If you're like me- you've given in to the craze of counting your steps on your FitBit and logging your calories on My Fitness Pal. It's nearing the end of the school year and you know you'll have to be wearing a bikini in no time at all. But there are a few things that aren't worth giving up in order to have a beach ready body. Really important things- like Chipotle.
I will never give up my biweekly (or let's face it, weekly) trips to Chipotle for the sake of staying within my caloric goals. Instead, I can tweak my Chipotle order to fit within my diet. So I've created the healthiest burrito bowl at Chipotle- and I'm going to share it with you.
(Disclaimer- I realize that this could be a lot less calories if I decided to skip out on beans or rice or replaced my meat with Tofu. But for the sake of this experiment, I wanted to include everything and make it as much of a "real" burrito bowl as possible. You can choose to remove the rice/beans/etc and make the final count even less!)
1. Bowl (0 Calories)
The first step is to order a bowl. Why even waste extra calories on the tortilla when you can get more of the good stuff? They will also ask you if you want it for here or to-go and if you want to factor in an extra few hundred steps by saying to-go, you do you (but I want my food ASAP).
2. Brown Rice (210 Calories)
This part is tricky because white rice and brown rice actually have the same calorie count. However, white rice has more sodium and brown rice is considered whole grain, is high in anti-oxidants, fiber and naturally-occurring oils, AND it promotes weight loss.
3. Black Beans (120 Calories)
The black beans at Chipotle are five more calories than the pinto beans but have about half of the sodium and are prepared with less grease/fat.
4. Chicken (180 Calories)
Not only is chicken the second lowest in the protein calorie count contest, but it also has the least amount of sodium and the highest amount of protein at 32 grams! No wonder Chipotle fills you up so fast.
5. Tomatillo Green Salsa (15 Calories)
This is the ideal salsa choice because it is right in between mild and spicy, it has the lowest amount of calories, AND it's a pretty color.
6. Cheese OR Sour Cream (100 or 115 Calories)
Let's face it, Chipotle is not even worth it without a little bit of dairy. Treat yourself! But just pick one. In my opinion, cheese is the clear winner. But hey, to each his own.
Grand Total: 640 Calories
Bonuses: Romaine Lettuce (5 Calories), Fajita Vegetables (20 Calories) or Guac (230 Calories)
I always like to top my burrito bowl off with some lettuce to give it a crunchier texture and to fill me up a little faster. But another good option is the fajita vegetables that they keep with the beans- they're low in calories and add some extra flavor. And finally, guacamole. I always skip the guac because I'm not super obsessed with it in general, but if you decide to take the 230 calorie plunge, comfort yourself over the fact that avocados have TONS of healthy benefits.
Get in the car right now- it's time to go to Chipotle.
