Chipotle Adobo Sauce

Ingredients 

• Chipotle peppers in adobo (use as much sauce and as many chilis as you want)
• Diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted)
• Cilantro (optional)

Directions

• Chop chipotle peppers or put in food processor 
• Combine diced tomatoes and cilantro

Use in 

• shredded chicken 
• beef/steak/fajitas
• ground turkey 
• ground beef  

Guacamole Deviled Eggs - (AKA - light deviled eggs)

Another way to step up your classic game

Okay so you won't find deviled eggs in any diet book... why? Because it's literally all mayonnaise. 

For lighter deviled eggs, I use guacamole as my base (subbing out the mayo)... and it's AMAZING. You can use homemade guac or store bought 80-100 calorie packs. I've used both with great results. 

Pro tip... Chipotle's guac recipe is at the bottom ;)

Ingredients

• Hard Boiled Eggs - save yourself the trouble and just buy them hardboiled, seriously $5 at Costco for 24 boiled eggs.
• Guac: Homemade, or 100- 80 calorie guacamole packs
• Cilantro, chopped - if your a cilantro fiend like me
• Touch of Garlic powder
• Touch of Onion powder
• Touch of celery salt
• Green Chili powder - optional
• Diced tomato and Cilantro garnish - optional

Directions

1. You know the drill, cut the eggs in half and empty yolks in a bowl
2. Combine yolks and guac in pleasing quantities, it's not rocket science folks.
3. Fold in any extra tomato, peppers, or cilantro that you want to add for texture and flavor
4. Season to your hearts content!
5. EAT :)

Chipotle Guac:

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe Hass avocados
2 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
1/2 jalapeño, including seeds (finely chopped)
1/4 tsp kosher salt

HOW TO DO IT:
1. Choose the right avocado. It should feel squishy yet firm (like the palm of your hand), and be a nice dark green color on the inside.
2. Cut the avocado in half and the remove the pit (carefully!)
3. Scoop the avocados and place in a medium bowl.
4. Toss and coat with lime juice.
5. Add the salt and using a fork or potato masher, mash until a smooth consistency is achieved.
6. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
7. Taste the guacamole (over and over) and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Make it a party, and try Pesto Deviled Eggs too! :)

Subscribe :)

Southwest Chipotle Lime Chicken

SO FAST. SO EASY.

Ingredients

• Rotisserie Chicken, shredded chicken or raw chicken
• Limes - freshly squeezed, or lime juice iFf you have a bottle
• Chicken Broth (optional if you don't have any available, but strongly encouraged)
• Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning (SALT FREE!)
• or homemade chipotle seasoning
• Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
• Salt and Pepper if needed, to taste

Directions

1. Combine Chicken broth, couple splashes of lime juice, chopped cilantro, and Southwest Chipotle seasoning into a container - bowl, tupperware, whatever you will marinate your chicken with - and whisk together with a fork or whisk
    - you need enough broth and lime juice  to coat the chicken, you don't want the chicken swimming in marinade as it can absorb too much liquid and get mushy
   - if you are not using chicken broth, do not over compensate with the lime, dilute with water if you need to or rub a small amount in with your hands. Don't make the mistake of using too much citrus!
2. Add the chicken and toss, ensuring every piece is coated
3. Marinate chicken (cooked or raw) for 20-30 minutes. We all know to marinate raw chicken, BUT its very important to marinate cooked chicken (like rotisserie or shredded) in order to impart much needed moisture and flavor.
   

   It makes a world of difference

4. After the 20-30 minutes are up, check on the chicken and transfer to a new bowl/serving dish or drain the excess liquid from the marinating container and close with lid.

Hard Boiled Egg Snack

Quick Protien. 

This is a great protein snack that I like to pack in my lunches. A little bit or a lot of seasoning is up to you! Today I was definitely feeling the seasoning, however, even a little bit goes a long way. Try any of your favorite seasonings,  I personally do not like hard boiled egg yolks for some reason, so I take them out. 

Today, I used paprika, rosemary, thyme, and a salt free Italian seasoning blend  (Mrs. Dash).

For convenience, I use hard boiled eggs from Costco. Saves me the trouble of making them myself and makes meal prep a little bit faster!

Ingredients

• Hard boiled eggs (prepared and bought from Costco)
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive oil, sprayed from a misto (optional, but light!)

          options include:

• Ground Rosemary (a favorite of mine)
• Dried rosemary, whole
• Italian seasoning
• Paprika 
• Celery seed / celery salt
• Curry
• Lemon pepper

Directions

1. Cut hard boiled eggs in half
2. Punch out egg yolk, if so desired
3. Season moderately, lightly, heavy.. whatever you are feeling today
4. Pack in snack sized bags for on the go snacks!

Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Onions

Savory, Filling, Fresh

This is as simple as it gets. It's a great filler, and doesn't take much effort. You could even add quinoa if you wanted.

