Crock pot Chicken Enchiladas

It's fall now, so you can use your oven with no problem. But I still get busy and sometimes I need to make dinner when my kids are at school so I can get stuff done with them when they get home. I love chicken enchiladas. So when I saw this recipe I was more than excited to try it out. And I love how it turned out. It really does have all of the wonderful flavors of my 'cook in the oven' green Chile Enchiladas. The only differences are, there is no rice, it doesn't take as long to put together, and it is a little soupy. These are so delicious, you need to try them I promise you if you like green Chile enchiladas, you'll love them!

Crock pot Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 can chopped green chile's

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can green enchilada sauce

1 can black beans, drained

6 gluten free tortillas, or whole wheat, cut into 3/4 inch strips

2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed into small pieces

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2 cups chopped lettuce

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

Directions

Spray a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker/crock pot with cooking spray. In cooker, spread 1/2 of the green chile's and 1/4 of the enchilada sauce to cover the bottom. Spread 1/3 of the chicken over the sauce. In a medium bowl, mix remaining chiles and enchilada sauce with the soup. Arrange 1/3 of the tortilla strips over the chicken in the cooker. Top with more chicken, 1/2 cup of the beans, and 1 cup of the sauce, spreading to the edges of the cooker to completely cover the tortilla strips. Repeat layers twice. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or until the chicken is no long pink in the center. Top with cheese. Cover and cook about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve with tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream.

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Today the Fun Food Find is a cereal, EnviroKids Organic Amazon Frosted Flakes. They are gluten free and oh so yummy! My kids loved them. And the best part is they don't have that many ingrediants. So they are much healthier for you than the normal frosted flakes. I think that they tastes better too.

You can find these at the Health Food stores and on line.

Orange Baked Acorn Squash

A few Sundays ago I wasn't feeling very well. My husband was home and decided that he was going to experiment for me. He found this recipe and then asked me what changes I would make to it if I were going to cook it. He made this amazing Orange Baked Acorn Squash. I had never had Acorn Squash before. I had no idea how it tasted. Well let me tell you, this way is delicious! I love how the orange mixes with the apple to give the squash a nice sweet taste. I would never have thought to put those two flavors together but they work. And they work well! I had some of my family try this. Those who liked squash loved it, those who don't care that much for squash loved it. If you have never tried an Acorn Squash and want to, use this recipe!

Orange Baked Acorn Squash

Ingredients

1 acorn squash, halved and de-seeded

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed but not diluted

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 teaspoons organic brown sugar

1 apple, peeled de-seeded and cut in half

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. Fill a 2 qt. baking dish with 1/2 inch of water. Place squash halves cut side down in the dish, and bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven. In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, butter, and organic brown sugar. Remove squash from oven. Turn squash halves cut side up in the baking dish. Drizzle a little of the orange mixture in the middle of the squash. Place half of the apple in each of the squash and drizzle the remaining orange mixture over the squash, making sure to drizzle on the sides too. Return to oven and continue baking for 25 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!!

Widsom Wednesday!!

Nutmeg

I love ground nutmeg. I love the smell of it. I love the taste of it. Right now while I'm typing this I can almost taste my Banana Bread French Toast. Oh delightful!! Because nutmeg is one of the spices on my love list I was really excited when I came across this article. It states that there are 5 health benefits you can use nutmeg for besides making your food taste scrumptious. For example they say that you can use nutmeg for zits! Yep zits. Make a paste with nutmeg and milk and it can help your zits. For the rest of the list click here, and here's to a happy healthier you!

Roasted Tomato Pasta

I've made the roasted tomato soup so many times over the last few weeks that one night I wondered out loud if there was anything else we could use it for. My oldest son suggested that it would taste really good with noodles in it. He was right! It was an instant hit! Here you have the deliciousness of the roasted tomato soup combined with the heartiness of the noodles. It is a perfect pasta dish and great if you don't want to make grilled cheese to go with it. :]

Roasted Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

8-10 ripe tomatoes, courted and seeded

1 1/2 teaspoon butter or extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 heaping tablespoon, dried basil deaves

4 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 14oz can chicken broth (reduced sodium and fat free)

1 package of noodles, rice or whole wheat, cooked according to package directions

Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place tomatoes on the prepared baking sheet; cut side down, and sprinkle with salt. Broil until skins are blistered, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, then slip off the skins.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onions are very soft. Stir in tomatoes and cook for about 1 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth; return to the sauce pan. Stir in broth, celery salt, honey, and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add noodles and stir. Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Peach-Mango Smoothie

My husband loves drinks, non alcoholic drinks. When we first started dating he would always mix us up some concoction. Anywhere from a virgin lime margarita to drinks I wasn't sure what was in them, I just knew they were good. So for his birthday this year I wanted to find a drink or smoothie that he liked. One of his favorite fruits are mangos, so when I saw this recipe I was excited to try it. I made it for him for to go with his breakfast, and it was a hit! Pretty easy to do too, which is always nice.

Mango-Peach Smoothie

Ingredients

1 small peach, peeled and sliced

1 mango, peeled and diced

1/2 cup rice milk

1/2 cup orange juice, or as needed

Directions

Place the peach, mango, rice milk, and orange juice into a blender. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses to serve.

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Our Fun Find For Today is Gus Grown-up Soda. If you like sparkling juices you'll like these. On the label it says, "not too sweet" and they're right. They don't have a lot of sugar in them and it is cane, not refined. I love that they contain juice too. My kids like these and so do I.

I bought these at the Health Food Stores.