Spicy Chicken & Peppers with Avocado Butter and Pineapple Greek Yogurt

28 Replies
For the last week I’ve been craving Mexican food. Although you can get Mexican food for pennies, I’d rather not calorie waste on the greasy restaurant stuff. My friend Nick sent me a recipe for what his family calls “Avocado Butter.”
The Avocado Butter essentials are among the world’s healthiest foods:
  • Avocado – good for cholesterol, good source of potassium which helps regulate blood pressure, good source of folate which is important for heart health.
  • Garlic – an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C and a good source of selenium. Good for blood pressure, platelet aggregation, and cholesterol levels.
  • Honey – a natural sweetener, anti-bacterial, cough suppressant, helpful for cholesterol levels.
  • Olive Oil – helpful for cholesterol levels, an anti-inflammatory, prevents bone loss.
Talk about making your heart happy!
 
Nick’s Recipe:
  • 1 large avocado
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 olive oil
  • s&p to taste
Remove the avocado from its peel and pit. Mash with the back of a large fork. Add garlic, honey, and olive oil and stir until smooth. Add salt & pepper to your liking. Nick recommended using a blender but the fork worked just fine because my avocado had fully ripened.  The first time I made this I used all the ingredients, but this time I omitted the olive oil for a chunkier effect. Omitting the olive oil made it a much sweeter dip as the honey stood out more.
This took about 5 minutes from start to finish. I popped it in the refrigerator to let the flavors set in and headed to the gym. Once there, I did a 10 minute walking warm-up, 35-minute run, and spent about 15 minutes on abs. It’s really hard to do more than that when you have Avocado Butter waiting for you!

For dinner, I cut up 8 oz chicken tenderloins, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper, 2 gloves of garlic, and sauteed them with cumin, cayenne pepper, and balsamic vinegar. (Makes two servings.)

 
I decided to turn this into a wrap (fajitas?) and added the avocado butter and this key ingredient as a sour cream replacement:

Mmm! The pineapple flavor really cooled down the spiciness of the chicken. All the flavors combined so well that cheese wasn’t necessary! I nibbled on some carrots as my side:

It tasted really good as a wrap and was quick to make!

I’m currently snacking on a Luna Bar: Peanut Butter Cookie. 

This bar definitely tastes like your typical peanut butter bar. It was a tasty treat with a perfect amount of crunch from the organic peanuts and sea salt.

The bottom layer adds delicious creaminess:



Question 1: 
Do you guys ever wake up starving? Lately, I have been waking up and running to the fridge. I’m trying to figure out if I’m not eating the night before or if it’s because I’m going to the gym at night and my body requires more fuel. This doesn’t happen on Mondays though – I guess I do a good job pigging out all weekend. 

Question 2:
It seems like the days I go to the gym looking extra-rough, hair a mess, wrinkled shirt, sweating 5 minutes in, are the days w/ tons of hotties and/or people I know. Not fair! It’s only happened a couple times but stilllllll whyyyyyy? In the middle of abs I got some weird knot in my stomach and while I was laying on the floor pouring sweat, my friend suddenly stands over me saying “HI!!” Not even kidding, my response was “HI! I’m disgusting right now.” Ohhhhh the gym look is HOT.

Related posts:

  1. Black Bean Burgers with Spicy Corn Salsa & Avocado Crema
  2. Greek Chicken & Potatoes
  3. Spicy Thai Chicken…and I’m Busted
  4. Greek Yogurt War
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/16761350918719977604 Erica

    What a great meal! I want to make the avocado butter (deliciousness).

    1. I do wake up hungry sometimes! I’m usually only starving starving when I’m a bit dehydrated. Maybe try some more water?

    2. hahahah. Whatever! Men prefer real looking women ;)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/07073920261483561794 Christina

    dehydrated! that would explain my muscle knot too!

  • http://lisaou11.wordpress.com/ Lisa

    seriously! yummy meal! love the addition of the pineapple flavor.

    1. I wake up hungry sometimes too. I think its all those reasons you mentioned!

    2. and soo agree with erica! sean hates girls that get all dressed up and lookin pretty to go tot he gym. he’d much rather see girls there who look like they are workin hard and aren’t there to impress!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/07383475945714428702 Lindsay

    Hey Girl! Love your blog! I must make that avocado butter immediately. Can’t wait for the Charleston area blogger meetup. Check out my little blog if you get a chance!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/02641042849522204316 Lindsay @ http://pancakesnpajamas.blogspot.com/

    I guess it would help if I gave you the link! It’s totally been one of those days.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12451817347505480693 Blair @ Reasonably Swanky

    Hey thanks for stopping by my blog! I am in Charleston as well….
    I am folling you!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12542402372707645021 Rachel

    Hi, new follower. I am trying to get back into fitness and eating healthy so I am excited to follow your blog. I noticed your Clemson t-shirt. As a Clemson grad, I love it. Do you mind if I ask where you got it?

