Back in the good ol' days at Tennessee Tech, this amazing burrito was one of my secret pre- or post-workout weapons when I was trying to lose weight and get my metabolism cranked up to use food for fuel as efficiently as possible. Yes, it's true...only a few short years ago I weighed about 50 lbs. less than I do now, experienced little or no jigglage of fat anywhere on my body, and more than a handful of college cuties with southern accents complimented my arms, legs, and ass on a fairly regular basis (some of them even liked to have pajama parties at my apartment, but that's getting a little off track). Anyhow, that was my inspiration back then and this nifty little burrito snack helped me to accomplish my goals amidst a crazy class schedule and lots of stress.

This is indeed an amazing burrito because it works on so many levels: 1) It's cheap, which makes it an ideal meal for college students or anyone on a tight budget. 2) It's extremely fast to make and requires very little effort; one batch of this stuff will make lunch for a week with a few snacks in between. 3) Nutritionally speaking, it's insanely perfect for all your nutritional goals: relatively low in net carbohydrates, very high in dietary fiber, only 14% fat (almost no saturated fat), almost as much protein as a boneless chicken breast, and low calories overall. 4) It tastes great, I think. 5) To my knowledge it is 100% cruelty free and incorporates no animal flesh or byproducts, in case that's a concern for you. Personally I don't really care, but I care enough to make a mental note if I'm eating vegetarian because it makes me feel sophisticated. Bottom line: if you're busy but trying to incorporate healthy, easy foods into your life that will help you accomplish your weight loss goals while keeping energy levels and metabolism up, this should be among your secret weapons too.

Grocery List:

1 cup - Extra Long Grain Brown Rice
15 oz can - Progresso Black Beans
16 oz can - Old El Paso Vegetarian Refried Beans
10 oz can - Ro-Tel Tomatoes Diced with Green Chili
8 ct. - La Tortilla Factory Whole wheat Low-carb/Low Fat Tortillas
1 - Small sweet vidalia onion
1/2 pkg. - Old El Paso Seasoning Mix Burrito

Instructions:

1. Get out a pot, put it on the stove, and cook the rice. (1 cup rice, two cups water, simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes.)
2. Dump the black beans into a colander or strainer and rinse them off. They have dirty, slimy juice on them.
3. Chop up the onion some.
4. When the rice is done cooking, dump everything in that pot (except the tortillas). No need to drain the Ro-Tel.
5. Mix it up and let that whole batch of mush heat up.

Serve:

Put a few tablespoons on a tortillia and roll it up. If you're reheating, put a few tablespoons on a tortilla, roll it up, and nuke it for about 45 seconds. I also like to heat my tortilla by itself for about 15 seconds so it won't break when you roll it up. Adding cheese or sour cream can taste really good too, but these are very dense and add lots of fat and calories.

Serves 8

Totals cost per batch: $11.03

Per burrito:
Cost: $1.38
Calories: 233
Fat Calories: 33
Carbohydrates: 34.5g
Dietary Fiber: 17g
Net Carbs: 17.5g
Protein: 15g