Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Chicken Tacos with Tomato, Cucumber & Avocado Salsa
PIN IT!I absolutely love salsa. I love the word, salllllllllsssa. I love the taste and the texture. I love that you get it for “free” just by going to a Mexican restaurant. I love that you can have it mild, medium or HOT. And I love it because it’s so perty, don’t ya think?
If you were wondering (which you were, don’t lie) yes, that is a spoon in the salsa. And no, I didn’t use the spoon to stir or serve. I used said utensil to shovel nearly 1/2 of the salsa violently into my mouth. The salsa that I originally made to go on tacos. Whoops. That’s a sign of a good recipe, though, don’t you think?
I proceeded to eat about another 1/4 a cup until I realized there was very little left to top the delicious chicken tacos I prepared for dinner. So, at this point, I could either put all of the remaining salsa on my husband’s taco (since I ate my fair share) or split it in two so we could both enjoy it as a meal, which was my full intention.
Guess which option I went with?
I poured the rest of the salsa onto my taco and immediately ate engulfed it before he came up for dinner.
“Just chicken and cheese? Don’t we have anything else to go on there?”
With a mouthful of glorious salsa, “No. Just chicken and cheese.”
It was a shameful moment in my life but I do not regret a single second (or single .7 pounds I gained that night). Because friends, this stuff, is JUST THAT GOOD. Oh, and the tacos weren’t so bad, either 🙂
Chicken Tacos with Tomato, Cucumber and Avocado Salsa
What You’ll Need:
For the tacos:
- Fresh corn tortillas, heated up
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream to taste
- 3/4 cucumber, chopped
- 1 1/2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 avocado, seeded and chopped
- 1 lime, 1/2 squeezed, 1/2 saved for garnish
- fresh cilantro
- salt and pepper
How to Make Them:
- Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add chicken and spices (chili powder through salt and pepper) and heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is fully cooked through. Take off heat and set aside.
- Chop tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado.
- In a medium bowl, mix together chopped tomatoes, avocado and cucumber. Squeeze lime juice over mixture and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds – 1 minute. Or, if you’d prefer, heat on a grill.
- Place chicken and cheese on the tortilla. Add salsa (if there’s any left), sour cream and extra salt and pepper and garnish with limes. Enjoy!
Claire
Tags:avocado salsa, Eat Skinny Be Skinny Recipes, gluten free dinner, low, low carb meal, low fat chicken tacos, low fat tacos, skinny chicken tacos, skinny tacos, summer meal, taco, tomato cucumber salsa
ESBS: Lemon & Rosemary Roasted Chicken
…aka the most delicious, moistest (if that’s a word), most flavorful chicken in all the land. This chicken had more flavor than even the BEST store bought rotisserie chicken. I’m not playin’ either friends, this chicken is what legends are made of.
I know, it just looks like a normal roasted chicken, but trust me on this, it’s goooood (said in my best Jim Carrey inpression). As delicious as this chicken is, it’s almost impossible to get a “sexy” photo of it. Some food photographs really well, like this cheesecake or these chick peas, however, some food doesn’t, like this chicken and this beef stroganoff. But don’t let the photo fool you, this chicken is JAM PACKED with the most incredible flavor you’ve ever had in a roast chicken.
The key to this award winning (one day?) chicken’s moistness and lemony zing is the murky, gross looking gravy the bird sits in. I realize it may not look pretty, but I photographed it for a reason. For one, this is what the gravy is supposed to look like, so don’t worry! To get a thicker, browner gravy (like the kind you use on your Thanksgiving turkey) you need to mix it with flour. Secondly, that is NOT discard! Don’t think that because the chicken is done, you need to get rid of the gravy. In addition to basting the chicken ever 20 or so minutes while it roasts, you need to baste it when it’s done too and let the chicken absorb the gravy while it cools down. Plus, for added moisture & flavor, pour a little of the gravy onto the sliced pieces of chicken breast!
What You’ll Need:
-
1 5-6 pound roasting chicken
-
2 lemons, 1 sliced and 1 juiced
-
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
-
2 tablespoons of butter, softened
- 2-3 tablespoons of rosemary
- Dashes of salt and peper
How to Make It:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove giblets from chicken and thoroughly rinse. Place on slightly greased roasting pan.
- Liberally salt and pepper inside of chicken. Place 1 whole lemon, 1/2 rosemary and 2 garlic cloves into the cavity of the chicken (where the gross giblets were hiding).
- Rub outside of chicken with the butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remaining rosemary. Using the juice of 1/2 lemon, spritz the top of the chicken. Be sure to spritz a little into the cavity. Use the remaining second half of the lemon as garnish on the roasting pan (this will give the gravy a bit of a citrus flavor).
- Roast for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, being sure to check on the chicken every 20 minutes or so to baste with the gravy.
- To ensure chicken is completed, gently slice into the breast. If the juices run clear, it is finished. If the juices are still pink/red, let roast a bit longer.
- Let chicken cool in juices for about 10 befores before you slice. Serve with an additional spritz of lemon juice & fresh rosemary for garnish!
