Fast and FABULOUS Southwest Chicken!

I saw this on the Taste of Home Fb post today, and decided to try it for dinner tonight. It was quick, easy, healthy and flavorful. It was well received by the husband and the kids, and did I mention how EASY it was?

It's a perfect meal in a pinch, 20 minutes to tasty :)

• 4 Servings
• Prep/Total: 25 min.

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions

• Combine the chili powder, cumin, pepper and salt; rub over chicken. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown chicken in oil on both sides. Stir in the beans, corn and salsa. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.
• Slice chicken; serve with rice and bean mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

Cooking for 2: Black Bean Chicken with Rice for Two

Nutrition Facts: 1 chicken breast half with 3/4 cup bean mixture and 1/2 cup rice equals 400 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 670 mg sodium, 52 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 32 g protein.

Microwave Popcorn.

Raise your hand if you have never looked at the ingredients or nutrition information on your bag of microwave popcorn.  Raise your hand if you buy the 100-calorie bags and think you are eating healthy because it is only 100 calories of whole grains.  Raise your hand if you HAVE looked and will not eat microwave popcorn due to the amounts of trans-fats in each serving. 

If you haven't looked, look.  Most microwave popcorn is saturated in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, to the point where each serving can have several grams of trans fats.  Yuck.  So much for those 100 calories being "healthy". 

You could buy "organic" microwave popcorn bags, but then you have to be willing to shell out the bucks for them.  You could air pop it, but then you have to own and store an air popper.  Or you could do the old fashioned pop it on the stove method (which is what I like best for the kiddos), but then you have to have the time and energy to do it and clean up after it!  BUT, good old Orville now has a solution for those of us who are cash, appliance, and energy challenged: Gourmet Microwave Popcorn, Natural.  It isn't organic, and you are still buying into the corn chain (thanks for sticking that to me, Micheal Pollan), but, you are now skipping all the partially hydrogenated CRUD build up in your system.  Hooray.  And, are you ready for this???? Even the 50% less fat version tastes FANTASTIC!  It is really yummy.  The whole bag works out to just a little over 100 calories and 5 grams of fat (the whole BIG bag) of yumminess.  Oh yeah, and don't forget the whole grains! 

Final benefit?  Sign up for Amazon's "subscribe and save" deal on it, and you can get each box (3 big bags each) for about 2 bucks.  **warning: you have to be willing to store 12 boxes**  Once you get the delivery, you just cancel your subscription with no further obligation.

Healthy eating + discount = Happy Mandy!

Cookies on a (calorie) budget

These cookies are ridiculously good.  And a pretty decent size.  And have a pretty decent calorie count.  And did I mention they are ridiclously good?

Stats per cookie:
Calories: 137
Fat: 8.1g (sat 3.4g)
Carbs: 16.1g
Protein: 2.5g
Fiber: 1.3g

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter (you can save 15 calories per cookie if you replace 1/2 cup with applesauce or pumpkin)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup stevia (I used 1/2 cup Sun Crystals blend of sugar and stevia)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 dollop (about 1/8-1/4 cup) greek yogurt
2 eggs
2 T vanilla
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour (I only had white on hand today, but the cookies would definitely take a 1/2 and 1/2 mix of white and wheat)
1/2 cup wheat germ (or wheat flour)
1 t baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips (you can save 37 calories per cookie by skipping these.  They will still be delicious, but, well, they are chocolate chips.  They are worth it.)

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugars.  Blend in peanut butter, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla.

2. Mix oats, flours, and baking soda (I also added a pinch of salt).  Incorporate into wet ingredients.  Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Drop by rounded tablespoons (really, they were bigger than tablespoons) 1 inch apart on baking sheets (to grease or not to grease is your choice... I grease when I don't have parchment on hand).  Bake 10-12 minutes (don't overbake: they will appear slightly unset in the middle when done).  Cool (if you can wait that long) and eat. Try not to eat all 5 dozen.  ;-)

Yogurt Pancakes

My weird kids do not eat grains or baked goods.  It is impossible to get whole grains into them.  They sometimes make me wonder if they are, in fact, MY children.  However, last night we had breakfast for dinner and these yummy, light, fluffy and HEALTHFUL pancakes got gobbled up.  I actually ran out and had to turn people away from the table wanting more (not a bad thing at all).  So, try this. 

Greek Yogurt Pancakes


Makes 12 4-inch pancakes

Indgredients:

•8 oz. Greek yogurt
•7 tbsp. all-purpose flour (instead of flour, I used Bob's Redmill Multigrain pancake mix, which is simply a lightly sweetened, lightly leavened blend of many wonderful whole grains.  I highly suggest it.  If you don't have it or don't want it, wheat flour will work just fine to keep them whole grain.)
•1 tbsp. sugar (I used half a T of Sun Crystals: a stevia/sugar blend)

•1 tsp. baking soda (reduce this if you use the pancake mix)

•1/2 tsp. salt

•2 large eggs

•1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (I used more like a Tablespoon)

And of course, add flavor: lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, whatever you like.  I did fresh ground nutmeg and fresh ground Saigon Cinnamon.  Next time I will add lemon juice.

Directions:

Place Greek yogurt in a medium bowl. Add flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir together very gently. Stop short of the mixture being totally combined. You want the pancakes to have some interesting texture.

Whisk eggs in a separate bowl. Add vanilla to eggs and stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into the Greek yogurt-flour mixture. Stir together gently. Don’t worry about the mixture being totally combined; a little white and yellow swirling is fine.

Pour the batter onto a griddle sprayed with cooking spray, ¼ cup at a time.  Keep plenty of room between the pancakes, as they will spread!  Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then flip the pancakes. Cook for another 45 seconds and remove to plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Top pancakes with fruit or desired toppings (you know, like good old Maple Syrup).

Fabulous

Because I said I would.