make the best of it

Dieting isnt really so much of a diet, its more of a lifestyle change. Hell, if I used the word diet in my normal vernacular, I'd have been on a diet and starving for the last 7 years! I know I've used that term here in previous posts, but if you tell yourself you're on a diet it sounds like you are denying yourself certain foods. You can still eat great stuff and not deny yourself, just remember its in moderation. If you want a slice of that cake someone brought in from work, take the smallest piece. Take a few bites. If its not that great, toss it. The temptation is out of the way and you've participated in the obligatory office celebration. Win Win. I remember when I worked in the construction department at this bank, everyone would bring in food, it seemed; at least once a week. I didnt eat alot of it, because I didnt want to waste calories on stuff that didnt look that appealing to begin with. But, one day, someone brought in this cake from AJ's ( if you dont know what AJ's is, its a gourmet supermarket here in town). It was their orange dreamsicle cake. I had seen it there when I was walking through the store once and thought it looked so divine. But, I didnt have 40 bucks to drop on a cake so I was safe... until the cake appeared at work. Its like it heard me and followed me into the office. Well, I tried to tell myself I didnt need it. I tried to tell myself it wasnt going to be good (...basically a bunch of inner dialog on how sexy the cake looked). So, what I did was wait until everyone else got their slice of it. If there was any left, I said to myself I'd grab a piece. Well, time went by and there was still cake left. So I walked over, cut the smallest piece I could-as in-it was transparent-didnt hold its shape-crumbs on a plate type slice. And you know what? It was good. But, just that little bit satisfied me because I had made a barter with myself before I had it. I didnt need to go home and devour a box of cupcakes because I had a mental process I followed through with and got what I was 'craving'.




But, in the midst of that... consider this. You can make the best of your lifestyle change and what you eat with a few different things. Granted, I like spicy food. Everyone that knows me knows this. Its no secret. The lucky part about that, is most spicy things that I can add to my food have little or no calories (see: Crushed Red Pepper). Which leads me to dinner last night. Granted, my photos are from my phone so bear with me.


I made Chicken Fajitas out of 2 chicken breasts and .... oooh. lots of PRODUCE!

Cilantro, onion, Rotel Hot Tomatoes/Habaneros, Garlic, Bell Pepper, 3 Anaheims from my garden and a Jalapeno from my garden

Now, I happen to think that this plant is highly overlooked. It can be added to a bunch of stuff for a lot of flavor. I know its controversial; people either love it or hate it.

Fresh Cilantro

I was lucky enough to have my mom buy me a couple pepper plants this year. They were slow going, but I finally started seeing some produce off the plants. 

3 Anaheim's and one jalapeno

So, what I did was take the chicken breasts and put them in a deep pan; one that I have a lid for. I added the onion, Rotel (including the juice), garlic, and cut up the peppers from my plants (anaheims and jalapeno) and put it all in the pan. I added about 1/4 teaspoon of cumin and about 1/2 tablespoon of mexican oregano to the pan- though you can season to taste. Then, I took a bottle of beer and added about 1/3 of it so the mixture had moisture. I covered with a lid and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I checked on it, added a little salt and pepper and another 1/3 of the beer. At about 35 minutes, I shredded the chicken, added the bell peppers and the last of the beer.  This is the final product after about 45 minutes of simmer time.

Fajitas, NOM

Granted, I used beer for the extra flavor. That adds about 160 calories to the deal, but considering that it was split between two people and we have left overs for one more person- its equally divisible and in my opinion, totally worth the extra calories for the flavor it provides. I've also used chicken stock, but I like the flavor of the beer better (its beer, people! who wouldnt like beer better!) 

Now, another little treat in all of this? 

Home made Salsa

I made home made salsa. I usually will make a big batch of it, and keep it bottled in the fridge. It lasts a few weeks if you use sterile bottles. Personally, I take old bottles of stuff that I've had (salsa, pasta sauce, etc) and boil the lids and glass bottles. Then, I have something to put it in with a lid. I keep it in the fridge, and voila, fresh salsa at your convenience.

I garnished my fajitas with fresh chopped onion, cilantro, cheese and the salsa. If you're really watching what you'e eating... you can serve the meat mixture over a salad. I usually use spinach since its got more healthful qualities than regular iceberg, but I didnt happen to have any salad stuff at the house, so I did eat it with a tortilla.

So, I was able to create a flavorful meal with a bunch of produce and two chicken breasts. Its all about being creative and using spice. You can adapt this recipe with a milder version of tomatoes and omitting the anaheims and jalapenos. Thats the wonderful thing about cooking at home, you can adapt any recipe to your palate!

Enjoy!