Easy Chicken Fajitas

Hey all. I went to a great muscle class at the gym this morning. I really love the class and I really love my instructor.

When I got home, I had my yummy “go to” chocolate protein shake again.  I also had some homemade pita chips (love them and they are super easy to make!), a pear and about 1/2 C. cottage cheese.  I was stuffed.

 

Later on this afternoon, I OD’ed on cereal.  I love love love cereal, but I usually avoid it because I can’t have just one bowl.  I had Special K and Cheerios, so it wasn’t too bad….but I just love them too too much!

For dinner tonight I’m attempting to recreate Cheesecake Factory’s yummy Roasted Pear and Blue Cheese Flatbread.  I’m excited.  I’ll let you know how it goes!!

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A couple nights ago, I made Chicken Fajitas for dinner.  I love them and Kev loves them, but my kids weren’t huge fans.  They ate them okay, but the onions and peppers freaked them out a little.  I’ll keep making them though because they’re healthy and pretty fast and easy to make.  Anyway, here’s how I did it….

(I doubled this recipe so I would have leftovers to freeze)

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken; sliced into thin strips
2 pkgs. McCormick Fajita Seasoning mix or 1 pkg. McCormick Grill Mates Mexican Fiesta Marinade.
3-4 T. Oil
2 bell peppers; sliced in thin slices
1 onion; sliced
Flour Tortillas (preferably healthy ones!)
Toppings: Sour Cream, Guacamole, Salsa, cheese, black beans, etc.

Slice chicken, peppers and onions.

 

If using Fajita Seasoning Mix, follow directions on package (basically cook meat, peppers and onions and then add seasoning mix and water.)

If using Mexican Fiesta Marinade, prepare marinade according to package.  I like to put mine in a big Ziploc bag.

You can also make your own seasonings, but for simplicity I used this package this time! Love it!

Add chicken to marinade in bag and place in fridge to marinate for at least 1/2 hour.

I chopped all the onions and peppers and marinaded the chicken while I ran to the gym. It worked great!

Heat oil in a large skillet or electric frying pan.  Add chicken and cook 3-5 minutes.  Add the onions and peppers and cook until chicken is cooked through (about 5-7 more minutes.)

I prepared the meat, onions and peppers before I went to the gym and then threw it all together when I got back! It made it so easy!

I covered my pan for a few minutes to let everything cook.

When everything was done, we wrapped them in warm tortillas.  I had mine in a Mission low carb whole wheat tortilla.

 

We added guac (Wholly Guacamole), lite sour cream, cheese and black beans to everything.  It was great.  I topped mine with cottage cheese instead of sour cream.  It was very very yummy.

 

Afterward, I had a TON leftovers (mainly because the kids didn’t eat as much as I thought they would!)  I didn’t mind though, I just froze it all in individual portions in freezer bags.  I figured we could use it to top salads, on it’s own, or in a wrap!  Yum!

 

Well, I gotta go!!!  Hope you are all having a great day!

I Am Officially Sick….Dang It.

I’m sorry to report that I am officially sick.  Day-ang.

I’ve felt it comin’ on for days now, but hoped it would never really develop.

But, it did and now I feel very lousy.

My sweet little baby has been sick as well.  He’s had a cough, runny nose and fever.  Poor little guy.

Ya know, it’s ironic though….just last week I was talking to my sister and I told her I hadn’t been sick in a loooong time (I knew I jinxed myself right when I said it!)  I know that living a healthy lifestyle definitely helps the immune system….A LOT!!!

I’ve had the worst immune system on the planet my entire life.  I’m not kidding.  If a sick person comes within 100 feet of me, I get it!  I’ve always felt like it was just my “curse”.

However (and that’s a BIG however), I’ve tried really hard the past year to shape up my diet and exercise regularly and I don’t think I’ve gotten sick AT ALL…until now!  I can’t remember the last time I was sick!  It’s very exciting to me to think I may actually be able to enjoy a healthy immune system!  Yay!

However (another BIG however), I must mention that I KNOW why I am sick right now.  I’ve told you in recent posts that I’ve been a slacker sleeper….well I’m payin’ for it now!  I know it’s a direct effect from my lack of sleep!  So, I’m learning my lesson (I hope!)  I’m glad I can be such a good example of being a bad example for all of you!

Moving on…
Sooooo, I ate really well today (so far), but I kept it really simple.

I had this for breakfast…..

A whole wheat bagel thin topped with a little peanut butter, banana, a touch of honey and unsweetened coconut! Yum!

This was seriously so good!  I know I won’t have it for breakfast too often because I have a little “carb addiction” and I think this may make me crave carbs too much, but it’s not too bad!  In fact, it kind of tasted like a treat!  I estimate it was around 275-300 calories.  Perfect for breakfast.  Oh, and it kept me full for a while.

For lunch, I had a whole mishmash of things.

My fav hummus with homemade pita chips, deli turkey breast, red pepper strips and cottage cheese!

