Cheese Enchiladas...Part Dos!

Dance for joy with me, oh readers, for I have moved farther into the realm of blogging. I HAVE UPLOADED PICTURE!

Picture Mighty Blogger has uploaded.

 I decided that, this week I would take a picture of my yummy cheese enchiladas. I modified the recipe to add flavor and nutrition. I added a cup of cauliflower purée into the cheese filling. This made the filling spread farther and added to my peace of mind...I fed them veggies! I also added more diced chiles for a little kick. The best part is that, had I not said anything, my family wouldn't have known there was cauliflower in it. Which is the nature of cauliflower I suppose.

The cheese enchiladas were everything you would expect them to be. Cheesy, creamy, a little spicy and all for around 130 calories per enchilada!

I also took the easy way out with sides. I made rice and warmed up some Ranch Style beans.

My oldest child loved it so much he asked for it for lunch today. Of course he is his father's child, which means an ingrained love of Mexican food.

My youngest ate the enchilada when I fed it to her, but she preferred the rice and beans. Of course she is her mother's child...

My husband seemed pleasantly surprised by the changes. He really enjoyed it. I think he'll shed a tear if he doesn't get to eat the leftovers.

My brother ate with his usual gusto last night, but chose to eat enchiladas again for lunch today. This is a sure indicator that he liked it as well. My sister-in-law hasn't tried the enchiladas since she has been working a lot at our local sandwich shop. She eats lots of sandwiches. Poor her. I hate sandwiches.

I didn't lose any weight last week. I didn't gain any weight last week. I take this as a victory. Meatless Monday was a rousing success. Victory number....Dos! I'm piling them up. Let's see what else I can do.

Creamy Rock Soup?

Meatless Monday, the challenges you bring to me. I had it all together this week. I was set. I knew what I was making when I woke up Monday morning. I went to the store and grabbed what I needed to make Slow Cooker Healthy Potato Soup. I decided that, since I have such a crowd to feed, I should double my recipe. My slow cooker is not nearly big enough for that, so I pulled out my trusty soup pot and got to cooking. I put the soup to simmer at 12:30. I stirred it periodically and at 4:00 I checked the doneness of my potatoes. Not even CLOSE to done! I thought that was odd. So I cranked up the heat to a rolling boil. At 6:00 they still weren't soft! I don't know if it was something I did, or if I have a bag of mutant potatoes. My husband's exact words were, "they're done, because they don't have that raw potato dirt taste, but they're not soft." Weird. He also said it was too "carroty". Everyone ate it and smiled. There's a bunch in the fridge. It's probably not going to be touched again. It's frustrating because it's such a great low calorie meal. Maybe I'll tackle it again one day. Teenage Mutant Ninja Potatoes vs. Daisy.

Speaking of battles, my battle with weight has been going much better than my battle with root vegetables. I stepped on the scale. More out of curiosity than anything. I've lost eight pounds. I had to do a double take. I wasn't even trying that hard! I walked on the treadmill a couple of times last week. I watched what I put in my mouth. Amazing that doing what one is supposed to actually produces results!

My husband has requested the cheese enchiladas again, and what hubby wants hubby gets. So stay tuned to see if I figure out how to beef up the nutrition in that yummy dish!

And, if you're looking to be inspired by an amazing weight loss journey check out All The Weigh. What she's been able to do is amazing!

New Resolve and....Veggie Chili

I've come to a conclusion. My body is older than I am. I have two bad knees, and a bad hip. When I get up from a sitting position I must do that old person hobble because my joints hurt. I knew my legs were messed up, but this week I realized just how messed up they are. My hip has been causing me so much pain that I've let it hinder my housework. I just don't want to get down on the ground and polish the pedestal on the dining room table. It will hurt way too much! So yeah, I'm old. Older than I should be at my age. (Does that even make sense?)

While lying in bed with my husband last week I said into the darkness, "I've GOT to do something about my weight. My legs are killing me. I've got to start walking again." My very mild mannered and supportive husband just said, "if you want to wait until I get home from work I'll watch the kids while you're on the treadmill." That's all. Not "It's about time you realized this lady," or "Duh!" He's just been waiting patiently for me to get to the point where I WANTED to help myself so that he could help me too. What a guy I've been blessed with.

Well, I walked last night. My hip killed me the entire time, but I managed to make it a mile and a half before I waved the white flag. Maybe I'll make it farther today. I need a good book to read to take my mind off the distance. I saved my four daily devotionals for my walk. They were over way too soon so then all I had to think about was my hip saying 'OW! OW!' for a half mile. Then my mom texted me. Perfect. I huffed, puffed and texted my way to a mile and a half. By they way, texting and walking? Harder than it sounds. I wouldn't recommend it on a crowded city street.

As for Meatless Monday? I made something I've made before. Veggie chili. When my hubby started taking better care of himself a couple of years ago, I found this recipe in my Joy of Cooking cookbook. Thank you mother in law! This chili has onions, bell peppers, garlic, carrots, jalapenos, tons of beans, tomatoes and lots of yummy spices. My husband loves this chili. My kids love it. (When the hubby doesn't get hold of it with extra spice.) My sister in law said, "there's no meat in this?" It really is delicious. It's just not what my mind associates with chili. Chili means greasy meaty goodness. This is not that chili, but it is filling and yummy with the little tang of the tomatoes and all the cumin and chili powder. Three different kinds of beans give it that chunky yumminess. Delicious. And what luck! I've got enough for leftovers today!

A Taste of The Good Old Days

This week's Meatless Monday has become a little nostalgic for me. I was struggling with what to cook since I can't just run to the store and grab ingredients. (I blew my grocery budget this week on ingredients for my hubby's totally worth it turkey sausage lasagna.) I was searching my fridge and pantries. Thinking of what might go together and make something coherent. Since not everyone is home to eat this time I don't have to make a big bunch of something. Just enough to satisfy the kids and myself. And there it was at the back of my freezer: shredded cheddar! (Yes, you can freeze cheese.) It came to me on a memory. Something my mother did rarely. Make mac and cheese.

I loved it when we got mac and cheese. It was a rare "Dad's not home for supper" treat. My dad eats rice...only. It is apparently the only starch that exists in his world. So every now and again my mom would make us mac and cheese. Sure it was from a box, but oh the joy! Now to take that memory and turn it into a semi nutritious meal.

I make mac and cheese from scratch. That's how I roll. It's actually quite simple and takes no longer than making it from the box. This time, I paired my homemade cheese sauce with garden rotini. Shh. Don't tell my kids that it has veggies hidden in it. =) I also took some leftover broccoli and chopped it and threw it in the pot. With every bite they ate broccoli. Wrapped in cheesy goodness, yes, but they ate broccoli. My son doesn't like the heads of the broccoli. Only the stems. I have discovered that when I smother the broccoli in cheesy noodles he could care less which part of the broccoli he's eating. I also served canned green beans with the meal. This is, hands down, my kids' favorite vegetable, AND their favorite way to eat it. They don't want me to do anything fancy with it. They don't even want me to heat it up. They want it straight from the can to their plates.

So my Meatless Monday this week was simple, ready in less than 30 minutes and down right delicious. I savored every bite (along with some tummy friendly peppermint tea) and thought about how much I miss my Momma....and how I wish SHE was the one with dish duty instead of me! =)