giveaway #2

lindsay brin was so nice to send me extra copies of her dvd's. i have already given a few away, but i want to give away the rest of them. so, i have one more copy of her shed 5 fast dvd. it has two complete workouts on it. this is a great dvd to add to your collection for some variety. all you need is a light and heavy set of weights. that's not asking too much!

if you want to enter, leave a comment! i'll randomly pick a winner on friday, april 2nd... hurry and tell your friends via facebook, your blog, etc for an extra entry for each method you use. hurry. check back to see who the winner is... and to enter another giveaway!

wraps

these tortillas come in several different packages. this is what mine look like when i get them from costco. at walmart, the packaging is orange.

another regular in our home. my sister (the other author of this blog who is currently extremely busy with 8 1/2 weeks old twins. these little tykes have barely begun life outside of the hospital- one has been home for a week and a half and the other just a few days) started me on these wraps and i fell in love. and hard for these babies. the other plus, everyone in my family loves these in some form or another... even if it's just a plain, raw, cold tortilla.

first off, you HAVE to get these tortillas. this is one of the only things i eat that is white flour and not 100% whole wheat. although heather and i talked about writing the company and asking them to make a whole wheat version. the brand is tortillaland. you can get these at costco, but also at most walmarts. they are usually located by the cream cheese at walmart in the refrigerated section, near the bottom. these are raw, or uncooked tortillas that you throw on the stove for a few minutes to brown them and they are TO DIE FOR! i normally HATE flour tortillas. these are the only ones i'll eat. you can pretty much add any toppings on these babies, but i'll put the basics of what my family loves. i try to keep it light on the toppings... and you should know why if you've read any of my previous posts. extra calories!

wraps

tortillaland tortillas

black beans (warmed on the stove)

salsa

avocado slices

hummus

yum! that's what we put on. infact, most times, we don't even use hummus on them. but hummus makes them extra delish! these are easy, quick, and for people like isaac that think all food looks weird, i put black beans and cheese on his, and he devours it. most of the time.

be creative though. you could add tomatoes, green onions, brown rice, chicken, etc. anything you like on a taco or burrito. but remember, if you are trying to be health conscious, which i'm assuming you are since you are reading this blog, hold the sour cream, cheese, meat, and anything else that really doesn't add a whole lot of nutrition with lots of calories (what i call empty calories). try these. you will LOVE them! guaranteed.

white chicken chili

i stole this picture from www.i.ehow.com (whatever the heck that is). my white chili looks better and i bet it tastes better too!

two posts in one day? better yet, three posts within 24 hours? what has gotten into me! i told you, i wanted to spend more time on this blog. so i'm doing it.

after i had macey, a good friend made this soup for me and i was hooked. it's delicious and seriously my absolute favorite.

white chicken chili

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TB olive oil

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/8-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper- depending how much you like spice

28 oz. chicken broth

3 cans great northern beans (drained, 1 can is mashed smooth)

2 tsp. leafy oregano

2 tsp. cumin

4 oz. can green chiles

1 can corn (drained)

saute onion and garlic in olive oil in soup pan until tender. add rest of ingredients. bring to boil and simmer 20-25 minutes.

again, this soup is fantastic vegetarian. i make it that way most of the time. every once in a while, i'm feeling nice and will add chicken for my family. this is probably my favorite soup of all time. i make it almost weekly also. it's good topped with cheese, but even better topped with my famous avocado chunks. oh so good!

new family favorite

when i say family favorite, i usually mean tyler and i. i make what i like for dinner. and my kids are required (2 of the 3 of them) to eat a small amount of it. then i'll make them something different, but simple. i'm not willing to eat the crap they love. call me a bad mom, but although i get sick of them not eating what i make for dinner, i'm not about to make them sit at the table all night long like i had to. :) it's just not worth it, and i can't force them to eat what i like. but here is a new favorite that everyone liked except isaac (he wouldn't even try it. cam said he liked it a little, but he ate it all gone). i got this recipe from my sister in law. she makes the vegetarian version and i've had it several times. i've also more recently had the original recipe which includes chicken. both are super yummo!

tomatillo soup (can you tell i adore soup?)

saute in big stock pot appx. 10-15 minutes

1/2 lg. onion, diced

2 garlic cloves

1 lb. tomatillos diced (about 5)

add rest of following ingredients and simmer 15-25 minutes

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1- 49 oz. can chicken broth (i only used 32 oz)

16 oz. fresh salsa from the deli

1- 15 oz can yellow hominy (drained)

1- 15 oz. can white hominy (drained)

Serve with: (this is the part i ignore, or just use the avocado and maybe lime juice)

tortilla strips

avocado chunks

mexican rice

shredded cheese

sour cream

fresh lime juice

love this recipe! obviously, for vegetarian, hold the chicken and use veggie broth. my sister in law sometimes adds the mexican rice to the actual soup... not on the side. yum! and by the way, if you only like soup in the winter, you should branch out and eat it all times during the year. i've never quite understood people's reasoning that it's hot in the summer and you don't want hot food. isn't most of the food we eat warm? what difference does it make? i guess i'm not one that loves salad though. i've had people tell me that they eat salads all summer. the thought makes me want to throw up. but you should try soup in the summer too. it's so good! and if i can make soup all summer long in my house in arizona in 115 degree weather, you can make it too!

yummy taco soup

this is on my menu weekly. no joke. we love this. and everyone loves it (sometimes... i live with isaac... and he never likes the same thing twice- well, hardly ever). it's super quick, yummy, and healthy. it's great with chicken or made vegetarian without meat and with veggie broth. most days, we go vegetarian, because it's easier and healthier (we eat way too much meat in our society). now, a word about the toppings. these are not included in the "healthy" part of the soup... except the avocado. my kids love the toppings (so does my husband), but 99% of the time, i go without everything except avocado. so if you are looking to lose weight or stay healthier, do NOT add the toppings... they add a gazillion calories that are 100% empty. and don't give me the "cheese has calcium" line. there are many more ways to get calcium than high in calorie and fat cheese.

taco soup

2 cans pinto beans (drained)

1 can corn (drained)

1-2 cans petite diced tomatoes (not drained)

1/2 c. salsa or picante sauce (i use pace picante)

2-3 T. taco seasoning

1 chicken breast if desired (cooked and shredded)

3 c. chicken/vegetable broth

heat together in pot. serve with cheese, sour cream, avocado chunks, fritos or tortilla chips