I dipped everything in everything and it was awesome.  I made the pita chips out of some Kangaroo Whole Wheat pitas that are awesome.  If you want to know how to make them click here.  Sabra is my favorite hummus and Roasted Pine Nut is my fav flavor.  It’s so good!!!!

I’ve been snacking on kettle corn a little today and sippin’ some Emergen-C in hopes of a speedy recovery!

Well, I’m headin’ to the gym right now.  I know, I’m crazy but sometimes “sweatin’ it out” at the gym makes me feel better.  I’m determined to kick this cold ASAP!  I’m going to get my sleep too!  Yay!

Oh and FYI, I’m gonna drink a quick protein shake on the way to the gym and I have tacos (taco salad for me!) planned for dinner when I get home!  Yum!

I love you all and hope you are well!

Getting Ready to RUN!!

I have to make this quick because I am a crazy lady.

We are getting ready and excited to run our relay race this weekend!  Woo Hoo!!  It’s called the Epic Cache-Teton Relay.  It’s a 12 person, 200+ mile relay race from  Logan, UT to Jackson, WY. 

It should be fun!

I am the 1st runner so it will be fun to kick it off!  I am running a total of 17.5 miles.  My longest “leg” is first (which I’m very glad about); it is 7.39 miles.  I just hope I feel good and strong and that my body cooperates!

Oh, this relay race also happens to fall on my husband’s 40th birthday and our 15th wedding anniversary!  Party on!  I will post some pics when we get back!

So, you probably won’t hear from me until Sunday or so….

Oh, I am sorry to report that because I have been INSANE this week trying to prepare for our race (plan for babysitter, food, clean house, pack, laundry, etc.) and live my everyday crazy life….I have been a little bit of a slacker.  I am on “survivor-mode”, which is just doin’ what I gotta do to survive.  So, I haven’t been a pig, but I’ve just been eating what’s simple, convenient and available.  I also haven’t been working out because I’ve wanted to “save” my body for the race.

But, as soon as I return and recover from this race, I will be on FI-YAH (a.k.a. fire).  I am going to recommit and kill it.  My life should significantly slow down soon too (fingers crossed).  Yay.  School is will be starting soon and I’m craving the scheduled life.

Anyway, I thought I would post a quick, yummy, easy dinner I made this week.  I doubled the recipe because we have a lot of kids and I like to freeze stuff.  I will post this like I made it (doubled), but you could easily half it as well.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 (15 ounce) cans Whole Kernel Corn, drained (or I just used a small bag of frozen corn which ended up being a little too much.)

2 (14.5 ounce) cans Chicken Broth

2 (10.5 ounce) cans Cream of Chicken Soup (I used Campbell’s Healthy Request)

Chicken; cooked and shredded (you could just boil/bake chicken breasts and shred them, use rotisserie chicken or even canned.  I just used some leftover cooked, shredded chicken that I had in the freezer.)

2 (15 ounce) cans Black Beans (drained and rinsed)

Rinse your black beans well!

2 (10 ounce) cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chile Peppers, drained

Seasonings:  Cumin, Chili Powder and Garlic Powder (to taste…don’t be shy!)

Toppings:  Avocado, Sour Cream, Cheese, squeeze of lime (optional)

Here's all the "stuff" sans the chicken, seasonings, and toppings....

Open the cans of Corn, Chicken Broth, Cream of Chicken Soup, Black Beans, and Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot.  Add the Cooked Chicken and seasonings and simmer over medium heat until everything is heated through. 

This picture looks a little scary, but It's so yummy, I promise!

Top with desired toppings.  Enjoy!

Here's my yummy bowl of soup topped with avocado and served with a side of homemade "pita" chips! Yum! My kids and husband love to add cheese and sour cream too.

Here’s the yummy recipe for homemade pita chips that I LOVE!!  My kids love them too!  They are very difficult to make…so watch closely…;-)

Homemade Pita Chips

Whole Wheat Pita Bread (I used Oroweat’s Sandwich Thins this time because that’s what I had on hand)

Love these things! You can buy them anywhere! I buy them at Walmart or in bulk at Costco and freeze some!

Olive Oil Spray

Seasoned Salt

Lay the Pita Bread (or Sandwich Thins) on a cookie sheet.

Spray lightly with Olive Oil Spray.

Sprinkle with Seasoned Salt (I’ve also made these with cinnamon and sugar too!)

This is what I used

I use parchment paper, but it's not necessary

Broil for 3-5 minutes (until lightly browned).

Flip the pitas over.

Spray lightly with Olive Oil Spray (do not add more seasoning).

Broil for 2-3 minutes more until sorta kinda crisp.

Cut into wedges with a pizza cutter.

Enjoy!

I seriously LOVE these!  I could eat them all!  YUM!

Oh, and since I made so much soup, I froze it in individual containers!  Easy, fast, healthy lunch!

I gotta go!  I’m literally running out the door to head out for our relay race endeavors!  Wish me luck!!