Quick, Easy, & Low-Fat Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 8-10 whole wheat flour tortillas
• 2 packages of Uncle Ben's Ready Whole Grain Medley Sante Fe flavored rice (or you can use leftover rice from a meal you made earlier in the week - you'll need about 2-3 cups)
• 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro chopped (leaves only)
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 package of seasoned fajita chicken breasts, about 1.5 lbs.
• 2 cups of salsa verde
• 8 oz. package of low-fat mexican cheese blend

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the raw chicken breast into small cubes and place in a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook on medium to medium-high heat until cooked through (no longer pink in the middle). Once the chicken is finished cooking, take the pan off of the burner. Cook rice according to the directions on the package and when it is done pour into a large bowl. Add the chopped cilantro and cooked fajita chicken to the rice and stir to combine all the ingredients together. In a 9x13 in baking dish pour 1 cup of salsa verde in the bottom of the dish. Fill each whole wheat tortilla with the rice/chicken mixture (about 1/3 cup), roll up and place in the baking dish (seam side down). Do the same with each tortilla (about 8-10 filled tortillas should fit in the baking dish). Pour remaining 1 cup of salsa verde on top of the rolled tortillas. Top with mexican cheese blend. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!

From Dallas, TX to Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA -- Part 2

Savannah, Georgia:

• Where We Stayed:
• In an apartment downtown (about 5 minutes from River Street)
• Where We Ate:
• Huey's On The River
• What we ordered:
• Turkey Mushroom Sandwich served with rice and beans
• Shrimp & Grits (Kel says these were the BEST)!
• Papillote - French Cuisine To Go
• What we ordered:
• The Melted Angel- smokey brisket, red wine shallots and melted pepper jack cheese on toasted brioche. **BEST SAMMY EVER**
• Chic Chicken Salad- baby greens topped with grilled chicken breast, crisy polenta, feta cheese, and roasted red bell peppers with a shallot & parsley vinagerette.
• We took our food and ate it on a bench on the river!
• Leopold's Ice Cream
• What we ordered:
• Kel and I tried the tutti fruiti, chocolate cookie, honey almond, peanut butter cup, strawberry shortcake, and lemon custard
• The Best- honey almond and lemon custard
• Lady & Sons - Paula Deen's Restaurant
• What we ordered:
• BUFFET! The buffet included cheese biscuits, hoecakes, fried & grilled chicken, bbq beef, green beans, greens, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes, sweet potaotes, okra & tomatoes, creamed corn, & a salad bar.
• Dessert- banana pudding & pumpkin gooey butter cake
• Vic's On the River
• What we ordered:
• Spinach and Arugula Salad served with canteloupe, watermelon, feta cheese, toasted cashews, and herb balsalmic vinagrette
• Crab cakes served with pesto risotto and roasted red pepper aioli
• Beautiful and romantic restaurant with live music!
• Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room 
• What we ordered:
• This restaurant was very different than the rest. We stood in line for about an hour and a half and once we got inside the restaurant we sat at a table with about 8 other people and we're served family style. There were probably about 15 different dishes to choose from (crazy amount of food). Once we were finished we took our plates into the kitchen to be washed! Very fun experience....the wait is totally worth it!
• We were served fried chicken, bbq beef, mac & cheese, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, butter beans, baked beans, black eyed peas, okra and tomatoes, corn bread, biscuits, creamed corn, green beans, greens, etc.
• Dessert: peach cobbler and banana pudding
• Two Smart Cookies
• What we ordered:
• 1/2 dozen cookes- oatmeal scotchies (YUM), monster cookies, ginger cookies, and chocolate chip.
• Featured in Southern Living, Country Living, Cooking with Paula Deen, and the Savannah Morning News.
• What We Did For Fun
• Walked around the historic district (there are lots of very old historic buildings and houses)
• Shopped (there are little shops & boutiques everywhere)
• Walked around the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD)
• Went to Tybee Island
• Took a carriage tour around the historic district  

*Stay tuned for some re-created dishes from our Charleston-Savannah vacation!*

From Dallas, TX to Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA -- Part 1

For our one year anniversary, Kel and I decided to take a trip over to Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. I had always heard such great things about both of these places- the food, the houses, the beaches, etc.- so we thought it would be the perfect destination for our big celebration! We flew into Charleston on Wednesday and then drove down to Savannah (about 1.5-2 hour drive) on Friday night and stayed there until Monday afternooon. Here is a summary of what we did for fun, where we ate, what we ate, and where we stayed!

