Lower Calorie Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

  A while back I issued a challenge.  I needed some new recipes, and I wanted them to be healthy.  So I asked for meal ideas that I could make healthy.  From that challenge came 3 fun recipes.  This one, for Lower Calorie Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, a healthier spaghetti and meatball option, and the big one - Nachos.  This is the first in a 3 part series to answer the challenge.

Lower Calorie Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

When I looked for recipes for creamy chicken enchiladas, I found that most had a few things in common.  They used sour cream, condensed soup, cream cheese, and sometimes cream or half and half.  They looked amazing!!  Cheesy, gooey, and an entire day's worth of calories in one serving. Clearly, this would not work for me.

I decided to change a few key elements.  First I decided to substitute neufchatel cheese for the cream cheese.  It has about 1/3 fewer calories.  Then I did not add the copious amounts of cheese to the enchilada filling.  Instead I used some lowfat cottage cheese. I did not add the condensed soup or the cream.  I just left them out.  I don't think they add enough to worry about. I used an entire bottle of salsa verde.  And because I try to sneak healthy in, every way possible, I also added a can of white beans.  Beans are a great source of fiber and vitamins.  Add them to your food.  Seriously, add them.

I did add cheese to the top, but a very minimal amount.  I didn't use whole grain tortillas, because my family has been very cranky about everything being "super healthy" lately.  But next time I make them, I will use whole grain, corn tortillas.  They simply hold up better. The first night these were great, but the left-overs seemed mushy, because the white flour tortillas got too soft. Corn or whole wheat tortillas should not have the same issue.



Lower Calorie Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

2 large chicken breasts
Olive Oil
salt and pepper

1 8oz pkg neufchatel cheese
1 15 oz can white beans (drained and rinsed well)
1 jar salsa verde
1 16 oz container low fat cottage cheese (about 2 cups)
1 container mild or med green chili enchilada sauce, (I think it was 18 oz)
1 cup grated colby/jack cheese (about)
1/2-1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 small onion (chopped)

Tortillas

 9X13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. 

Place chicken breasts in an oven safe container. sprinkle olive oil over the top and salt and pepper.  Bake, uncovered at 375 until juices run clear and no pink remains. (165* on a meat thermometer)

When chicken is done, let it cool enough to handle and then shred.  Place in a bowl and add neufchatel cheese, beans, salsa, cottage cheese, garlic salt, onions and cumin.  Mix. You can add shredded carrots for extra veggies too.

Roll about 1/4 cup of filling in each tortilla and place in prepared pan.  Cover with enchilada sauce.

Bake at 350 until bubbly and then pull out.  Sprinkle grated cheese on top and return to oven.  Bake for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

O will admit, I was lazy.  I layered my tortillas and filling like it was lasagna.  This reduced the number of tortillas, which for anyone watching carb intake, is a good idea.

If you try this, please let us know how it turns out for you.  :)

Challenge Accepted

I have a few replies to my challenge request.  I am therefor, making healthy nachos, healthy spaghetti and meatballs and healthy creamy chicken enchiladas.  But not tonight.  Tonight I made a slow cooker meal.  I bought chicken in bulk from Zaycon foods.  I love their chicken. Nope, I am not a paid spokesperson.  I just happen to like the product.  It comes in bulk, 40 lbs to a box. (No hormones, not prefrozen, boneless, skinless - you know, chicken, the easy way.) Anyway, the last time I bought it, I got 80 lbs and repackaged some of it into quart bags and some into gallon bags, and some of it, I used to create meals.  I got my pinterest on and made 20 some odd meals.  One of them was a sweet and sour chicken.  I threw them in the freezer and I take them out when I need a day without cooking.  It's been cooking all day.  I cooked some brown rice in the oven and just a few minutes ago, I threw in some extra broccoli, because I don't think you can have too many veggies in a meal. Adding the extra veggies and using brown rice instead of white helps me stay on track.  It isn't even hard to do.

+Zaycon Foods

I'm accepting a challenge. I might be crazy!

This is not actually the lasagna I made last night.  I was too hungry and didn't take a photo.  This is the lasagna that I made in an earlier post and you can find the recipe here

Alright all you followers in blogger land, what are you eating that is healthy?  Last night I made lasagna.  I added wheat berries and carrots to the lean ground beef.  I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta.  I added about 1/3 the parmesan and mozzarella.  I did incorporate 8 oz of cream cheese to up the flavor and the bulk. I cooked it in the slow cooker and added an extra can of tomatoes.  I did not cook the noodles ahead of time.  It was fabulous.  Am I allowed to say that? It really was good.

 No one in the family noticed all of the extra healthy stuff.   I expected push back, but everyone just scarfed it down. It's like my own version of  skinny lasagna.  I am working on changing how we eat, by keeping what we eat and making it better.

Tonight, I am taking the left over chili, adding some refried beans, and some yams.  Yup, yams.  And I am going to roll it in tortillas and some enchilada sauce.  I'm hoping it's yummy.  It's definitely healthier. 

Back to my question; what are you eating that is healthy?  I need ideas?  I think I also must need a challenge, because if you leave me a comment with a meal that you would like to have made healthier, I will work on that. 

So, if you love pizza or fried chicken or shepherd's pie, but feel guilty eating that item, leave me a comment.  I will work on making a healthier version.  I'll post recipes that I have "healthified."  For anyone who is newly diagnosed with diabetes, and is worried that you might have to give up your favorite foods, this is a great deal!  I'll do all the work for you. 

This is a limited time offer.  And it should be reasonable.  Please don't ask me to make healthy Texas Sheet Cake.  It can be done, but I am eating like a diabetic, so sugar is NOT my friend.  :)  But if this goes well, maybe I'll take on a dessert challenge in September.

I forgot how hard this was/is.

  
It's day two and I have already fallen off the wagon.  No, I didn't make cookies.  No, I didn't eat candy.  I did, however, make cornbread.  And not just any cornbread, my super-sweet-it-might-as-well-be-cake, cornbread.  And I made honey butter.  Seriously, I had 4 pieces.  FOUR!!!!!  I couldn't stop eating the stuff.  I prefer cornbread and honey butter to cake.  And now, I'm going to have to exercise to make up for the calories and carbs.  Oh the carbs.  I LOVE carbs. 

I wish I liked protein and fruits and veggies more than carbs, but I don't.  Darn it! And while I did eat an orange, I mostly snacked on Club Crackers today.  They were the whole grain crackers, but come on, more carbs.  You would think I could make it more than two days.  So guess what?  Tomorrow, I start again. 

On a good note, I did not have cookies, candy, cake, or ice cream.  Yea me! (Little golf clap here, if you feel so inclined.)

The Obligatory New Year Post

Seriously- do you need another post where some blogger tells you how you can make this year so much better?  Well, maybe.  But this isn't it.  I'm just not feeling it.  I am going to try an experiment though.  Because if I am honest, I haven't stayed on my eating plan at all this year.  But for the next few weeks, I am going to eat like a diabetic and log it!  I'm going to see how I feel, how I look, and if it is worth it.  I'm not diabetic anymore.  But I'm going to test the diet and see how I do.  If you want to follow along, I'd love it.  :)