Today's Tip: Two Tried & True Recipes

Have some chicken breasts or ground beef & bell peppers on hand but no tortillas for fajitas?  Try one of these recipes for a different - & perhaps healthier - twist on the fajita.  Everyone loves those tortillas, but having this option every so often is a great idea to help keep your calorie count in check.

*Note: if you are on the Core Living 6-Day Cleanse meal plan, both of these recipes may be used - just leave the cheese off of your serving and use plain yogurt instead of sour cream; also use 90-96% lean ground beef in the second recipe.*

Need-A-Fajita Chicken Bowl Ingredients: 4 servings cooked brown rice (prepared without added fat) 3/4 cup regular or salsa verde (green salsa) 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 4 Squirts of lime juice 1 lb. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, cut into small strips 1-2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped 1-2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion 2 tsp. dry fajita seasoning mix (or more to taste) 1 can canned black beans, drained and rinsed 1/3 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese additional salsa, sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) Directions: To make the cilantro sauce, combine salsa verde, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. In another bowl, combine chicken, peppers, and onion, and sprinkle evenly with fajita seasoning. Add 3 tbsp. water and mix well. Bring a pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add chicken-veggie mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender. Remove from heat, stir in black beans, and set aside. Place rice in a microwave-safe bowl. If needed, nuke until hot. Top with chicken-veggie-bean mixture and cheese. If you like, nuke briefly to melt cheese. Finish it off with salsa and cilantro sauce. Enjoy! MAKES 4 SERVINGS adapted from HungryGirl.com

Serving Size: 1 bowl Calories: 386 Fat: 3g Sodium: 700mg Carbs: 52.5g Fiber: 7.5g Sugars: 6.5g Protein: 35g   Taco Pasta Salad 8 oz. uncooked whole grain rotini pasta 1 lb. lean ground beef ½ cup water 2 Tbl taco seasoning mix 1-2 green bell peppers, diced 1-2 red bell peppers, diced ¼ cup salsa ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt ¼ cup reduced-fat grated cheddar or Mexican-style cheese Directions: Prepare pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, brown ground beef in a medium skillet over medium heat until no longer pink.  Drain the beef and return it to the skillet. Add water, taco seasoning and bell pepper to cooked ground beef; simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Combine salsa and sour cream in a small bowl and serve with cheese on top of beef & pasta mixture. Serves 4. adapted from the cookbook Eating for Life by Bill Phillips This is my kids' favorite meal!!