Today's Tip: Ever made your own Enchilada Sauce?

I tried the Crock Pot Enchiladas recipe last night and the Niemann family decided it was a keeper!  As it turned out I didn't have any red enchilada sauce, so before I gave in and just used the can of green that I did have, I took another look at the recipe and noticed it had a link to a Quick & Easy Enchilada Sauce recipe.  I clicked on it, whipped it up real quick, and I have to say I think that is what made the dish so delish!  So print or save this one to go with the enchilada recipe. 

Quick & Easy Enchilada Sauce

Yields: 6 servings | Serving Size: 1/3 cup | Calories: 84 | Previous Points: 1 | Points Plus: 2 | Total Fat: 3 g | Saturated Fat: 0 g | Trans Fat: 3 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Sodium: 561 mg | Carbohydrates: 12 g | Dietary Fiber: 3 g | Sugars: 5 g | Protein: 3 g | 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher or sea salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, (optional vegetable broth)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon canola, olive or grapeseed oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

Combine in a small bowl, cornstarch, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, tomato paste, broth, and chili powder mixture, set aside.

In a medium skillet, over medium-low heat, add oil and sauté garlic until fragrant, approximately one minute. Gradually stir in tomato sauce mixture and cilantro, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. 

Continue to simmer until thickened, approximately 15 minutes.

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!!