FOOD PREP: Healthy Coconut Lime Rice Recipe

There is a restaurant Steve and I love to go to on our “Thursdates” after we shoot our shows in South Florida where they serve yummy chicken and vegetable skewers over the most amazing tropical rice. However, we often have to trade the rice for steamed broccoli when we are dieting because I’m sure the chef doesn’t care about our waistline or goals as much as we do.

I started thinking the other day. I always steam rice on the weekends as part of my weekly food prep. What if I could make a yummier version of plain rice without all the extra calories? One of my favorite things to do is brainstorm on ways to make healthy alternatives that may be similar to my restaurant favs and that is how this rice made it into my rice cooker.

I thought about all the flavors I love; sweet and creamy coconut, tangy lime juice and the fresh taste of cilantro. I loved the idea of making a sweeter rice like the tropical rice we like, as well as the coconut lime rice often served at moderne mexican grills. Why not do a little of both?

I started throwing stuff together. I experimented on Jasmine Rice first and later did it with brown rice – and it was a hit both times. Not only did I like it, I liked it without adding anything else like butter, sour cream or loads of salt and pepper so it actually is SAVING me calories!

I paired it with pulled chicken cooked in my InstaPot with lime juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper as my core dishes for the week. Enjoy!

Sweet Coconut Lime Rice 

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups Jasmine or Brown Rice
• 2 Cups Califia Coconut Almondmilk
• 2 Cups Organic Chicken Stock
• 2 Cup Water
• 3 T Cilantro (season to taste)
• 3 Limes (lime lovers can always add more!)
• Pinch of Stevia (to sweeten & bring out the coconut flavor)
• Salt
• Garlic (optional – Trainers may not want to breath garlic on their clients FYI! LOL!)
• Dice Mango or pineapple (optional)

I threw all the ingredients together in my incredible Aroma Rice Cooker (thank you Kristie for that gift that keeps on giving!) and let it do the rest! Perfect fluffy rice every time!

NOTE FOR DIETERS: I decided to cut calories by limiting the recipe to only 2 cups of coconut rice. I added the chicken stock to boost flavor without the extra calories (only 5 calories for 8oz). Feel free to play around with differenet combinations. You can’t go wrong as long as you always use the amount of liquid suggested for the rice you use.

Tropical Rice Bowl

I love making a healthy rice bowl for lunch, before my afternoon workout, which normally includes

• 3 1/2oz pulled or ground chicken breast
• 1/3 cup coconut lime rice
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese (instead of sour cream)
• Fresh salsa

Need more fat? Add a couple of slices of avocado!

If you can afford the extra calories, top it all with some diced fresh mango

Or, save calories and enjoy a drizzle of Cindy’s Mango Coconut & Pepper dressing to give your bowl more tropical flair. (I buy it at Fresh Market.) Super healthy. Super yummy! You won’t feel like you are dieting at all!

Ask me about my newest seasonal shake:  Pina Colada! OMG! And my Mounds Bar shake recipe! Oh my! Dieting never tasted this good!

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