I'm a sucker for smothered chicken and really anything with bacon or cheese in it, on it, near it--you get the picture.  This Teriyaki Smothered Chicken has it all--sweet, salty, cheesy, even that just off the grill taste you only get in summer! Okay, I admit that this meal isn't going to win any health food awards, but I think I can get you a fine dinner for around 534 calories.  I'm totally pregnant and trying to eat healthy all the time is a bit of a challenge these days.  This is a compromise meal---some healthy attributes, but plenty of fat and salt to satiate my cravings!  Serve it up with a side of brown rice, broccoli...

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Easy and Authentic Beef Enchiladas

I adore corn tortillas, but I have always had trouble using them in my homemade enchilada recipes because even when I softened them, they would crack and break and end up looking like shredded enchiladas.  I tried a new trick tonight--one that adds no extra calories no less--and it worked like a charm.  As if that wasn't exciting enough, I made an enchilada red sauce from scratch tonight that tasted just amazing and claimed to be "authentic."  I based my version off an archived recipe from Cooking Light. Here's how to make enchilada sauce: Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth (homemade if you have it) 1Tablespoons...

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Creamy Spinach and Ham Farfalle

Way back at Easter, I made this awesome ham, purchased on sale of course.  There was tons of extra meat that I decided to freeze.  I pulled out the last of our leftover ham for a quick dinner last night.  Cream sauces are typically a no-no when trying to eat light, but I replaced the heavy cream in this recipe with evaporated fat-free milk for a surprisingly tasty pasta with ham and spinach.  The spinach absorbs a lot of the  sauce so this isn't super saucy, but the spinach tastes divine with the cream.  The ham adds quite a bit of sodium, so you will need to watch your sodium intake the rest of the day. Here is...

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MIA and surprise you're pregnant!

So, my posts have been a bit sparse over the last couple of weeks....sorry about that!  I do have a pretty good excuse....found out I'm expecting our third child and I've been a bit nauseous.  Apparently, you can get pregnant while nursing without ever having a period. As is typical in my first trimester, I have an aversion to cooking---I'm fine with eating, but if someone else made the food, it seems WAY more appealing.  Wonder why that is? I'm thinking this little surprise might affect my 1600 calorie meal plans since my focus will be turning toward eating more calories and protein than I would be if I was trying to maintain my weight.  Healthy eating is still a priority and I'm thinking I will focus more on healthy meal plans than sticking to a strict calorie...

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Pesto Stuffed Portobellos

Simple and Delicious, Pesto Stuffed Portobellos are quick and easy enough for lunch and fancy enough for dinner.  This meal is my latest craving and seems like it keeps popping up on our lunch menu. I find mushrooms delightful, but my kids do not agree---as with any meal I love that my kids get picky about, I say, More for me!  My kids eat some pretty healthy stuff most of the time because they have little choice, so I think they should be allowed to actually really not like a few foods in this world.  Right now mushrooms are at the top of that list.  Bummer for them, I'm going to keep making these Pesto Stuffed Portobellos! Recipe...

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The Fear of Eating Healthy (part 1)

Over the past decade I have made numerous changes to my diet to include healthier choices, some have been easy and some have seemed torturous at the time.  Almost all the major changes have been accompanied by a twinge of fear or at least hesitation.  Fear of what, you may ask---Well, as you become more conscious of your food choices and more aware that a truly healthy diet means leaving behind a lot of familiarity and relearning many of the skills associated with eating this can be quite intimidating!  Healthy eating is in many ways an emotional choice as much as it is based on factual knowledge of eating the "right" foods. I have found it empowering to reflect on my fears and articulate them.  I'd like to tackle one fear at a time in a series of posts beginning with...

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Apple Baked Oatmeal

Delicious hot oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts.  If you've followed my blog with any regularity you may have seen my post on Baked Oatmeal or "Special Oatmeal" as my son calls it.  This warm, easy to make, comfort food finds its way into our breakfast menu on a weekly basis.  I do switch it up a bit here and there by adding pumpkin or blueberries and now that my daughter is old enough to eat peanut butter, I've been wanting to try a peanut butter version of baked oatmeal.  But today's switch-up from the normal raisins was baked oatmeal with apples. By switching out the sugar for dark brown sugar and adding vanilla...

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