Tag Archives: low calorie mexican

Chicken Fajitas

8 Mar

This is a base recipe, for the meat and veggies used in Chicken Fajitas.  I’m going to give you the calorie counts for just this chicken and veggies, and you can decide how you’d like to serve/eat it.  It’s great in a variety of options including making fajitas with low carb tortillas, eating it over rice as a fajita bowl, or just adding lettuce, salsa, and a little sour cream to eat it “naked”.   Get creative, and you can turn this into several different meals.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 yellow, red or orange bell pepper
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400
  2. Slice your chicken breasts into uniform slices, about 2 inches long  x half an inch wide.
  3. Wash and slice your onion and pepper into thin slices.
  4. Mix the chicken strips, onions, peppers, oil, and all spices together in a medium sized bowl.
  5. Cover a pan sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick spray.
  6. Pour the contents of your fajitas onto the tray, and spread it out into a single layer.
  7. Bake on 400 for about 25 minutes, or until chicken reaches a safe internal temp.

Makes 4 servings= 265 calories per serving

Editors note:  serve with lettuce, tomato, salsa and 1 tbsp. low fat sour cream for about 300 calories!

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Avacado Salad

3 Apr

My need to try this salad started with one of those 30 second video recipes on facebook.  I don’t know which site it was that posted it, but it sent me on a google search for something similar.  So, I won’t take credit for this recipe.  It’s one I borrowed from a blog called Natasha’s Kitchen.  The only alterations I made were using less lemon, and less oil.  This was yummy.  I’ll make it again in the summer.  Sort of like turning Guacamole into salad…how can you go wrong? 🙂

Ingredients: 

  • 2 Haas Avacados, ripe
  • 3 Tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 of a red tomato diced
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • Juice from 1/2 a large lemon
  • Fresh Ground Pepper (to taste)
  • Sea Salt (to taste)

Directions: 

  1. Chop your avacado, and tomatoes to about the same size.
  2. Slice your cucumber down the center long ways and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Dice the cucumber a little smaller than the tomatoes and avacado.
  3. Mix all your veggies together, stir in the Oil and Lemon Juice, as well as cilantro.
  4. Salt, Pepper, Stir, and enjoy 🙂

Makes 6 Servings= 131 calories per serving 

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Enchilada Verde Chicken Casserole

25 May

This was pretty family friendly, and it’s derived from a recipe i found in cooking light.  They suggested making one of these in a glass pan for now, and one in an aluminum pan to freeze for later.  I’m always looking for something easy and handy on a busy night of piano, or girl scouts, or t-ball, so that’s exactly what I did. I haven’t reheated the frozen one yet to see how it turned out, but if you want to do this too, simply take the one you want to freeze out of the oven after 10 min, let it cool entirely, Cover tightly with foil and freeze for “upto 2 months.”  Bake it uncovered at 400 for 45 min.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tsp black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic (separated into 2 1 tbsp portions)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 3/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, (divided into 2 even 3/4 cup portions)
  • 4 scallions, diced
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro (1 cup ish)
  • 7 medium sized fresh tomatillos, quartered
  • 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
  • 1/4 cup 1% milk
  • 2 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 15 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Directions:

1. Bring 2 cups water, pepper, 1 tbsp garlic, and bay leaf to a boil in a large saucepan. Add chicken to pan and reduce heat and simmer, 15 minutes. Stir every 5 min or so.  Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks.  Place chicken, salt, 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, and scallions in a bowl and mix well.

2. Place 1 tbsp minced garlic, cilantro, tomatillos, and chiles in the blender or food processor and “puree” until finely chopped. Add milk and cream cheese; process until smooth.

3. Coat 2 (8-inch) square glass or ceramic baking dishes with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup tomatillo sauce in the bottom of each dish.  Cut each of 15 flour tortillas in half.

4. On top of the sauce, arrange 5 tortilla halves (place 4 around edges, flat side against each edge of the pan, and one in middle). Top each dish with one-fourth of chicken mixture. Top each layer with 1/4 cup tomatillo sauce again.

5. Repeat layers once more:  Tortillas, remaining Chicken, 1/4 cup tomatillo sauce.   Finally, top each pan with one last layer of  remaining Tortillas, and remaining tomatillo sauce.

6.  Spread remaining 3/4 cup of Monteray Jack Cheese evenly over the top of both pans.

7.  Cover pans in foil and Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

Garnish with plain greek yogurt and diced tomatoes if desired (not captured in calorie count here)
Makes 8 Servings= 320 Calories per serving
appx 9 weight watchers points plus
 

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Southwest chicken salad

6 Apr

Ingredients:

– 2 1/2 cups romaine lettuce
– 4 oz grilled chicken
– 1 tbsp diced fresh jalapeño
– 1/8 of an avocado, diced
– 3 tbsp chopped red onion
– 1/4 cup black beans
– 1 ear of corn
– 2 tbsp shredded 2% cheddar
– 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
– 3 tbs tortilla strips

For dressing:

– 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– black pepper

Directions:

1. Season chicken breast as desired and grill it until done.

2. Shuck and clean corn on the cob. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and microwave 2 min. then wrap in foil and grill over high heat about 10 min, turning regularly. Once it’s got a nice charred/roasted look to it, remove and let cool.

3. Open a can of black beans and rinse thoroughly. Measure out 1/4 cup.

4. Cut corn off cob and mix 1/4 cup with beans.

5. Slice jalapeño, onion, tomato, and avocado.

6. Mix ingredients for dressing thoroughly together, and toss dressing with lettuce.

7. Arrange lettuce on a large plate. Top with onion, jalapeño, corn and black beans, cheese, and avocado.

8. Arrange chicken and tortilla strips on top of salad.

Makes 1 salad with dressing= 585 calories
Appx 14 weight watchers points plus

1 salad, no dressing= 490 calories
Appx 12 weight watchers points plus

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Chicken Enchiladas

5 Oct

Of all the many, many things I’ve cooked (some healthy, some not-so-healthy) over the years, this is my husband’s favorite meal. If I had time to make this once a week, he would not complain. It is pretty darn yummy, and makes great left overs too.

Ingredients:
-1.25 lbs chicken breast (boneless)
– 1 8 oz block fat free cream cheese
– 1/2 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
– can of chopped green chiles
– 8 flour tortillas, fajita size (the size that’s about 90 cal each)
– 1 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese- reduced fat
– 1 can red enchilada sauce
– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cook chicken and shred it (I leave it in the crockpot for about 7 hours and it shreds easily)
2. Mix chicken with cream cheese, soup, green chiles, and salt and pepper.
3. wrap 4 tortillas in a napkin and microwave for 20 seconds to warm and soften. Remove them and repeat with remaining 4 tortillas.
4. Divide chicken mixture evenly between the 8 tortilla shells. About 1/3 cup filling per tortilla.
5. Fold tortilla over filling and tightly roll tortilla around filling. Do not fold in edges.
6. Spray a pyrex baking pan with nonstick spray, and line enchiladas side by side across pan.
7. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas, and top with shredded cheese.
8. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min.
9. Serve with reduced fat sour cream or plain greek yogurt! yum.

8 servings= 265 Calories per serving

enchilada 1

enchilada 2

enchilada 3

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