Salsa Chicken Quesadilla

So you know by now that I am back to work, we started daycare, and nights are crazy. Seriously, on work days I get home, have to throw the diapers in the laundry, clean 5 bottles, clean all of my pump parts (Im not sparing you the deets of my day!), package my milk from the day, empty my gym bag, clean my coffee mug and water bottles, bathe Remy, play with Rem and attempt to eat at some point. It's a routine that will take some time to perfect, but makes me happy for easy meals to throw together.

I used the salsa chicken from the freezer to make this quick meal that is also so delicious, which probably has a lot to do with the gooey ooey cheese :)

Salsa Chicken Quesadillas
Red Onion, sliced into thin rings and then cut in half
Green Pepper, sliced into strips and then cut in half
Mushrooms, sliced
dash of Olive Oil
Whole Wheat Tortilla Shell
Salsa Chicken
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
dash of Cumin
Fat Free Sour Cream & Salsa, for topping

In a small pan add oil, onion, pepper and mushrooms. Cook on medium/low for 25 minutes, until everything is softened up. Heat up your salsa chicken a bit (I use the microwave). Remove veggies from pan and wipe oil out.

Spray your pan with nonstick spray and place your tortilla shell, folded in half, into the pan. Add cheese, veggies, chicken and then more cheese. Fold the top half of the tortilla over. Once bottom cheese has melted, flip and cook through on the other side.

Ta-Da!

Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

You know that feeling when your husband has knee surgery and is laid up, helpless and waiting on dinner? And you are toting your 2 month old because said husband can't really help with her? No? Well, I do!  I found the perfect time to pull our frozen crockpot salsa chicken from the freezer when this happened a few weeks back.

I didn't really want to slave in the kitchen all night, so this was a life saver for me. I just had to find new ways to use it and this is now one of my favorite meals! I was always nervous about making enchiladas for some reason, but this was great and I used all low cal ingredients to make it more diet friendly.

Salsa Chicken Enchiladas
Salsa Chicken
Low Carb, 100 calorie Whole Wheat Tortillas
Shredded Mexican Cheese
2 Jalapenos, sliced
1/2 Red Onion, Sliced into half rings
Dash of olive oil
Pinch Cumin
10 Minute Enchilada Sauce (recipe below)
Velveeta Queso Blanco, mixed with milk and heated
Lettuce, beans, rice, fat free sour cream to plate with

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil, if you want to avoid cleaning like I do.


In a small pan, heat jalapeno and onion on low with your dash of olive oil and pinch of cumin for 20 minutes, or until soft.

Pile up your tortillas and pop inth emicrowave for about 30 seconds to get them soft. Ladle a few spoonfuls of your enchilada sauce in the bottom of your baking pan, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.

Place some enchilada sauce in a large shallow bowl (big enough to fit a tortilla).Take one tortilla and coat one side in enchilada sauce. On the side that you coated, place a sprinkle of cheese, a scoop of chicken and some of the jalapeno/onion mix. Roll up and place seam side down in your baking dish. Repeat with remaining shells.

Ladle more of the sauce on top once all of the enchiladas are rolled and in the pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Top each enchilada with about 2 tbs of your queso blanco.

10 Minute Enchilada Sauce (from all recipes)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup Mexican chili powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (I used a 6 oz can of tomato paste and was fine)
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
salt to taste

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.


Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

I joke that for my freezer meals post baby I baked up tons of chocolate chip cookies and froze them. While this is actually true, I do have a good amount of chicken breasts, bone in chicken, steak and ground beef stocked in the freezer for easy grilling as well.

When I was thinking up what I wanted to eat on Cinco de Mayo, nachos was on the top of my list. And that made me think of Ale House nachos, which are layered with chicken. I remember when Salsa Chicken in the crock was all the rage, so I took to my google reader and searched for the recipe. I ended up going with a modified version (if you go to the original site, you will see a cooking time of 6-8 hours. Luckily I checked mine at 4 hours because it was done and would have been way overcooked any longer - just something to note).

I love how easy it was (hello, crockpots are the best, why don't I use it more?!) and that I now have this chicken in the freezer to go with my other meats. It would go great in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas and even on tostones. *note- photo was taken after the chicken was shredded but before going back into the sauce. I froze the remaining sauce and chicken in a big gallon ziplock.*

Crockpot Salsa Chicken (from Stephanie Cooks)
4 large chicken breasts
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 tsp cumin


Combine all of the ingredients and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Shred with two forks once done and place back into the sauce to coat.

