WFD: No-Run, Sort-Of Skinny, Chicken Enchiladas

Today during nap-time, I went trolling for "skinny enchilada" recipes. There are tons of them out there, and they are all basically the same, give or take a few ingredients. I kept seeing common complaints though; too cheesy, too soupy, runs faster than this guy. Since all of these issues appeared to me to be an easy fix, I decided to try my own hand at it.

It came out really well, but I warn you that this is not an exact science type of recipe. There was a lot of eye-balling going on as I figured out what my desired chicken-to-sauce ratio should be. It will greatly depend on how much chicken you use, and how finely you shred it.

I usually cook in small portions - enough to feed my husband while my daughter and I typically split a portion. Since we're not crazy about left-overs here (because that would be too easy), I'm usually always working with 2 small breasts. And there's a sentence that brings laughter to my twelve year old self. Enjoy! (The recipe.)

And no, I still don't have a fancy camera to aid in my horrid picture taking. You'll have to click on my ads about 27 billion more times to make that a reality, and until then you're getting free clip art. You have my thanks in advance.

No-Run, *Sort-of Skinny, Chicken Enchiladas

 

Ingredients 

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1-2 tblspn diced green chilies, undrained
• 1/4 cup cream of chicken soup
• 1/2-1 tblspn chicken stock (broth)
• 1-2 tblspn sour cream
• 1/4 cup Mexican Blend cheese (or your weapon of choice in cheeses)
• 1-2 tsp taco seasoning (recipe below)
• 4-6 low carb tortilla shells (I use whole wheat Mission shells)
• Red Enchilada Sauce to taste, extra cheese for topping

Directions

1. Season chicken with a pinch or two of taco seasoning.
2. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side, or until reaching internal temp of 165.
3. Let chicken cool chicken 5-10 minutes.
4. While the chicken is cooking/cooling; mix soup, chicken stock, sour cream, onion, bell pepper, diced green chilies, cheese, and a pinch or two more of taco seasoning.
5. Once chicken is cooled, shred and add to the filling mixture.
6. Make sure the chicken is well coated, and if not add more soup, stock, and/or sour cream to get desired texture.
7. Spoon mixture off-center into tortillas, roll and place into lightly oiled or greased cooking dish, seam side down. 
8. Cook covered for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
9. Remove cover, add shredded cheese & enchilada sauce to taste and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*The husband has recently joined me in my calorie counting obsession quest, and so we did our best to tally up this recipe. We came to a guestimate of about 340 calories a serving (1 enchilada). Too bad we ate two, with brown rice. Oh well, we'll control ourselves better next time.

Now, one of the ways we've been able to cut out some processed foods in our house is by mixing our own seasonings. I use this very basic recipe from All Recipes with only one addition: a half tsp of cayenne pepper. Because, well, it wouldn't be a chaotic recipe if I didn't. I usually make this in double quantity and it will last about a month.

Taco Seasoning

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

 

WFD: Spicy Pepper Steak

As we dive into summer here at the Chaos home, the days are certainly getting longer... but somehow shorter as well. Time escapes me more often than I'd like.

We're on break from our beloved Music Class, but we're already excited to start again in July. If this is something you've thought about, and are in my local area, there are free demo classes going on this week!

Wed June 27th 10:00 a.m.

Thurs June 28th 9:30 a.m.

If you're interested in joining a demo class, click here to reserve a spot and RSVP.

We welcomed a new member into our extended family this month! We're so excited about our new niece/cousin, a sweet baby girl born on the 15th. She's absolutely beautiful, and will make a great addition to our already fabulous family!

And, last but definitely not least, we've started the official countdown-to-vacation! We'll be spending a week with family at a beach in Northern Michigan, in just under two weeks! Which raises the question, why does it take longer to prepare for a vacation than the vacation itself actually lasts? Hmm...

Busy, busy, busy. That's the word around the Chaos home right now. To compensate, I made one of my very-very-quick meals tonight. Be warned this is a recipe that calls for one totally processed food item: Velveeta cheese. Love it or hate it, it works fabulously in this stir-fried steak recipe. So delish, but so, so easy! To off-set the fake cheese, I serve it over brown rice. I think that wins me back some points.

