What's For Dinner: Lime Chicken Chili

Lime Chicken Chili
This is a recipe I adapted from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. I made it more family friendly by omitting the hot peppers and adding spinach for an added nutritional punch. I love the flavor of this meal, it is decidedly different than most chilies thanks to the lemon and lime added to it. It is also very low in calories, only 150 calories per serving, so you can enjoy this with a slice of bread, topped with cheese or with some tortilla strips on top. The beans add filling fiber too which makes this a very satisfying meal. The adults rated this a 9/10 recipe, the kids were a little more apprehensive. My kids aren't really soup eaters though. Tough beans for them because we loved it! It is even better the next day for lunch.

Ingredients:
Drizzle olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic canned or 1 tsp fresh
1 small can green chilies
1 cup frozen spinach or 2 cups fresh
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp oregano
2 Tbsp basil
1 tsp. rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 cups chicken broth
2 15oz. cans great northern beans
2 chopped cooked chicken breasts
Juice from 1 fresh lemon
Juice from 1 fresh lime
Sprigs of cilantro for garnish

Directions:
In a large saucepan or pot, drizzle olive oil. Add onions and garlic and cook on med heat until soft. Add chilies, cumin, oregano, basil, rosemary, sea salt and pepper. Stir and cook 2-3 minutes. Add broth, beans and chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach and cook until bright green and wilted. Remove from heat, add lemon and lime juice. Top with a couple of sprigs of cilantro for garnish.

	Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe   10 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 125.9   Total Fat 0.9 g       Saturated Fat 0.2 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g       Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g   Cholesterol 27.4 mg   Sodium 197.5 mg   Potassium 412.6 mg   Total Carbohydrate 13.8 g       Dietary Fiber 4.6 g       Sugars 0.1 g   Protein 16.1 g   Vitamin A 30.0 %   Vitamin B-12 3.0 %   Vitamin B-6 18.5 %   Vitamin C 15.5 %   Vitamin D 0.0 %   Vitamin E 0.4 %   Calcium 7.4 %   Copper 9.2 %   Folate 20.7 %   Iron 10.4 %   Magnesium 13.6 %   Manganese 23.7 %   Niacin 28.9 %   Pantothenic Acid     5.6 %   Phosphorus     19.3 %   Riboflavin 6.5 %   Selenium 15.7 %   Thiamin 8.9 %   Zinc 6.7 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Becoming A Positive Role Model

Kaela in her skinny jeans!

I am so proud of the person I am spotlighting today, not just because her fat loss story is an inspiration, but also because she is my sister. Kaela has overcome many struggles in her life and has been faced with many trials. She is a powerful example of someone who can come back stronger after something tragic happens to them. She has not allowed her life circumstances to determine who she would become. She is defined by a quite determination to do what's best for her and her family. She is constantly working towards self improvement, realizing that it is a lifelong pursuit.

Her Background
Genetically speaking, Kaela has all odds against her when it comes to obesity. Kaela is my half sister, which is not something I mention often, but it is relevant to understanding her situation. Her father's side of the family has a long history of obesity and obesity related diseases and also various forms of cancer. Knowing that she came from a family that struggled with obesity, when Kaela was younger, she was afraid she would have the same problem. She knows, even today, that staying healthy and fit will remain an uphill climb for her throughout her life. When she was younger, she didn't want to become overweight, but like many teenagers, didn't have the knowledge or a healthy body image to do so properly.

Kaela struggled with an anorexia as a teenager and young adult.

It was because of this, and other issues she was dealing with at the time, that Kaela became obsessive with her weight and began an unhealthy relationship with food. She started limiting and controlling what she ate. She battled with her unhealthy eating patterns throughout high school and early adulthood. At one point she weighed a sickly 100 lbs., way to small for a healthy 5'9" tall woman. Her boney frame was a far cry from healthy, and when she realized what she was doing to herself, she knew she had to stop. Kaela couldn't go a minute without thinking and obsessing over food. She realized that her eating disorder was controlling her life. And it scared her.

The pendulum swung the other way for Kaela, since she knew that counting calories and portion control would lead to her compulsive eating behavior again. After realizing that her controlling eating behavior was so consuming, she found another way to deal with her problems. She replaced one unhealthy behavior with another and began "emotional eating" for comfort and stress relief. Because of this, her weight steadily climbed over the years that followed.

Her Wake-up Call
It wasn't until after her first child was born, that she realized that she had let herself go for too long. She wanted to be a better example to her son and she wanted to have the health and energy to take care of him. She realized that she would have to watch what she ate, but this time had to be different. She could not slip into her old eating patterns. She also knew that losing weight with a baby to take care of would also be difficult. Any new mom understands how hard it is to work out, let alone get a shower in! But she was ready to make some positive changes; she was tired and frustrated and desperate to feel better.

Kaela and I were pregnant at the same time! She had her baby 6 weeks before I had mine.

Kaela and her son just after he was born.

Kaela and I after my youngest was born.

Kaela had another wake-up call around the same time. Her father was diagnosed with diabetes. She did not want to end up in his position, and the reality of that seemed closer than ever. It was time to overcome her hereditary disposition for obesity and obesity related diseases.

It was around this time that I gave her a copy of Tosca Reno's book "The Eat-Clean Diet" for her to check out. I love it because it most closely follows what I personally teach my clients about proper eating, namely avoiding packaged, processed foods, eating whole grains and lean meats, etc. Not only that, but if you are "eating clean" you won't have to worry about starving yourself, because you will get full off of the high fiber, nutrient packed foods. Not to mention, it is very hard to overeat whole, unprocessed foods.

