Recipe: Healthy Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowl

Hi there!

I've talked before how I'm following the 21 Day Fix meal plan and exercises as part of my journey to live a healthy life. In addition, I love to cook and have adapted many recipes from Pinterest to keep my work lunches interesting while following the meal plan. 

I don't know about your work situation, but I am so lucky to work in an incredible environment with many tasty options around me. However, the struggle is real and the temptations happen often! If I don't keep my lunches interesting, I'm much more likely to eat unhealthy food!

So today I'm sharing a recipe that I adapted from FOUR recipes that I love!

Spaghetti Squash Cooking Directions | Shredding Chicken Directions | Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls | Turkey Lettuce Wraps

This recipe is easy and full of flavor. It makes a lot of food, too. Yay for leftovers!

I brought this for my work lunch yesterday (and today!). It's basically chicken and veggies with some spices. It was SO filling and made my co-workers jealous!

Prep time: ~ 20 minutes

Cook time: ~ 60 minutes 

Total time: ~ 80 minutes (I'm a slow cook, so this may be different for you!)

21 Day Fix containers per serving (approximate): 1.5 green, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue (and I cheated slightly and added 1 orange of low-fat shredded cheese!)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken breast
• 1 medium or large spaghetti squash
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, however you like to cut it
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 green pepper, however you like to cut it
• 1 red or yellow pepper, however you like to cut it
• 2 cups corn kernels
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 jar (16 ounces) salsa (use your preferred level of spiciness, but make sure it's low in sugar!!!)

Toppings:

• Cilantro
• Green onions
• Tomatoes
• Avocado (1/4 per serving)*
• Low-fat shredded cheese (I use 1 orange container per serving...about a tablespoon I think?)*
• *If you're strict, you should probably choose avocado OR cheese and not add both. Buuuut a little bit of cheese just sounded too good to me. I include it on mine :)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 
2. Shred chicken 
1. Place 2 quarts of water over medium heat
2. Once the water is warm, add the chicken and simmer for 10-15 minutes (don't boil!)
3. Let cool then shred
4. Set aside
3. Prep and bake spaghetti squash
1. Cut in half (the hardest part!)
2. Remove seeds and strings
3. Lightly mist with olive oil and place face down on baking sheet
4. Bake 40 minutes
5. Let cool a few minutes, then use a fork to remove "noodles"
6. Set aside
4. While that's all cooking, get to chopping those veggies!
5. Add olive oil to big skillet, throw in all chopped veggies and spices and cook to desired tenderness (for me, I start with the onions and garlic, get those nice and tender and then add peppers and corn. Then I toss in the spices, beans and salsa.)
6. Add shredded chicken and spaghetti squash "noodles" to the skillet and mix up!
7. Serve on plate and add toppings.
8. Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this, what you think and how you adapted it for yourself!
Have a good one!