Flank Steak Fajita Seasoning

Over the weekend I planned out a mexican night, because mexican food is defintiely one of Adams favorites! Flank steak was on sale and I was able to get enough for fajitas and to freeze for later. After a quick search on all recipes I got a very high rates 'taco seasoning' which really you could use for just about any mexican dish! I cut up jalapenos, bell pepper, red onion and flank steak and sprinkled them all with about 2 tbs of the seasoning. Cook the veggies first, on medium heat in a covered pan. I added 1 tsp of water close to the end to make a little juice. Then I cooked the steak for about 1 minute per side. You could add this in while cooking rice, enchiladas, burritos or on tacos. It would be good for ground beef on nachos also!

Mexican Seasoning (from all recipes)

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

Combine all and store.

I am in the midst of a terrible ear infection, so my apologies for lack of posts that I forsee this week!

Ahi Tuna Tacos

Now that we are getting closer and closer to my move in date, Adam becomes less and lees inclined to go grocery shopping with me when I go to Gainesville. This means that when I went on Saturday, all of the meals were left up to me. I decided on fish tacos for Sunday night, and when I went to the fish counter I saw 'Tuna Nuggets' which intrigued me. I ordered tilapia and also the tuna, as they were the perfect size of tacos.

I really didn't measure anything out - I just sprinkled from the container directly onto the fish. Of course, you can always use this on whole tuna steaks, or cut up your own nuggets.

Ahi Tuna Tacos
Soy Sauce
Garlic Salt
Cumin
Chili Powder
Ginger
S&P
Olive oil

Place tuna in a bowl and drizzle with soy sauce on both sides. Sprinkle garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, ginger and s&p on both sides and set in the fridge for 2 hours.

Heat a skillet the medium/high and place olive oil inside. Add the tuna and sear on all sides.

Top with avacado, pineapple, lettuce, sauteed green pepper/onion/jalapeno, salsa, sour cream or whatever else you want!

Sour Cream Rice

Rice is, by far, one of my top favorite side items. I like it with some butter and s&p too! Adam does not have that sort of love for the brown little grains, so I was a bit skeptical about making this recipe. Since I really do try to stay away from it when I cook for both of us, I figured it wouldn't kill him to have it this one time. Plus, it has corn and sour cream so you really can't go wrong, right? Absolutely! I was so happy that we both enjoyed this recipe. I made it with the white chicken enchiladas, but I suggest making it with something non-cream based, as it was very rich together. You won't be sorry if you try this.

Sour Cream Rice (adapted from A taste of Home Cooking, originally from ...and a cookie for dessert)
1 cup uncooked minute brown rice
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup sour cream (I used fat free)
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, divided
1 can Corn kernels
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook according to package.

 Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.

In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1 cup pepper/monterey Jack cheese, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

White Chicken Enchiladas

Adam loves mexican, and would probably classify it as his favorite genre of food. We haven't had it in a while, so when I stumbled upon this dish I immediately printed it out and planned to make it for a Saturday night dinner. I also love mexcian, but this is also a little different so it became sort of new and exciting.

These were easy to throw together, especially since I used a Publix cooked rotisserie chicken instead of cooking my own, and you could pop these in the freezer instead of the oven to save for a later night when you're too busy to mess with cooking. We both really enjoyed these and will be making them again. (The amounts that I used yielded 6 enchiladas.)

White Chicken Enchiladas (originally from Cassie Craves, found on A Taste of Home Cooking)
6 soft taco size flour tortillas (I use the Ole Extreme Wellness whole wheat tortillas at 70 cal each)
1 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided in half
1 cup shredded Pepperjack Cheese, divided in half
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 large Green Bell Pepper, sliced
2 Jalapeno Peppers, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
12 oz chicken broth
1 cup sour cream (I used fat free and you cannot tell the difference)
1 7-ounce can diced green chiles
Cilantro for garnish, if desired


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place jalapeno and bell peppers into a skillet on medium heat with cooking spray. Let cook until soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Mix together 1 cup of the cheeses with the chicken and coked peppers. Place an equal amount of the mixture into each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down into a baking pan.

