There are several parts to this recipe but I promise it is all worth it! These burritos are a layering process: tortilla, then rice, then beans, then chicken, then dressing. Roll up and then cover in the green burrito sauce and a top with a dollop of sour cream. Want to know how to time-manage this one? Here ya go: Assuming you want to eat dinner at 6pm, pop the chicken in the crockpot at 1pm and forget about it. At 5pm is when dinner prep begins. Shred the meat and then put it back in for another hour. At this point, make the rice. Then while the rice is cooking, make the green burrito sauce (Unless you are going to buy the pre-packaged option I listed below and then you get to skip this step!). Blend up the dressing during the last 5 minutes of chicken cook time, and voila! Everything gets finished at the same time and dinner is on the table at 6pm!

For the chicken:
- 5 lbs chicken breasts
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 TBSP cumin
- 1 TBSP chili powder
- 1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian dressing

directions: combine all ingredients in a crockpot on low for 4 hours. Shred meat. Then cook for another hour.

For the rice:
- 3 cups water
- 4 tsp chicken bouillon
- 4 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 of a bunch of cilantro
- 1 can green chilis
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1/2 onion
- 3 cups rice

directions: blend cilantro, chilis, and onion in a processor. Bring water to a boil. Add rice, cilantro mixture, and remaining ingredients. Cover and reduce heat to low for 30 minutes.

For the dressing:
- 3 large munches of cilantro
- 1 cup oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 6 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 onion
- 2 jalapenos, seeded
- white pepper
- salt
- water

directions: blend vinegar, garlic, egg, onion, salt and pepper (to taste). Add water 1 TBSP at a time until desired consistency is reached.

For the Green Burrito Sauce:
- 3 lbs husked tomatillos
- 1/2 onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 TBSP chicken base (NOT bouillon or stock)
- 1 jalapeno, seeded (optional)
- 1 can green chilies (optional)

Roast tomatillos @ 400 for 20 minutes. Then squeeze each one (like you do a lemon before juicing it). Combine tomatillos, onion, and garlic in a saucepan, covered with water. Boil until soft. Then put all contents in a blender and blend until smooth. Return contents to pot and add chicken base to taste. Simmer until well mixed and warmed through. Add peppers and chilies.

****** NOTE: If you can’t find chicken base or don’t feel like making the Green Burrito Sauce, there is a prepackaged salsa that is delicious in it’s place. It is called “Salsa Verde” by Pace. If you can’t find that, you can use any green burrito salsa that you can find in your grocery store but make sure it is tomatillo based and not chili based.

Other remaining ingredients:
- 1 can of black beans
- tortillas (if you make these yourself they are SO MUCH better!!! But I suck at making tortillas and for some reason they never turn out… so instead I go to Beto’s or Cafe Rio and just buy a couple of their tortillas hot, they are delicious) ENJOY!

Greek Chicken Pita

1 cup of romaine lettuce

4 oz (half of 1 breast) cooked chicken (I throw mine in a frying pan coated with PAM)

1/2 of 1 cucumber

1/2 of 1 (red, yellow, or orange) bell pepper

2 TBSP lowfat crumbled feta cheese

1 TBSP light vinaigrette dressing (I use Newman’s Own Lighten Up Balsamic vinaigrette)

1/2 of 1 whole wheat round pita (my favorite is Alexis Whole Wheat Greek Pita Flatbread, I get mine at Smiths Grocery store over by the bakery)

- 2 cups old-fashioned oats

- 2 cups low-fat or skim milk or the liquid of your choice

- 1/2 tsp best-quality vanilla

- 1/2 cup slivered almonds

- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or dried fruit of your choice

- 1 large unpeeled, firm MacIntosh apple, grated

- 4 Tbsp maple syrup (the cooking kind, not the sugar diluted pancake topping)

- cooking spray

Preparation:

1- Preheat  oven to 400 degrees. Coat a large (3 qt) casserole dish with cooking spray.

2- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. If you are preparing this the night before, don’t add the liquid ingredients like milk and the grated apple until morning.

3- Place mixture in  casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. (towards the end of cooking time, watch carefully… this dish can go from perfectly tender to crispified very quickly.)

WHY  IS  IT  HEALTHY? : Cranberries are rich in flavonoids, which have been found to possess anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. Oatmeal is a miracle substance in and of itself. Oats offer super-charged nutrition! They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, soluble fiber, phytonutrients, antioxidants and more. It is the only whole grain PROVEN to remove cholesterol, lower blood pressure, help maintain regular bowels, and reduce heart disease. This meal also has little-to-no fat or sugar but has a good amount of protein to help lower weight and strengthen muscle.