Today's Tip: Try this Crock Pot Enchilada recipe!

I found this recipe on Skinnyms.com and I think it sounds fabulous.  I'm going to try it this week!  I recommend making a big green salad to go with it, or some sauteed colored bell peppers and onions.

From Skinnyms: 

Slow Cooker Enchiladas is one of our top rated recipe. Everyone who eats our Slow Cooker Enchiladas the first time makes them again and again.  This recipes is definitely a keeper.

Slow Cooker Beefed Up Enchiladas

Yields: 6 servings | Serving size: 1 enchilada | Calories: 453 | Previous Points: 10 | Points Plus: 12 | Total Fat: 21 g | Saturated Fats: 10 g | Trans Fats: 0 g | Cholesterol: 81 mg | Sodium: 870 mg | Carbohydrates: 35 g | Dietary fiber: 4 g | Sugars: 9 g | Protein: 29 g

Ingredients

• 1 pound 90% or 93% lean ground beef (optional, ground turkey)
• 1 (16 oz.) red enchilada sauce (no sugar added), (optional, salsa) Recipe for Quick & Easy Enchilada Sauce
• 1 (4 oz.) can green chile peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, reduced fat
• 1 (8 oz.) container sour cream, reduced fat (optional, Greek yogurt)
• 6 medium whole wheat tortillas, low-sodium if possible (corn tortillas are not recommended as they tend to fall apart)

Directions

In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat, breaking up while cooking. Cook beef until pink color is gone, drain off any fat. 

In a medium mixing bowl, add cooked ground meat, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, black pepper and salt to taste. Add to seasoned meat, green chile peppers, 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 cup cheese, mix well.

Place 1/2 cup beef mixture in the center of each tortilla, leave about 2” at the bottom without filling and fold up the tortilla. Continue until all tortillas are filled.

Lightly spray the bottom and sides of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Lay enchiladas seam side down in the slow cooker, add a little of the sauce to each layer as you stack them. There should be 2 layers of 3 or 3 layers of 2, depending on the size of your slow cooker.

Combine the remaining enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup sour cream. Pour over the enchiladas, cover and cook on low 3-4 hours, or until hot and bubbly. Cut between each enchilada and carefully remove, one at a time, with a large spatula. Pour liquid from slow cooker over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Garnish with diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

 

Oven Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large casserole dish, spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce and then place stuffed enchiladas seam side down in a single layer. Combine the remaining enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup sour cream, spread over enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese over enchiladas, cover loosely with foil and bake until hot and bubbly, approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven and, if desired, garnish with diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

Crockin' on the Side...a new idea for the Crock Pot

I really enjoy cooking in the crock pot - it's easy, it makes the house smell good and it gives me a sense of efficiency when I come in from a day away from home only to find dinner almost ready!

While it's great to throw ingredients in for a chili, soup or BBQ beef/chicken/pork, don't underestimate all your crock pot's abilities...how about a side dish?  Maybe you are like me and have a friend who always brings the BEST baked beans and yet you can never replicate them just like her or him. Well, this recipe courtesy of HungryGirl.com is for you - it will get you pretty close!

Crock-Pot Fake-Baked Beans PER SERVING (3/4 cup): 174 calories, 0.75g fat, 473mg sodium, 36.5g carbs, 9g fiber, 12g sugars, 7.5g protein -- POINTS® value 3* Ingredients:One 6-oz. can tomato paste 1/4 cup molasses 2 tbsp. cider vinegar 1 tbsp. yellow mustard 1 tsp. chopped garlic 1/2 tsp. salt One 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed One 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed One 15-oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 3 cups finely chopped onion 2 cups finely chopped red bell pepper 1 cup finely chopped Fuji apple Directions: In a bowl, combine tomato paste, molasses, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and salt. Mix thoroughly and set aside. Place all remaining ingredients in the crock pot. Add the tomato paste mixture and toss to coat. Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours. Stir well and then serve it up! MAKES 10 SERVINGS

The Planking Challenge!!

Are you up for the challenge?  I've already had 17 people commit!  To make it easy to track, I've put together a calendar for both the 2- and 5-minute challenges where you just checkmark each day's box after you've completed the plank time for that day.  I'll put a daily post on Facebook and invite everyone to comment on how they did that day so we can all go through this together. 

