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Healthy Cinco de Mayo Recipe: Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

FitSugar — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Happy Cinco de Mayo! For many of us, the holiday provides a reason to enjoy delicious Mexican food. I'm a sucker for the spicy cuisine, but it's not always the healthiest fare. Ramp up the nutritional content of your dinner by complementing your chips and salsa with a healthier main dish. These filling sweet potato burritos offer a traditional flavor kick with the added benefit of vitamin-rich ingredients.

This recipe is flexible to suit your personal taste preferences. I substituted black beans for the kidney beans in the original recipe, opted for whole wheat tortillas instead of flour ones, used yams instead of sweet potatoes, and went light on the shredded cheese. My burritos were dressed in salsa and avocado with a side of light sour cream, but the options are endless. Make this a vegan dish by withholding the cheese and sour cream.

To get this healthy Cinco de Mayo recipe, read more.

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos
Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.

Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

Makes 12 burritos. May be made ahead of time, individually frozen, and heated.

Print recipe with images | without images

Food Review: Amy's Cheddar Cheese Burrito

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 03:30:00 -0700

If you don't know by now, I'm a huge fan of foods from Amy's Kitchen. I love her Vegetable Lasagna and Stuffed Pasta Shells, and her canned Vegetable Barley Soup is really tasty and filling.

Sugar users juju and james bond girl suggested I try Amy's burritos. You can find them in the freezer section of most health food stores. They weren't too expensive - about $3 or 4 each - and they have a few varieties such as Bean & Cheese (I tried this one), Bean & Rice, Black Bean Vegetable, Breakfast (with tofu and potatoes), Indian Spinach Tofu Wrap, and Southwestern (with jalapeño peppers and black olives).

Want to know what I thought of Amy's Bean & Cheese Burrito? Then read more

Serving Size	1 burrito
Calories	300
Total Fat	9g
Saturated Fat	2.5g
Cholesterol	10mg
Sodium	580mg
Carbs	43g
Fiber	6g
Sugar	1g
Protein	11g

This burrito was the perfect size, and it was very tasty - not very spicy, with just enough seasoning. The pinto beans and cheese were mixed to create a soft and creamy consistency. When I looked inside, I could still see whole pinto beans, which is always a good thing.

The whole wheat flour tortilla was wrapped tightly enough and never once unraveled, so I didn't have to worry about it becoming a huge explosive mess as burritos often tend to be. I also liked that after taking this burrito out of the freezer, it only took 2 1/2 minutes in the microwave to warm up.

Amy's burritos definitely get a thumbs up from me. With 11g of protein and 6g of fiber, they're a great option when you need a quick meal.

Taco Bell Breakdown

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 09:15:00 -0800

Everyone has made a run for the border at some point or another. To make sure you're prepared for your next trip to Taco Bell, I've broken down some of the popular menu items.

You should probably stick to the Crunchy Taco's Fresco Style (no cheese) as one has 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 360 mg of sodium and 14 grams of carbs. (*The soft taco fresco style weighs in with 190 calories)

You could also go for the Chicken Gordita Fresco Style which has 230 calories, 6 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 570 mg of sodium and 29 grams of carbs.

You definitely do not want to get the Fiesta Taco Salad as it packs in 860 calories, 46 grams of fat, 5 grams of trans fat, 1800 mg of sodium and 82 grams of carbs. (*The salad without the shell still has 490 calories!)

Fit's Tip: Watch out for condiments like sour cream and baja style sauce, they will pack on the extra calories!

How to Build a Better Burrito

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:00:38 -0700

If you've taken my Chipotle burrito quiz, you know that these simple Mexican wraps can contain some very serious calories.

It's easier to eat smart when making burritos at home, but what about when eating out? By making a few smart choices at the burrito counter, you can make your meal lower in calories and fat and better for you overall. Here's how.

You probably know that regular black beans, with 227 calories and one gram of fat per cup, are a better choice than refried beans, which can contain up to 16 grams of fat and more than 300 calories. But you may not know that one cup of black beans also offers 60 percent of your daily fiber, plus high amounts of protein and folate.

Get more surprising tips.

WARNING: Hardee's Country Breakfast Burrito

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Hardee's, the chain that also brought us an 1100 calorie Southwest Chicken Salad, is assaulting health junkies once again with a new menu item to hit restaurants: the Country Breakfast Burrito.

This massive burrito is made from two omelets, five hashrounds (WTF are hashrounds?), cheddar cheese, and sausage gravy all wrapped in a tortilla. Don't go licking your lips just yet: This burrito packs in a whopping 920 calories, 23 grams of saturated fat, and about nearly 2000 milligrams of sodium. I am a big fan of everything in moderation, but I can honestly say that there is not any real reason for anyone to eat this for breakfast, or anytime really. I know a lot of us have it in our heads that breakfast burritos can be a healthy breakfast alternative, but this burrito could not be further from that - steer clear.

I tried to find a better alternative for breakfast when eating at Hardee's, and the best choice I could find is the Sunrise Croissant with Ham, which weighs in at 430 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat. Needless to say, I won't be eating breakfast there anytime soon.

