So this time of year happens to be my favorite time of year! It's almost Thanksgiving and that in my opinion marks the beginning of the holiday season! I say "in my opinion" because my significant other thinks it starts November 1st. That man loves him some Christmas! He starts listening to Christmas music right after Halloween (even sometimes before). He even works out to Christmas music! Seriously, who does that? I sometimes jokingly call him "Kris Kringle." It is a very endearing quality and I love Christmas as well just not as much him obviously.
I also love this season because there are some many holiday traditions that I really enjoy. Thanksgiving with my family! Recently we have been having Thanksgiving at my Uncle's brother-in-law's house which has been so much fun! There is lots of tasty food, delicious vino and even better company. Oh and we can't forget the very intense men vs. women Pictionary game! Grand prize...bragging rights! In addition, to great family fun there is the once a week Christmas movie night leading up to Christmas with close friends. There is also the annual ladies ornament exchange! Last year, I got a really great Butterfly ornament (which I think was Kelly's). I can't wait for this years! I'm also really looking forward to Dan's "apple pie in a glass" drink! Sooooo goood! Penny wanted to share mine with me last year! Unfortunately, this year I won't be taking part of the Gordon/Henson Family's ladies shopping marathon on Black Friday which begins around 3am and sometimes ends around midnight. :( I'm not sure if I've made it till midnight before...hmmm. At any rate, I'm sure there are many other fun festivities I'm leaving out but it's a fun season!
This year I'll be bringing to Thanksgiving the Iced N Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes! Yum! Oh, which brings me to my latest pumpkin creations! So I decided to try my hand at making Pumpkin Enchiladas. I was very skeptical at first. They didn't seem very appetizing while I was making them but they turned out to be DELICIOUS! Kris loved them too! They are low calorie about 188 calories per enchilada and the recipe is from Hungry Girl (see below).
Ingredients:
2 medium-large corn tortillas (like Mission Super Size)
3/4 cup enchilada sauce, divided
2/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1 slice fat-free cheddar cheese, halved
1 1/2 tbsp. taco sauce
1 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix
Optional: salt, black pepper, fat-free sour cream, chopped scallions
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring a pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add onion and, stirring occasionally, cook until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Add pumpkin, taco sauce, and taco seasoning to the bowl. Mix well. If you like, season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Spray a small baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside. Warm tortillas slightly in the microwave.
Lay tortillas flat on a clean, dry surface. Spread 2 tbsp. enchilada sauce onto each one. Place a half-slice of cheese in the center of each tortilla. Evenly distribute the pumpkin mixture between the centers of the tortillas.
Wrap tortillas up tightly and place them in the baking dish with the seam sides down. Cover with remaining 1/2 cup enchilada sauce.
Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes, until enchiladas are hot. Carefully remove dish from the oven, and sprinkle enchiladas with shredded cheese.
Return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Plate those babies and, if you like, top with sour cream and/or scallions. Enjoy!
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
2 medium-large corn tortillas (like Mission Super Size)
3/4 cup enchilada sauce, divided
2/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1 slice fat-free cheddar cheese, halved
1 1/2 tbsp. taco sauce
1 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix
Optional: salt, black pepper, fat-free sour cream, chopped scallions
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring a pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add onion and, stirring occasionally, cook until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Add pumpkin, taco sauce, and taco seasoning to the bowl. Mix well. If you like, season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Spray a small baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside. Warm tortillas slightly in the microwave.
Lay tortillas flat on a clean, dry surface. Spread 2 tbsp. enchilada sauce onto each one. Place a half-slice of cheese in the center of each tortilla. Evenly distribute the pumpkin mixture between the centers of the tortillas.
Wrap tortillas up tightly and place them in the baking dish with the seam sides down. Cover with remaining 1/2 cup enchilada sauce.
Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes, until enchiladas are hot. Carefully remove dish from the oven, and sprinkle enchiladas with shredded cheese.
Return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Plate those babies and, if you like, top with sour cream and/or scallions. Enjoy!
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
Recipe from http://www.hungry-girl.com/week/weeklydetails.php?isid=1800
I also used this delicious pumpkin butter that we get from Eckert's (import from Belleville ;) and mixed it with plain greek yogurt! Tasty, tasty, tasty! I can't take credit for this yummy concoction! This was Molly's creation. It basically can be eaten like yogurt or it reminded me of this pumpkin dip that we made last year for Thanksgiving except less fattening and less calories. I would suggest pairing it with the Cinnamon & Sugar Pita Chips (not so low cal) from Trader Joe's or any other lower calorie alternative. So maybe I will make it again this year except the low calorie version with greek yogurt. I love greek yogurt and you can use it to replace so many things!
Last on this post is the gear up for my first 5K on Thanksgiving! Kris and I are running the Naperville Turkey Trot and I'm so excited! I've been running 3 miles no problem! Alex (my super healthy, super ripped lil bro) even got me to run 5 miles! I don't know how I did it but somehow he kept me going! I think that's the longest I've ever run! In follow up to my last post, I did finally get a new pair of running shoes! I got a pair of the Reebok ZigTech's, the Zig Pulse II to be exact. I read a lot of great reviews on them and in addition, part of my purchase was donated to Breast Cancer so I feel like it was a double win! I tried them out and have been walking around in them to break them in. I've been having a little bit of ankle trouble so I'm hoping that the new shoes help with that as well.
I also used this delicious pumpkin butter that we get from Eckert's (import from Belleville ;) and mixed it with plain greek yogurt! Tasty, tasty, tasty! I can't take credit for this yummy concoction! This was Molly's creation. It basically can be eaten like yogurt or it reminded me of this pumpkin dip that we made last year for Thanksgiving except less fattening and less calories. I would suggest pairing it with the Cinnamon & Sugar Pita Chips (not so low cal) from Trader Joe's or any other lower calorie alternative. So maybe I will make it again this year except the low calorie version with greek yogurt. I love greek yogurt and you can use it to replace so many things!
Last on this post is the gear up for my first 5K on Thanksgiving! Kris and I are running the Naperville Turkey Trot and I'm so excited! I've been running 3 miles no problem! Alex (my super healthy, super ripped lil bro) even got me to run 5 miles! I don't know how I did it but somehow he kept me going! I think that's the longest I've ever run! In follow up to my last post, I did finally get a new pair of running shoes! I got a pair of the Reebok ZigTech's, the Zig Pulse II to be exact. I read a lot of great reviews on them and in addition, part of my purchase was donated to Breast Cancer so I feel like it was a double win! I tried them out and have been walking around in them to break them in. I've been having a little bit of ankle trouble so I'm hoping that the new shoes help with that as well.
Happy Thanksgiving!
That enchilada recipe sounds, AWESOME! might try to make them for thanksgiving eve. Happy t-day, Andrea!
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