Quick and Easy Chicken Fajitas

This recipe is the one meal that my husband knows how to cook.  It is really tasty and really easy. Lining the pan with foil makes clean up very easy!

I am amazed at how tender and moist the chicken stays without adding any additional fat or oil.

This meal is great for those on the BFC with family members who are not.  You can serve the fajitas with whole grain, corn or regular flour tortillas.

The S/C Value as I prepared it for me was 2/2.  This included 3 corn tortillas and a little bit of sour cream and salsa.  

Chicken Fajitas
serves 4

1 lb of chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 packet of Old El Paso Fajita Seasoning
1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
2 peppers (we used one red and one orange), sliced thinly
corn, flour, or whole grain tortillas

 Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the chicken, onion, peppers, and seasoning packet. Toss to coat.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Place chicken mixture on the foil.  Cover the chicken with another layer of foil.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, salsa, cheese, etc.

BFC Travel Survival Kit

Since my move to Michigan, I find myself on the road a lot more than I used to be.  It can be really difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan when you are traveling or eating out at restaurants a lot.  I decided to make a BFC Survial Kit to take with me when I am traveling.

Below is a list of some of the products that make it easier for me to stick to the plan when traveling or eating out.  I hope you enjoy them!

1.  Stevia Drops
     I got a trial size bottle of stevia drops that I carry around in my purse from Amazon (see below).  They are great in iced tea, coffee, or even some water with lemon. 
2. Fiber Powder (I got some peach flavored fiber supplement from Nature's Flavors)
   This fiber powder is sweetened with erythritol.  To make it, you just add a tablespoon to 8 ounces of water.  I will add some to my water when I have a meal that may not have as much fiber as I like.
3. Flavored Stevia Drops
  I use these in some plain seltzer water if I am thirsty for soda.  They also make great flavoring for alcoholic beverages.  A few drops added to a vodka and soda gives you a great sweet but healthy cocktail.
4. Just the Cheese Puffed Cheese Snacks
   These puffed cheese snacks are great when you are hungry for a crispy snack but do not want the added carbs.  You can get them in single serving bags that travel well (from Amazon).  See below.
5.  Instant Organic Oats with Just Blackberries
    You can make a really quick breakfast with some hot water, a little sweetener, and some Just Blackberries (see below).  Just Blackberries are dried berries that come in a cute little plastic container.  The whole container has 14 grams natural fruit sugars, but it only takes a few berries to add a delicious berry flavor to your oatmeal.  Since the berries are dried, you do not have to worry about them going bad before you use them all and can travel well. 
6.  BFC approved chocolate
    I love Green & Black's Dark 85% chocolate.  For 12 pieces (which is a lot), the S/C Value is 5/1.  However, I usually only eat a few pieces, as the chocolate flavor is so rich and delicious.  

Chicken Salsa Melt

Today for lunch, I made a quick and tasty english muffin sandwhich.  This would be a great workday meal if you have a toaster oven in your office kitchen.

I love the convenience of using canned chicken.  I use Valley Fresh brand 100% Natural White Chicken in water.  

Depending on which brands you use, the S/C Value of the open face sandwich is about 1/2.

Chicken Salsa Melt

serves 1
1/2  can of All Natural White Meat Chicken
2 heaping tablespoons of low sugar salsa (I use Green Mountain Gringo Salsa which has less than 1 gram per serving)
1/2 tbsp. Ranch dressing (I use Hidden Valley Organic)
Shredded Cheese
Whole Wheat English Muffin  (I use Rudi's Organic brand)

Pre-toast the english muffin till lightly browned.  Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine salsa, chicken, and ranch dressing.  Spread the chicken mixture on the english muffins.   Top with cheese.
Bake in the toaster oven on 450 degrees for about 5 minutes (watch to make sure it doesn't burn, as toaster ovens cooking power varies).  Turn on the broiler and broil the muffins until the cheese is browned and bubbly. 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream

Here is a recipe for really rich Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream.  If you do not have the Marshmallow flavoring, you can use vanilla for plain chocolate ice cream.  The ice cream turns out very rich and creamy and delicious.  You will feel satisfied even with a small bowl.

The S/C Value for one serving is 0/1.  This is a great treat that will satisfy your chocolate cravings!

Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream

Serving size- 1/2 c.

