The ELEVENTH Day of Fitness...HEALTHY RECIPE CONTEST WINNERS!

Remember our Healthy Recipe Contest WAAAAAAAAY back in September? Well, we've finally finished testing the recipes! Our families thank you! Normally my DH sort of cringes when I tell him I'm trying something "NEW". Poor guy...he's always my guinea pig when I'm on some sort of new "kick" (which, unfortunately for him, is all. the. time.) Seriously...I've had a blast testing out new stuff. And we've found a few new family favorites along the way! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED! Choosing just TWO winners was tough.

We chose the winners based on the following criteria:

1. It had to be "healthy". There were a few REALLY yummy recipes that were great (and healthy-ISH), but that we just couldn't justify naming as winners of the "healthy" recipe contest! My husband probably would've picked 'em, though!
2. They had to be somewhat "easy." As mama's of small children, we need recipes we can throw together in a few minutes.
3. The ingredients had to be normal, everyday sort of ingredients...we're not too exotic around here!
4. Our families (read: kids) had to eat them as well!

DRUMROLL, PLEASE (Cue the balloons and confetti).....

The first place winner of the $20 VISA GIFTCARD is.....Moroccan Chicken from CHRISTIE (of sties thoughts). The fact that her recipe included peanut butter was probably the biggest selling point for me. Seriously, PB is my weakness. (I use smart balance peanut butter...no high fructose corn syrup, no hydrogenated oils, and with added Omega 3's...love it!).

Here's the amazing winning recipe:

Moroccan Chicken
Two 16-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
pinch of paprika
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

Put the chickpeas, tomatoes, red pepper, onion tomato paste, water, cumin, and paprika in a crockpot. Stir well. Scatter the chicken on top. Cover and cook on low until chicken is tender, or 6-7 hours.

Stir in peanut butter prior to serving. Serve over hot couscous or brown rice.

My 2-year old who seriously scrutinizes every little thing that goes into his mouth (meaning he will cry about a little speck of pepper) ate this, and loved it! Plus...it's a crockpot recipe...you do a little choppity chop, throw stuff in the crockpot, go about your day, cook the rice, and voila! A high-fiber, high-protein, low-fat (there's only 2 Tbsp. of PB in the entire thing), yum-a-licious meal! Go make it. Now. Wait...finish reading this post, then go make it. You'll LOVE it!

And now for the second place winner of a custom vinyl wall lettering phrase from Starpansie Designs is... FRESH SALSA from Eleisha!

Fresh Salsa
red, yellow, green, and orange bell peppers (1 of each, or you can use any
combination of them--I like it best with one of each)
2 whole tomatoes
2 cans whole tomatoes (or diced--whichever you have)
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onions
1-2 limes
1 tsp cumin
3 tsp garlic salt
Salt and Pepper

Cut peppers and tomatoes into chunks. Blend or process in a food processor the tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and green onions. (You may have to do it in batches depending on how much your blender/food processor will hold). Mix it all in a bowl and add the seasonings (can add more to taste). Stir well and squeeze lime juice to taste.

This one isn't a main dish, but is such a great way to get healthy, fresh veggies into kids (AND husbands!) Again...my 2-year old was sort of the determining eater. He'll sit with his own bowl full and eat it with (ahem) chips. I don't mind the chips...because...hello, he's eating peppers! and tomatoes! This salsa is super mild (for my wimpy taste buds). I've looked a long time for a good fresh salsa recipe. It makes a lot, but is so versatile! Use it on quesadillas, taco salad, fajitas, poured over chicken breasts and baked in the oven, etc.... It's super easy to make, and D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.

And I can't end this without mentioning the previous winner's recipe. Remember? The RANDOM winner of something. Well, her recipe also happened to be AWESOME. And EASY. And HEALTHY. So here's Aly's Chili...from Alyson!

Aly's Chili
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced italian tomatoes
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can canned chicken (or canned beef, or 1 pound seasoned ground beef...if you do the beef, you will need to add more tomato sauce. The beef also adds more fat).
1 packed dry chili mix (mild or hot)

Heat everything in a pan, or throw in the crockpot, either way it turns out great!

Top with fat-free or reduced-fat sour cream, reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, and crumbled low-fat tortilla chips.

Without the toppings, 2 whole cups equals only 3 points on WW! Wowza!

Oh hi, you still there? Just a few more notes. If your name is either CHRISTIE or ELEISHA, e-mail us (fitmepink@gmail.com) your addresses so we can send you your PRIZES! Woo hoo! I feel like Oprah! Eleisha--Kimberly will also e-mail you so you can choose your custom vinyl phrase!

For the rest of you, if you'd like a copy of ALL the recipes we received, leave a comment with your e-mail address, or drop us a line (fitmepink@gmail.com). Seriously...there are some great ones we haven't posted yet!

Thanks for playing, everybody! We had a blast. We'll see you tomorrow on the TWELFTH and FINAL day of Fitness! Yippee!