Healthy Recipes Comin' at Ya!

Craving something with a little south of the border flavor?

Look no further than our gal, Steph's, healthy recipe for Black Bean Enchilada Casserole.

The first time I made this, I used ground turkey, but you can totally leave it out and it's just as tasty and even healthier!

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans (I use the low sodium ones!), drained and rinse
1 can Green Giant Chipotle corn (or mexi-corn)
2 small cans red enchilada sauce (I used medium because I like a kick of spice!)
4 whole wheat tortillas
1 cup finely shredded cheese (mexi-mix, cheddar, whatever)
garlic powder, and crushed red pepper to taste

1. Make sure you drain your beans and rinse them really well. Black beans can be very gritty if not rinsed properly!

2. In a large pot, combine black beans and corn. Season to taste with crushed red pepper and garlic powder.

3. Add 1 can of enchilada sauce. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

4. In an 8 x 8 glass dish, place a single tortilla and top with black bean mixture. Spread a THIN layer of cheese, just enough to seal the layers together. Repeat until pan is full.

5. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top of casserole; it should have a tortilla has a top layer. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This is really great as leftovers too! If you have too much mixture or enchilada sauce leftover, you can use it in a salad or a tortilla to make a burrito. ENJOY!

Thanks, Steph! Keep the recipes coming!



Up next, a little festive Italian when you're feelin' it.

My childhood friend (friends since we were 9!), Kristin, has a blog called "Food for Thought." She is an excellent writer, and she's all about healthier eating for her family of four. She had a great recipe for Stuffed Shells that I thought I would share.

1 lb. lean ground beef (I like 90-10)
1 lb. Italian-style turkey sausage
1 tsp. + Italian blend of spices
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt to taste
1 large (12 oz) package jumbo shell pasta
1 16. oz container low-fat cottage cheese
1 large package part-skim mozzarella
1 24 oz. can spaghetti sauce (I like Hunt's garlic and herb)
parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown both meats in a large skillet. Drain well. Add spices, garlic powder and salt to taste. In skillet, add entire carton of cottage cheese and about 3 1/2 cups cheese. (You can add more or less depending on your health and taste preferences.)
Meanwhile, boil shells according to package directions. Rinse with cold water, so shells are not apt to fall apart.Stuff each shell with enough filling to fill shell completely but so each shell is not overflowing, and place them in a 9x13 baking dish. Cover shells with pasta sauce and a light sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.

Voîla!

I served it with Italian green salad, bread and chocolate buttermilk cupcakes with light (of course) cream cheese frosting. It made a nice meal that didn't break my daily calorie budget.

If you can't tell from her blog, Kristin loves food and anything that has to do with food (and still manages to weigh 9 pounds) and we're looking forward to more great recipes!


Bon appetit!

New Addition!

While in college, I met a girl named Stephanie. We would go on to bond over drinks and appetizers at a little bar on Tuesdays with a group of mutual friends while feeding quarters into the jukebox so we could listen to songs like "Crimson and Clover" and "My Girl" while discussing worldly issues. As life generally goes, you go one way, and people go their own way. Recently, though, through the marvelous technology known as "Facebook," I've managed to reconnect with Steph again. While we hit the gym a few times during college together, not much really came out of it. Five years later, here we both are THINNER and HEALTHIER.

Are you saying, "GET TO THE POINT ALREADY!"?

I'm getting there.

Steph will be helping this blog out with really awesome posts about exercising, great recipes, DVD reviews, and anything and everything inbetween that speaks "healthy living."

So, a big THANK YOU to Stephanie for her willingness to participate! I can't wait to hear about "Hot Yoga" classes!


Stay tuned!