Recipe 3: Tomato Basil Chicken wrap with Peppers and cream cheese spread

(recipe makes 2 servings) 378 calories per serving

Ingredients:

1 can Chicken Breast (rinsed and drained)

1 red bell pepper (or whatever pepper you prefer)

2 wedges of laughing cow low calorie cream cheese spread (1 per tortilla)

¼ cup shelled sunflower seeds

2 tomato basil tortillas

2 dashes of McCormick Montreal chicken seasoning (contains salt, garlic, onion, pepper, parsley, red pepper, orange peel, paprika, and green pepper)

1 lemon

2 tablespoons Olive oil

Directions:

Rinse and drain chicken. Mix olive oil, the juice of one lemon,  2 shakes of McCormick seasoning, and drained chicken in a bowl. Slice bell pepper and put in a pain (that has been sprayed with non stick spray) on medium high heat. Sautee for 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook til chicken is heated through.

Take your tortillas and spread one wedge of laughing cow spread on each. Split the sunflower seeds between the two, then divide the chicken and peppers between the two tortillas.

Variations  and details:

This is my husbands favorite wrap. I use the canned chicken because it is cheap ($9 for 6 cans) but you can use regular chicken breasts or tenderloins. The sunflower seeds can be rotated with other nuts or seeds. The Xtreme Wellness tortillas come in a variety of flavors. I recommend using this brand over regular flour tortillas because they are fortified with protein and contain 48% of your daily fiber.

What will you gain by eating this meal? (sources http://www.webmd.com   and    www.livestrong.com) and “99  Superfoods” by Carrie May

Chicken: Provides protein and is lower in fat than red meat. Contains selenium and b6

Bell Pepper: contain carotenoids. Red peppers contain more antioxidants than any other color, such as lycopene. You can spot veggies and fruits that contain lycopene by their red skin. Lycopene (according to Medical news today and other sources) can help prevent prostate cancer. Lycopene as also been associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration (eye) according to Mayoclinic.com

Lemon: High in vitamin C, Vitamin C boosts the body’s immune system and wards off cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and skin wrinkling.

Olive Oil: Omega-9 fatty acid which helps reduce the risk of heart disease and promote heart health.

Low calorie cheese spread: Source of calcium which is necessary for strong bones and teeth. Low calorie cheese contains less lactose than full fat cheeses so if you have an allergy, low fat cheese may not upset your stomach.

Sunflower seeds: source of heart healthy fats that can help fight high blood pressure. Contain B vitamins and vitamin E. B vitamins help your body turn food into energy. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant that reduces damage caused by oxygen on cells and organs.

Tomato basil tortillas: High in fiber. Fortified with protein Omega fatty acids, and is lard free.

All recipes are originals created by Brittney Owens and are not to be reprinted without permission

Tips for grocery shopping:

Try to purchase the bulk of your food by shopping the outside perimeter of the store where you can find fresh produce, dairy, and meat. When you are selecting fruits and vegetables gravitate toward those that are brightly colored. Bright color most often means high nutrition. I found this article to be an excellent example of white/pale green lettuce verse bold/dark green spinach http://www.johnnyfit.com/nutrition/spinach-vs-lettuce.html/

If you fear wasting money by not cooking using your fruits and veggies before they spoil purchase frozen veggies. They hold their nutrition quite well and last for months.