I served this beast alongside my watermelon & feta summer salad & low fat mashed potatoes!
I wish I would have taken pictures of the chicken all fancy like on a serving platter, but we kinda just DOVE right in. As in, as soon as E walked in the door I gave him the knife and said “carve er’ up!”
One day we’ll get classy, one day.
Nutrition information per 4 ounce slice: 180 calories, 8 grams of fat, 25 grams of protein and 0 grams of carbohydrates.
Five Things Friday
I’m hopping on another blogger bandwagon with a Five Things Friday post! The food post I had scheduled for today was a no-go. The photos just weren’t good enough for ya’ll! But, if you are a fan of mine for just the food, don’t fret! I have 4 incredible recipes to share next week! I’m having fun sharing more details about my life and I hope ya’ll will stick around to read them and get to like me as much as you like my recipes!
My good friends Stephanie & Layla post their “five things” every Friday and I’m always like “I am going to do that next week!” I’m finally doing it! From my understanding, you post 5 interesting things about yourself, your life, etc. Or at least that’s how I interpreted it. And it’s my blog, so I’ll do what I want! (Said in my South Park Carmen voice).
1. My favorite exhibits at the zoo are the elephant (which I pronounce elle-fant-tay) cage & the aquarium of big fishes. For some reason, I’m completely fascinated with elephants. The last zoo trip we went to, I started crying when I saw the Asian elephants because they are very endangered. Elephants rock, guys, so stop bothering them (I am directing this at the bad guys obviously)! Or I’ll have to come and beat you up. Seriously, I will. Don’t f with the ellefantays. Oh, and the fishes are just so fascinating, especially when they stare at you.
Creepy fishes.
2. I’m a necklace JUNKIE. I’m especially partial to big, chunky statement pieces. (You can read all about my statement jewelery addiction here). The bigger, the chunkier, the more colorful a necklace is, the more likely I’ll be to rock it. Statement jewelry turns a hum-drum outfit into something amazing. When in doubt, deck it out. (I should trademark that saying, shouldn’t i?) My new favorite aquisition is this coral & gold number from The Limited. Sorry for the fuzzy, icky iPhone photograph. Oh and also pelase ignore that double chin situation happening there.
3. I WILL raise my chidren (hypothetical now, of course) in Charleston. I don’t care if that means I have to work as a grocer at Publix to make it happen. I’m in love with that city and it’s my destiny to move there. Who am I to mess with destiny? Oh, and I already found my dream home on Realtor.com.
Just a simple home for 2 with a beatiful granite kitchen and backyard (with pool) overlooking the marsh. All for just a little shy of 4 million. Talk about a steal!
4. I’m obsessed with my dog. I guess ya’ll already knew that, though?
5. I’m so excited to announce that I’m a new writer for She Knows in their Food & Recipes section!! My first article will be popping up on the website soon! I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with the DELICIOUS little somethin’ somethin’ below.
Have an incredible weekends, folks!
7 Links
I’m sort of excited to tackle this 7 links challenge! First off, thank you Gretchen for nominating me to do this! I’ve never been nominated to write a post so this feels special! Like Gretchen said, it’s MUCH harder to do than you think, but here’s my honest college try!
Most Beautiful
I interpreted this post a little differently. I took it to mean the most beautiful images, which to me, are the ones of an impending storm above. I absolutely love thunderstorms (if they are within reason, of course) and used to watch storms roll in with my family at our summer cottage. There is something so incredibly beautiful about mother nature and weather patterns. I love actually watching the dark clouds roll in, the lightning strike, the rain drops fall. Many people look to people, animals or places for beauty, I like to look to the sky 🙂
Most Popular Post
My salted chocolate cake bars post was BY FAR my most popular, ever, in the history of my blog. The reason it was so popular was because the amazing Jenna from Eat, Live, Run blogged about them on her site and Tasty Kitchen, which brought in more than 10,000 views that day, with a total of nearly 18,000 views that week! I was completely flabbergasted and excited. Honestly, the day I found out she blogged about them I was on the verge of quitting this blog. I wasn’t getting many views or comments and I just felt like it wasn’t reaching anyone. So thank you Jenna, for bringing my blog back to life! Plus, if you haven’t tried them, you have to make these. They are SO freakin’ good!
Most Controversial Post
I don’t really talk about super controversial issues and haven’t really stirred many pots with my posts, but the hardest post for me (because I was so scared of everyone’s feedback) was on my post about joining Weight Watchers. I haven’t joined yet, financial difficulties arose and I had to put it off. I have full intentions on joining it this month though. Anyway, it was such a hard post for me to do, internally, because in a way, it felt like I was admitting defeat. I live, breath and sleep nutrition and health. I like to say I’m a very healthy person with a healthy outlook on life. But I’m also a human being and I’ve experienced some hardships in my life, including significant weight gain. I was scared to write this because, as an aspiring nutritionist, joining something like Weight Watchers felt like I was telling everyone NOT to take advice from me or not to look at me as a healthy eating “expert.” It was very hard for me to hit publish. I was so scared everyone was going to look at me how I looked at myself, like a failture. The opposite happened, actually, and everyone had the kindest words to say and the most encouraging pieces of advice. Now I look back on that post and feel pride because I talked about something that was so personal and so scary for me.