In a skillet, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in sour cream and green chiles. Pour over the top of the enchiladas; sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

Buffalo Chicken Layered Loaded Nachos

 Nachos are a great game day snack, as well as a bbq, party, fiesta food. I love that they combine so many different textures and flavors. For the Superbowl I wanted to make them a little different, so I added buffalo chicken to them. Since we don't have a working oven yet, we threw them on the grill to melt the cheese and it worked out just fine, they were on indirect heat for about 20 minutes. Definitely go with the full fat cheese, as that melts much better than the 2%. And dont be stingy!

Layered Loaded Nachos (meat from allrecipes)
Chicken:
2-3 Chicken breasts, halved
1 bottle Franks Red Hot Sauce
1/2 of a 12oz packet Ranch Mix
2 tbsp Butter

Place all ingredients in a crockpot on low, for about 2- 4 hours. Check at 1 and 2 hours to see if chicken is fully cooked. If it is, shred and heat for another hour.

Nachos:
Tortilla Chips
Buffalo Chicken
2 Jalapenos, Sliced
1/2 Tomato, chopped
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
2 Slices Bacon, cooked and chopped
Cheese

In a baking pan, layer the bottom with chips. Add chicken and toppings, then add a large portion of cheese. Add another layer of chips, filling and cheese.

Place in an oven at 350 or on the grill (indirect heat) for about 20 minutes, until everything is melted through. Serve wit sour cream.

Make Ahead Mexican

 I am always looking for an easy make ahead lunch, and this week I wanted to go carbless. Making something on Sunday that can last the whole week and is a no fuss meal is ideal for me, and since I can eat the same meal for days on end, this method really works well for me. I decided to go with mexican this week, since it's mainly protein and vegetables with only some sodium from the taco seasoning. I also made up a batch for Adam, since I know it will make his life a little bit easier also. Quick has really become essential for me and my meals lately, so I will be making a lot of bulk lunches.

Make Ahead Mexican

8 skinless Chicken Tender Strips

2 Bell Peppers

1/2 Red Onion

2 Jalapeno Peppers

Pineapple

1/2 packet Taco Seasoning

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and place all 8 tenders inside. Sprinkle a dash of seasoning on each piece and spread with a fork. Cover with a lid and let cook on medium heat. After 4 minutes, flip the tenders and add seasoning to the cooked side. Recover and cook through, about 4-5 more minutes.

While the chicken cooks, slice all veggies into strips, and pineapple into chunks.

Remove the tenders but leave all of the extra seasoning in the skillet. Place all of the vegetables in and sprinkle 2 tsp seasoning on top. Mix well to combine. Cover with the lid and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pineapple when vegetables are cooked.

Store in a container and portion out for lunches each day.

Ale House Jalapeno Poppers

One of the best bars around here is the Ale House, and Kellys favorite thing to eat is their jalapeno poppers. A few years ago she decided it would be easy to create these at home, and so she did. They are easy with few ingredients and cook up fast, the only thing that takes time is putting them together. We usually always have these at partys and Adam and I make them a lot when we eat mexican at home. They are best served with a sweet chili sauce, found in the ethnic aisle at your grocery store.

Jalapeno Poppers
Jalapenos, de-seeded and sliced
8oz Cream Cheese, 1/3 reduced fat works well
Wonton Wrappers
Canola/Vegetable Oil for frying
Bowl of Water

Working with one wonton wrapper at a time, add about a teaspoon of cream cheese to the center and then place on slice of jalapeno on top. Fold one side of the wrapper on top of the filling and dab some water on top. Fold the other end over on top and then the two remaining sides on top also. Use water to seal the creases.

Once all of your poppers are put together, heat oil on medium-high heat in a skillet. Place poppers in, turning once browned on the bottom. Remove when both sides are bubbly and cooked.

Fish Tacos - Bobby Flay

 

Since I am getting back into eating healthier on the weekends, Adam grabbed some fresh Mahi that was on sale at the local fish market. He found this recipe for mahi fish tacos from Bobby Flay and we both put them together for a Friday dinner. The fish was good, although I suggest that you saute the fish instead of grill, as we put it on the grill for twice the amount of time the recipe called for and the fish was still raw in the middle. We will probably be making these again, the fish turned out well and we love mexican to begin with!

