Snub the Blub-- Continued

In 2 weeks and 3 days, I'm going to be soakin' up the sunshine in beautiful Florida with the wind in my hair, a powder-white zinc oxide covered nose (NOT), and most importantly, I'm going to be in a teeny bikini. SO, it's crunch time--crunch time big time! To continue with the healthy streak (I have previously posted healthful turkey burger and salmon recipes), today I did prep-work for healthful meals to last me through the week. I cooked 3 rather large chicken breasts, seasoned liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, under the broiler for about 12-15 minutes turning once. Once they were done and somewhat cool, I cut 1/4 of the chicken into slices and cubed the other 3/4. I didn't even put any olive oil on the breasts prior to broiling them--it's calorie/fat cutting season so I'm trying to be as bikini-friendly as possible in my cooking. Plus, I left the breasts rather plain so that when I make meals with them later in the week I can turn up the flavor in any direction that I want.

So here are some of my game-plan recipes for my 2-week 3-day long quest to snub the blub!

Keep in mind that these recipes are meant for hearty individual servings. You can double them if you are cooking for 2+, and you can always prepare more than 3 breasts to start. They'll keep in the fridge for about one week.

Chicken Chili:

1 cup cubed chicken (1/2 inch cubes)

1 15 ounce can of tomatoes (whole, diced, or crushed)

1 yellow bell pepper (I think they're the prettiest), cored, seeded, and roughly chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 a small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 a garlic clove, minced

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Saute the onion in the oil for about 7-10 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for one minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in a food processor (the juice/puree too) if not crushed already and add to the pot. Cook, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken when you're ready to eat, leaving it on the heat just long enough to heat the chicken through. Enjoy this delicious and super, super healthy and hearty meal! Think about it, there's hardly any fat in the entire thing! Be sure to save the leftovers--it gets better and better.

Healthy Chicken Quesadillas:

1 spinach or whole wheat tortilla

1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded (can use more; it's up to you)

1/4 cup yellow onion, sliced

sliced chicken, however much fits flat across half of the tortilla

1/2 teaspoon olive oil, or PAM cooking spray

Condiments and dipping is up to you!

Saute the onion in the olive oil or PAM in large pan (large enough to fit the tortilla round) on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove onion and set aside. Spray the pan with cooking spray and place tortilla in pan. Sprinkle half of the cheese on half of the tortilla (you're going to fold the other half over later). Add the onions and the sliced chicken on top of the cheese, leaving some cheese showing. Cover the chicken and onions with the remaining cheese and fold the other half of the tortilla over to make a half-moon shaped quesadilla. Allow cheese to melt slightly before flipping. Flip to toast the other side of tortilla. Once melted and toasty, slice into triangles and serve with the condiments of your choice, such as sliced cool, avocado and chunky salsa. The pepper jack cheese and sauteed onions really pump up the flavor; serving with salsa and refreshing avocado slices will turn up the volume even more.

Loaded (not bloated) Baked Potato:

1 potato

3/4 cup broccoli florets

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (can use more if you like it very cheesy)

1 cup cubed chicken

1 piece turkey bacon

salt and pepper to taste

Microwave the potato for 5 minutes to speed up the cooking process, then place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. While the potato is in its final stretch in the oven, cook the broccoli in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. Chop the turkey bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and cook in pan over medium heat for about 4-7 minutes depending on the texture you desire. Blot any excess grease. Chop the broccoli, and in a bowl combine the broccoli, chicken, bacon, and cheese, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Slice the potato lengthwise and loosen the flesh with a fork. Season the potato with salt and pepper. Place the chicken mixture in the potato while the potato is still hot and cover with foil (or place it back in the oven for a minute or 2) to melt the cheese. Then, all done! This is a different kind of loaded baked potato--and it's loaded with nutrition and flavor instead of butter and cream! Bye-bye love-handles!

Snack on this--Spicy Chicken Wrap:

1 spinach tortilla

1/8 cup cheddar cheese (or any kind)

3/4 cup cubed chicken

Hot sauce to taste

Place the cheese and chicken in the center of tortilla. Sprinkle with the hot sauce (I like Frank's Red Hot), as much as you want and as spicy as you like it. Roll the tortilla up like a buritto--roll the bottom half over the meat, then fold in both sides, and continue rolling. This is a substantial and protein-rich snack that will tickle your buds.

Moral of the story? Eating this well will allow you to kiss the blub goodbye as you prepare to be sun-kissed.

*photo courtesy of www.puppiesandflowers.com