Mmmmm

Part of the challenge with losing weight is lunch. Who knew it was such an issue? I find that if I don't have a lunch ready to go everyday, I'm more tempted to swing by Jimmy John's over my lunch break or snack on everything in sight. When I first started this new weight loss journey, I knew I had to tackle my lunch issues head on. First I invested in a lunch crock pot. Check it out! Seriously, this thing has been a life saver! All I have to do is prepare my lunches in advance (usually over the weekend). Then the night before, I stick one serving in the crock and place it in the fridge. In the morning, I take it with me to work and plug it in and by lunch time, it's warmed up and ready to go! No waiting in line to use the microwave! Also, it seals really tightly, so your coworkers don't even have to smell your food cooking all morning. Trust me, they'll thank you!

Over the past few weeks, I've been making healthy soup to take with me to work. And they've all been delicious, but I have to admit I really enjoy chewing and the soup just isn't cutting it for me anymore. I found myself so sick of soup this week that I ended up eating a Healthy Choice meal for several days. While better for me than McDonald's, I can't call Healthy Choice...well, a healthy choice. Anyways, I needed a new plan for this next week's lunches. I asked my weight loss partner for some ideas and she suggested enchiladas. Now, I looooove enchiladas, but all that cheese and tortillas just aren't going to make me lose weight. However, once she said enchiladas I knew that's exactly what I wanted. I figured there had to be a way to make it healthier, so I did my research, found a recipe that sounded good and tweaked it to make it healthier. So, without further ado, I present:

Melli's Healthy Enchilada Bake

You will need:

2 cups Brown Rice-cooked (I used instant rice because I'm impatient)

1 15oz can Black Beans-drained and rinsed

1 cup Shredded Chicken Breast

1 10.5 oz can Green Enchilada Sauce

1 10.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles

1/2 cup Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt

1 tsp Cumin

1 slice Pepperjack Cheese (They are from the deli and are 80 calories a slice)

First, cook your rice. While you are doing that, open your can of black beans and drain and rinse them. Set aside. For the chicken, I used a boneless skinless chicken breast and put it in a skillet with about 1/2 cup of water. While it was cooking, I used a fork to shred it. I also seasoned it as it was cooking, but that part is totally optional. I like a little spice, so I added chili powder, ground red pepper, garlic powder and cilantro. When you have you chicken ready, place it in a medium bowl and add your enchilada sauced, tomatoes, cumin and greek yogurt. Mix it all together. Here is where I ripped the slice of pepperjack into baby pieces and mixed it in, but you could also bake first then add shredded cheese on top for the last few minutes of baking. Now get a baking pan ready (I used an 8x8, but any size would work!). Place your rice on the bottom of the pan. Next, add the black beans on top of the rice. Finally, evenly spread the chicken mixture on top. Place pan in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is melty.

This dish makes 6 servings. Each serving is around 250 calories, 6 grams of fat, 13 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. I can't wait to eat it for my lunches next week! I already took a bite and it was DELICIOUS! Plus, it'll warm me up and keep me satisfied throughout my afternoon! 

Also, I only used half my container of greek yogurt, and I would hate to waste it, so I made refrigerator oats for my breakfast tomorrow and thought I would share that recipe too! I've made this a few times but never with greek yogurt, so I'm excited about it!

Overnight Refrigerator Oats

1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats

1/2 cup Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt

1/4 cup Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 1/2 tsp Chia Seeds

1/2 cup fruit of choice (I used strawberries and blueberries)

1 packet Stevia

Pinch of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and place in container with lid. Cover and let sit in the fridge overnight. The oats and chia seeds will absorb the moisture and "cook" and be ready to eat in the morning. The fun thing about refrigerator oats is that you can get creative and personalize them for yourself. I love it with chia seeds (crazy healthy super food), but those can be omitted. Just reduce the amount of milk you use, since chia seeds absorb a lot of moisture. Also, you can use any kind of milk you want. I use almond milk because it's freaking delicious! You can also omit the greek yogurt and increase the amount of milk used or even use flavored greek yogurt and skip the stevia. And you can use any kind of fruit you want! I usually use apples, strawberries or blueberries, but I've heard of tons of different variations, such as bananas, mango or even cherries. If you're not sure where to start, just do a google search for refrigerator oats. There are tons of recipes and it's be fun to make it your own! Enjoy!