The Best Chicken Enchiladas EVER
April 6, 2010 at 1:28 am | Posted in Chicken, Mexican food | 1 CommentIn a recent post I mentioned that I would be blogging about healthy things – and also some NOT so healthy things. This post goes under the NOT so healthy things but oh man. They are worth every single calorie in my book. We love Mexican food in our house and when my husband says that these are better than the enchiladas at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then I know they are great! Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of these last time I made them but I’ll post one once I make them again. Just trust me on this. You HAVE to try these!!!
Recipe from www.allrecipes.com
Ingredients
Directions
- Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken pieces are no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Shred chicken by placing two forks back to back and pulling meat apart. Set the shredded chicken aside. Meanwhile, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chili powder in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
- Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, half of the bunch of chopped green onion, and water. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder; simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir 1 cup of the soup mixture into the skillet with the chicken mixture. Spread the remaining soup mixture on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the chicken filling before folding the tortillas, reserving half of the shredded cheese for topping the enchiladas. Fold tortillas over the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
- Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Cover with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the reserved chopped green onions and the sliced olives on top of the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 25 minutes.
Pig Rating: As I said, the Pig loves these! He says they are better than our favorite Mexican restaurant and I would agree.
Mrs. Pig Rating: This is probably my favorite Mexican dish that I have made. Not something I will make often since they aren’t exactly healthy but for a special treat with a margarita on the side? Yes please!
Foods I Currently Can’t Live Without
March 25, 2010 at 4:13 pm | Posted in Breakfast, Healthy Snacks, Organics | 7 CommentsAs promised I am going to start showcasing some of the more healthy items that I put into my belly on a regular basis. 🙂 I think it’s amazing how far healthy food has come in the past 5-10 years. You now don’t have to just eat styrofoam boring rice cakes as snacks. There are so many options out there! So here are some things that I currently cannot live without:
Annie’s Bunny Grahams – Honey Flavor: So these little bunnies are amazing. When I want something sweet I grab a handful of these and it definitely curbs the craving. And the top of the box says to gently tug the ears to open – is that cute or what??? But onto the good stuff – these come in four flavors, they are trans and saturated fat-free, made with organic wheat flour and organic evaporated cane sugar, and are also a good source of calcium. Yummy bunnies!
Bear Naked Fit Granola: I have had an obsession with Bear Naked Fit granolal for quite some time now. Some people need their coffee in the mornings – I need this. Bear Naked makes several great granola flavors but these are my two favorites. I mix it every morning with Kashi H2H cereal for a yummy filling breakfast with my banana. Onto the good stuff – made with real whole grains, low sugar and good source of fiber, low glycemic index, all natural – no artificial flavors, no cholesterol, no hydrogenated oils, no high fructose corn syrup, no preservatives and 0 grams trans fat. Also vegan and vegetarian friendly if that is your lifestyle. Go buy this – NOW!
OIKOS Organic Greek Yogurt: I used to hate yogurt but I have acquired a taste for it in the past year. I eat this for my morning snack and also use it in cooking meals that require yogurt. The good stuff – it has twice as much protein as regular yogurt, less lactose, and fewer carbs. The plain yogurt has 0% fat and just 80 calories per serving which is great for a morning snack.
Clif Bars: And last but definitely not least, my absolute favorite little protein bar currently, the Clif bar. More specifically the chocolate chip peanut crunch Clif bar. For some reason I had always thought that these things must taste like crap, but let me tell you, eating this one is like eating a dessert that I shouldn’t be eating. It is SO good. I have one of these before a workout sometimes or in the morning with my breakfast if I don’t have time for cereal. The good stuff – great organic ingredients, high in protein and fiber, all natural, and no trans fats. Did I mention how YUMMY these are?!?!
Okay, now go out and buy some of this stuff! Let me know what you think of it all. 🙂
Sausage Bowtie Pasta
March 20, 2010 at 2:01 am | Posted in pasta, wine | Leave a commentI am kind of addicted to www.allrecipes.com. There are so many awesome recipes and I love that I can read tons of reviews. I also love that I can search by ingredients – for example, if I have a ton of leftover buttermilk, I can type in buttermilk and recipes come up that use it. Fabulous!
I found this recipe while looking in the “healthy” recipes section and I knew I had to make it. I am a pasta fanatic so anytime I can healthy pasta up I am there! I adapted this recipe to make it more to our liking – seemed like a little too much meat for me with the way it is on the site. Chicken and sausage? Meh, not for me. I would do either or. The Pig likes sausage so I went with that for my first attempt.
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked farfalle pasta
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I omitted)
- 1 pound spicy italian turkey sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I used almost an entire 28 oz can as I like mine a little more saucy)
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt and pepper to taste
- A dash of crushed red pepper
I never use anything but multi-grain or whole grain pastas – I don’t even notice the difference!
Directions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
- Wash chicken breasts and cut into large bite size pieces. Remove casing from sausage and cut into large pieces. In a large, deep skillet over medium low heat, put oil and garlic and saute to flavor oil. Remove garlic from oil.