Source

Moe's Southwest Grill Breakdown

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:30:00 -0700

When I'm on the road and in need of quick meal, I sometimes stop at Moe's Southwest Grill. It's like a Mexican version of Subway - you pick a type of burrito, taco, fajita, salad, or quesadilla, and then you choose exactly what goes in it (and you can watch them make it too). They use fresh veggies, but they don't use lard. Plus the meat is grilled right there. The food tastes great and seems healthy, but after looking at the caloric content of The Homewrecker and the Triple Lindy, I am happy that I split a burrito with my hubby.

To see the breakdown read more.

Menu item	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Protein (g)
Homewrecker (burrito made with 12 in. flour tortilla, grilled chicken, black beans, rice, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, guacamole, pico de gallo)	890	33	14.8	120	2645	93	46
Triple Lindy (burrito made with 12 in. flour tortilla, ground beef, pinto beans, rice, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo)	835	31	11.5	83	2735	94	38
Joey Bag of Donuts (burrito made with 12 in. flour tortilla, grilled steak, black beans, rice, cheese, and pico de gallo)	740	23	9.5	90	2300	86	44
Art Vandalay (burrito made with 12 in. flour tortilla, pinto beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo)	755	27	13.3	60	2225	93	25
Overachiever (taco made with 6 in. flour tortilla, grilled chicken, pinto beans, cheese, guacamole, lettuce, and sour cream)	353	14	6.9	60	1063	30	21
Unanimous Decision (taco made with crispy corn shell, black beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, and lettuce)	240	12	5.6	30	523	21	9
The Funk Meister (taco made with crispy corn shell, ground beef, black beans, cheese, pico de gallo, and lettuce)	263	13	4.8	41	568	20	15
John Coctosan (quesadilla made with 10 in. flour tortilla, grilled chicken, pinto beans, cheese, sour cream, and pico de gallo)	780	37	18.8	150	1925	59	48
Close Talker (salad made crispy taco bowl, grilled chicken, black beans, cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, black olives, cucumbers, and chipotle ranch)	1030	68	14.8	98	2130	67	41

Nope, that last one is not a mistake. Talk about an unhealthy salad. Well, as disappointing as this info was, it's a great reality check. Just because something seems to be made with pretty basic ingredients, unless you make it yourself, you have no idea how much salt and fat it actually contains. I'll still frequent Moe's in a pinch, but definitely won't make a habit of it.

Scale Back Your Food Choices

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:30:00 -0700

With restaurants expanding portion sizes with menu items like the Country Burrito from Hardees or the 42 oz. Xtreme Gulp at 7-Eleven (pictured), it's easy to eat way more than you actually need or even want. I am not saying you have to give up going out for a meal, but just be smart when you do. Bigger size may mean a better value, but is it realistic to need 42 oz. of soda in one sitting? Probably not.

One way to be smart is by scaling back how much you actually eat and drink in the first place.

Here are a few tips for getting you on track:

Steer clear of large, jumbo and king size orders. Even a medium portion can be big, so share it with a friend. Better yet, opt for the small.
Eat half of what you order. Ask for a doggie bag and enjoy the rest on another day.
Have a bottle of water or diet soda instead of a regular sugar-laden soda.
Order a side salad with your meal.
Savor your food and eat more slowly. Put your fork down between bites. This will help you eat less.

Also, be sure to check out some of my breakdowns of popular restaurants before heading out so you can make wise choices along with portion size.

Source

Chipotle Breakdown

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 11:00:00 -0800

Many of us pick fast food places like Chipotle because we think that it is the healthy alternative to other restaurants on the go. It can be, but you have to choose wisely so before you head out to Chipotle, I've broken the menu down from the nutrition chart below.

So say you get a burrito with chicken, rice, black beans, cheese, sour cream and guacamole; you're looking at about 1,319 calories. [gasp]

Do yourself a favor and get a bowl (no wrap), with chicken and fajita veggies, tomato salsa and lettuce -- Skip the rice, cheese, sour cream and guacamole and it will only be 349 calories.

Blake Lively Doesn't Mind a Pre-Booty-Shorts Burrito

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:13:08 -0700

It appears that Serena van der Woodsen isn't the only one with a carefree attitude. Blake Lively's Gossip Girl character gives off a see-if-I-care air that the actress apparently adopts regarding the food she eats and when.

Blake spills the beans about her lack of willpower when it comes to monitoring her diet in the August issue of UK Glamour and said, "I had to do a scene in a bra and shorts for the first time in two years. On the day of the shoot, I ate a pork burrito, chips, and coke. Afterwards, I thought, 'I probably shouldn't have done that.' But whatever." The slender actress doesn't turn to exercise to work off the food she loves; in fact, she admits, "I have never worked out."

At 21 years old, Blake's metabolism is still working to her advantage, but thankfully she's talking about getting into exercise. She plans on getting a trainer because, she says, working out makes you "feel better." It doesn't seem like Blake needs any help with her self-confidence, but regular exercise is an important part of being a healthy person. Plus, she'll be able to eat those pork burritos for more years to come.

Calorie Quiz: Chipotle Burrito

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:30:40 -0700

Walk with me into a Chipotle Grill. Order, or rather build, a burrito with me. Let's guess how many calories we are putting in that big ol' flour tortilla. In fact, let's start with the tortilla. Take this quiz to see if you know what you are getting yourself into, calorie wise.

Question 1 of 8

How many calories are in a Chipotle burrito-size flour tortilla?