Chicken Fajitas

Mexican food and I have a loving relationship. It seems like no matter what Mexican dish I create lately turns out awesome - which is such a confidence booster for my cooking skills! So when I was craving fajitas the other day and came across this recipe, I pretty much knew I had to try it... that very night. Let me tell you - it did not disappoint. As I mentioned below, the recipe makes about 6 servings and with just me and the hubby - we still ate it all in about 2 days. (Makes awesome leftovers by the way!) Super delicious. Super quick and easy. And even after eating it all, I'm still craving more.

Chicken Fajitas
6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 1 hour 15 minutes           COOK: 20 minutes            READY IN: 1 hour 35 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

For the marinade:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or sweetener of choice)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin

For the fajitas:

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced (red, yellow, or white onion can be used)
• 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced 
• Tortillas (corn or flour)
• Avocado
• Sour cream

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Mix all the "marinade" ingredients together in a large Ziploc back (or Tupperware container), including the sliced chicken. 
2. Marinade for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the marinade and chicken and saute until chicken is cooked through. (About 10 minutes)
4. Add the onion, peppers, and tomato and cook for 2 -3 minutes, or until tender. 
5. Serve with corn/flour tortillas and your favorite toppings. We love to add avocado and sour cream but salsa, cheddar cheese, etc. would be good too!

NUTRITION FACTS

---

2 corn tortillas with ingredients   483 calories  23 g fat  45 g carbs   27 g protein   13 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Meaningful Eats

Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup

This was a recipe that just kind of happened in a round about way. I was craving a brothy, chicken soup (big surprise for me this time of year, I know), but I wanted something different than my Healthy Chicken Chili. I wanted something with a little more punch, or spice. So that is how this soup was created and it's now one of our favorites. The flavors are a perfect mix, with just a little kick to help you take in that chilly air.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup
6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 25 minutes            READY IN: 35 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 1 pound chicken breasts (2 large breasts), cooked
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 22-ounce can diced tomatoes 
• 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 limes
• Sour cream (optional, topping)
• Cilantro (topping)

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Shred the chicken, and put in a large pot with the chicken broth. Add the diced tomatoes and diced tomatoes with green chiles. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the corn, green pepper, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and black pepper. Cook for 10-20 more minutes. 
3. Cut the limes in half and squeeze juice into the soup pot. 
4. Serve and top with desired toppings.

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1 cup serving    234 calories   6.9g fat   16.4g carbs    27.4g protein    6.8g sugar   

Enjoy!

Healthy Breakfast Burritos

Keeping with the theme of this month's Healthy Habits Challenge, I'd like to share with you one of my favorite pre-workout meals. Since I work out in the mornings, I like to make sure that my breakfast is packed with carbohydrates as this will give me the energy to make it through my workout and make sure I'm burning fat rather than muscle.

Since I like to eat about 90 minutes before a workout and my mornings can be a tad crazy getting kiddos ready and all loaded in the car so we're on time for school drop off, I make these ahead of time and freeze them individually, wrapped in foil. All I have to do is heat them up (take off the foil first), wrapped in a wet paper towel, for about 45 seconds on a reduced power (I do 7). I drizzle salsa over it and within minutes, I've eaten a healthy and nutritious meal.

Even if you're not headed to the gym in the mornings, this is a great on-the-go breakfast for those busy mornings. Instead of drizzling the salsa on top, feel free to put it in the burrito to make it more transportable. :)

Healthy Breakfast Burritos
15 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 15 minutes            READY IN: 30 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 15 eggs
• 1 lb. ground chicken sausage
• 1 small green pepper
• 1 small red pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 15 whole wheat tortillas
• Salsa for topping

DIRECTIONS

---

1. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage. Stir occasionally until cooked all the way through.
3. Add whisked eggs to the skillet and mix with the sausage.
4. Once eggs are cooked, add the peppers and black pepper. Mix together.
5. Lay out one tortilla, and put the egg and sausage mixture in it. Roll up and drizzle salsa on the top, if desired.

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1 serving    219 calories   7.5g fat   23.2g carbs    15g protein    .7g sugar   

Enjoy!