How She Did it
Eating clean, whole foods, paired with regular exercise (thanks to a jogging stroller and exercise videos) and a determination to be a better example for her son, Kaela began to lose weight steadily and slowly. This was how it was to be done, no more extreme weight loss tactics or starvation methods. She also began at the start of each week planning her meals before hand to ensure that she would be successful and not obsess over what she would eat next. She monitored calories at Sparkpeople.com that kept her accountable for what she was eating without becoming obsessive. I helped her to find a good calorie goal for a sustainable weight loss of 1-2lbs a week. I also made sure that she was eating no less than was prescribed. Sparkpeople's program also has built in alerts to keep you from under or overeating and monitors calorie burning as well.

She also learned that exercise worked out best for her first thing in the morning. She found that if she waited to workout until the evening, that she would find excuses throughout the day or just plain run out of the energy to get her exercise done. Not only that, but she workouts with exercise videos and runs with her son when she can't make it to the gym. She has also recruited her fiance to workout with her which keeps them both motivated.

Instead of making excuses, Kaela learned to set herself up for success. Preplanned meals, exercises that can be done from home, accountability on a community based weight loss website all helped to keep her on track even when progress stalled or her motivation was low. Also, having a personal trainer for a sister to troubleshoot and give advice doesn't hurt either. ;)

Kaela has learned the only way to permanent fat loss is by taking things slowly, consistently and making a complete lifestyle change. And while I would like to take credit for what happened over the course of the last 16 months, I really can't. I was there to guide her and help her make adjustments to her diet and routine, but it was her dedication, hard work and consistency that paid off. And it paid off big time.

Kaela has lost 41 pounds and counting. But that's just a number on the scale. You can't really weigh or put a price on the improvement of the quality of your life. She has much more energy and has completely transformed her lifestyle into an active, healthy lifestyle that her son, and everyone that knows her can be proud of! Way to go Kaela!

If you want to follow Kaela's fat loss journey in her own words, she is keeping a fat loss blog at Losing It and Thriving. Go and show her some love!

Kaela and I ready to run a 5k!

What's For Dinner: Chinese Chicken & Brown Rice

I have gotten several requests for healthy meal ideas. I am the kind of cook that improvises and never measures anything, so sharing recipes becomes difficult. I have also been making healthy substitutions for so long that it has become second nature to me and I don't even think about it. As you practice cooking healthy and learn what works for you and your family, you will find it becomes second nature to you as well. Until then, I am going to share at least one healthy recipe a week to help jump start your healthy cooking and give you some meal ideas.

Here's a simple recipe for those nights when you've got nothing in the fridge. I call them scavenger meals because you have to scavenge your pantry and freezer to come up with something for dinner. I pretty much always have rice in the pantry, I buy in bulk and keep my supply up. Plus, I almost always have chicken in the freezer. So naturally, this is the perfect meal when your in a bind and low on groceries.

As usual I have adapted the recipe to make it more "clean" and suitable for fat loss. This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com. I have substituted white rice with brown rice. I also recommend substituting soy sauce with Bragg's "Liquid Aminos" a product made from protein that tastes just like soy sauce and contains muscle building amino acids. It is the perfect low-sodium, healthy alternative to soy sauce. It can be purchased online here. If you don't have it on hand, just use reduced sodium soy sauce until you have the chance to purchase it.

Also, I modified this recipe but tried to keep it as close to original as possible to show how easy it is to make healthy substitutions. The original recipe has 255 calories per serving, which is not bad, but with our healthy substitutions, this recipe only has 168 calories! By omitting butter and vegetable oil alone, we make this meal a healthy alternative to family favorite. We saved almost 100 calories! One last note, you could also add veggies to the mix very easily. I usually do, but this time I didn't. I served the veggies on the side. Whatever you choose, don't forget to add veggies to this dish to make it a balanced meal!

Double the recipe if you have kids as I've found that you need a little more for a family. Also, have two servings for a total of only 336 calories and you'll meet your protein requirements for the meal. Served with a cup of spinach (which only has 7 calories) your meal will be perfect!

Chinese Chicken & Brown Rice

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• olive oil spray
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups cooked brown rice, cold
• 2 tablespoons Liquid Aminos or reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup cooked, chopped chicken meat

Directions

1. In a small bowl, beat egg with water. Mist large skillet with spray olive oil over medium low heat. Add egg and leave flat for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and cut into shreds.
2. Heat oil in same skillet; add onion and saute until soft. Then add rice, soy sauce, pepper and chicken. Stir fry together for about 5 minutes, then stir in egg. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.
3. To complete the meal, serve with a side of vegetables. 

Nutrition Data

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe   4 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 168.3   Total Fat 2.5 g       Saturated Fat 0.6 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g       Monounsaturated Fat 0.9 g   Cholesterol 62.7 mg   Sodium 37.7 mg   Potassium 210.0 mg   Total Carbohydrate 25.3 g       Dietary Fiber 2.3 g       Sugars 0.0 g   Protein 10.7 g   Vitamin A 1.6 %   Vitamin B-12 3.8 %   Vitamin B-6 17.7 %   Vitamin C 3.5 %   Vitamin D 2.5 %   Vitamin E 0.4 %   Calcium 2.3 %   Copper 5.4 %   Folate 4.1 %   Iron 5.3 %   Magnesium 13.4 %   Manganese 55.6 %   Niacin 22.5 %   Pantothenic Acid     6.4 %   Phosphorus     16.5 %   Riboflavin 5.0 %   Selenium 7.4 %   Thiamin 8.7 %   Zinc 6.9 %