Eating Healthy at Chipotle

Wherever you are reading this post from, there is probably a chipotle within 10 miles of you. Since opening its first location in 1993, Chipotle owner and creator, Steve Ells, has been committed to serving "food with integrity". You can watch Steve explain his mission on Nightline here. It truly is comforting to know that there are fast food chain owners out there who actually care about what Americans are putting in their bodies on a daily basis. Today, the ingredients used to make your favorite burrito are sustainably raised and produced.

I am a vegetarian (or pescetarian?) but I am so hugely impressed with the information I learned about the meat Chipotle uses in its restaurants. 100% of the pork is sourced from farmers who abide by very strict guidelines to raise their pigs in a natural way. That means the pigs are kept in normal environments, fed a vegetarian diet, and never ever ever ever fed hormones. The same goes for 100% of the chicken and beef used by Chipotle. No growth hormones or antibiotics allowed. Even the dairy cattle used are not allowed to have been given any rBGH (a very scary hormone used by commercial dairy farms to make their cows produce more milk). 

AND if that's not enough, they were the first fast food chain to stop using oil with trans fat to cook their food. HOORAY FOR CHIPOTLE! Thank you for not poisoning us!!!

Honestly, before doing research for this post, I had no idea that Chipotle was so committed to their mission of serving "food with integrity". I am so hugely impressed that I will venture to say that if there is one fast food place I would recommend to people, Chipotle is that one. 

BUT with that being said, that doesn't mean that every burrito or taco you get is going to be healthy necessarily. SO with a little help from Chipotle's online nutrition calculator,  here is what I have deemed the healthiest ways you can order at Chipotle. *spoiler alert-none of this includes a bag of chips and guac* 

1. SALAD-you knew I was going to say it. Yes, a salad is the healthiest place to start because you automatically are cutting down the carbohydrates. But I promise you can make your Chipotle meal equally as epic with a salad as you were about to do with that burrito. 

2. PROTEIN- As far as protein goes, you need some. If you're going for highest protein to calorie ratio, I would go with the chicken (180 calories and 32 grams of protein per serving)!

 However, if you are like me and don't eat chicken, or if you just don't feel like eating chicken that day, definitely go with the sofritas!! I am most excited about this because it's Chipotle's newest addition to the menu! The sofritas is basically organic tofu that has been braised with chipotle chiles, pablano peppers, and spices. It definitely has a kick to it that I love. As far as nutritional value goes, it's the lowest in calories (145 cals/serving) but the sodium content is a little high for my liking (555mg/serving) and the amount of protein isn't nearly as the chicken (only 8 g/serving). I'd definitely still give it a try though!! 

As far as the "worst" protein to choose, I would say the barbecue and the carnitas. They have the worst calorie to protein ratio (carnitas are the highest calorically with 220 cals/serving), and they are both high in sodium. So maybe just try to avoid those two. 

3. RICE- This should really go without saying but I'll remind you anyway....get the brown rice. Way more nutritional value than white rice. I promise. 

4. ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS- 

DO get black beans- they are a great source of fiber and protein! 

DO get the fajita veggies 

IF you want to get a salsa, your best bet is the tomatillo green chili salsa (lowest sodium content by far!!) 

I personally have the hardest time resisting the guacamole but unless you want to add on an extra 230 calories to your salad, I'd stay away from that heavenly green stuff. Maybe for a splurge every once in a while, but don't make it a habit. 

Cheese I am definitely a fan of, it'll cost you an extra 100 cals but it's not the end of the world if you choose to add it on. And don't forget the BONUS-all dairy products used by Chipotle are free of that nasty rBGH stuff! 

Sour cream...ehhh...I'm not a big sour cream person anyway so I'd say no just on personal preference, but it's kind of like the cheese. If you really feel like you can't enjoy this salad without it, then why the hell not. But in general, sour cream doesn't get the best nutritional rep because of it's high in calories and saturated fat.

Vinaigrette is a no go sir. Adds 270 cals/serving and boasts the highest sodium of all the other toppings (850 mg!!!). If that wasn't bad enough, there's a good amount of sugar in there too (12g). There is almost nothing redeeming about the vinaigrette. I promise you don't need it. 

*Notice the coloring of the ingredients! 

Green=You're doing great, order on!

Yellow=Be cautious! I won't kill you for ordering it, but I'm not proud of you either 

Red=NO! Nononononononono. If you order it, I'll be really disappointed in you, reader. I taught you better than that....

I hope this was a helpful post!! Overall, I think Chipotle is a great organization and fast food chain so I'm thrilled to be providing you with some healthy options. Comment below with any questions or other comments! As always, I love hearing from y'all :D 

*I was not contacted or compensated by Chipotle to write this post. All opinions are fully my own.*

Miami Getaway and a Recipe

Well, it's that time of year again; my favorite time of year in fact...spring!! The unforgiving winter is finally dissipating and making room for a little sunshine. I'd say the east coast has earned some warmth after such a brutal few months of polar vortexes and snow storms (I'm lookin' at you Boston!). I, for one, cannot get enough of the sunny 50 degree days that we've been having in Balty this weekend. 

