the recipe sounds worth a try! Thanks for sharing!
I miss Mexican soooo much. Why, Korea? Why? Why can't you be Mexico, just for one week? :)
Seriously, this sounds delicious. I'm definitely going to try it when I go home. :)
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