Lime Chicken Recipes

Easy Cilantro-Lime Chicken Breast Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Recipe | Healthy, Low Carb Chicken Recipe

Easy Chicken Dinners

Lime Chicken Recipes
Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe

I love chicken recipes. Okay, I love to eat chicken. Over the years, whenever I attempt to make an easy chicken recipe, I always head for the chicken breast. This recipe is no different. I would say the biggest difference is this easy slow-cooker chicken recipe was a hit with my entire family. It’s definitely a repeat recipe in my book.

Cooking for myself has always been a challenge. But 2020 is going to be my year. For real, this time. This healthy chicken recipe yields 9, 4-ounce servings. I had plenty of leftover cilantro-lime chicken to pop in the freezer for easy dinner or lunch dishes.

You can eat this Crockpot chicken anyway you would like. A few ideas that come to mind: serving on lime tortilla chips, stuffed burritos, chicken tacos, over brown rice, or even by the forkful. For extra fun, check out my fresh pineapple pico de gallo recipe. Another big hit in our home.

Chicken taco recipes
Easy Mexican Night

Cilantro-Lime Chicken Breast Slow Cooker Recipe

Easy Cilantro-Lime Chicken Breast Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Recipe. This healthy, low-carb chicken breast recipe will have your family asking for seconds.




Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword chicken, lime
Cook Time 4 hours
Servings 9
Calories 320kcal

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Chicken Breast Boneless, Skinless
  • .5 cup Chicken Broth
  • .25 cup Lime Juice Juice of one lime
  • .25 cup Olive Oil
  • 4 cloves Garlic Peeled, Smashed, Diced
  • .5 whole Jalapeno Remove Seeds, Diced
  • 2 tsp Cumin Powder
  • 2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • .5 tsp Black Pepper
  • .5 cup Cilantro Chopped, Save for End

Instructions

  • Place the olive oil, lime juice, crushed garlic cloves, jalapeno slices, sea salt, ground cumin, paprika, and black pepper into your favorite blender and blend until smooth.


  • Place the boneless, skinless chicken breasts into the slow cooker.


  • Pour your sauce mixture over the chicken.


  • Cover and cook on high for approximately 3 hours or low for 6. Your chicken is done when you can easily pull it apart with a fork.


  • Shred the chicken with two forks then stir in your chopped cilantro. Viola!



Are you a chicken fan? Tell me in the comments.

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Understanding carbs in your diet

Understanding Carbohydrates, Net Carbs, Complex Carbs




Understanding carbs in your diet
What are carbs?

Understanding Low Carb Diets

The first step in preparing healthier meals for myself is to start to truly understand carbohydrates! My dog, Dexter, is on a pretty low carb diet, consisting of mostly DIY raw dog food. When I’m preparing his meals, I shoot for approximately 90% hormone-and-antibiotic-free meats, with the remaining ingredients being healthy vegetables, fruits, and greens. But, for myself, I’m clueless at what is ideal or most healthful, so I asked a few nutritional experts, and here’s what they had to say.

Are Carbohydrates Necessary in Healthy Diet?

Natalie Ikeman, MPAS, PA-C, a physician assistant in Family Medicine at Hennepin Healthcare’s Golden Valley Clinic in Minneapolis, Minnesota offers this insight. “Carbohydrates are found in healthy and unhealthy foods. They come in the three most common forms: sugars (fruit sugar- fructose, table sugar-sucrose, and milk sugar-lactose), starches (veggies, grains, and cooked dried beans) and fiber (fruits, veggies, and whole grains). Sugar is a simple carb.”

She continues by explaining that “Carbs are part of a healthy diet and give the body glucose, which converts into energy for sustaining brain function to running. Carbs are your body’s fuel source. Complex carbs and fiber can help prevent chronic disease and help with gut health.

Simple Carbs vs. Complex Carbs

Natalie continues to provide examples of simple and complex carbohydrates by stating, “Simple (bad) carbs are broken down quickly and send a quick burst of energy into the body then shortly later you feel a crash. Think refined white sugar, white rice, and white bread. These foods are highly processed and healthy parts of the food are removed, like fiber and nutrients. Because these important parts are removed, they are absorbed faster- which explains the fast burst of energy. Complex (good) carbs take longer to break down and supply a slow release of energy into your body. Think whole grain bread, quinoa, brown rice, etc.”

Carbs vs. Net Carbs

Sylvia North Msc, BSc, a New Zealand registered dietitian provided me with some helpful insight on carbs vs. net carbs. “Total carbs describes the combination of ‘nutritive’ carbohydrates including sugars, starches, and sugar alcohols (partially nutritive). Sugars, starches, and some sugar alcohols provide calories and stimulate a hormonal and metabolic response. That’s because we have many enzymes in the upper parts of our digestive system, which break them down into simple sugars to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Calculating Net Carbs

She continues by explaining, “Total carbs also accounts for the grams of fiber in a product. Fiber is technically a carbohydrate (according to the chemistry), however, fiber is mostly non-nutritive, meaning, we don’t digest and absorb the calories from fiber. Although we do not have the enzymes to break down fibers in our upper digestive system, the bacteria in our lower bowel do. This means that fiber technically yields calories, except they are usually good calories that provide nourishment to gut-lining cells and good bacteria and usually not associated with weight gain. Sugar alcohols should really be a category on their own since they can be partially digested but also tend to cause gut upset in many people.

