Yo Quiero Taco Bell!

Did anyone see Jorge Cruise's post today on his FB page?  He stirred a hornets nest up... Here's what he said: 

"Here's my newest column in FIRST magazine! Learn which Chipotle meal is the worst at 15 grams of sugar and how Taco Bell will save the day at only 4 grams of sugar!! Yummy Mexican food.
Do you love Mexican food? Taco Bell?"

Seems like a pretty harmless statement.... right?  Well here's just some of the responses he got pertaining to his "harmless statement".   It seems he stepped on a lot of toes here... I brought this up here...because I am interested in knowing what YOU think.  Please leave your comments and opinions on this subject at the bottom of the page.  

I rarely eat out any longer but feel that sometimes there is not an option and that if you need to re-energize and Taco Bell is near ...even if there are other choices ...but you want Taco Bell...then Go For It!  My response is in red below.

•  I always liked Taco Bell, but was afraid of it.
• I had fresh packed Sardines in Chipotle.....0 sugar, 0 carbs..delish!
• I love that you can have tacos on this diet! It is a life saver when you are out and about and have no real choice except fast food! Thanks Jorge
• I can't think of a single reason that anybody should be recommending Taco Bell
• dahhhh!!!!, tacos are low in sugar and carbs!!!!My husband loves Taco Bell! Going to pick up the magazine!
• But Taco Bell is full of processed foods - Chipotle has fresher foods, plus natural meats. Here is a calculator that can help you avoid extra sugar at Chipotle: http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator 
• Cool..thanks for sharing Suzanne! Anytime we go out to eat, we check out the menu online to figure out what we can eat.
• ♥ taco bell!!
• Too bad Taco Bell is crap food!! We should be equally concerned with the nutritional value of what we eat as well as the sugar content. I'm a huge follower of yours, Jorge, and truly believe in your message of cutting out sugar for better health but am sometimes disappointed by foods you recommend due to their poor quality such as anything from Taco Bell.
• Jorge thank you we love taco bell....He is throwing that out there so those of us who like fast food will have different things to pick from.So those taco bell lovers will know what the better choice is not the BEST choice of food :~)
• Jorge speaks to a large audience...any change in the right direction...such as lowering your sugar intake...is a good one...then as you begin to feel the benefits of lower sugars...one can begin to make the other changes to eat more healthy vitamin rich foods... Baby Steps can be the most important ones for a lifestyle of walking upright!
• Sure but as an above poster commented, he should be pushing the freshness and better quality food of Chipotle instead. In an earlier post some months back he was bragging on Chipotle's steak bowl. If you need to eat out as we do sometimes the lesser of the evils is best such as places that serve fresh foods and natural meats.
• Knowing all our options really helps us make better choices. I'm not a Taco Bell fan, but if I'm stuck, you've given me a good option. Thanks
• I don't have a Chipotle here in my area so if I need something quick and on the go..Taco Bell is my only choice. So those who are getting on to Jorge for suggestion this, what do you suggest to someone who doesn't have Chipotles or Taco Bell but has to eat something on the road?
• Taco Bell Uhhh. I have got to get the magazine because I love Chipotle
• Taco Bell is out. Some of the worst food I have ever eaten.
• Chipolte - yumm!!
• Taco Bell can be a good choice if you stay within the program. It has saved me when other choices available were not good ones.
• When I know I have to eat on the road and am not going to have any good choices, I pack a quick sandwich and cheese stick to eat in the car. Much more better for my body and putting junk in it.
• Thanks for the info. I think any 'eating plan' should be able to accomodate healthy and fast food. Not everyone who wants to lose weight is into the healthy stuff, but just reducing your weight can be healthy enough for some.
• Taco Bell is pretty good - can get filled up on less with veggies too! The Bell by my house just revamped their whole store and it looks very classy now. I also like Qdoba - lots of fresh veggies, yummy guacamole, your choice of beans, meats and cheeses. You call it all out as they make your order - and you can get it without the tortilla or shell if you wish.
• Taco Bell has a new market taco that tastes good and meets the BFC standards. Inexpensive as well for when you are in a pinch!
• Besides, Chipotle is terribly overpriced for the menu it offers! The costs reflect the overhead, not the quality of the food itself.
• I love Chipotle and it doesn't raise my glucose number. It's a great place to eat out and you can tell them "easy on the rice" or " no rice"
• Yes, but not fake mexican food like chipoodle or taco bell. I like the hole in the wall taco joints here in LA.
• I used to LOVE Taco Bell until I found out that they mix sand into their ground beef. Seriously. They do it to prevent mold and mildew so the meat is "fresh" longer. So for me, Taco Bell is never an option!

Please let me know what you think also...as I find this "argument" very interesting.