My Most Helpful Post
I’d definitely say there was a tie on this one between two equally helpful posts.
How to Broil a Damn Good Steak
I was really surprised at how many emails I got after I posted the steak recipe thanking me for writing it. I know, seems REALLY random right? A lot of people have never broiled a steak before and in winter, you don’t really have any other option. So I’m really glad that my love for steak (that I can’t indulge much anymore) proved to be so helpful for other carnivores out there! The second post is one of the most helpful FOR ME to look back on. E & I travel a fair about by road and so we are constantly hitting the drive thru at least twice a month. I am constantly pulling up this post on my phone as a reminder that you can find healthier options at drive thru’s and which ones I should pick if I’m willing to indulge. I hope it’s as helpful for others as it is for me!
A Post Whose Success Surprised You
The best low fat chocolate chip cookie post has completely blown me away, view & impression wise. Going into it, I just posted this recipe because it’s my FAVORITE cookie recipe and it’s my go-to. When I’m craving a chocolate chip cookie, I always make this recipe because the end result is DELICIOUS and is very low calorie and low fat. This post now is the second highest ranking post EVER on my site, which is very surprising to me! There are so many chocolate chip cookie recipes out there and a lot of healthier version so I thought this post would get lost in the shuffle! Guess I was wrong!
The Post You Feel Didn’t Get the Attention it Deserved
This was a hard one to pick because I don’t want to complain that some posts weren’t as popular as others. That’s just life. However, I am bummed that my low fat banana cheesecake didn’t get many hits in the foodie world,or in the food photography world. I worked my arse off on this recipe, making sure it looked AND tasted great. In addition, I spent about an hour setting up and styling the shoot so that it looked professional, like something I see on Tastespotting and Foodgawker. However, even after all this, it was still declined to be featured on their sites 🙁 They are professionals and know they have a very good reason for not publishing, it just bummed me out.
Post I’m Most Proud Of
Seriously, HOW CUTE IS THIS DOG! But no, the post doesn’t have to do with Oscar, directly. The post I’m most proud of is the one I recently wrote about losing my job. I’m proud of that post because it was HARD to write, emotionally. Losing my job was not only a big hit to my ego, but it was a big hit to me as a person & who I knew myself to be. I was miserable at that job, but it was a big part of my life for the past 2 years. I felt like a failure. Writing about that and voicing all of these concerns to the whole wide world was a very scary thing to do. But I couldn’t be happier that I did. Ya’ll were so nice in your comments and really offered me some incredible words of wisdom. I am, truly, proud of myself for doing that.
So there are my links! Do ya’ll agree with what I chose? Well, now it’s time to pass the torch to 5 other bloggers! Below are the ladies I’d love to see pick their links!
- Layla of Wish Fulfillment Everyday
- Stephanie of Steph’s Bite by Bite
- Jessica of Heart on Homestead
- Kelly of kjpugs
- Katie of Ruffles & Truffles
Claire
Tags:7 links, 7 popular links, honey i shrunk the gretch, my realistic life, unemployment
ESBS: Homemade Tzatziki
I’m on a sauce kick lately. For the past week, I’ve been conjuring up endless batches of homemade marinara, marinade, salad dressings, dips and reductions. I may, or may not, have just eaten said sauces for lunch or dinner. What I love about homemade sauces, dips and dressings is that you control exactly what goes into them. The scary thing, for me, about store bought varieties is the ingredients list. Many are filled to the brim with sugar, preservatives and other unpronounceable chemicals. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to dip my skinny nuggets in something that has 25 ingredients I can’t say or even attempt to spell. I want to accompany my dishes with things like Dijon mustard, real tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil.
In addition to this, I had a MAD craving for a Greek gyro, which always comes with tangy & creamy tzatziki. Since we live in the burbs.com and are are on a bit of a budget (we try to only go out to eat on date nights or once a week) I decided to whip up a batch of this awesome sauce on my own!
I know I’m stealing a company’s tag line here, but this sauce IS THE BOSS. (Please don’t sue me said company!) Because I was too lazy busy doing philanthropic things to make homemade pita, I served it along side herb breaded chicken and used it as a bit of a dipping sauce! Seriously friends? It was SOOOOOOOOO good. There came a point I was spoon-fooding it to myself. Don’t judge me, just make it. You’ll understand.
Homemade Tzatziki
What You’ll Need:
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, strained
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill
How to Make It:
- Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well.
- Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Cover with saran wrap and chill before serving. I let this dip chill overnight so that the flavors could really mix well together.
This dip is SO creamy and SO flavorful. I also love that you get a bit of crunch because of the chopped cucumber. Plus, it’s SUPER easy to make. And, even better, it goes with just about anything (within reason, you clearly wouldn’t put this on chocolate cake, for example). For an easy packed lunch, I paired it over whole wheat bow-tie pasta for a delicious chilled pasta salad!
Nutritonal information per 2 tablespoons: 40 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of protein.
