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The Biggest Loser has been on for almost 10 seasons, and I have never, ever watched it until now.

I missed out because that show rocks.

Watching Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels scream in the faces of the contestants instantly reminds me of my college field hockey days.  It wasn’t a good workout unless someone was screaming at you to push harder or run faster.   I think that’s why I’m so picky about how I exercise now.  Most exercise videos just seem wimpy to me.  If I don’t feel like I’m about to drop dead of exhaustion then I need to keep going.  “Pain is fear leaving your body – keep going!!” Ha.  Thanks Coach Mike.  Point taken.  I think at this point in my life after all of the sports-related “pain” that I have endured, I must not be scared of anything.  My fear is gone.  Bring it, Bob and Jillian!

The show is truly inspiring.  If you aren’t familiar with it, you need to check it out.  People that are morbidly obese check-in to a “boot camp” of sorts led by a team of nutritional and training experts and leave 200+ pounds skinnier.   Last week, the show did a bit on healthy eating and how to eat foods that we enjoy without all of the extra fat.   Bob grabbed a pack of ground turkey, corn and black beans and made a chili.  Unfortunately they didn’t exactly disclose a recipe – it was more of a plug for Jennie-O turkey – BUT it did give me an idea for a recipe.

I went to the grocery store, picked up some ingredients, and gave it a shot.  Jay asked me what I was making and my response was, “I’m not quite sure yet, we’ll see where this food takes me.”   I’m calling it a chili because quite frankly I’m not sure how else to describe it, although the liquid content is no where near the same as an actual chili.  We put this recipe in whole wheat tortillas and I would go even as far to say I would put it on a pizza.  Yummmm….

Also check out my Turkey Pumpkin Chili that I made in the fall.  It was goooooooood.

If you are looking for more motivational weight-loss stories, hop on over to Caren’s Blog, City Momma/Country Momma.  She has currently lost 87.6 pounds (and counting!).  We work together and every time I talk to her, I get so pumped to be healthy.  She has lost weight the correct way – eating healthy and exercising regularly – no fad diets, no slashing carbs or starving.  She is a wife, a proud momma of an adorable boy, swim instructor, and an elementary school teacher that has recently started a career as a nutritional expert.  She runs weekly meetings/support sessions for people trying to lose weight.  She’s certainly busy, but she makes sure to take time for herself.  Talk about inspirational!  She chronicles her weight-loss journey on her blog.  You should check it out!

The Biggest Loser-Inspired Black Bean & Corn Turkey Chili

Serves 6-8 (depending on how hungry you are!)

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 large sweet onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (don’t drain it!)
2 lbs extra lean ground turkey
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. cocoa powder
3 tsp. water
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 -15.5oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-8.5oz can whole corn kernels, rinsed and drained
3 scallions/green onions, sliced
1/2 avocado, cubed

Directions:

In a large skillet heat olive oil to medium-high.  Add onions and cook until tender.  Then add tomatoes with liquid.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove onions, tomatoes, and liquid from skillet and place in a bowl.

(You may need to now add a little bit more olive oil to skillet since turkey is extra lean.)  Add turkey, chili, cocoa, water, salt and pepper to skillet.  With a minute or so left on the turkey throw in your garlic and cook until turkey is browned (no pink!).

Add onion/tomatoes, black beans and corn back into the large skillet with the turkey.  Stir and allow beans and corn to warm through.  Taste test it for any additional salt or pepper.  Turn off heat.  Add scallions.

Divide into separate bowls.  Top with avocado cubes….

…OR you can place this in the center of a tortilla wrap, add avocado, roll it up and enjoy….

…OR you can serve this along side tortilla chips.

The possibilities are endless!

ENJOY!

Where do you get your cookbooks?  Do you search solely online?  When you travel to different states or countries do you add a cookbook to your collection? What makes a cookbook standout to you?

Personally, I love cookbooks that have pictures to go with every recipe.  A drab book of food with no pictures will not grab my attention.  Bookstores like Barnes and Noble or Borders and craft stores like Michael’s or A.C. Moore tend to have bargain bins.  And in these bins or on these shelves are TONS of cookbooks filled with vibrant pictures and incredible recipes.  I have been known to find these cookbooks for $1 each at a craft store or for $4 at Barnes and Noble.  I venture upstairs to the more expensive cookbooks but they just don’t have the pictures that I want.  I like to see the dish.   From appetizers to world cuisine, I can find just about any type of cookbook in the bargain bin.  Next time you are at a bookstore, grab a cup of coffee and go perusing in the bargain section.  It’s amazing what you will find.

This recipe comes from one of my bargain cookbooks, and I’m very excited to share it with you.  Oh, and it’s on sale on amazon.com for $0.23!!!  Click the link below to get this steal.  It’s a fabulous cookbook!

Florida Keys-Style Citrus Chicken

Source: Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Big Book of 30-Minute Dinners, p. 59

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 or 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Tbs butter and/or olive oil
1 tsp. lime zest
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 orange

Directions:

Rinse chicken; pat dry.  In a large skillet cook chicken and garlic in butter/oil over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked through.  During this time, make sure to stir the garlic occasionally while flipping the chicken once.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine lime zest, lime juice, ginger, and red pepper.

Peel and slice orange, reserving juice.  Cut orange into quarters.  Add orange juice to the lime juice mixture.  Place juice into skillet and place orange slices on top of chicken.   Cook, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes or until the oranges are heated through.

Spoon drippings over chicken to serve.  Sprinkle lime and orange zest on chicken for garnish.

*I served my chicken on top of Israeli couscous.