Fish Tacos
Fish
1 pound white flaky fish, such as mahi mahi or orata
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Garnish and Such
8 flour tortillas
Jalapenos, sliced long ways
Green Onion, chopped
Red Onion, sliced
Bell Pepper, sliced long ways
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Lettuce, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Sour Cream
Salsa
Cumin
S&P

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, ancho, jalapeno, and cilantro and pour over the fish. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Place red onion, bell pepper and jalapeno in a skillet with a little bit of evoo or cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin and saute until warm and softened.

Remove the fish from the marinade place onto a hot grill, flesh side down. Grill the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.If fish is not fully cooked, go ahead and flake it and throw in a pan on the stove until cooked through.

Stuffed Jalapenos on the Grill

I think that these stuffed jalapenos recieved the most rave review of anything that I have made. They flew from the plate and bites were followed with 'mmmm's. I should have made more, but was unsure of how they would turn out. These weren't too hot, but when I made them again on Monday (yes, Adam had requested them again because they were really that good) they were much spicier. I guess it can just depend on the day you get your peppers and the ripeness of them. I was inspired by this recipe that I found, because it was on the grill and just a little different than others. You have to make sure to get the widest peppers that you can, because stuffing them can be difficult. I had to use the handle end of a baby spoon to fill them completely. Other than that, it was a breeze to make and cook!

Stuffed Jalapenos on the Grill
Large Jalapenos
8oz Cream Cheese, softened (I used 1/3 fat)
8oz Sharp Cheddar, shredded finely, plus 1/4 cup
Bacon slices, raw
Kosher Salt
Garlic Salt
Metal or Wooden Skewers
Baking Pan




Let your cream cheese block soften. Once it is mixable, combine with the cheddar, pinch of salt and some garlic powder. Make sure it is well blended.

Begin by slicing the tops off of the peppers and using a paring knife to hollow out the inside. Make sure to get rid of everything, even at the bottom. If you dont, then people will get a huge surprise when they take that last bite!

Using the end of a small spoon, fill the peppers with the cheese mixture. Do not try to put all of the filling in at once, if you do then it will not get to the bottom of the pepper. Spoon a few scoops in. Fill to the top and then dip the opening in the extra cheddar.



Take the top of your pepper and spread a little of the cream cheese mix on top and place on the bottom, to make the pepper whole again. Take 1/2 slice of bacon and wrap around jalapeno, then skewer. Work with one pepper at a time. Place the skewer on a baking pan.

Heat half of your grill on high, and the other half on low. Place the baking pan on the low heat side and cook, covered, for 20-30 minutes.

Taco Pasta Salad

I mentioned how I have been wanting to try this Wagon Wheel Taco Pasta Salad for almost a year now; it has been blogged by so many people, but originated here, on Cara's Cravings. I think it was so hyped that I expected too much. Everyone loved it, especially all of the cilantro. I thought it was good, but this left something to be desired for me, personally. Maybe it was because I couldn't find wagon wheel pasta and had to settle for another, or because I left out the avacado since Adam hates it. It really is something different to whip up and bring to a party or to serve, because it is not your ordinary pasta salad. I will say, there was half the bowl gone so everyone enjoyed! I am inputting the original recipe here, since I followed it exactly, except for the 2 changes mentioned above.


Taco Pasta Salad (from Cara's Cravings)
1lb wagon wheel pasta
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10oz package frozen corn (I don't even bother thawing it, because I always make this at least a few hours before serving, so it plenty of time to defrost)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
8oz shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese. Add the cooled pasta and mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over the pasta salad, add the cilantro, and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Just before serving, stir in the diced avocado.

Mexican Tortilla

Tortillas can come in so handy when you don't want to take much time or effort to throw a snack/dinner together. When I'm eating alone, mostly I just want to fix something very simple so I will go through the fridge/pantry to see what I have to work with. The other week I came up with this Mexican Tortilla. It was quick, easy and delicious!

Mexican Tortilla

1 Tortilla

Slice of Onion, chopped

1/5 Green Pepper, chopped

3 tbsp nonfat Sour Cream

1/2 small Roma tomato, chopped

3 Slices off a block of Cheddar, each sliced into 3 pieces

Lettuce, chopped

Corn, defrosted or from a can

2 tsp Fajita seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add cooking spray to a skillet and place on high heat. Put tortilla in until crisp on one side and then flip until crisp on the other.

Place on baking sheet and add 1 tbsp sourcream to tortilla, spread evenly with a spoon. Add cheese, onion and green pepper. Sprinkle 1 tsp of Fajita seasoning on top. Add tomato and corn, then add remaining 1 tsp of Fajita seasoning.

