Healthy Taco Salad (low calorie too)

This is my version of a healthy. low calorie taco salad.

Come along, I'll tell you what I did.

I tore up about a cup of romaine lettuce,

topped that with a handful of baby spinach.

I browned a 1/2 pound of ground chicken
along with 1/2 of a jalapeno chopped fine,
and 1 slice onion chopped fine,
and then seasoned with my favorite taco seasoning without draining.

Place six tortilla chips along the side of bowl (Trader Joes organic).

2 TBS lite sour cream

2 TBS guacamole 

2 TBS pico de gallo

Absolutely NO dressing. 

Eat and enjoy.....

I did!!

Weight Watchers Monday: Pear Salad

 This is the best darn fruit salad I have had in a long time.

The flavors in this salad cause an explosion to the palate.  

One thing about this salad, it is best served fresh.

Don't get me wrong, the next day salad is still full of flavor, 

but you know how cut fruit gets if it sits till the next day.

So, if you are entertaining for 6 (this recipe serves six) make sure it is all served.

I had some for breakfast the next day along with my whole wheat bagel.

Excellent breakfast side.

This Weight Watchers recipe is 5 points per serving.

Pear Salad

4 celery heart stalks, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

2 ripe pears, diced (I left skins on)

6 leaves Boston lettuce

2 TBS honey (I used wildflower honey)

2 TBS pear infused vinegar

1/4 c. pine nuts, slightly brown in a skillet (until fragrant)

1 c. diced white cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

fresh ground pepper, to taste

Wash celery and pat dry. Cut lengthwise and then into slices.

Toast the pine nuts in a hot (medium/high heat) skillet until slightly browned and fragrant.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the honey, vinegar, and salt. Add the pears and stir gently to coat.

Add the cheddar cheese, pine nuts and celery, stirring to combine. Season with pepper. 

Place 6 lettuce leaves on plates and divide the salad, placing an equal portion of salad on top of lettuce leaves.

Serve either at room temperature or chilled.

Chicken Burgers with Guacamole on a Pretzel Bun

 Have you seen or tried the becoming very popular pretzel buns?

I have seen many restaurants adding this scrumptious bun to their menus.

They are soft, and definitely a pretzel.

I found a package of them on the same day bakery rack.

I grabbed them, paid for them, gently carried them home, and then stuck them

in the freezer for later eating. 

I wanted to do some studying and research something special to place in the

amazing pretzel buns.

 Look what I found.....

Chicken Burgers with Guacamole.

And yes, I found this awesome recipe on Pinterest.

Which lead me to What's Gaby Cooking?

 Once I got my burgers assembled, I had to stand back and really

look at these beauties.....

And then all of a sudden it hit me.

How am I going to eat these?

How am I going to get my mouth around these giant burgers?

Not only that, how am going to pick them up to GET them to my mouth?

This is how I had to eat the burger.

Yup, I had to cut it in pieces.

Then I had guacamole dripping off my elbows.

For real!

I did!

Chicken Burgers with Guacamole

1 1/2 lbs. ground chicken

1/2 c. finely chopped vadalia onion

1/4 c. finely chopped fresh cilantro

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp. (a half of a jalapeno) chopped jalapeno

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1/3 c. finely shredded cheddar cheese

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

In an olive oil coated skillet heat over medium heat.

Transfer the ground chicken to a medium bowl.

Add onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, paprika, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Using your hands, incorporate everything together. Make sure everything is evenly incorporated without over mixing the ground chicken.

Form the mixture into four 1/2"-thick patties. Cook burgers over medium heat until cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side.

Serve each patty in pretzel burger buns topped with guacamole, pico de gallo, and fresh spinach.