Chicken Fajita Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas

 for the past 8 days Chiso has asked me the following every.single.day:

when is papa coming home?

when does Nigeria close so Papa can come home?

why is it always night-time in Nigeria?

can we Skype Papa?

where is Papa?

why isn't Papa answering?

are you making (food) for Papa too?

can i save the rest of my food for Papa when he gets home?

well thanks be to God that Papa is home from his work trip.

my boo coming home put me in a cooking mood! ok i'm almost always in a cooking mood but today was special.  i had a taste for some enchiladas. healthy enchiladas.  Chicken Fajita Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce. yaz.

i used boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can also use lean beef, you bet. i diced up the veggies, chopped up the chicken,

assembled my spice mixture,

then made the enchilada sauce! this can certainly be made ahead of time.

Healthy, Homemade Enchilada Sauce

the stuff:

• 1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt or 2 tbsp Liquid Aminos
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 - 15oz can low sodium tomato sauce
• 1 cup low sodium chicken stock

do this:

1. heat EVOO in sauce pan over medium heat
2. add diced onion and saute until translucent; about 3-5 minutes
3. add in chili powder, cumin, salt, oregano, and cocoa powder; cook for 2-3 minutes while continuing to stir
4. add in tomato sauce & chicken stock and simmer mixture for approx. 10 minutes
5. remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes before adding mixture to your blender or food processor.
6. blend until super smooth!

recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

this'll taste even better the next day once the flavors elope in the fridge.

i only had 2.5 La Tortilla Factory (i mostly use this variety; there are SO many!) tortillas left SMH!  i wasn't about to leave and go to the store, so i halved them and made 5 mini enchiladas so i could fill my mini rectangle pan.  you will make enough chicken mixture to cram full 8 regular size tortillas (or more) so don't you worry. i put in about 2 heaping tbsp of chicken mixture and a pinch of 2% mozzarella inside before rolling them up. ok here's that recipe:

Chicken Fajita Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas

the stuff:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed or cut into strips
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 5 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained

fajita seasoning

• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1-2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt OR 2 tbsp Liquid Aminos

for enchiladas

• 8 low carb, high fiber La Tortilla Factory 70 cal flour tortillas
• 2 cups homemade enchilada sauce (recipe above)
• 2 cups shredded 2% cheese or dairy-free almond or rice cheese...it's your call
• optional toppings: fresh cilantro, avocado, tomato, olives, cheese, green onion, more chicken mixture.

do this:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13'' pan with no-stick cooking spray
2. add 1 tbsp EVOO to medium heated skillet
3. add chicken; cook 5-7 min or until cooked through
4. remove from skillet and set aside
5. add last tbsp of EVOO to your skillet
6. add bell peppers and onions and cook until tender and charred, about 8-10 minutes
7. add chicken and spice mixture all at once into your skillet and combine
8. add mushrooms and spinach and combine once more; cook for 2-3 more minutes
9. spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce evenly across the bottom of your baking pan
10. fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup of filling and 2 tbsp of shredded cheese of your choice. remember to save some filling for your topping if you desire.
11. roll them up and place them into your baking dish, seam side down.
12. pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the filled tortillas, then top with remaining cheese.
13. bake in over for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.
14. take out and top with your desired goodies! the olives don't really make sense lol and i wanted some tomatoes on top for color but i didn't have any.

enjoy this family friendly, healthy meal with your loved ones!  take pics and tag me!

now to catch up on that lost family time. happy early MLK Day! hollerrrrrr

le

almost doesn't count

Saturday morning started with a much-needed posing session!  i met with my coach, Christine, and she took video of me this time which reeeeeeally helps me see what the judges will see.  still working.  so grateful for that and for her!

we had a sweet sunday and visited my parent's church this morning.  we did the family thang in our green :mrgreen:

after an active rest day yesterday, i had a ton of energy and was ready to kill it in the gym for leg day.  i so wanted to get up super early and go do my cardio outside before church so i could devote my gym time later to legs only, but it just didn't happen that way!  had to do both in one trip, no biggie.

heeeeeeey :P

normally i'm in the gym for 1 hour, tops.

i was on the stairmaster, pumped, and well on my way to burning 1K cals when suddenly i heard over the loud speaker:

'leah, you are needed in the child center, leah, you are needed in the child center.'

CRAP!!! i was soooooooooo close!!

i try not to always think of the worst thing possible when something like that happens, but as i scurried off of that thing and ran downstairs i prayed whatever happened was minor.  i flew open the door to the child center and was greeted by 6 employees standing around staring at me.  it was quiet as a mouse.   i looked past them and in the distance for Chiso and asked 'is everything ok??'

employee # 1 said, 'oh yeah, everything's fine.'  employee #2 turns to employee #3 and with his fists clenched and arms in the air exclaims, 'no more kids, we can go home now!!' employee #1 turns to me and calmly states, 'we closed at 4, ma'am.'

clearly it was 4:15 :oops: .  i missed the warning messages that the center was closing AND the 3 subsequent calls for me after 4pm. i told yall i was GETTIN' IT today!!!

afterwards, we hit up HEB to get some stuff for the week.  the usual- more brown rice, fresh fruit, frozen veggies, and meat.

i wandered past the bulk spice isle and i'll revisit it again soon.  i have way too many of those McCormick bottles at home to be buying any more seasoning right now!

i did pick this up though- loooove this stuff on my turnip greens instead of regular white vinegar!  Bragg's raw, unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar, good stuff.

welp, monday is here again. already.  let's do this- full speed ahead!

le