“To find the net carbs subtract fiber from total carbs, leaving only nutritive carbohydrates. Meaning, only the carbohydrates that are digested and absorbed into the bloodstream as simple sugars. Net carbs can only be calculated this way if fiber has been added into the total carbs. Net carbs is the relevant number for most people because it indicates the starch and sugar that will yield calories. More importantly, sugar and starch stimulate a metabolic response (change in insulin and glucagon levels) to the rise in blood glucose levels. Fiber does not directly influence insulin levels. In someone with metabolic health and fat loss goals, we want to manage their blood glucose and insulin response to a meal, which is why moderating net cabs is important.”

How Many Daily Carbs Should a Person Eat?

Dr. Barry Sears, president of Inflammation Research Foundation, gives us these recommendations. “Ideally, the intake of net carbs should be about 100 to 150 grams of net carbs per day. Anything less will lead to ketosis. Anything more will lead to increased insulin secretion. The brain needs about 130 grams of glucose per day to function optimally.” He continues by saying, “Carb-free is not to be recommended as the brain needs a minimal level of blood glucose to function correctly. If you are not eating adequate levels of carbs, the body will increase the secretion of the hormone cortisol to cause the breakdown of muscle to produce adequate glucose for the brain.”

Leah Forristall, RD, LDN agrees by stating, “Carbohydrates shouldn’t be feared! Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables all contain fiber, which can help with digestion and reducing bad cholesterol levels. They also help keep you full longer.”

No Carb Diet

She continues by explaining, “For the general population, I would not recommend going carb-free. Cutting carbohydrates out of your diet can lead to deficiencies, and a lack of fiber in your diet can potentially have negative consequences such as constipation and higher cholesterol levels. Carbohydrates are also the main source of energy in the body, and removing them can lead to low energy levels.”

I also spoke with Tara Roscioli, a Certified Holistic Health Coach and owner of Highway 2 Well. Tara states, “For women who are attempting to lose weight, many dietitians recommend that they consume between 35-75 grams of net carbohydrates a day. Once in a maintenance phase, women can consume about 125g net carbs a day.”

She continues by saying, “People don’t realize that there are carbohydrates in many high fiber foods that are essential to our diet like fruits and vegetables. Completely eliminating carbohydrates from your diet results in the body taking in too little fiber, and fiber is important for reducing the risks of breast and colons cancers.”

Putting it All Together

One point all these wonderful nutritional experts made was that each one of us is an individual and not one number or diet is right for everyone. For me personally, I’m going to focus on reducing my processed foods and reducing my simple carbs. I do want to stress reduce, as I feel some simple carbs, such as fruits, do offer nutritional value in moderation.

I have already started to prepare my own home-cooked meals vs. prepared frozen dinners, so that’s a good start. I’m also working hard at eating the recommended proportions instead of filling my plate. But, for this girl who loves her chocolate cake and baked goods, it’s going to be a battle. Decrease is my current goal, as I do not want to set myself up for failure.


Have you decreased your carbohydrate intake? I’d love to hear your story.

Are you looking for even more ways to stay up to date with Life with Tonya? Sign up for the newsletter for more tips and promotions. Don’t forget to be social and Like, Follow and Subscribe. Comments below are always welcome.

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Books about differences in kids

Dexter the Dog’s Bio

The Dog Behind Dexter the Dog and Friends

Books about differences in kids
About Dexter the Dog

Dexter entered my life when he was just five weeks old. This was the time I met him and his littermates. I actually was choosing which puppy I was going to bring home, and Dexter was of the many puppies running around. Dexter, however, knew right away that he was going to be mine.

Even at such a young age, he followed me around as I went from puppy to puppy, meeting and snuggling all of them. Toward the end of my puppy visit, I had Dexter and his brother in my lap. His brother eventually hopped to the floor, but Dexter didn’t budge. It was then that I realized Dexter was the one.

Books about special needs dogs
Dexter knew

Seven weeks later, I went back to the breeder to pick up Dexter and, to my surprise, he was twice as big as his brothers and sisters! My little man was going to be a pretty large Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. More to love.

Dexter the Dog's History
The day I brought Dexter home.

For the first couple of years, Dexter and I did everything together. We were a registered therapy dog team and visited special needs classrooms and nursing homes and provided demonstrations at pet events and large pet expos. We traveled together and had the time of our lives. Learn more about having our current school and library programs. 

Book Children's Authors
Dexter the Dog and Tonya Wilhelm

Just before Dexter’s third birthday, I noticed a change in his behavior. One day, Dexter was beside himself, growling at his back end, spinning, and he was very distressed. I wasn’t sure what was happening and scheduled a neurological examination and MRI.

Dexter the Dog's background
Dexter’s MRI day

The MRI confirmed that Dexter had Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia. Chiari Malformation is a skull malformation. Syringomyelia is a neurological disease that progresses and varies in severity caused by this skull malformation. Symptoms vary but may include head scratching, face rubbing, general discomfort, weakness in limbs, lip licking, seeking cool places, excessive body rubbing, nerve damage, stiffness in limbs, and the body forming into a C shape. There is no cure, only various treatments to aid in comfort and less painful episodes. His diagnosis was a big blow to my heart. Click to learn more about his current treatment.

Dexter’s first year after his diagnosis was a bit of a roller-coaster ride. Luckily, Dexter has an amazing team of veterinarians and, together, we found the correct medications, natural treatments, and food therapy to help control his symptoms.

Dexter the Dog's disease
Dexter’s at home physical therapy

I am thrilled to report that Dexter now is back to his silly self and antics. We love to travel, still do demos and reading programs. Dexter wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a good reminder that we all should live each day to the fullest and truly connect with our loved ones, including our pets.

Dexter the Dog therapy visits
My fun-loving boy
Learn more about the real Dexter behind the children's book series, Dexter the Dog and Friends. #DextertheDogandFriends #DextertheDog #specialneeds #childrensbooks #booksonspecialneeds
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