Charleston, South Carolina:

• Where We Stayed: 

• Best Western (located only 5 minutes from historic downtown Charleston)

• Where We Ate:

• BLU Restaurant & Bar on Folly Beach
• What we ordered:
• Artisan Greens- baby greens topped with spiced walnuts, North Carolina apples, and a roasted shallot vinagerette
• Shrimp & Grits- grits mixed with stewed peppers and onions, tasso, and lobster saffron cream
• Stuffed Squash- locally grown squash stuffed with an array of different cheeses
• Fresh Catch- swordfish on top of ground asparagus (very yummy) served with locally grown sauteed vegetables
• This was a very romantic restaurant, we ate out on the patio right in front of the ocean!

• The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene
• What we ordered:
• She Crab Soup
• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Broiled Flounder- flounder dressed with cooking oil, oregano, salt & pepper served with red rice, cole slaw, hush puppy, and fried hominy square
• Key Lime Pie (YUMMY)
• This place was definitely a hole in the wall but had good, fresh seafood and it overlooked Shem Creek in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant.

• Magnolias
• What we ordered:
• Fried Green Tomatoes- also included smoked jalepeno and cheddar grits, country ham, and tomato chutney
• Wadmalaw Field Greens- baby greens topped with a lemon-lingonberry vinagerette and crumbled blue cheese
• Parmesan Crusted Flounder- served over carolina rice and creek shrimp pirloo with sweet corn, tomato and asparagus salad, lump crab, and a lemon beurre blanc.
• VERY GOOD FOOD! We ate here for lunch!

• Upper Crust
• We went to visit some friends, Grant & GraceAnna Castleberry, in Beaufort, SC on Friday night before we headed down to Savannah and they took us to this yummy pizza place! Check out their blog at http://www.grantandgraceanna.blogspot.com/
• What we ordered:
• Large pizza with half crumbled sausage and sliced tomatoes (nice choice Grant!) and the other half Homemade Roasted Red Pepper (homemade roasted red pepper sauce with chicken, spinach, and sliced tomatoes).
• We went back to the Castleberry's house and had a Smores dessert that GraceAnna made and it was FABULOUS! GraceAnna, I would love to have this recipe! :)

*NOTE: The food was rich and came in large portions so Kel and I shared all of our meals which cut the cost!*

• What We Did For Fun:

• Folly Beach- walked around the beach at sunset and then went to eat at BLU
• Boone Hall Plantation- absolutely BEAUTIFUL! One of the oldest working plantations. This is also where part of the movie, The Notebook (Allie's summer house), was filmed. We made sure to pick up some homemade ice cream before we left :)
• Downtown- lots of beautiful mansions to see, including Rainbow Row, churches, College of Charleston, and various historical sights
• The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
• Fort Sumter- where the first shot of the Civil War took place
• Martins Point Plantation - we tried to find the house Noah built in the movie, The Notebook, but were unsuccessful :(
• Charleston RiverDogs baseball game- the Riverdogs are a Class-A affiliate of the New York Yankees

Savannah, GA post will be up soon but in the meantime here are a few pictures from our time in Charleston (the remaining pictures will be posted on Facebook if you want to see more)...

Cake Pops

Ingredients:

• 1 box of strawberry cake mix (made according to instructions)
• 1 container of buttercream icing
• 2 packages of white chocolate Candy Quick or white chocolate bark
• 1 package (about 50) of lollipop sticks (purchased at Michaels Craft Store)
• Assorted colored sprinkles
• Rectangular styrofoam block (4x10" -- also purchased at Michaels)

Directions:

Bake cake according to instructions on the back of the box. Cool the cake completely. Once the cake is cooled, in a large bowl crumble the cake with your fingers into very fine crumbs. Add the entire container of icing to the crumbled cake and mix with a spatula until fully incorporated into the cake. With a cookie scoop, scoop cake mixture into balls and gently roll with your hands until formed into a small ball (about the size of a ping pong ball).
Arrange the cake balls on a large cookie sheet. Once you are finished forming the cake mixture into balls, gently place a lollipop stick into each ball (about 1/2-3/4 way into the ball -- the stick should pointing upward). Once you are finished placing the sticks into the cake balls, place the cookie sheet into the freezer for about 1-2 hours until the cake balls are firm. **Note: If you do not let them harden it is difficult to roll them in the chocolate bark because they will fall apart.
When they are finished in the freezer, melt the Candy Quick according to the instructions. Dip each cake ball into the Candy Quick until fully covered in chocolate. Insert the cake pop into a piece of styrofoam (the chocolate may drip a little bit). You can do a few of these at a time and then shake sprinkles over the top, but don't wait until the very end because the chocolate will be hard and the sprinkles will not stick.

