by Coach Debbie

Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, there are a lot of delicious recipes out there that may SEEM so healthy but they are NOT!

Below is a recipe that we are going to analyze and FIX withoutcompromising on taste!  Ready for our fun game?

Original Recipe (from www.allrecipes.com):  Chicken with Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes

ORIGINAL INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless
chicken breast halves, cut into 1
-inch pieces
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can quartered
artichoke hearts, undrained
1 (6 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes
, drained and cut into quarters
1 (4 ounce) can sliced olives,
drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
freshly ground black pepper to
taste
1 (12 ounce) package angel hair
pasta
1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta
cheese
 

ORIGINAL DIRECTIONS:
1.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil for 1 minute. Add chicken; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir chicken broth, artichoke hearts with juice, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, salt, oregano, basil, and black pepper into chicken mixture; cover skillet and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 more minutes.
2.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook angel hair in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and transfer pasta to a platter; spoon chicken mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
 

ORIGINAL NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

Nutrition
Information
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Calories: 512
Amount Per Serving
Total Fat: 21g
Cholesterol: 78mg
Sodium: 1722mg
Amount Per Serving
Total Carbs: 49.9g
    Dietary Fiber: 7.2g
Protein: 33.3g
 
 
 

I like the idea of this recipe and the base of it.  There are plenty of things RIGHT with it.

Here’s what bothers me:Cooking with olive oil.  Olive oil doesn’t do well heated, so a healthier swap will becoconut oil.
1 pound chicken for 6 people.  We want high protein so let’s go for 2 pounds of chicken instead.
The chicken broth can stay as long as it is low sodium (did you see the total sodium for this meal?  1722 mg!  Knowing the artichokes, tomatoes, and olives have plenty of salt, let’s reduce it in the broth)
Salt.  The sodium content of 1722 is sky-high.  There is no need to add even 1 teaspoon of it.
Pasta.  Refined carbs make your eyelids droop, your mood change, and your thighs thick.  It’s empty calories, so we’re deleting it from the recipe.  This recipe started with 50g of total carbs, which is entirely too hig
Feta cheese.  I know, I know, you love cheese.  Let’s compromise and say 4 ouncesinstead of 8 ounces.
 We’ve cleaned it up and made major progress!  

And it’ll still taste like Chicken with Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes!

Here’s our NEW & IMPROVED RECIPE:NEW HEALTHY INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds skinless, boneless
chicken breast halves, cut into 1
-inch pieces
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can quartered
artichoke hearts, undrained
1 (6 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes
, drained and cut into quarters
1 (4 ounce) can sliced olives,
drained
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
freshly ground black pepper to
taste
 4 ounces crumbled feta
cheese

NEW HEALTHY DIRECTIONS:
1.
Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil for 1 minute. Add chicken; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir chicken broth, artichoke hearts with juice, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, salt, oregano, basil, and black pepper into chicken mixture; cover skillet and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 more minutes.
2.
Sprinkle with feta cheese.