Mexican, anyone? Try this--Autumn's Chicken Enchiladas

I am absolutely a fan of Mexican food.  Why?  Well, b/c it's good of course (and I basically love most food--anything that won't eat me first, but I digress)!  However, most traditional Mexican dishes can really be not-so-weight-loss-friendly, if ya know what I mean.  BUT, that's okay b/c there is a way to enjoy Mexican food and not flush your weight loss goals down the drain.  Make your own!  Over the past couple of years, I've learned that we can eat totally delicious food and still stick to our goals and lose weight because we can be creative in the kitchen, make each dish our own, and when you cook at home YOU control the ingredients!  That, my friends, can make a HUGE difference!

So, this is a dish I make often.  Chicken Enchiladas.  It's really simple to put together and they are so good.

The ingredients include:
2lbs ground chicken
1/2 medium onion, sliced finely
1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced finely
1/2 cup taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 can fat free refried beans
1 (28 oz) can of enchilada sauce
5 tortillas (whichever kind you like--low card, wheat, traditional, etc)
cooking spray
For garnish: shredded lettuce, tomato, fat free sour cream or Greek yogurt, jalapenos

To start, chop the onion and pepper finely.  Spray pan with cooking spray and add veggies with a little S&P.  Saute on medium heat until tender. Like this...

 Once the veggies are done, add the ground chicken into the pan.  Break it up with spoon as it cooks.

 To enhance the flavor of the taco seasoning, I add about 1/4 cup, gradually, as it cooks...you could just wait until the chicken is done and then add all of the seasoning at once, if that works better for you.

 Once the chicken is cooked through, add the remaining 1/4 cup of taco seasoning and stir well to incorporate it into the chicken.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5-7 more minutes.  At this point you may want/need to add just a touch of water (maybe 1/8 cup), but the chicken usually produces enough of it's own liquid to suffice.  I don't add water to mine. The finished chicken will look like this:

 So, time to assemble.  Easy as 1-2-3!! 

Take a tortilla and spread a spoon full of the fat free beans on it.  Then sprinkle some shredded cheese on to the beans, like so...

 Then, add a big sized spoon full of the ground chicken onto the tortilla, like this...

Then, this is where it gets fun!  I know that most people say that things should be "seam side down".  I disagree. Especially with a dish like this.  If you place seam side down, it will fall apart after the enchilada sauce absorbs into it.

So, instead do this.  Once you have the tortilla topped with everything, fold one side over and spread some beans onto the folded side. Like this:

 Then, fold the other side of the tortilla onto the beans and lightly press it down.  Take a little more beans and spread them over the fold to "glue" the tortilla closed.  Works like magic!

Repeat with each tortilla and place each one into a sprayed baking dish.  I make five tortillas, but you will have enough chicken mix to make seven or eight if you need. 

 Then, sprinkle with some more shredded cheese, like this...

 Then, sprinkle the remaining ground chicken on top of the dish (unless you make more than five enchiladas), like this:

 Last, but certainly not least, pour the enchilada sauce all over the top of the dish, it will look something like this...

 Put the dish in the oven and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  When you pull it out of the oven it will be a warm, cheesy, bubbly dish full of yumminess that will look sorta like this...

Serve with whatever garnish you like.  I had mine with lettuce, tomato, FF sour cream, and a few slices of jalapeno.  It was fabulous!

At almost two years post-op, I can eat a whole one--most days. It really depends on the mood my pouch is in, lol~!  Today my pouch has been happy and I enjoyed each and every bite!  That may be different for you, depending on how far out you are.  Of course for all of you non-ops, you can eat as much or as little as your belly and heart desires!  I store the rest in tupperware and have them for lunch and dinner over the next several days. 

Enjoy!