Homemade Fajitas

Chicken Fajitas with bell peppers

Image credit: Martin

Background

The reason I choose to do this recipe was because this was the first thing I learned to cook when I moved out. I moved out about over a year and a half ago and then I didn’t know how to cook. Because of that I was eating very unhealthy pretty much everyday which wasn’t good for me. When I was in high school I ran cross country and track all four years, because of all the running I ate a lot. My mom would always say I was like a baby who needed to be fed every two hours. When I transferred to a community college the one I went to didn’t have either a track or a cross country team, which meant I couldn’t continue. Although I stopped running I kept eating the way I did and I gained some weight. I did my last year of community college in Long Beach and since I didn’t know how to cook I continued eating unhealthy. During this time my mom had gotten a gym membership at Anytime Fitness and had added me to her account also so I could go, but I never went because I was lazy. That gym gave you a free hour with a trainer, so one time when I was visiting home my mom made me go and do the free hour. That had given me some motivation to get off my butt and start to actually go.

But I still had the issue of what I was eating, so I did some research and found some foods I could eat that were healthier. I found that chicken and salmon were a good source of protein. This was definitely good for me since I’m not the biggest fan of beef and I rarely eat it. So I started buying chicken breast and the big salmon and cutting it into smaller sections, putting them in ziplock bags and putting them in the freezer. This made it easier to cook because right before I’d leave for school I’d take out either the salmon or chicken and it would be good by the time I’d come back. I’m the type of person whose very lazy when it comes to cooking. I don’t like recipes that take forever because I’m very impatient. I like to make things that don’t take more than 30 min because usually when I choose to finally make something I’m already starving. Which is why I love making these fajitas since they don’t take me forever to make!

Recipe

Whenever I make fajitas I usually always add bell peppers and white rice. I love white rice because it’s so easy to make and doesn’t take forever either. Since I usually make them just for me I only know how to make the small portion but making it for more people you can always just double or triple the ingredients.

1/2                                           Chicken Breast

1/2                                           Lemon

1/2                                           Tablespoon of Cajun seasoning

1/2                                           Teaspoon of Pepper

1/4                                           Green Bell Pepper

1/4                                           Yellow Bell Pepper

1/4                                           Orange Bell Pepper

1/4                                            Red Bell Pepper

1/2                                            Cup of rice

1 1/2                                         Teaspoon of the Chicken Flavor Bouillon

Preparation:

  1. 1.I cut the chicken breast in slices so they can look like fajitas
  2. 2. I put the slices in a plate and squirt half the lemon, the 1/2 tbs of Cajun seasoning, and the 1/2 tsp of pepper and mix it all together and let sit.
  3. 3. Next grab the 1/4 cut pieces of the red, yellow, green, and orange bell peppers and slice them vertically put them in a bowl and wash them.

Cooking the Chicken:

  1. On a pan add a bit of oil, I usually use Mazola Oil
  2. After waiting about 3 minutes for the pan to heat up add the chicken and stir it around.
  3. When the chicken is cooked and is all white add the bell peppers and stir around
  4. When the chicken looks a light brown and the bell peppers look like they’ve been grilled it’s done, see easy!

Cooking the rice:

You can do this before cooking the chicken so it can be done around the same time.

  1. When I make rice I use a sauce pan because I make small amounts, put the 1/2 cup of rice in the pan and add the cup of water and maybe a little bit more of water, and also add 1 1/2 tsp of Chicken Flavor Bouillon
  2. Cover the pan and leave alone, during this time you can cook the chicken.
  3. The way I know the rice is ready is when I use a spoon to check if there’s any water left in the pan, if there is let it sit a little while longer, if there isn’t anymore water it’s ready, see also easy!!

Add vegetables (optional):

Ever since I was little I’ve always hated eating vegetables my mom would have to make me eat them. Now I eat them voluntarily because I now understand how important they are to my health. I usually use carrots and broccoli, I cut them up, wash them, put them in a small pot with a little bit of water and wait about 5 minutes, and it’s ready!!

Image credit: Amy Stephenson

Benefits of Chicken

Chicken is everywhere in the United States in burgers, tacos, burritos, pretty much in anything you can think of, well besides in vegan and vegetarian food. Eating chicken actually has many health benefits which the Organic Facts website sites, that someone might not even think about or know. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a list of how much of  proximates, minerals, vitamins, and lipids chicken has. Chicken is also a good source of protein which is important because it is made of amino acids which is what helps muscles grow. Chicken also has Vitamin A, B, and D which help in multiple things. Vitamin B helps with preventing cataracts, skin disorders, boosting immunity, eliminating weakness, regulating digestion, and improving the nervous system. Vitamin A is helpful in building eyesight. Vitamin D is useful with calcium absorption and bone strengthening. Chicken also has minerals such as Potassium and Sodium which are electrolytes. It also has Phosphorus which helps with tackling weakness, bone health, brain function, dental care, and metabolic issues. According to some studies Chicken helps with weight loss. Another benefit that comes with eating chicken is controlling blood pressure.Chicken has less amounts of saturated fats and cholesterol than in red meat which is why the American Heart Association has advised to eat more fish and chicken. Lastly it helps with colds, which is why people like to eat chicken soup when they’re sick.