If you didn't see my post about the challenge, here are a few details...

Who is up for the Challenge?? The Planking Challenge, that is! Go from 20 seconds to 2 minutes in 30 days. Already nailed a 2-minute plank? Then choose Planking Challenge #2 - 20 seconds to FIVE minutes in 30 days instead. Let me know which one you want to do and I'll provide a log for you to check off each day. Every 5 days you text me a picture of your log to help keep you accountable. Everyone who completes either 30 days gets a free training session with me. If you don't live nearby, you'll get two Jen Niemann authored equipment-free workouts via email - what a deal :). Let me know soon - the 30 days starts on January 8!!

Today's Tip: What ONE Thing Would You Change?

I'm borrowing Today's Tip question and overall concept from another trainer/dietitian that I follow because it goes right along with what I read in Proverbs 17 this morning - that sometimes less is more. I want this simple question to remind you that ONE change at a time is okay.  We often get caught up in ALL the things we want to change about ourselves, particularly this time of year as we say good-bye to 2013 and hello to a new year.  It's usually not too difficult to come up with a list of more than one thing we need to change, be it our weight, diet, sleeping habits, time wasters, attitude, how we drive, parent or even the places we go. But how successful is anyone if they set a goal to change 10 things starting tomorrow?  I haven't met a person yet who didn't give up if they had too many things on their "change" or goal list.

So what ONE thing do you need to write down? Maybe you need to ask yourself one of the following questions to help you determine what your one thing needs to be.

1. What is ONE area of my life I would like to improve?

2. What is the ONE thing that gives me the most stress in life?

3. If I had a magic wand, what ONE thing would I change about myself today?

Sure, you can write down more than one thing or goal - that's okay.  Make time to answer all three questions - you may find that all three answers relate back to ONE main thing.  How do you want to feel?  How do you want to look?  How do you want to live your life differently?

Think back to last year or maybe the year before - did you make a change that led to positive results in your life?  Maybe you quit smoking or began choosing to eat more vegetables than sweets.  What were the results?  Or think about it this way...how would your life be different today if you hadn't made those changes?  Let that motivate you to build on those positives as you move forward with another change or goal.

Let me leave you with ONE last thought...WRITE IT DOWN.  Anyone can all sit and talk about what they want to do.  But writing it down makes a MUCH bigger impact and motivator.  A year ago I asked (okay, forced) my family to write down a few goals for 2013.  The other day I unearthed those 5 little colored recipe cards from a moving box, so we sat down the other night and reviewed them...ouch!  Some were achieved, some were worked on and some well, weren't even touched.  But what a great reminder of where we all were a year ago!  And yes, some of our goals will transfer to this year, but I think everyone is more motivated to make the changes so that in another year we can reflect without so much "ouch"!

Some information taken from Isabel De Los Rios and her 12/31/2013 BeyondDiet.com post.

Today's Tip: A new twist for your veggie tray!

Thank you HungryGirl.com for this party-friendly veggie tray idea! Mostly Roasted Veggie Explosion   PER SERVING (1/8th of platter): 70 calories, <0.5g fat, 97mg sodium, 15.5g carbs, 7g fiber, 6g sugars, 3g protein -- PointsPlus® value 0* Prep: 25 minutes  Cook: 15 minutes

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. asparagus
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, stem removed, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 yellow bell pepper, stem removed, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 eggplant, ends removed
• 1/4 tsp. each salt and black pepper
• 6 - 8 fresh basil leaves
• 6 - 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1 small jicama, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-wide sticks
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, stems removed

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray.

Cut off and discard the tough ends of asparagus stalks. Lay asparagus, carrots, and pepper strips on the sheets.

Cut eggplant lengthwise into 6 - 8 quarter-inch slices. Blot away excess moisture. Arrange the eggplant slices flat on the sheets. Sprinkle veggies with salt and black pepper.

Bake veggies in the oven until tender, about 15 minutes.

Once veggies are cool enough to handle, place one basil leaf lengthwise on an eggplant slice. Add a cherry tomato at the short base of the slice. Roll up eggplant around the tomato and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.

If you like, refrigerate eggplant rolls and roasted veggies until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.

Arrange roasted veggies on a platter with the jicama and sugar snap peas. Time to veg out!
 
MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Today's Tip: Best Choice Condiments

Did you know that some brands of ketchup list SUGAR as their first ingredient, not tomatoes?  Seriously.  Some seemingly harmless choices can turn into big calorie additions in short order!  Here are some good rules of thumb when it comes to those "extras".

In the worry-free condiment zone, stock up on these staples: ketchup (Simply Heinz is my fave), vinegars (balsamic, seasoned rice, etc.), salsa (regular, fruity, and southwestern), and mustard (yellow, honey, and more)! BBQ sauce is also great -- just look for ones with 45 calories or less per 2-tbsp. serving and that don't list sugar as a main ingredient - the store-bought choice around here is Stubb's. As for mayo, go for the light kind. And instead of standard sour cream, try plain Greek yogurt or the new Greek-style sour cream.

Frank's Red Hot Original is perfect for making anything taste like Buffalo wings and it's basically calorie-free. Newman's Own Lite Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing has amazing flavor and only 35 calories and 1.5g fat per 2-tbsp. serving. And Hellman's Best Foods Dijonnaise is like the delicious love child of Dijon mustard and creamy mayo. It tastes SO rich, yet it has just 5 fat-free calories per teaspoon!

Today's Tip: Are you ready to manage Party Food?

'Tis the season...for LOTS of parties.  So now is the time to start thinking about how you are going to manage all the goodies and tasty treats that will inevitably be at these events.

I have a number of strategies that I follow as I prepare for a party that we are hosting or attending. These ideas, along with a few from another nutritionist/trainer that I follow online, are listed here for your reference through this "party season"!

If you are hosting a party, it's easy to manage the foods that are offered. Often times the people coming to our parties may not know how passionate I am about nutrition and health, so my goal for is usually to choose foods that would make everyone happy, without having to resort to too many unhealthy "party" foods.

Try something like this:
Corn chips (organic, non GMO) and home-made guacamole
Rice crackers and goat cheese
Raw cheese platter
Veggies and Greek yogurt dip
Fruit salad

BUT what if the party you'll be attending is not quite a Jen-Niemann bash?  What do you do then?
 
Here are 3 great strategies for surviving your next social event or party. These are methods I use all the time so I can look forward to the event or gathering regardless of the food being served. Just ask my sweet family - I do get a little "weird" about food, so they appreciate it when I take something I can fall back on!

1. Offer to bring something to the party. I very rarely go to anyone's home without bringing something homemade. The host or hostess is usually very grateful and at least I know, if nothing else, I can eat the item I brought. Any of the items listed above are good options to take, or one Niemann favorite are cocktail meatballs (made with 93% lean beef), chicken skewers or smoked salmon. You may want to give your hostess/host a few options and see which one appeals to him or her the most. (Tip: Guacamole and fresh veggies is almost always a huge hit everywhere I go!)

2. Eat before the party. Do not arrive starving! If you really don't think the party will offer anything that is an acceptable option for you, eat beforehand so that you are not partying hungry. If someone asks why you're not eating, you can use any of the following responses and none of them would be lying: "I had a really late lunch and I'm not quite hungry yet. Everything does look great and I'll be sure to try something out," OR "I'm definitely going to grab something here in a sec. Thanks for asking." If you have stomach issues, you can always say, "I get pretty sick if I eat any wheat or dairy so I try and stay away from it. I definitely would not want to get sick at this great party."

3. Focus on something else besides the food. If you have kids with you that's an easy distraction!  But hopefully you will have at least one or two parties that you get to attend without them. Focus on catching up with friends you haven't seen in a long time, engage in conversations you don't have the opportunity to have otherwise, and maybe even get your "groove on" on the dance floor (c'mon, what's a party without dancing?). Keep your focus on the true goal of the party and that's to enjoy yourself with family and friends, not to focus on what food is being served or what you should or shouldn't be eating.

And most importantly, I want you to NOT beat yourself up if the party just doesn't go the way you wanted. Maybe you had one too many cocktails, maybe the brownies were just too good to say no to, or maybe you just ended up eating every single thing that came in your direction. I have a free day every week (which sometimes turns into 2 days, which is fine!), so just make it your free day.  Bottom line, leave that party behind you and move on. Today is another day and another opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle. One party will not make or break your weight loss goals or your health. Every day is a new day and every party is a new party.

Need more ideas for party food?  Call me!  I am happy to help.