Holiday Pepper Jelly

I'm not a spicy person. Meaning - I don't ever eat spicy foods. I feel like too much spice masks the flavor of what I'm eating and just leaves my tongue and throat feeling a little bit sick for a few hours. BUT, this Holiday Pepper Jelly is the perfect amount of spice for these taste buds. A coworker made this pepper jelly for our staff a few days ago and it was gone before anyone could go back for seconds! Great to spread over some cream cheese and dip a few crackers in.

Holiday Pepper Jelly
6-8 HALF PINT JARS
PREP: 30 minutes           COOK: 15 minutes            READY IN: 45 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 3 cups red pepper, finely chopped (appx. 4 peppers)
•  1 cup green pepper, finely chopped (appx. 1 1/2 pepper)
• 1/2 cup jalapeno, finely chopped (appx. 2 peppers)
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 packages pectin 
• 5 cups sugar

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Combine chopped peppers, vinegar, and pectin in a large saucepan.
2. Bring to boil, stirring constantly.
3. Add sugar while still stirring. Return to a boil.
4. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Ladle into sterilized jars. Wipe off top lip of jars and put on boiled lids. Screw on rings.
6. Process in boiling canner for 5 minutes. Water needs to cover jars.

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    2 TBSP serving    84 calories   0 g fat   21.4 g carbs    0.1 g protein    21.1 g sugar   

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

What's the first meal that comes to mind on days when dinnertime sneaks up on you? If you said spaghetti then you read my mind. When you're trying to cut the carbs, though, that meal is a no-no! So what looks and tastes like spaghetti, but doesn't put you on a carb overload? SPAGHETTI Squash. The name says it all! I'll be honest, I'd never made, let alone ate, spaghetti squash in my life - so I was a little skeptical - but it's REALLY easy to cook and tastes great! I hope you enjoy this refresh, we sure did!

Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce
4 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 40 minutes            READY IN: 55 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 1 small spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef 
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups traditional canned/bottled tomato sauce (such as Prego, Ragu, etc.)

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place squash in a baking pan, cut side down, with a few inches of water in the dish. Cook in oven for 40 minutes, or until squash is tender and can be pierced with a fork. 
3. While squash is in the oven start preparing the meat sauce by placing ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat until meat is crumbly and browned. Drain any grease and set meat aside.
4. In another skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook 1/2 zucchini, red pepper, green pepper, crushed tomatoes and prego sauce until vegetables are cooked through and soft. 
5. Combine veggies with meat and onions. Simmer on low/medium heat. Add crushed red peppers. 
6. Scrape inside of spaghetti squash with a fork and divide into 4 dishes. Drizzle squash with a little olive oil, about 1 tablespoon. Add 1 and 1/2 cups meat sauce and sprinkle with remaining zucchini. 

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1 cup serving   360 calories  10g fat  28g carbs   38g protein   16g sugar   

Original Recipe	Refresh Recipe
200 calories for noodles	50 calories squash
41g carbs in 1 serving noodles	28g carbs 1 serving w/sauce

Enjoy!

Healthy Chicken Chili

I'm originally from Nebraska and one of the traditions we had growing up was to serve chili with cinnamon rolls. I didn't think it was weird until I lived somewhere else. When living elsewhere, I would always see chili served with cornbread. The minute I would mention cinnamon rolls, people thought it was a very strange combination. Whenever I serve chili at home, I still want to pair it with cinnamon rolls. I love the pairing of salty with sweet, and when I was back in Nebraska after college, I even converted a few non-native friends to the tradition. I pictured this bowl of chili with cornbread, however, because I'm still on the hunt for a halfway healthy cinnamon roll recipe. If you have any tips to share, please do so in the comments below.

Healthy Chicken Chili
8 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 15 minutes            READY IN: 30 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 2 large chicken breasts, cooked, shredded
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 quart canned tomatoes (or 28 ounce canned stewed tomatoes)
• 1 cup water
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

DIRECTIONS

---

1. In a large pot, combine shredded chicken, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Serve (with cornbread ... or a cinnamon roll) and enjoy.

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1 cup serving    391 calories   5.5g fat   54.7g carbs    32.8g protein    5.4g sugar   

If you feel so inclined, top with a little sour cream and cilantro. I don't know what it is about chili, but I have a hard time giving up the sour cream.

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Snixy Kitchen
Linking up here