    Rachel

  • http://ktbwood.wordpress.com/ ktbwood

    YES I WAKE UP STARVING!! but i ALWAYS eat like another meal before i go to bed so my muscles dont eat themselves..eww!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/00536846011664258659 Madeleine

    Christina, I love your blog!! I found your link through Lindsay’s http://pancakesnpajamas.blogspot.com/– these recipes look incredible. As for me, yes the gym makes me look totally disgusting!! In fact, i got my hair cut like 3 weeks ago but hardly anyone noticed since with all this running i’ve been sporting LOTS of ponytails.:))))

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/18263840972625165077 ManoloMandi

    Avocado butter looks so good!

    I always look horrible at the gym. It makes me sad, but not sad enough to put forth more effort LOL ugh.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/07503460447345163963 bHealthier

    WOW! That chicken avacado yogurt wrap is so creative and a wonderful idea!! I bet it was awesome!

    Waking up hungry is a sign your metabolism has been rockin all night- it could be definitely from a night gym session.

  • http://eatngroove.wordpress.com/ eatngroove

    Your blog is awesome, and i am loving those wraps, yum-o!

  • http://fitatheart.wordpress.com/ fitatheart

    I love Luna peanut butter cookie bars! They really give me my cookie fix. If I don’t eat anything past 8:00 p.m. it’s a given that I wake up really hungry the next day.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15351027946071728697 alexa meany

    omg that’s such a cool idea “avocado butter” looks divine!! :) I’m often very hungry when I wake up.. i think its just consistently eating bfast everyday since I was little– my body just expects it! what a creative idea btw ( pineapple chobani with the wrap!!)

    happy thursday!:)

  • http://jennakate84.blogspot.com/ Jenna

    YAY for Avocado Butter!! Definitely making that tomorrow night for Nick’s birthday!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  • http://melissanibbles.com/ MelissaNibbles

    I had quesadillas last night and didn’t even think to use the pineapple yogurt…I have some too! Oh well, next time. Thanks for the idea.

    I wake up every morning starving. I just drink a ton of water because I can’t eat breakfast until I get to work (timewise).

  • http://lizzyj1305.wordpress.com/ lizzyj1305

    hey girlie!
    avocado butter! ohhh my I need to try this pronto! yummay! thanks for posting it!
    ~I always wake up hungrrry! I have to have a pear or apple with my coffee before breakfast just to quiet the tummy while I ponder what I want for b-fast!
    ~and I agree with you 100%..if I go to the gym after class (when I’m looking somewhat decent) I don’t see anyone or any hotties!…but when I go after rolling out of bed looking like a slob I see everyone I know, and sooo many hot guys! grrrr what gives!?
    I hope your having a great thursday!
    ~xoxo!

  • http://luckytastebuds.wordpress.com/ Michelle

    Goodness I LOVE how creative you are by adding the pineapple chobani into your wrap. What a wonderful way to bring the tropics indoors. :) You totally mashed that avocado up GOOOOOD…that’s a problem I have…I lose patience in mashing and it just ends up chunky. hehehehe :P

    I definitely think you hit the nail on the head for Q1. I usually am STARVING in the am when i work out at night and eat a dinner that is lower in calories. Maybe add a protein shake to your dinner and see if that helps? :)

  • http://livelifeeatright.wordpress.com/ livelifeeatright

    um hi. make me food! I love that you used the pineapple cho in there! I think that is an even better than sour cream!!! LOOVVVEESS IT!

  • http://www.veggielady4life.com/ Veggielady4life

    I love avocado!! I’m definitely going to try it mashed with honey! I’ve never done that before.

    And… I’m always super hungry in the AM if I work out at night. Seems like that would be normal. Although honestly… I’m hungry in the AM even if I DIDN’T work out… :-)

  • http://www.foodsofapril.com/ april

    I’m so glad you found my blog because now I found yours!! I’ve been trying to eat more avocados so that recipe is just up my alley!

    Whenever I work out in the evenings I wake up about to chew my arm off! I think it’s due to your metabolism being in overdrive.. but who knows!

  • http://fancythatfancythis.com/ Ameena

    Avocado butter sounds like heaven in a bowl. Seriously! Thanks for the great recipe.

    When I wake up in the morning I am starving but I usually don’t get to eat until 9am! Pretty ridiculous that it takes me 4 hours to get breakfast.

  • http://coffeeismycarrot.wordpress.com/ coffeeismycarrot

    I’m making the avacado butter ASAP! Looks so yummy!

  • http://eatspinlive.wordpress.com/ Amanda Meadows

    I am pretty sure I would take your fajitas over any restaurant’s fajitas any day!! :) The avocado butter sounds delicious!!

    And I totally understand the whole waking up starving thing! It seems like when I work out at night, I always wake up starving too!! But I find that if I drink some water before going to bed it helps a little!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11649534983661491293 Nicci@NiftyEats

    I have some Avocados waiting to be used in my frig, I will have to make this butter this weekend. love it, sounds creamy and good.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13438187269409630554 Dani

    Can I just say that you have turned me into a Oikos believer? Just stocked my fridge today. I’ve NEVER been a yogurt eater :)

  • http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/ Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic

    Hellooooo avocado butter! I will probably omit the honey because I am weird and cannot eat sweet things with my savory meals (so no honey with garlic, ever) :p But I will still make this butta!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12352565089284416476 John

    I remember that day. And you didn’t look bad at all. You looked good.