**Note: I made these for a baby shower and put the baby's name on the piece of styrofoam**

Israeli Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Original Pearl Couscous
• 6 oz. of fat free feta cheese
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
• 1 1/2 cups of roasted asparagus (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 1/3 cup of spinach (chopped into small pieces)
• 3 Tbsp. of fresh basil (chopped into small pieces)
• 2 tsp. of shallots (diced)
• 1/2 lemon, use juice only
• 3 Tbsp. of olive oil
• Dash of salt
• 2 tsp of pepper
• 1 Tbsp. of Drew's Rosemary Balsamic Dressing or and kind of Balsalmic vinegarette

Directions:

Make couscous according to the directions and place it in a large bowl to cool (about 30 minutes). In the mean time, chop asparagus into small pieces (about 1 inch in length) and place on a baking sheet. Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat all of the pieces. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown and crispy.

Place the feta, sliced tomatoes, chopped spinach and basil, and shallots into a large serving bowl. Once the couscous and asparagus are finished cooking and cooled, add them into the serving bowl with the rest of the vegetables. Mix all of these ingredients together. To dress the salad, add the juice of half of a lemon, 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, and balsalmic dressing. Toss all of the ingredients together until well incorporated. You can serve this salad hot or cold, either way it is very yummy!! Enjoy!!

**This recipe was inspired by Chef Kent Rathbun who taught the Central Market cooking class we went to called Make the Most of the Grill**

Jerk Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into small cubes ($4.50)
• 1/2-3/4 cup of mild jerk sauce (enough to coat the chicken) ($2.99-3.99)
• Dash of salt
• 1 tsp. of black pepper
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro ($0.48)
• 1/4 cup of red onion, cut into thin slices ($1.35)
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded or sliced Gouda cheese ($2.68) 

Dough ingredients: *Makes 2 dough balls*

• 3 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 package of quick-rise yeast
• 1 Tbsp. of Splenda
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 1/4 cups of warm water
• 2 Tbsp. of olive oil

To Make the Dough: In a food processor or KitchenAid (using the dough hook), combine the flour, yeast, Splenda, and salt. Mix until the ingredients are combined at a slow speed. While these are mixing, pour the olive oil and warm water in a steady stream and mix until the dough comes together into a ball (if it is too sticky, add a little bit more flour until it is no longer sticky) (if it is too dry, add a little bit more warm water or olive oil) - this process may take a few minutes. Once the dough forms into a ball, take the dough out of the mixer or food processor and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a lightly greased medium sized bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 2-3 hours. Once it has risen, punch the dough down and form it into a ball again and let it rest for about 10 more minutes. Cut the dough into 2 pieces. On a greased pizza pan, roll 1 piece of the dough out with a rolling pin until it is a thin and round.

To Make the Pizza: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Saute the chicken cubes with the jerk sauce in a greased saute pan. Saute until the chicken is cooked through. Season the pizza dough with salt and pepper and spread the cooked jerk chicken over the dough evenly. Place the thin red onion slices, chopped cilantro, and Gouda cheese over the top of the chicken. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese and crust are lightly browned. Enjoy!!

Total Price:

$12.00

*I had the ingredients to make the dough at home, but this is typically a cheap item to make**

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 package of lean (93/7) ground turkey ($2.99)
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped into very small pieces ($0.61)
• 2 tsp. of minced garlic
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs ($1.99)
• 2 Tbsp. of ketchup
• 1 tsp. of dried parsley
• 1 tsp. of dried oregano
• 1tsp. of dried basil
• 1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese ($1.99)
• 1 tsp. of black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 1 package of whole wheat spaghetti noodles ($1.00)
• 1 can of Hunt's Heart Healthy diced tomatoes (1.08)
• 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce  ($1.99)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey, chopped onion, minced garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, oregano, basil, parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt. Stir until well incorporated (sometimes this works best with your hands). Form into 2 1/2 inch balls (I used an ice cream scoop) and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until the tops of the meatballs are lightly brown (you can cut through one to make sure it is no longer pink in the middle).

While the meatballs are baking, boil spaghetti noodles in a large pot of boiling water for about 8-10 minutes (until al dente - has a slight crunch). Drain the noodles and place them back into the pot. Add the can of tomatoes and 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce and stir. If you would like, you can add the meatballs to the pasta or just place them on top of an individual plate of pasta. Enjoy!!

Total Price:

$11.65

*Recipe inspired by Giada De Laurentiis**