Thursday, January 3, 2013

NO to the PACKAGE!!!

Last Thursday I was completely worn out from cooking at home. I normally cook 3 sometimes 4 days in a row before I'm too tired and we either go out or Josh cooks something (don't laugh). So after cooking on Sunday night, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and last Wednesday, I was not exactly happy about cooking again last Thursday night. However, I had an itty bitty dress for New Year's Eve planned and I've been working too hard in the gym to be eating out three days before getting into it! But dinner absolutely had to be easy or my crank was really going to get out of control. So I grabbed a red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion and a carton of baby bello mushrooms for Mexican stir fry aka Fajitas. I had chicken breast thawed; now to just find the seasoning for it. I started shifting through the maze that is my spice cabinet and pulled out one of those Taco Seasoning packets by Old El Paso (Betty Crocker). I ALMOST mindlessly threw it in my food, but for some fabulous reason thought to check the ingredient list. You'll be interested to learn what I found....

Maltodextrin, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, spice, monosodium glutamate, corn starch, yellow corn flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, silicon dioxide, natural flavor, ethoxyquin.                 

Let's break this down real quick: 
Maltodextrin = Sugar derived from starch

Monosodium Glutamate....MSG yeah MSG

Corn Starch...Do we really need to add starch to our diets? I'm trying to get rid of it in mine!

Yellow Corn Flour...Again with the grain starch! Remember, this is seasoning....

Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil = Trans Fat

Silicon Dioxide...Long Story Short, Google it, I cannot even begin to completely comprehend this chemical compound

Ethoxyquin = Preservative

I think you see the point I'm trying to make. These are things I neither want, nor need in my body. But I do love some taco/fajita flavor. So I took the good things out of this little packet and what I got was terrific and worked the same way!

Meags' Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin

The dinner I made with this was delish and I apologize for not having a picture.....I was staaaahvin and again, remember the crank! 

Healthier Taco Seasoned Fajitas

2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 carton baby bellow mushrooms, sliced
Meags' Taco Seasoning
*Most of it, not the whole batch
Coconut oil
Splash of water

In one pan heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil over high and cook chicken strips through. In a separate pan heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil over high and cook all the veggies until softened, but not limp. Strain out the juice from the chicken and add to the veggies. Sprinkle most of the taco seasoning over the chicken veggie mix and stir well. Add a splash of water and stir/toss around until it's not cakey, more of a suace.....kind of. If you need to keep adding a little water at a time, no problem. I served this just with an itty bit of sour cream and pico de gallo on top. No tortillas, no starch! Woooo! It was so so so yummy and I'm feeling great aobut not having eaten all that random stuff in the packet! 

Try this out, might even do really well for dip!.......hmmmmm Maybe a future blog in the making!

Salud!

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