Healthy Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken is a go to option for us. I know it is better than red meat options, so I have been trying to make some new recipes to share with my family. My husband LOVES Mexican food.  Chicken..mmm...spices..mmm...cheese...mmm...sour cream...mmm- delicious

I have been finding it easier and easier to make traditional, enjoyable meals with healthier ingredient options.

INGREDIENTS:

*Whole grain tortillas-I used Aladdin's whole grain tortillas-My recipe made 4

*Chicken- I used chicken breast tenders- split a package- used 3 of them for this recipe (other 2 from this half of package used for my salad and the dog :) 

*16 oz. can of red enchilada sauce (only use about half of it)

*1/4 tsp. of garlic powder

*1/2 tsp of chili powder

*1/4 tsp of black pepper

*1 cup of shredded cheddar

* 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook your chicken accordingly. I cooked the 5 chicken breast tenders for about 30 minutes.

3.  Put the chicken in a medium sized bowl and mix in the spices. 

4. Add 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Mix well.

5. Add some of the mixture to the middle of the tortilla and roll up. 

6. Spray the crock pot with cooking spray.

7. To prevent the tortillas from becoming soggy, broil the enchiladas for about 10 minutes (I did it on HI) before putting them in the crock pot.

8. Add the tortillas to the crock pot, seam down.

9. Combine the other 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce and 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt in a bowl. It should not be very thick.

10. Pour it over the top of the tortillas. Add some extra shredded cheese. 

11. Cook on low for about 2 hours.

FIXERS: One yellow, One blue, and One red (chicken and Greek yogurt)

Happy Eating!

XoXo

Kynslee

ZUCCHINI Sea Salt & Garlic Chips

Yep, you read that correctly! This delicious chips are made from ZUCCHINI! Zucchini isn't a typical food that I eat. It is a type of summer squash so adding it to my "to eat list" is beneficial because it gives me other "green container" (Fix Lingo) or vegetable options to eat!!

Who doesn't like a good crunch, right?! When I think chips, I immediately equate that to carbs!! This is such a great option to add some additional veggies to your day and fight that chip craving.

INGREDIENTS:

*Zucchini ( I only could find a baby one last night BUT will get a larger one next time)

*Olive oil

*Sea Salt

*Garlic Powder 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 225 Degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I sprayed parchment paper with olive oil cooking spray too.

3. Cut the zucchini. A mandolin slicer would be awesome for this to get an ideal thickness, but I don't have one. I just used a knife. :)

3. Put slices on a paper towel and dab them to extract excess water to help with baking process.

4. Place slices on the baking tray making sure not to overlap them so they all cook evenly.

5. Spread olive oil over each slice using basting brush.

6. Sprinkle a SMALL amount of sea salt and garlic powder. *DON'T over season before baking. You can add extra seasoning when you are ready to eat them!

7. Cook for 2+ hours (until your desired CRUNCH)

8. Store in an air tight container for no more than 3 days. You won't have a problem eating them before that time!!

*FIXERS- I would fill up a green container with the zucchini BEFORE baking them to get an accurate portion size of how many you should eat. 

Happy Snacking!!

XoXo 

Kynslee

Balsamic Chicken

This past week, I tried out 3 new recipes that were ALL winners!! Chicken can certainly be boring, but this recipe added amazing flavor. My concern with cooking chicken is it being dry. That certainly did not happen with this recipe. It was very flavorful and juicy. Per usual, Bristyn devoured it. :)

INGREDIENTS: *I kept the ingredients the same for my recipe even though original used 4 chicken breasts*

*Chicken breasts ( I used 2 for my husband & I and our toddlers)

*1/2 tsp of sea salt

*1/2 tsp of black pepper

*3 tsp of minced garlic

*1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

*3/4 low sodium chicken broth

*1/4 tsp dry thyme

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray.

2. Season chicken with salt & pepper.

3.  Add the chicken and saute on medium high until one side is brown. 

4. Add the garlic and flip chicken.

5. After cooking on the other side for about 3 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar, broth, and thyme.

6. Cover and continue cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Remove chicken and serve with you favorite side.

**You could continue to cook the sauce uncovered, once chicken is removed, for about 6 minutes and pour over chicken. 

*We enjoyed ours with mashed potatoes and our nightly dinner salad.

*Fixers: My portion was 1 RED!! :)

I paired it with 1 yellow of mashed potatoes and my 3 portions of veggies!

Happy Eating!!

XoXo

Kynslee

In Health & Basketball

I've always loved basketball. I enjoyed playing it way back in my grade school days. Watching it on the collegiate level at Loyola University Chicago was always a good time, especially when my brother walked on his sophomore  year. It is a fast-paced game that is full of intensity for 4 quarters. I'm a spirited Cavs fan!

As I was watching game 2 of Cavs vs Bulls yesterday, I really started to notice how a basketball game is a lot like our health.
1. The coach has a plan. He/She has to look at the roster and determine which players will best execute at game time. The players watch film of opponents, especially when they fall short in a game, as the Cavs did in game 1.

Our health requires planning in order to be successful. It MUST be a priority in our lives. We've been given one life, no practices. Planning involves scheduling time each day to exercise. It doesn't mean you need to devote hours a day. All you need is 25-30 minutes a day of efficient exercise. We make time to watch our favorite shows, AND we need to do the same with our exercise!!


