I was greatly looking forward to a workout at Red Rocks today, but alas the Denver weather is as surprising as usual. Even though I’ll take it over Chicago any day, the weather is always changing here. So instead of puking on stairs today, I’m hanging around the house. This is a rarity for me on the weekends; even more so is the fact that I’m cooking lunch.
I usually cook during the week but not very often on the weekends. We are usually so busy that we eat out pretty often on the weekends. So today I thought I’d try my skills at sharing a recipe. I look up recipes on pinterest all the time but rarely follow them. I’m constantly adding and subtracting from recipes. One of my favorite restaurants up the street, The Vine Street Pub, (also known as “the hippie place” to neighborhood folk) makes some killer chicken nachos. **Warning: Should you ever eat there, they only take cash! I always find myself thinking, “I could make this.” So I did. I now make this every other week or so. I love this meal.
As a kid, I would ask my mom to make tacos all the time. Every Friday in high school they served tacos. I love tacos. Tacos and nachos were a big reason why I weighed what I did. Tacos is a meal that I knew I had to figure out how to make healthier when I changed my lifestyle. I couldn’t go without tacos/nachos for the rest of my life. So here’s my recipe. Give it a try!
Chicken Nachos
- 1 lb. Ground Chicken
- 1 can black beans (low sodium, organic)
- 1 can of corn (low sodium, organic)
- 1/4 cup Taco Seasoning (I make my own – Recipe)
- 1/4 cup Frank’s Redhot Sauce Original
- 3/4 cup water
- Salsa (Love: Trader Joes Chunky)
- Cheese (Love: Trader Joes Cheddar)
- Tortilla Chips of Choice
- Optional: Chiles, Tomatoes, Jalepenos, other veggies
Steps
- Brown Chicken until cooked through. Drain if necessary.
- Add rinsed black beans, taco seasoning, Franks, and water.
- Mix all together and bring to a simmer. Cook all the water out at med-high heat until the meat is nice and thick. It should look like this:
- Set oven to 350 degrees. Build your nachos as you wish. My usual order is: Meat, lots of corn, salsa, cheese. If you have other veggies you love, go for it! I’m not a big pepper fan and I like the meat spicy. Feel free to use your imagination!
- See notes about my chips and portion size and other tips!
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until hot and delicious. Soooo much healthier than the way I used to make them and just as delicious.
NOTES:
- Ground Chicken – I buy cage free, hormone fee, junk free ground chicken. It could easily be made with turkey or shredded chicken. I find that ground is usually cheapest and quickest to cook.
- Corn and Beans – I buy organic, preservative free, low sodium at Trader Joes. It ends up being less than a 50 cent difference and an easy way to make a better choice.
- Salsa – Again I buy preservative free at Trader Joes. I LOVE this salsa. I think it’s the perfect consistency and you can actually taste the vegetables. Why? Because all of it’s ingredients ARE vegetables. And since it’s from TJ’s: always no preservatives. Salsa is also low calorie! (5 calories a serving)
- Cheese: I hate low-fat cheese. Hate it. I buy regular cheese for two reasons: Low fat sucks and I don’t drink cow milk. Since we drink soy milk, this is my only opportunity for dairy fats. Also, since I’m at goal weight, this is something I have added back into my diet.
- Chips: The chips pictured are not my norm. We usually get blue or yellow organic corn tortillas chips. However, these were less than a dollar a bag on Christmas clearance. I finally opened the last bag today! I couldn’t pass up the deal!
- Taco Seasoning – I REALLY recommend making your own. There are so many fillers in the store bought kind. Also, this is an easy way to cut out A LOT of sodium. You’d really be surprised.
- Portion Size: I didn’t end up eating my whole portion but I could have. This meal is pretty protein packed and I am SORE today. Both the beans and the chicken are providing your protein. Since we aren’t using rice, the carbs aren’t too out of control either. This is a tasty meal that is very filling!