Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Healthy Comfort Food

- Grass fed beef 
- Strained Tomatoes
- Garlic 
- Onion
-Cayenne Pepper
-Chili Powder
-Oregano
-Cumin
-Paprika
-Celery Powder
-Sea Salt
-Spice 
-White Onion
-Pinto Beans
-Kidney Beans
-Cheddar cheese (milk, salt, enzymes, and annatto).
-Whole Wheat Bread (not listing every ingredient - the only thing with more than a couple individual ingredients. I promise it was the "healthiest" bun I could find at Whole Foods)
-Yellow Mustard (Sorry, no individual ingredients here either. I had a choice - to walk to the kitchen for the umpteenth time or write this blog entry.)

Hey, look at that. You can read and pronounce every ingredient. This must be the start to a really healthy meal that tastes not very satisfying healthy, as well.

So here's what I made with these ingredients...










Are you ready?









Is the suspense killing you?










Okay, here it is:










A glorious, delicious chili dog





I paired it with a simple Kale salad and the whole meal was less than 600 calories...and I was so full! 

Here are the recipes: 

Chili Dog (serves 6)

Ingredients: 

- 1/2 chili recipe (I used a variation of this recipe by The Pioneer Woman; basically, I omitted the corn flour and just cut all other ingredients in half.)
- 6 hot dogs, boiled or grilled (I love this brand - organic, and made from humanely raised cows.)
- 6 whole wheat hot dog buns (or get the white ones if you want to live a little...I wish I had), warmed
- 6 oz of cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
- yellow mustard

Method (also known as, the perfect assembly): 

- Take heated bun and douse with mustard (it's the only way)
- Place HOT hot dog in bun 
- Sprinkle on onions
- Smother with chili
- Top with cheese (I prefer my cheddar unmelted; if you think I am nuts, put it under the chili)
- Take a bite and marvel at the fact that this chili dog is less than 430 calories

Kale Strawberry Salad (serves 2, plus a picky toddler)

Ingredients: 

- 1 bunch Dino Kale
- 5 strawberries
- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- salt to taste

Method: 

- remove kale leaves from ribs and chop to desired thickness
- slice strawberries
- whisk together EVOO, vinegar, dijon mustard and salt
- pour over kale and toss to coat all kale
- add strawberries and gently combine

Isn't she a beauty? 





If this meal teaches anything, it's that comfort food can be healthy, healthy food can be yummy, and it's all about portion control. I used nothing low fat, reduced fat, or sugar free. I used real ingredients that my granny would've recognized (except, I am not quite sure how often she ate kale...thanks trendy food of the day). Oh well - you catch my drift, right? 

Until next time, bon appetit!