Cheeseburger Quesadilla

Right now I am eating a very good dinner, licking my fingers so I don't get anything on my keyboard.  How about mixing the best of American fare with a Mexican staple?  A cheeseburger quesadilla!  It's so appetizing, yummy and filling, and oh so simple to make.

I mixed some chopped onions in ground beef and added in some italian seasoning.  How do you like your burger meat?  Maybe chili powder or garlic or whatever floats your boat.  Just toss it in a skillet and brown it all the way through, smashing up the big pieces so there aren't any giant chunks of beef.

Next, spray a griddle or skillet with canola cooking spray and put a low carb, high fiber tortilla on.  I used Xtreme Wellness tortilla wraps from Ole Mexican Foods.  You can use whichever brand you want, but you'll want one that's bigger than a fajita size so you have room to fold over all the meat and toppings.

Measure out 3 oz of cooked beef on your kitchen scale and place on 1/2 side of the tortilla.  Top with 1/4 C shredded cheese.  Cook the tortilla until the bottom is golden brown and a little crispy.

Top with your favorite burger toppings like lettuce or tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, whatever.  Just make sure you count the calories and carbs for whatever you top it with.  I used the avocado hummus I posted previously with a smidge of mayo and a hint of ketchup.  It reminded me of the amazing Maui Burger at Island's...omg so good!  My favorite!

The tortilla I used has 110 calories, 4.5g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, .5g polyunsaturated fat, 1g monounsaturated fat, 390mg sodium, 14g carbs, 9g fiber and 4g protein.  The nutrition data for ground beef varies, and it depends on the percentage of fat in the beef.  Obviously, the leaner the better.  I think mine was 90% lean, but I usually get what's on sale.  Just drain off the fat before you serve it.  And remember, too, that shredded cheese (depending on the type or brand) carries approximately 100 calories per 1/4 C.  It adds up fast so be careful!

The low carb, high fiber tortilla is better in nutrition than most hamburger buns out there, and it's a nice switch-up from a traditional burger.  You could even top it with salsa (recipe here)...mmm that would be good, too!

Enjoy your American fiesta!
Lisa
PS  Hover over the black bar on the right side of the screen to pull out more menu options for my blog.
happyfairylove@live.com

Confetti Tuna (Recipe, pics) and an Appliance Review

I got a new toy yesterday, and I'm so happy about it because it made today's lunch a breeze.  I have been doing a lot of searching for a good mini food processor.  I wanted a 3 cup size, and also one that chopped well without turning things to mush or leaving part big chunks and part chopped up stuff.  There was a Black & Decker that I was looking at, but no stores carry it in stock.  You have to order it online, and I just don't have that kind of patience.  It also got mixed reviews, so I was a little hesitant.  But the one I found (and it was the last one on the shelf) at Target was this super cool little Ninja Express Chop NJ100.

A handy small applicance that actually works...and it's PURPLE!!! :)

One thing I really like about it is that the blades are at 4 different levels, so you get evenly chopped food throughout.

Can you see the blades?  They're at different levels for evenly chopped food.

The blades are razor sharp!  You press down on the top to give it a pulse (it chops when pressed, stops when released), and just a couple quick pulses and your food is chopped to perfection.  I read a lot of reviews of a lot of choppers and one thing it seems hard to find is a chopper that will chop, without automatically pureeing, the softest foods (like tomatoes) and still chop the hard stuff (like carrots).  This little gadget does it all.  If you are in the market for an awesome chopper, I highly recommend this one.  And it comes in cool colors.  And it's just at only about $20 at Target.  Great buy!!!

I have to admit, ashamedly, that I have gotten a little off track the past few weeks.  I am bipolar and I take meds for mood swings and also depression.  This past month I have been forgetting to take my meds a lot, and it has been adversely affecting my mood.  So, I've been doing a lot of emotional eating, mindlessly eating crackers and other high carb things, (even some *gasp* oreos).  I've been eating way less vegetables and protein, too.  Fortunately, I've only gained about 1/2 lb so it's not to crisis mode, but if I don't get things back under control it could quickly slip into something terrible.

On to today's recipe!  I had veggies and protein on my mind, so when I saw this recipe on dLife I knew it was the perfect thing to get me back on track.  It's called Confetti Tuna.

Here's what you need:

Look at what an amazing job my Ninja Express Chop did on these vegetables!

1 5oz can tuna, packed in water, flaked with a fork
1/2 C shredded red cabbage
1/2 C chopped carrots
1/4 C shredded zucchini
1/4 C chopped onions
3 Tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
2 Tbsp low fat PLAIN yogurt
1/2 tsp dried, crushed basil
pinch salt and pepper

Mix everything together.  The recipe said to fill a celery stalk with it.  I used it to top cucumbers.  Would be great on pita chips or maybe even rolled up in a tortilla as a salad wrap.

Doesn't it look colorful and delicious?  It is!  I want more, and since it's so healthy it will be ok for me to indulge.  Here are the nutritional numbers for a 1/4C serving:  55 calories, 2.9g fat, 1.1g saturated fat, 16.4mg cholesterol, 128.4mg sodium, 155.5mg potassium, 3.3g carbs, .5g fiber, 5.2g protein. (2 Points Plus)

Healthy Munching!
Lisa
PS Hover over the black bar on the right to pull out more menu options for my blog.
happyfairylove@live.com