Image credit: Bruna Alves

Benefits of Rice

I’m Mexican American which means rice is a staple food for Mexican culture. My mom always has some rice either just freshly made or some left over in the refrigerator. I eat rice with a lot of food like quesadillas, fajitas, salmon, sometimes even with tamales, it goes good with anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s the orange Mexican rice or white rice it’s one of my favorite foods. In an article from the Organic Facts website they site some health benefits that come from rice. 1) Rice also has health benefits such as having a lot of carbohydrates which fuels the body and helps the normal functioning of the brain. 2) Rice has low levels of fat, cholesterol, and sodium which helps reduce obesity. 3) Being low on sodium is a good thing because sodium can cause veins and arteries to constrict which results in stress and strain on the cardiovascular system. 4) This pertains mostly for whole grain rice which is rich in fiber which can benefit you against colorectal and intestinal cancer. Fiber is made of natural antioxidants like Vitamin C and Vitamin A which help clean the body of free radicals. 5) In this health benefit we’re referring to brown rice which contains high levels of nutrients that help growth and the activity of neurotransmitters, which helps against Alzheimer’s disease. 6) Rice husk serves as a diuretic which helps with losing excess water weight, eliminating toxins from our body such as uric acid. 7) Rice is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals such as niacin, Vitamin D, Calcium, Fiber, Iron, and Riboflavin. These are helpful with building the foundation of a persons metabolism, immune system health, and the general function of the organs systems. 8) Rice also contains resistant starch which gets to the bowels and stimulates growth of useful bacteria which help with normal bowel movements.

Benefits of Vegetables

Image Credit: Bill Rogers

Growing up eating vegetables wasn’t my favorite thing and it wasn’t either for my siblings. Although at dinner time my mom would make us eat them it would take us forever to finish our plates. My mom had to get creative in giving us vegetables, so she got a juicer and would make us carrot juice. Now that was something I loved and still love, for some reason it tasted better. I loved when I would wake up to the sound of the juicer even if it was really loud. According to an article from the Medical News Today they talk about some of the health benefits that come from carrots. 1) Carrots contain beta-carotene which has shown to help reduce lung cancer. 2) Beta-carotene also helps with reducing the risk of colon cancer. 3) Another big benefit from carrots is that they help with vision. Lack of Vitamin A can lead to exophthalmia which is a disease that can damage normal vision. My vision is pretty bad and I depend on glasses and contacts which are not cheap, maybe ill just eat more carrots. 4) Carrots contain antioxidants and phytochemicals which can help regulate blood sugar. 5) Carrots also contain Vitamin C which helps boost the immune system and prevent disease. The Vitamin C can also help with the severity of a cold and how long it lasts.

Image Credit: Rick Harris

Broccoli was the vegetable I hated the most growing up, and now it’s the vegetable that I eat the most. It’s strange how much our eating habits change from when we were little. In an article from the Dairy Council of California talks about some of the nutrients that broccoli contains. 1) Vitamin K is important for the function of many proteins which help with blood clotting. Blood clotting is very important because it’s what helps a wound stop bleeding. 2) Vitamin C is helpful with building collagen that forms body tissue and bone, it also helps cuts and wounds heal. 3) Broccoli also contains fiber which promote digestive health. Eating foods that are high in fiber can also lower cholesterol. 4) Potassium is a mineral AND an electrolyte which are essential to the function of nerve and heart contractions. 5) Lastly, it contains folate which is necessary in the production and maintenance of new cells in the body.

Conclusion

Being in college is difficult for traditionally aged students and for people who are older. Multiple assignments, work, social life, sometimes kids, and other things are happening in peoples lives. I want to praise those people who work full time and are also in school full time because that’s definitely not easy. When I first got accepted at Cal State Dominguez Hills I thought they were going to have a meal plan like the other universities did. I thought it was strange that I wasn’t asked about a meal plan when I was applying for housing but it didn’t occur to me that it was because they didn’t have one. I was really disappointed when I realized I was going to have to cook for myself but I also wasn’t going to starve. This recipe is good for people who are always on the go. You can use this to meal prep for the week. I would do this but I’m weird when in comes to microwaving my meat, for some reason to me it tastes weird. Which is why I always make it from scratch whenever I want some. This recipe is healthy and easy to make which is why I love it so much.

References

“Eat More Chicken, Fish and Beans.” Heart.Org, American Heart Association

Food Composition Databases Show Foods — Oil, Industrial, Coconut (Hydrogenated), Used for Whipped Toppings and Coffee Whiteners, United States Department of Agriculture, May 2016

“Health Benefits of Broccoli.” Healthy Eating, www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/All-Star-Foods/Vegetables/Article-Viewer/Article/91/Health-Benefits-of-Broccoli.

LD, Megan Ware RDN. “Carrots: Benefits, Nutrition, Diet, and Risks.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 5 Dec. 2017.

“7 Impressive Benefits of Chicken.” Organic Facts, 20 Dec. 2017

“10 Incredible Rice Benefits.” Organic Facts, 11 Jan. 2018, www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/cereal/health-benefits-of-rice.html.

 

 

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