Thursday, July 7, 2011

The Skinny Chef

One of the worst pieces of weight loss advice I've ever read, received, or gave has definitely been: "Cook! Don't eat out!" Obviously this sounds like a winner, but have you ever eaten at MY table? I learned to cook at the elbow of my grandma, stirring pots for mama, and cracking eggs for Daddy. These people were raised on more than a little pork fat with a side of corn bread and biscuits. Having the knowledge I have, knowing how to make their savory repertoire of dishes, becoming the living embodiment of the most fabulous family cook book ever, is almost too much to bear. The temptation to add a little butter, mix up some corn bread, and forever abandon the battle for my waist line is a mighty one. 

So I'd officially like to add one very important word to the above advice and forever redeem it of its sabotaging nature. "Cook skinny! Don't eat out!" Honestly, this is not something which came naturally to me. But after almost three years in the kitchen with my wonderfully heath conscious husband, I realize that not every meal has to be incredible, sometimes it just needs to be healthy! With that in mind, I give you this:

We do our "major" shopping about once a week at the Commissary,
but several times a week we fill a buggy with fresh produce.
This recipe makes great leftovers in mass and for that reason I qualify it as "Sunday Night Cooking." That is when I make way too much of something only moderately delicious and put it away to warm up all week long! Be careful though, not everything qualifies as SNC (Sunday Night Cooking). Items such as savory, creamy, Sausage and Potato soup are much too delicious to make with the intentions of "freezing the leftovers." There's nothing to freeze when you lick the pot clean! So trust me and make this extremely healthy, tasty but not overly impressive crock pot recipe and you'll have a yummy, balanced meal on hand for days to come. 

*Crockpot Chicken Fajitas*
INGREDIENTS
2 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
2 cans diced tomatoes with liquid
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste

NUTRITIONAL INFO
Calories: 109
Fat: 1g

Carbohydrates: 13g
Protein: 13g

INSTRUCTIONS
Cut chicken breast into 1 inch pieces. Prepare all vegetables. Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles. I suggest Basmati rice or whole wheat penne pasta!

Number of Servings: 10



(If this is too easy or if you're not crazy about the natural delicious flavor of veggies try adding some fresh cilantro and/or parsley leaves in the last hour of cooking. You might also want to add some tomato sauce later in the week to change it up a bit. Grate some cheese over it, go crazy!)