Planning is also necessary when it comes to our nutrition. 80% of our health comes from what we put into our bodies. We can't afford to eat processed, fast foods. It will either get us now by adding extra pounds that lead to various diseases or attack us later. Skinny is not synonymous with healthy. You can be extremely skinny and really unhealthy. People often say to me, "Eat some cake" Eat this. Eat that. They say I look great, which I appreciate them saying, BUT I NEED to FEEL great. My body needs to function properly.

Fail to plan, plan to fail!

2. You've got to go hard for 4 quarters in the game if you want to win. Regardless of your lead, you can't let up. Doing so allows the opponent to creep back into it.

Our health is the same way. Even when we meet goals, we have to continue exercising and eating clean, whole, delicious foods to maintain our goals as well as continue to have our body function properly. We have to set new short term goals reminding us of our overall goal- healthy lifestyle.



3. Halftime in a game is a great opportunity for the players to take some time, relax a bit, but remain  focused on the goal of winning. It's 15-20 minutes where they don't have to be all in.

Our health isn't about perfection. It's about making small daily choices that that add up to major impacts.
For me, that looks like going all in at least 80% of the time. This involves eating a balanced nutrition plan, not restricting myself from certain food groups but eliminating modified, processed foods. The other 20% I indulge, knowing that those choices aren't best for me, but recognizing they don't control me!! Eat some cake, just not every piece presented to you. ;)


Now for my love of health and basketball, let's bring a victory back from Chi-Town tomorrow!!!
PS- Who else loves the movie In Love & Basketball?!

Interested in taking a closer look at your health?! Fill out the form below! 

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Bruschetta Chicken

I don't know about you, but plain old chicken just doesn't do it for me! I need to jazz it up to really enjoy it! This recipe is a delicious mix of spices and oils that hit the spot! Our youngest begged for seconds, and when I was going to give a small piece I had left, because I was full, to the dog, my husband quickly stopped me and snagged it!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Salsa Topping:
Roma tomatoes-de-seed and cut (I used 3, but 2 would be plenty for 2 chicken breasts)
*1 tbsp. of olive oil
*1/2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
*1 tbsp. of basil - I used basil flakes 
*Sea salt-sprinkled it in there
*black pepper-sprinkled it in there
*1.5 cloves of minced garlic

Chicken Breasts:

*Chicken breasts (This was made with 2, so adjust ingredients as needed).

*1/2 tbsp oregano
*1/2 tbsp basil
*1/4 tsp.  thyme
*1/2 tsp chopped parsley
*1 1/2  tbsp lemon juice
*1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
*1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
*1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
*1/8 tsp of sea salt




**Shredded mozzarella to put on top of chicken breast when cooking.

***You can play around with the amount of spices and oil. 

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2.Mix all the salsa ingredients in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
3.  Mix all the chicken ingredients in a ziplock back and mix it around to cover the chicken. 
4. Marinate for at least an hour before cooking.
4. Put in a dish. I sprayed it with cooking spray first.
5. Add chicken breasts and cook for 30-40 minutes covered.

I served ours with mashed potatoes and salad. YUM!! See ya boring chicken!!

FIXERS: 1 red for chicken, 1 blue for cheese, and little green for tomatoes!

Happy Eating!
XoXo
Kynslee

Avocado Quesadilla

SO, it has been a while since I've tried a new recipe. Honestly, I am a creature of habit and can eat the same thing over and over again. It makes my meal planning and grocery shopping easier. :) My husband has been making some health changes over the last 5 weeks. He has always pretty much embraced my dinners since they are what he is familiar with -sloppy joes, chili, burgers, fries, mac n' cheese, taco casserole, steak, chicken...just made with better ingredients, BUT he is NOT a fan of eating the same thing OVER and OVER again. Me, LEFTOVERS make me so happy! No prep, just heat, and the dishes are already done from when it was originally prepared!!

I went searching for some different recipes for this week's meal plan, and we tried the first one yesterday. AMAZING! and SIMPLE!!!

This only took about 10 minutes to prep and cook!

INGREDIENTS:

*Whole grain wrap or pita- I used Aladdin's whole wheat pita-few ingredients :)

*1/2 avocado per quesadilla

*tomato

*onion

*spices of choice- I used garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and pepper

*shredded mozzarella

*OPTIONAL - chicken (which we used- had leftover from rotisserie the night before and always need more protein :)

*OPTIONAL- salsa and Greek yogurt for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Spread avocado on your wrap/pita.

2. Add tomatoes, onion, spices, and optional chicken

3. Top it off with cheese

4. Spray a pan with cooking spray and fold wrap/pita in half.

5. Brown on both sides. I enjoy mine crispier whereas my husband doesn't, so just cook until your quesadilla is how you like it!

6. Serve with salsa and Greek yogurt ( for sour cream substitute) for added flavor!

We enjoyed ours with a salad as well. This was packed with veggies, protein, healthy fat, and great carbs!

FIXERS: 1 yellow, 1 blue, 1 red (including Greek yogurt), and little bit of green with tomato and onion. 

Happy Eating!

XoXo

Kynslee