2/3 cup xylitol
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 egg yolks (I use organic eggs because they are safer)
2 1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. stevia
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. All Natural Marshmallow flavoring (from Nature's Flavors, see my post below)
1 Tbsp. hard alcohol (I used Navan vanilla cognac.

Melt xylitol in a saucepan over low heat.  Once it is completely melted, slowly whisk in cocoa powder and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Stir until the mixture is smooth (being careful that the mixture does not burn).  Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, beat yolks.  Slowly add 2 1/4 c. of the cream, mixing well.  Add cocoa mixture and beat on high until the completely combined.  On low, blend in the stevia, xanthan gum, hard alcohol and marshmallow flavoring or vanilla.  Chill ice cream base until cold.

Add to your ice cream maker as per the ice cream maker instructions.

Serve immediately or freeze for a more firm ice cream.

I cover the ice cream with foil before freezing and it lasts awhile in the freezer!

New to Me: Nature's Flavor online food store

While searching the internet for some belly fat cure friendly, all natural sugar free foods, I stumbled across a wonderful website that sells a lot of really interesting and fun products.  I placed an order for a few items, and been having a great time experimenting in the kitchen.

The website is called Nature's Flavors and they have a great assortment of organic flavorings, xylitol syrups, and other wonderful products for baking and cooking.

I ordered the raspberry xylitol syrup, the all natural marshmallow flavoring, and the cookie dough flavoring. 

I have been using the raspberry syrup to make my own sugar free raspberry italian sodas.  It is delicious and I am addicted.  I have been adding a tiny bit to club soda, and it tastes better than any regular soda.  I think I may try adding a bit to my vanilla protein shakes.

I made some chocolate marshmallow ice cream last night, and it turned out deliciously.  I used 1/4 tsp of the marshmallow flavoring in place of the vanilla in the recipe.  The ice cream is delicious with a natural delicious marshmallow flavor.  I will post the complete recipe in another post.

I think adding a drop or two to a chocolate protein shake would also make a delicious chocolate marshmallow smoothie.

I think I may try making a Chocolate Chip Cookie dip with the cookie dough flavoring.  I thought about mixing some cream cheese, some stevia, a tiny bit of the flavoring, and some chocolate chips for a dip to serve with strawberries or maybe to spread on a whole wheat english muffin. 

Great all natural products like these are making my transition to sugar free a lot easier!  I have been looking at their site and have come up with some ideas for my next order!

Drunken Noodles

Tonight I tried to make a BFC version of one of my favorite Thai dishes.  It turned out really delicious!  If you do not have soba noodles, the chicken would be great over brown rice also.

One serving of the dish below has an S/C Value of  2/1, with 20 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber.

I served it with a simple spinach salad for some added fiber.

Drunken Noodles

Serves 4

4 ounces of soba noodles (I used organic Hakubaku brand from World Market.  It has 0 grams of sugar) 
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into small pieces 
2 serrano chilies, seeded and chopped 
tsp soy sauce 
2 cups fresh basil, ripped into large pieces 
1 tbsp fish sauce (found in the Asian food section 
2 tsp chopped garlic (I used jarred garlic) 
1 Tbsp canola oil 
1/2 tbsp red-chili paste (found in the Asian food section)
1 tsp Sugar in the Raw (1 packet)

1/2 tsp black pepper


Finely chop the garlic and chilies.  Combine and chop together until they make a paste.
Add oil to a skillet heated over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic-chili mixture and cook for about a minute.  . Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned (about 3-4 mins).

Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, red-chili paste, and sugar, and continue to cook until the chicken is done all the way through (about 5 mins).
Add the pepper and basil, and cook until the basil is wilted. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is having a wonderful year so far!  I am looking forward to getting back to my normal schedule of cooking and exercising.  I got a little bit off track with the holiday travel!

Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure book came out last week.  I am glad I picked up a copy.  One thing that I like about his program is that you can really adapt it to work for you and your eating habits.  If you are someone that eats out a lot or eats a lot of pre-made foods, you can follow the plan pretty easily.  If you are someone who tends to eat more whole foods and loves to cook, you can use the basis of his plan for all of your own meals and recipes.

I know Jorge has received some criticism from people saying that he tells you to eat processed foods instead of healthy whole foods, but this is 100% not true.  He does provide a lot of east to prepare options for people and I think he does it because that is how a majority of Americans eat!

Jorge has a lot of great recipes and the book has some great information.  I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I have.

Have a wonderful, healthy and happy year!

Candice