I promised another recipe...so here goes:

We took the Fantastic Fried Steak recipe on page 225 of The Belly Fat Cure book and tweaked it a little to create.... Chicken Fried Chicken 

Chicken Fried Chicken

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup Almond Meal/Flour
• 1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1/4 Tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 4 large Chicken Breasts cut down to 3 strips each
• 2 Tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Place the almond meal on small plate. Place the eggs in small dish and beat.  Place the panko on another small plate.  Stir the Lawry's seasoned salt into the almond meal.  Dredge each piece of chicken in the almond meal; dip into the beaten eggs and dredge in the panko. Heat the evoo in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Fry the chicken pieces for 5 minutes each side...or until juices no longer run pink and there is no pink inside.  The outside should be golden brown.  Feel free to add more evoo as needed.  Serves 4-6 persons (depending on size of chicken breasts)   [I could only eat 2 of the strips]

We served ours with a side salad and used 1 Tbl of ranch dressing for the dressing and 1 Tbl for dipping our chicken strips in.  Delish!  The almond meal made this recipe divine!  YUM!

Hope everyone is having a Fabulous Week!  It's HUMP DAY...so we goin' for the slllllliiiide to the weekend!

OH...almost forgot...Yesterday's Mexican Chicken was AMAZING!!!! It was like a very thick Tortilla Soup (without the cilantro) You Gotta Try It!  Here's my pic from today's lunch leftovers!  Forgot to add the avocado on top...but it was still good...probably even better than last night!

Love You All!  

Be sure to visit all my friends blogs too!  

We are all gonna WIN this battle of the bulge!

Don't forget to leave your comments about Jorge's statement above!

Tuesday Recipe Day!

I've been looking for some interesting EASY recipes to include on our BFC plan.  I have been following a great FaceBook page called Sandy's Simple Recipes...(go to FB and type in that name in the search and it should pull up her page...then if you press LIKE you will receive notices of her tried and true recipes)  Sandy is a budding cook and also follows the Adkins diet.  Many of her recipes fit nicely with the BFC plan also.
(This is another GOODIE I believe I found because of our dearest Rosalie from Healthy Me! Doing The Belly Fat Cure.  Thanks Rosalie!)

Here is one of Sandy's recipes I'm cooking for tonight:     (I made a few additions and changes...but that's what makes this recipe so great!)

Mexican Chicken Ole' 

• 4-8 Boneless Chicken Breasts (thawed or frozen)
• 1 can of Cream of Mushroom  or  Chicken  or  Celery  Soup (optional : low sodium)
• 1 can of Ro Tel diced tomatoes (mild or hot)  OR   2 cups of Salsa
• 3 cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese  or  Mexican Blend Cheese

Crock Pot instructs: Combine the first 3 ingredients in a crock pot on high.  Cover. Allow to cook for 6-8 hours....turn crock pot down at approx hour 4-5.  

Thirty minutes before ready...add 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, mix thoroghly.  Do Not Cover.  Allow to cook on low for 30 minutes.  Broth will thicken.  Chicken should be fall-apart tender. 

Oven instructs:  Heat oven to  350. Combine the first 3 ingredients in an oven proof casserole dish.  Cover with foil.  Allow to cook 1.5 hours...longer if breasts are frozen. 

Thirty minutes before ready...add 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, mix thoroghly.  Do Not Cover.  Allow to cook on low for 30 minutes.  Broth will thicken.  Chicken should be fall-apart tender. 

Optional Additions:

Top with 1 serving (read package) of crumbled (leave fairly large chunks) of Tortilla Chips onto each serving of Mexican Chicken as you are placing it on a plate. 

 

A dollop of sour cream and a little guacamole would be fabulous additions as well!  

 

As I am currently making this dish...I do not truly know what I'm talking about, however...it sounds pretty fool-proof (so I can't screw it up!) It really sounds alot like what we call King Ranch Chicken here in Texas...named after the largest ranch in Texas.  And I hope mine looks like the pic below! lol

 

 I will give you the carbs and sugars and allow you to do the figuring! 

(please note that these are the actual Carbs and not the BFC carb points)

Healthy Valley Organic Cream of Mushroom Soup = 22 carbs for whole can       

Ro Tel = 10 carbs and 7 sugars for whole can

Cheddar Cheese = 12 oz = 4 total carbs +/-  (also check for sugars on pkg)

Sour Cream = Daisy Sour Cream = 2 TBL = 1 sugars and 0 carbs

Avocado = 1 whole California Avocado = 0 sugars and 10 carbs

Tortilla Chips = Tostitos = 24 BITE SIZED = 17 carbs  PER SERVING

EAT IN MODERATION... DONT GORGE YOURSELF!  

(ya'll have no idea how many times I lift up my mirror and 

tell myself exactly what I'm telling YOU!...this is one of those times!)

 

I have a few more recipes I'm gonna serve up for ya this week.  So stay tuned!

 

Sooooo NO drum roll for me this week!  I am still at 201.5 !  At least I didnt gain and all "SYSTEMS" are working properly at present!  My foot issue has kept me from doing any walking but riding the bike is more like 15 min twice a day... I know as I continue...my stamina will increase so I'm giving myself some grace there.  

 

Some of you know I'm taking an art class online.  I am loving it to pieces... If you ever want to venture out and explore a little you really need to check out WYANNE'S classes.  Here is one I did last week...in 30 minutes!!!  Couldn't believe it!

 

I'm also blogging about my experiences if you would like to check out that blog its:

ArtisanArtsBlog

Love you ALL!!!  

MUAHHH!