- Add chicken and sausage to skillet and brown both lightly until they are opaque. Add the tomatoes and the wine. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. Season sauce mixture with basil, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked, drained pasta to the skillet mixture. Toss and serve.
Pig Rating: The Pig really likes this one! He loves sausage and pasta so this is a good one for him. I have made it twice and he loves it every time and gobbles up the leftovers. Score!
Mrs. Pig Rating: This one is really easy and as far as a pasta dish is concerned, not too terribly bad for you. The leftovers warm up well which is great for our busy schedules. This is definitely now in our rotation!
I’m Back!
March 17, 2010 at 4:08 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 4 CommentsIt seems like I go through blogging spurts – I’ll blog every day then I disappear for months at a time. Well, I’m back! I have recently made some awesome things that I feel need to be shared with everyone.
I am also going to kind of revamp the content on this blog. Don’t worry, I’ll still post all of my desserts and comfort foods but I want to start sharing the more healthy side of me with my readers. I have had a lot of friends ask me what I eat in a typical day, what I eat for snacks, etc. I would say I lead a healthy lifestyle about 90% of the time. I still eat pizza and drink wine, don’t get me wrong but most of the time I eat pretty clean and workout regularly. My great friend Kat has helped me tremendously in maintaining a lifestyle that I feel good about – check out her blog as well. Great food and workout tips!
Stay tuned for yummy recipes coming up soon! I’ll try to keep up with this a little better now!
Yoo hoo…where are you?!?!
November 5, 2009 at 9:38 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 CommentsI have been MIA. I apologize. However, so many exciting things going on in my life!! We have bought a house, are selling our current house and our other piece of land, we have bought a new puppy, AND a friend and I are starting a business. That’s right – a custom cookie and couture cupcake business! So, though I will still update this when I make something fabulous, in the meantime, check out the blog for La Marie’s Confections! Website coming soon.
See you all soon!
Hurricanes
September 22, 2009 at 10:36 pm | Posted in Drinks, Fun | 3 CommentsI have a few summery recipes that I need to get busy putting on here since the first day of fall is today! Yikes!
My friend recently had a Hurricane at Hard Rock Cafe and she raved about it. She said we had to make them for our next party. First attempt was kind of blah but for my mom’s b irthday party, I mastered it! I made a few changes to the recipe that I found online. There are several different versions but this is what I ended up with that I found to be intoxicating…literally. These puppies are no joke – they taste so good that you forget that there is quite a bit of alcohol in each one. Drink with care!!
Hurricanes – my version!
Ingredients
(I double everything but the alcohol when making these for a tall glass)
1/4 full of ice
1 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum
2 oz orange juice
2 oz other fruit juice of choice – I used mango V8 Splash and it was AMAZING
Grenadine
Directions
Put all ingredients except the grenadine in a cocktail shaker. Pour mixture into glass and then drizzle just a bit of grenadine in until it makes a pretty swirly drink. Stir it up and drink it up! You can use a cherry and orange slice for garnish if you choose.
Mrs. Pig Rating: This is absolutely delish! I will make these continually for parties and this is an awesome summer drink.
Mrs. Pig’s family rating: My mom and stepdad both really enjoyed these. My stepdad said we need to definitely take the recipe with us to Florida in January – this would be a perfect sitting around the pool drink – I agree!
Tomato Mozzarella Bites
September 10, 2009 at 12:45 am | Posted in appetizer, Yummy Veggies | 1 CommentWe recently had a “welcome home/birthday/going away” party at our house for my little brother who is back in Iraq. We invited some of his friends, some of our friends – it was such a fun time! I of course made too much food but I had so much fun preparing the food and drinks! I did appetizer and dessert foods and this was an easy, yummy, great appetizer – everyone raved about it. I could eat a million of these!!
Recipe from www.allrecipes.com
Ingredients
- 20 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 20 fresh basil leaves
- 20 small balls fresh mozzarella cheese (often labeled bocconcini)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 20 toothpicks
Directions
Mrs. Pig Rating: I will make these again and again. Fairly easy to make and oh so yummy! Use all fresh ingredients if you can – that makes it so much better!!
My “Go-To” Turkey Burgers
August 30, 2009 at 7:30 pm | Posted in Grilling, Turkey | 2 CommentsI am so behind on posting things – ahh! I have 5 or 6 recipes that I need to post so I’ll try to get a couple up today.
I love turkey burgers grilled out – YUM. No one else in my house is a huge fan for some strange reason but I make them for myself very often. They are great even warmed up for lunch the next day. This is my “go to” recipe. These are so easy but they are SO full of flavor and oh so yummy. Enjoy!
Recipe from www.allrecipes.com
Ingredients (this makes enough for about 6 burgers)
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon finely diced onion
- 2/3 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/3 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Mrs. Pig Rating: I love these. These taste so good that I normally make more than I need so I can have them for lunch. Serve them up on a wheat bun and you have a healthy yummy lunch!
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