Spicy Pepper Steak

   

Ingredients 

• 1 lb top round or flank steak, cut into strips
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 green pepper, cut into strips
• 1 small-med onion, sliced  
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes*
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp parsley flakes
• Black pepper to taste
• 4 oz velveeta, cut into into 1/2" cubes

Directions

1. Season steak w/ garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper & red pepper flakes to taste. 
2. Cook in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray (I use organic canola oil) on med-high heat. Cook 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring frequently.
3. Drain any excess fat/oil and add vegetables, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, parsley and garlic powder.
4. Cook 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add velveeta and cook on low, covered for an addition 5-10 minutes. Stir Frequently.
6. Serve over (brown) rice.

*Omitting the cayenne pepper & red pepper flake will take this from holy spicy! to normal.

 

A Word About Cooking and WFD: Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Cooking. Ah, we have a love/hate relationship, you and I. You've both scorned me and burned me (quite literally). You've captivated me though, and as a girl who used to joke about ordering a mean take-out, this is quite the feat.

I've come along way in the last few years, and I can only hope I'm getting better. I really enjoy it now, the art of putting together the perfect meal. Hopefully soon I'll learn to photograph it as well, so that you don't have to suffer my horrendous cell phone pics.

What can you expect from me though, in terms of recipes here at citc? Well, you're going to get a mixed bag. I try, quite hard, to provide my family a well-balanced, mostly organic diet. I'm a big fan of the 100 Days of Real Food blog, and I try to stay away from processed foods and evil things like HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) as much as possible. I subscribe to Door to Door Organics, as I've mentioned here before, and I buy organic milk and eggs, chicken and beef.

But, we're not 100% there yet with everything, and I still rely on some "convenience" items. I still try to make sure they have a decent ingredient list, and you'd be surprised how many big label brands provide pretty some simple stuff lately. One of the things I've used recently, in my chicken pizza recipe, is Prego Veggie Smart Pizza Sauce. It's simple; tomatoes, vegetable purees, and spices. But it comes in a jar, and lately that has a stigma. It also has a bit of a higher sodium content. But you don't need a lot to go a long way, and it is packed with some good veggies.

I'll always do my best to disclose any really questionable ingredients that come up along the way. <evil laugh>

And without further ado, a great recipe a friend of mine found via everyone's favorite site to both love and hate, Pinterest. It's from the blog - The Girl Who Ate Everything. This is modified a bit from her recipe, but not by much. Photo also by gwae.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Ingredients 

•  2 chicken breasts
• 1/2-1 cup water
• 1/2-1 cup Caesar Dressing (we used Brianna's)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Lettuce
• Hamburger buns, slider buns, or tortillas to serve on

Directions

1. Season chicken breasts w/ black pepper. 
2. Place in crock-pot and cover with water (about 1/2-1 cup).
3. Cook on low heat 4-6 hours, then remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain/clean crock-pot.
4. Shred chicken, removing any fat.
5. Mix chicken, Caesar Dressing, Parmesan Cheese, pepper and parsley.
6. Return to crock-pot for half an hour on low, or simmer over low heat on the stove for 20-30 mins.
7. Adorn with lettuce and serve on buns, tortillas or even over salad.

Delicious! This is honestly the best new recipe I've tried in months.  

Making Music Together

For those of you wondering, here's the quick update on the missing Where Bear... after a brief stay at Grandma's house, he was completely wiped out - she must have taken him shoe shopping! He has been resting comfortably in Abbey's bed, and hopes to be back up to his adventures soon.

While Bear rests, we've been up to our "usual" adventures, which includes our weekly music class at the Grosse Pointe Music Academy. Local readers, if you haven't checked these guys out for lessons, you really must. It's a great school, with wonderful instructors.

We love our music class dearly, it's something Abbey and I have been doing together for over a year now. The program we are in is called Music Together, and it's a class designed for kids birth-5 years, along with their parents or care-givers. This is their mission-statement:

"To provide the highest quality music and movement experiences to as many young children as possible and to involve their parents and other adult caregivers, including early childhood professionals."