BUT I owe you guys a lot of updates since I've been MIA for the past few months (blame law schools!!). Here's a look at what I've been up to as well as a yummy recipe at the end that won't even ruin that bikini bod you've been workin' on all winter long ;) 

MIAMI (insert sun emoji here)

I was fortunate enough to be offered a spot in the Miami Scholars Program at the University of Miami School of Law starting this fall! I have never been to Miami and had no idea what to expect from my visit to the school and the city, but I absolutely loved my time there. Everything from the people, to the food, to the weather (obviously) and everything in between brought me such joy. I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't want to live there!! 

I met new friends through the Miami Scholars Program :) 

Toured the campus with Mama Shelley (she came down after the scholars weekend for a mini vaca) 

Exploring South Beach

We most definitely ate our way through Miami. We went to three awesome restaurants that any foodie MUST try if you ever travel to Miami. 

1. The Bazaar by José Andrés at the SLS South Beach hotel-definitely a true culinary experience. The service wasn't amazing, but the food certainly was. My mom and I describe these dishes as "Top Chef" worthy. *The lighting wasn't the best for photos, so they don't do the food any justice*

Wild mushroom soup with grated cheese and an organic egg yolk

Mom's "Colada Cubana"-foie gras with coffee

King crab with raspberries (sounds like a strange combo but no...it's amazing)

Dragon Fruit Ceviche with tuna, pecans, lemon, and hibiscus

Gorgeous cheese plate

Tres Leches--cuban rum, pineapple and ‘tres leches’ ice cream

2. Sushi Samba-This place was a lot of fun. Great atmosphere and great sushi with a latin twist. A must try is the tuna sashimi seviche with coconut, tomato, serrano, grapefruit, and cilantro. Not to mention that the sushi rolls themselves were so fresh and original. We couldn't even pick a favorite roll because each bite we took was our new favorite. PS-eat outside and catch some quality people watching!

3. OLA at the Sanctuary-Another winner! One thing that stuck out to me about this restaurant was the amazing gluten free bread they gave out. If a restaurant has good quality bread to start off the meal, I'm usually sold :D. Not only did OLA have that handled, but they also had a great assortment of fresh seafood for dinner. I had the fish of the day (a grouper type white fish) drenched with an amazing sauce and topped with more seafood. Dream come true for this fish girl. 

*Again sorry for the poor quality pics*

Mom's sugar cane tuna-"Adobo rubbed and seared, over malanga goat cheese fondue, spinach and shrimp escabeche" If that description doesn't make you want to dive into your computer and devour it...then your taste buds need help.

In addition to those 5-star dinners, we had plenty of fresh juice

And the highlight of our days on the beach...this twist on a pina colada with mint! So refreshing but we had to limit ourselves to just one a day or else we may not have made it off the beach ;)

Overall, the trip was well worth the wait and definitely much needed. I haven't officially decided where I will be attending law school but this weekend certainly made Miami a hard city to pass up! 

You might be wondering, with all that eating and beach bumming, when did you have time to workout?! 

Alright, maybe you weren't wondering that but I will tell you that I certainly made time! There was a small gym in the hotel so I was able to get in a quick workout around 5 or 6 each evening-just in time to make me extra hungry for those dinners! I usually did speed/interval work on the treadmill coupled with a 10 minute strength workout video from POPSUGAR.com. If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I'm a HUGE fan of these workout videos. You can never complain about not knowing what to do at the gym again because all you have to do is follow along with one of these videos and your sweating in 10 short minutes. They're also amazing if you can't get to the gym and need a no-equipment workout to do in your living room (the number of times Lara has walked in on me doing the Pilates glut toner workout in our living room is getting to be comical). 

OK OK OK finally time for the recipe I promised you!!!! 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins--that won't wreck that spring-break-bod!

*recipe modified from Ambitious Kitchen's Skinny Banana Choco-chip Muffins*

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups spelt flour (or you can use whole wheat)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tbsp ground flax seed

2 tbsp raw shelled hemp seeds 

3 ripe bananas (mashed)

1/4 cup organic raw honey (or agave nectar

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 egg

1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup dairy free choco. chips or carob chips (really any kind of chocolate chips you desire)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 12 cup muffin tray with nonstick spray such as coconut oil

2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, flax, and hemp

3. In a separate bowl or mixer, combine mashed bananas, honey, vanilla, coconut oil, egg, alm milk. Stir or blend until well combined with a smooth creamy texture

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until well combined

5. Gently fold chocolate chips into the batter

6. Divide batter evenly among the muffin tray and bake in oven for approximately 20-25 minutes (I took mine out after 20 because I like them on the softer side) or until toothpick comes out clean

7. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes...or not...and enjoy!!