RECIPE - Grilled Chicken w/ Pineapple Salsa

Not to toot my own horn, but I have to admit this dish is definitely in the top 10 healthiest meals I've concocted! Michelle Obama would be proud. Paula Deen probably would not be.

I realized after typing out the recipe that this plate perfectly follows the new USDA food guidelines for a healthy meal, called MyPlate (see NYT article here). No more silly food pyramid! This new guide shows us an actual plate, sectioned off to show how much fruits, veggies, grains, and protein we should be eating.

So, apparently here's how we should be eating. 1/2 of our plate (however big it may be) should be fruits and veggies (but it looks like slightly more veggies than fruits). The rest should be split between grains and protein (more grains than protein, tho). All topped off by a side of dairy. And, you only get a fork. No knife or spoon.

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Even though this is lightyears better than our old friend the food pyramid, there's still a lot to be desired.

- There is no guide as to how big the plate should be. There's really no mention of serving size at all. All they say is "enjoy your food, but eat less" (NOTE: this is an actual quote)
- Under suggestions for your "dairy" circle are chocolate milk, strawberry milk, pudding, ice cream, and American cheese. Seriously?!?
- Under suggestion for your "fruit" corner they have fruit cocktail. This is not fruit, it's canned fruit remnants with sugar water.

Honestly, though, I was very surprised that these were the only items on their page that made me cringe. Otherwise, this website is a very useful guide to healthy eating. They talk about legumes, nuts, fats as a healthy part of your diet (whoulda thunk?), empty calories, and reducing sodium intake.

Now there's no excuse. Mrs. Obama is telling you to eat better, and you have to listen to her. She's like the nation's mom now, don't disappoint her!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (or 2 large ones cut in half hamburger style)
1 cup yellow rice or brown rice)
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
2 zucchinis, sliced
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 tbsp of your favorite spice blend (mine just has garlic, salt, pepper, paprika)

Directions:

Place chicken into a plastic ziploc bag. Add 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil and spice blend. Seal bag and mix around until chicken is fully coated. Let marinade for about 20-30 minutes.

To make the salsa, mix pineapple and tomato in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add avocado and squeeze lime juice on top. Add cilantro and mix very gently, being careful not to mush the avocado. Let sit while the chicken is marinading and cooking. Stir again before serving.

Make the rice according to package directions.

Slice the zucchini, rub with a little canola oil, and sprinkle w/ salt and pepper. Grill the zucchini for about 3 minutes per side. They should be about 2/3 of the way cooked. Remove and cover tightly with tin foil to finish cooking.

Shake off excess oil and grill the chicken until cooked, time varies depending on grill and how thick your chicken is.