 

Watching Abbey develop in this class has been amazing. When we started, she couldn't even talk, let alone sing. Now not only does she know entire songs by heart, she actually remembers songs and their movements from classes we took at the very beginning! It really does amaze me, and it warms my heart to watch her participating every week. It's been such a bonding thing for us, and something I definitely recommend for parents of infants and young children. There are classes available nationwide, and you can see if they are in your area, by visiting the class locator, here.

Just bear in mind that the singing and dancing you do in this class will, inevitably, wind up on your top ten list of things you'd never thought you'd do. Don't say I didn't warn you.

WFD: Baked Pizza Chicken

A twist on chicken parmesan, this is a favorite comfort food recipe of mine.

Ingredients 

• 2-3 boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 2 tabelspoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup Prego veggie smart pizza sauce
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp oregano 
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp parsley
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• optional (remember, we like it spicy)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix bread crumbs w/ seasoning mixture.
3. Spray chicken breasts with olive oil mister (or coat with 1/2 tblspn and use brush to spread).
4. Season chicken breasts as desired (I used oregano and garlic powder).
5. Dip chicken breasts into breadcrumbs until coated.
6. Fry chicken on the stove with olive oil (use mister to coat or 1 tblspn) 2-3 minutes each side.
7. Put chicken breasts into baking pan and top with shredded mozzarella.
8. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
9. Remove from oven and top with Prego pizza sauce and a dash of oregano.
10. Return to oven and bake for 45 minutes or until juices run clear / chicken reaches internal temp of 165.

Attention Photogs, Momtogs, and Collectors of All Things Old: A Contest!

Time to dust off those old photos! Want to win an iPad 3 or one of 15 fantastic scanning packages? "Like" FotoBridge on Facebook, and then upload your picture to enter their Foto Flashback contest.

The funnier and more unusual the picture, the better! Entries will be accepted until June 22nd. So upload those old pics, then ask your friends and family to vote for your photo. All individuals who enter will receive a 15% off coupon toward FotoBridge services.

http://www.facebook.com/FotoBridge/app_317560558322868

The Downside of Trying to Concieve: A Top Ten List

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive or maintain a pregnancy within a certain period of time. For couples under the age of 35, infertility is diagnosed when they fail to conceive after 1 year of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. In addition, couples who are able to conceive but experience repeat miscarriages may also be considered having infertility. If she is over 35 years old, it is diagnosed after 6 months of unprotected, well-timed intercourse.*

According to this definition, I've now been faced with infertility issues twice in my life. It took me and my husband a little over a year to conceive Abbey. Now we find ourselves trying for number 2, and facing similar circumstances.

I'm usually very private about this issue; I don't like to put our "private" matters out there, ya know. (I could make a joke about being a good Catholic girl, but I won't.) However, over the past few years I've been quite blessed with a very unique support group, and they've given me the voice to talk about it, and the courage to find the humor in my situation. In my humblest of opinions, humor is the best ally a girl can having when facing issues trying to conceive. I just wish I had realized that sooner! And so with that, I present to you The Downside of Trying to Conceive: A Top Ten List.

10. Listening to helpful advice about "not trying" or "just relaxing".  (As if I could ever really relax.)

9. Practically speaking in code. AF, BBT, 2WW, EWCM... you know what all of these things mean. And honestly, you wish you didn't.

8. Pregnancy symptoms mirror PMS symptoms, and your brain has the power to create symptoms all on it's own. This is truly an evil side-effect of ttc.

7. Peeing on sticks. And peeing on sticks. And peeing on sticks.

6. Charting. And Temping. And that damn thermometer beeping at you every morning.

5. Stalking the calendar. (Is it time to pee on a stick yet!?)

4. Hearing, and politely digesting with a smile on your face, such wisdom as "god's timing is perfect!" or "everything happens for a  reason!"

3. EVERYONE around you is suddenly pregnant. Even the neighbor's daughter's friend who swore she was done after number 5.

2. Sex suddenly becomes more regimented than your job.

1. Realizing you just peed on your last stick. At Midnight. And it's negative, again.

And as a bonus:

A chicken and the egg scenario... Sore boobs. If they're sore, I must be pregnant! Right? Or are they  sore because I keep pushing on them to see if they're sore? Discuss. Or, rather, let's not.


*From the Center for Human Reproduction; New York.