Bake for about 6 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from oven and place remaining sour cream on top, followed by lettuce.

More Tilapia/Chicken Tacos

Last night I made chicken and tilapia tacos with veggies and lots of toppings. It made me so full, but today I feel thinner than I have in a while! My pants are feeling good and my stomach feels flatter, from the inside. Hard to explain but Im sure most people experience this. I like that feeling, and it always makes me want to keep eating right to maintain it. I know that on Friday I will be eating poorly while tailgating, and drinking too many calories also, but if I go into it like this, I hope to emerge the next day ready to hit the gym and whip up something good again. Im back to day 5!

Tilapia and Chicken Tacos
Chicken Breasts, cubed
Tilapia Fillets
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 Orange Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
2 Jalapenos, sliced into strips
3/4 Red Onion, 1/2 cut into rings and then halved and the other 1/2 chopped for topping
2 tbs EVOO
Extreme Wellness Whole Wheat Tortillas (76 calories per shell)
1 packet low sodium Fajita Seasoning
Cilantro, chopped for topping
Can or Corn for topping
Can of Black Beans for topping
1/2 Avacado, sliced for topping
Salsa and Sour Cream

Place peppers, jalapenos and halved onion into a skillet on medium/high heat with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning on top, to taste. Cook until soft and move to a bowl.

Place tilapia over 1/2 tbsp evoo and sprinkle lightly with fajita seasoning. Cook until you can flake it apart and then add remaning seasoning, to taste. In another pan, place chicken over 1/2 tbsp evoo and sprinkle with seasoning to taste. once almost done, move to half of the pan and add vegetables back into the other half to reheat.

I served each in a separate bowl. Add toppings

Chiles Rellenos

It is quite an understatement to say that Adam loves Mexican food. He would honestly eat it for every meal, everyday if he could. So, for his at home birthday dinner he, of course, chose mexican. He found this recipe on allrecipes. He always orders Chile Rellenos when we go out, and these were actually better than a lot of places we have tried them. I only decided to slightly change it up, because we used more filling that required. I've marked my changes below. We will definitely be making this again, Adam says it's a perfect dish for when company comes because it is a process to pull these together, so not something you're going to do everyday. Well worth the work, though! (Just make sure to not think about calories while eating this)

Chiles Rellenos (from allrecipes.com)
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
4 fresh poblano chile peppers
1/2 pound lean ground beef (I used 1.5 pounds)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs, separated
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup shredded White/Yellow Cheddar Blend

2 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup corn oil

Directions
Place whole peppers over an open flame (gas burner) or under the broiler. (We put on the grill) Roast, turning frequently until evenly black and blistered. Remove from heat, place in a plastic bag, and let them sweat for a while. This will allow the skins to peel of easily.

While the peppers are sweating, place the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring to crumble, until evenly browned. When beef is fully cooked, add the onion, garlic and tomato, and cook for a few more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove the peppers from the bag, and peel off the burnt skin. You may wish to wear protective gloves. Run peppers under cool running water to rinse away any burnt pieces. Make a small vertical slit in the side of the peppers, and remove the seeds and veins. Stuff each pepper halfway with the ground beef mixture, then fill the rest of the way with shredded cheese. Close the slits, and secure with toothpicks.

Whip egg whites in a large glass or metal bowl until thick and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, and whip for a minute to blend in.

Meanwhile, heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the stuffed peppers with a light dusting of flour, then dip them in the egg so they are fully covered. Carefully place in the hot oil, and fry on both sides until golden. Drain on paper towels. (We used a medium pot and poured in a whole container of corn oil, then submerged the peppers so that we didn't have to flip them, this ensured that none of the filling escaped the peppers)

Since we had so much leftover filling, we preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Place peppers in a casserole dish and remove toothpicks. Place remaining filling on top. Then cover with the remaining shredded cheeses. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with rice or your favorite side.

Sweet Spanish Corn Cakes

I can honestly say that I cannot remember ever having sweet corn cake, which is strange because I love corn and mexican food! Adam brought this recipe to my attention when sending me his birthday menu so we followed it exactly and it came out really good, now whenever I see this on a menu I will have to order!

