Lightened Up and Layered

Hello all!

Sorry posts have been sparse, but lately the weather has been seeming more like spring and less like winter, so I try to take advantage of it while I can. It’s not often Minnesota winters treat us nicely! It seems as soon as the holiday hoorah slows down, I get into spring cleaning mode. Thursday my grandma came down to visit and helped tackle my apartment from top to bottom. We ended the day with a sparkling clean result an a definite appetite. Lately I’ve been really enjoying one of Applebee’s new menu items. I’m sure you’ve maybe saw the commercials for the new “Meals Under 550”—this is one of them and I would’ve never guessed that such a rich, flavorful and filling restaurant meal would clock in at that low of calories. It was a good surprise! Have you tried any of Applebee’s new “Under 550 Calorie” menu items? Raves/reviews?

I got the Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portabellas…

“Marinated chicken breast grilled and topped with roasted red peppers, onions, portobello mushrooms, Dijon sauce, and aged cheddar cheese. Served with steamed herb potatoes and seasonal vegetables.”

• Overall, this was a great meal for $9.99 and under 550 calories—I would highly suggest you try it!

I also did the weekly grocery shopping and was pleasantly surprised that Wal-Mart had their giant bags of frozen chicken breasts on sale for half the price that they normally are—score! At around $3 for that big of a bag, I just couldn’t pass it up even though my freezer is really overloaded full. That is one of the reasons I really like Wal-Mart; their occasional sales can be a steal! However, Wal-Mart does have it’s pros and cons in my book.

Pros:

• They carry a wide variety of products.
• Offer all departments needed for a single trip—no multiple stops.
• Great Value brand offers similar products to name-brand at a cheaper price.
• When they have sales they are worth the trip.
• I really enjoy their self checkouts so I can bag things how I like them.
• They are really good about accepting local sales ads and matching the lowest price.
• Their bakery clearance can be a real deal for low-priced and fresh-baked breads/pastries.

Cons

• Way too busy—it takes a lot of effort to get in and out of the one in my town unless of course you go at 6 am or 10 pm.
• Sometimes the produce can be a bit on the low quality side.
• Sometimes customer service can take forever to get through.

What are your Wal-Mart pros and cons?

So thanks to Wal-Mart, this delish recipe was born—the sauce makes a double batch so you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can use it to make another batch of this recipe, as a pizza sauce, a dip, or whatever else you can come up with. This is one of those recipes I could make numerous times a month—and even better is that it’s healthy!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

--Makes 4 large enchiladas—can be doubled without doubling the sauce--

Ingredients:

• 2 c chopped cooked chicken breast
• 1 c green pepper
• 3/4 c chunky mild salsa
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese (I used fat free)
• 1 c diced green pepper
• 4 oz fat free block cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 4- 10 inch tortillas (preferably light and whole wheat)
• 1 c fat free sour cream
• 1 (1o 3/4 oz) can of fat free condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 c skim milk
• 1 can green chilies
• 1/4 c diced yellow onion

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly spray 8 x 8 baking pan.
• Beat cream cheese, water, seasonings, 1/2 c salsa and chicken together in mixing bowl.
• Lay out 4 tortillas, place 1/4 c chicken mixture down the middle . Roll up and place seam side down next to each other in pan.
• In large bowl, mix soup, sour cream, milk, 1/4 c salsa, chilies, and onion—pour half over enchiladas—reserve remaining for other use.

• Bake 30 min. Sprinkle with cheese evenly and return to oven for 5 more minutes.

• **Check out where my cookie dough truffles showed up!**