Ingredients

• Kale, torn into slightly smaller pieces
• Onion, sliced with mandolin into strips, or diced. Preference
• Garlic, finely minced
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Turn the stove on to medium - medium low and warm a skillet
2. Use Misto for a light spray of olive oil
3. Start with the onion and garlic until slightly browned
4. Add in kale stir, and take off heat as soon as you feel kale is about to reach the consistency you want. I like to aim for a firmer kale because I will usually reheat.

Enjoy

Cheesy Garlic Popcorn

Cheesy, Garlicy, Salty

I, for one, love garlic. That being said, the one thing I love more than garlic is cheese. Well, my go to seasoning on pretty much anything used to be garlic salt, but, I switched to garlic powder now that I know better. Garlic salt, although deviously delicious, is terrible for your body.

Anyways, once I started eating healthy, I started popping popcorn in brown paper bags. At this point I didn't really season much since I didn't know any better and hadn't really seen popcorn seasoned with anything other than butter and salt. One day I must have automatically just gone for the garlic powder and then had to roll with it. I ended up adding nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor and I added a touch of salt, because I am not a savage.

I freaking loved it. This is my go to popcorn recipe and now popcorn almost tastes weird without it.

My family sees me do it and thinks its kind of weird to put garlic on popcorn... but I'm not sure if they've tried it or not. Honestly, I haven't really made any effort to let them try some because I don't like to share my popcorn anyways!

The way I see it, is it's just more grown up popcorn. Gourmet maybe? Who cares, its good, I'm putting it on here for anyone who cares!

Okay so there are several easy methods to popping popcorn

• Brown paper bag

• Microwave popcorn maker: Joie (this is what I use now), Nordic Ware, Presto

• Air popper

• Stove top (not recommended since you have to use a lot of oil)

Easy peasy.

Ingredients:

• Popcorn
• Garlic Powder
• Nutritional Yeast
• Salt, easy on the salt there tiger
• Olive Oil, keep in mind we're trying to be healthy here! LIGHT sprays!
     -- or Pam

Directions:

1. Make popcorn, as mentioned above there are several different ways. If you have some sort of popcorn maker, then I'm sure you know the drill or have access to the instructions and measuring cups on the machine, etc
2. Brown paper bag:
• grab a handful or two and toss in the bag
• fold over brown paper bag a couple times (leave as much space for popping as possible)
• Put in the microwave for 2 minutes, or until you can't hear popping for 2 seconds!
3. Use Misto to spray olive oil lightly / spray Pam lightly (it doesn't really have zero calories!) 
4. Season with garlic liberally
5. Season with nutritional yeast moderately (it has more calories, fat, etc)
6. Season with salt LIGHTLY

Enjoy!

Pico de Gallo and Zucchini Chips

Spicy, Tangy, Fresh

Heellooooo game day munchies! Hellooo mindless snacking! 

I hate watching sports with people when I am watching what I eat, or having company over at all.. because we all know this means food. Lots of food. The fattier and least healthy the better. I hate having to say, "Oh no thanks, I'm not hungry" because we all know what happens when you tell other people you are watching what you eat. Instead of support, you get the opposite.. 

"You look great! You don't have to watch what you eat"
"Oh please one chip/mozzarella stick/fried you name it wont hurt!"
"Live a little!"

Those of us who watch what we eat know that there are times when we have the strength to have literally just one and run in the opposite direction. Other days, most days, just 1 turns into just 15... just 20... etc and it's a slippery slope from there. 

Its great to have an alternative right there in front of you so you can (more) easily ignore the chip monster rattling around in its securely locked cage. Enter: zucchini medallions. Zucchini is so clutch. I use it in almost everything because it is so versatile. Here, its my chips.


What's so great about this recipe is that you can prepare a typical "game day" or "party" food and have a regular option and a healthy option for the chips! No more feeling left out and looking at everyone with hangry eyes, and people generally pressure you less when they see you enjoying something. Problem solved. Your guests can much on chips and you can grab the zucchini. Honestly, you don't even miss the chips! This is an easy snack to bring to parties too! Bring enough zucchini to bail someone else out of a jam just in case ;) you might save someone else who is trying to watch what they eat.

Its also an amazing snack for munching while watching TV or studying. Satisfies chip cravings and munching cravings. 

Ingredients:

• Zucchini for "chips" , slice to an appropriate thickness with mandolin

          Pico De Gallo Recipe

• Tomatoes on the vine (1 or 2), roughly chopped
• Onion, roughly chopped, or diced with mandolin
• Cilantro, roughly chopped
• Limes, squeezed
• Chile Serrano, roughly chopped, add to taste!
• Garlic (optional), roughly chopped or whole

Directions:

1. Roughly chop tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and chilies to food processor
2. Slice zucchini into medallions 
3. Serve!