Sweet Spanish Corn Cakes (from That's My Home)

Makes 8 Servings

1/2 C. butter or margarine softened

1/3 C. masa harina

1/4 C. water

1 package (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed

1/3 C. sugar

4 T. yellow cornmeal

2 T. whipping cream

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

With an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine until fluffy. Gradually beat in masa harina. On low speed, beat in water.Place corn in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped coarse. Stir in masa mixture.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar, cornmeal, cream, baking powder, and salt. Stir into corn mixture.

Spread in a greased, 8-inch-square baking pan. Cover with foil. Place in a larger pan and pour boiling water half way up the side of the smaller pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until set. Remove smaller pan from water, uncover, and let stand 15 minutes.

Mexican Stack

I really love rice, and mexican food! When I go without rice for a while I really start to miss it, and that has been the case recently. Ive been pretty good about not incorporating too many carbs into dinner, so last night I wanted it bad! I didn't want to have to go to the store (Im not sure how I even let rice sit in the pantry for more than a week nowadays) and I also had leftover peppers and onion to use up, plus we had leftover jalapeno dip that I wanted to get rid of. I really didnt want to make anything that took too much work, as I was pretty tired and had an awful day at the gym. And that is how to mexican stack came along! It was so easy and it's pretty healthy. Since I only ate half, there wasn't too much rice and I was definitely filled up enough to take the rest for lunch. I am counting down the hours until 12.....4 to go!

Mexican Stack

Makes 2

2 Chicken Breasts, pounded thin

1 cup Rice, cooked (I used black beans and rice but brown would be healthier)

1 Bell Pepper, sliced

1/2 Sweet Onion, sliced

1/2 Jalapeno, minced

1 packet Taco Seasoning

1/4 cup Cheddar, fat free, shredded

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Pinch S&P

(You can also use any additional toppings, guac, salsa, fat free sourcream, etc.)

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees. Heat Oil in a skillet on high heat. Cook rice according to directions.

Use 3/4 packet of taco seasoning and rub onto both sides of chicken. Place in a baking dish and into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping at 10 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, combine the remaining taco seasoning, pepper, onion, jalapeno, fresh ground pepper and red pepper flakes into a bag and shake until the seasoning is evenly distributed. Place contents of bag into the skillet. Cover with lid and let cook for about 12 minutes, stirring every couple minutes.

When chicken is done, add a little bit of S&P. Put 1/2 cup rice on your serving plate, followed by the chicken. Sprinkle the cheese onto the chicken and then top with vegetables. You can also add condiments on top, as you like.

Nutritional Info Per serving (2 servings in recipe, although 1/2 serving was enough for me)

338 Calories

5g Fat

36g Protein

38g Carbs

Jalapeno Dip

Adam and I both love jalapeno poppers, but making them can be such a long process. I found this recipe and wanted to try it. It was so much simpler and while it wasnt exactly the same, it was really good and Ill be making it again!

Jalapeno Dip (adapted from allrecipes)
3 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1-1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Lite Mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat free Sour Cream
1/4 cup Mozzerella Cheese shredded
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs


Preheat an oven to 350 degrees
Mix together jalapenos, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and green chilies in a bowl. Spread into small square baking dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

I served with wheat thins and carrots but others also suggest sourdough bread.

Fish Tacos

, I decided to try fish tacos last night for the first time. I had found this great mango-lime seafood seasoning that I wanted to try out and wanted to make something pretty healthy. Since I don't have a grill pan (it's on my list of things to get) and I didn't want to fire up the big grill, I just cooked on the stove in a skillet. I probably would grill it next time, but it turned out moist and flavorful and now I have some yummy leftovers for lunch! I paired with a mexican salad.

Fish Tacos

1.5 lbs Tilapia

2 tbsp Weber Lime-Mango Seafood Seasoning

2 Limes, juice

4 Soft Tortilla Shells (I used whole wheat, 75 calories wraps)

4 Green Onions, chopped

Salsa, Sourcream (I used nonfat), Avacado, Lettuce for filling tacos

Marinate Tilapia in seasoning and lime juice for about 30 minutes, in a ziplock bag. Cook until done throughout center (grill, stove, whichever you prefer). Spread 1 tbsp sourcream on shell and add lettuce. Layer on tilapia and top with green onion. Add any other condiments you'd like.

For the Salad, mix bell pepper, red onion, black beans, avacado, corn and romaine. Top with sourcream and salsa.