Food Fix: Healthy Choice Nachos

We all get cravings. Some more than others, but when the craving for something salty, filling and delicious hits...nothing hits the spot like NACHOS! And that's certainly no exception when you're trying to eat healthy.

(Healthy Choice Nachos)

Recently I've began watching not only my calories, but my carbohydrate intake. And it's always a good idea to keep an eye on fat and sodium as well. No easy task sometimes. But this Food Fix works on all those fronts, while taking care of that pesky craving for nachos.

A couple of smart substitutions, combined with potion control help make this one a winner. For your chips, look for unsalted, whole grain options, these have less sodium, and are a better all around option. Remember to pay attention to the serving size, my tortilla chips are 150 Calories per 10 chips.

If you're someone who normally makes nachos with a pile of taco ground beef, try using chicken breasts instead. You can feel free to cook up a chicken breast yourself before making your nachos, or as a quick and easy solution, there are many fresh or frozen options of precooked all white chicken strips or pieces readily available at your local grocery store. (TIP: Try to stay away from the processed chicken bits or anything battered, they are less nutritious and add extra calories and/or carbs). (EXTRA TIP: You can also go the vegetarian route and try this out with some soy-based veggie ground round, simply prepare as you would your traditional ground beef).

Use as many fresh veggies as you'd like, the more the merrier! I sliced up fresh white mushrooms, an assortment of grape tomatoes, red bell peppers (diced), and jalapenos. Feel free to add different colors of peppers, onions, olives, etc. whatever flavors you love.

For the cheese, you can use whatever tickles your fancy, you can't go wrong with a nice Tex-Mex blend. I used a marble cheddar because that's what I happened to have on hand. Using a low fat or a light cheese will help shave off even more calories and/or fat, but no matter what cheese you choose to use, don't forget your portion control. A serving of cheese should typically be 1 ounce, if you don't have a kitchen scale, you can eyeball it, it should be roughly the size of an average index finger. A little really does go a long way here since we're not just covering a huge plate in cheese, we'll be sprinkling just a little on each chip.

To assemble your nachos, place each chip on baking sheet, and stack your ingredients as neatly as possible to avoid wasting goodies that have fallen and stuck to the pan. The order makes little difference, but I prefer the cheese near the top so that it melts nicely over all of our toppings. Once finished, it should look something like this...

(Assembled Healthy Choice Nachos before baking)

Pre-heat oven to 350F and place sheet carefully inside, baking until nice and hot throughout and cheese has fully melted (approx. 7-10min depending on your oven). Plate and serve!

(Healthy Choice Nachos and Lemon-Lime Water)

You can eat these on their own, or you can serve with a little dollop of sour cream and salsa. Remember to keep up the healthy choices and go for a fat-free or light sour cream, and a salsa without too much sodium (TIP: If you're feeling really adventurous, you can always make your own fresh salsa).

(Healthy Choice Nachos with Sour Cream and Salsa)

Healthy choice nachos can fit into most anyone's diet, and each and every chip is loaded with flavor, no more plain jane chips left over at the bottom of the nacho pile! I hope you try this out, it was a big hit in our household. Enjoy!