Low-Cal Burrito Bowl

If you get a burrito at your favorite restaurant (like Chipotle), you are blowing a whopping 300 CALORIES just on the tasteless 13″ flour tortilla alone! Ironically, if you trade white rice for brown rice, your calories go up even more because the brown rice is actually higher in calories than the white rice. Then, if you decide to get some good healthy fats, watch out – because their guacamole will pile on 230 more calories. Even if you skip the rice, and attempt to make it “healthy”, it’s likely your creation will still stack up to be over 800 calories. So much for good intentions!

The best way to really stick to your diet is to duplicate some of your favorite restaurant meals at home. You can get all the flavor of your favorite burrito without the calories, and without the unwanted fat, in your own kitchen. Here are a couple of ideas – one meal idea for lunch and another similar meal (with a few tweaks) for dinner.

TIP: Make your meal extra special by picking up some key ingredients from the pros. Most restaurants sell their salsa or hot sauces so you can add restaurant flavor without the extra restaurant calories.

These 2 meals have helped us get our mexican fix in while dieting.

Afternoon Bowl – 362 Calories (22.3p, 43.4c, 12.1f)
Layer ingredients in a bowl in the following order:

1/2 cup Jasmine Rice
2 T Black Beans
1 T Sour Cream
3oz Pulled Chicken
1/2 cup shredded Lettuce
1/4 Sliced Avocado
1/8 cup Finely Diced Onion
1/4 cup Finely Diced Mango or Pineapple
4 T Fresh Salsa
2 T Jalapeños

–

Low-Carb Dinner Bowl – 275 (20.7p, 24gc, 12g)

Layer ingredients in a bowl in the following order:
TRADE 1/4 cup cooked jasmine rice for a bed of Shredded Lettuce
SKIP the Black Beans
3 oz Pulled Chicken
1/4 Sliced Avocado
1/8 cup Finely Diced Onion
1/4 cup Finely Diced Mango or Pineapple
4 T Fresh Salsa
2 T Jalapeños
1 T Light Sour Cream

Make it even leaner by cutting more carbs (ditch the fruit) and add another ounce of protein!