Lighter Beef Pad-Thai

Last week I shared that the hubster and I are trying to cook lighter dinner entrees. We have really stepped out of our comfort zone of heavier pastas, potato and rice laden dishes and embraced more things like spaghetti squash and cauliflower based selections. We have been sticking with this challenge pretty religiously for the last month. Much to our surprise, we have really enjoyed many of our new selections!

One of Dave's favorite new dishes is this lighter version of Pad Thai. Rather than using the traditional rice noodles, this recipe uses spaghetti squash. While it requires a little more prep work, it is very delish!

Another switch-a-roo this recipe calls for is PB2. Have any of you tried it? It's powdered peanut butter that contains 85% less fat calories than your traditional peanut butter. I had to order it from Amazon.com, but, I think I'm going to try and use it in more recipes so it's a good investment in my opinion!

Again, I totally forgot to take a photo of the finished product. Soooowww-rrrryyyy! I basically was so hungry, I shlepped it in a bowl and dug in! But, trust me, it's yummo! And, to get a two thumbs up from hubby is huge! Hubby approved stamp of approval!

Well, let's get down to the nitty gritty...

Clearly, I make it a point NOT to include all of the ingredients in 1 photo because that would make TOO much sense.

Lighter Beef Pad-Thai
Adapted slightly from www.sandyskitchenadventures.com

What You'll Need 
3 1/2 cups of cooked spaghetti squash
1 cup of shredded/chopped cabbage
1 1/2 to 2 lb. boneless flat sirloin steak tips (or similar)
1/4 cup reduced sodium beef broth
4 Tbs. PB2 Powdered Peanut Buter
1 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. red cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced garlic
dash of red pepper flakes

Optional garnishes
2 Tbs. dry roasted peanuts, chopped
Chopped cilantro

The How To
Preheat your oven to 375. Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise. Scoop out seeds, being careful to leave the flesh. Place cut side up in a casserole dish or baking sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until cooked. Let cool before scooping out fleshy noodles. Set aside.

We like our meat

In a small bowl, combine beef broth, powdered peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and minced garlic. Set aside.

Season your steak. I used Montreal Steak Seasoning. I prefer to let my steak sit out a bit (about an hour) before I cook it. Grill (or cook however you prefer, I used a grill pan) your steak. Set aside to rest and cut after giving it some time.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray (I use my Misto). Add spaghetti squash, cabbage and sauce. Heat over medium heat until warmed through and cabbage is slightly wilted. Add beef. Garnish and serve!

Makes 3-4 GENEROUS servings.

Italian Summer Squash Casserole

We have been trying to make more dinner meals without starch these days. This quest to lighten up our meals has made us step out of the hum-drum of weeknight dinners and explore some different recipes. Some have been hits and some have been major flops.

One thing I love about summer is the freshness of summer squash. Maybe it's just me, but I love zucchini and squash in the summer because it tastes different - BETTER. And, well, it's cheaper. So, I stock up on it and try to eat it in as many dishes as I can.

We tried this recipe late last week and it was yummy! It was even yummier as left overs!

Italian Summer Squash Casserole
adapted from Sandy's Kitchen

You will need:
10oz - 1 lbs. cooked 93% (or leaner) ground beef or turkey
1 1/3 cup 2% reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup 1% cottage cheese
1 cup tomato puree, canned or fresh
2 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups sliced yellow squash
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons basil*
1 teaspoon oregano*
4 teaspoons reduced fat parmesan cheese

Makes 4 GENEROUS servings
*You could probably use Italian Seasonings in place of these ingredients 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your casserole dish with olive oil (or pam) and set aside. Brown ground meat. When cooked, mix meat with tomato puree, garlic powder, salt, basil and oregano until well mixed.

Layer zucchini and yellow squash at the bottom of the casserole dish. Pour tomato/meat mixture over the squash layer. Spread cottage cheese over the meat mixture and then top with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle parmesan over the top. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned.

I totally forgot to photograph the final steps and the final product, but I assure you that it was YUMMY! 

Enjoy!

Asian Quinoa Salad

I have been really enjoying our summer days. Iced tea, bathing suits, warm weather, long days - what is there not to enjoy? But, man oh, man! These last few days have been hot, hot, hot. The very last thing I want to do is turn the oven on or slave away over a hot skillet to cook dinner. So, I have been experimenting with easy and fast dinners that can be whipped up quickly, but are still hearty enough to appease my hubby's appetite! 

One of our new favorite go-to dishes to make is this Asian Quinoa Salad. Not only is it easy peasy, but it is pretty healthy. It's full of veggies and pretty colorful, so it's the perfect summer dish! There are even several short cuts you can make if you are short on time, too. 

Salad Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

Chopped or shredded chicken (I use rotisserie when short on time)

1 cup chopped red cabbage (or bag of shredded cabbage or cole slaw from the salad aisle)

1 cup Napa cabbage (or omit if you'd like)

1 cup shelled and cooked edamame (frozen works great!)

1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped (I use baby bell peppers because that's what I buy)

1/2 cup shredded carrots (can use bagged shredded carrots or even a bag of cole slaw)

1 cup seeded and diced cucumber (english, regular or persian)

To make the dressing:

3/4 cup lite soy sauce or tamari sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

3-4 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/4-1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (I use 1/2 teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and black pepper

This is how I make the salad...

I use my rice cooker to make the quinoa. I take 1 cup of quinoa and add 2 cups of water. After I mix the quinoa with the water, I cook it in the rice cooker. Make sure to mix it and remove it from the rice cooker promptly when it is done to avoid it burning on the bottom of the rice cooker pan.

Put the cooked quinoa, chicken, cabbage, edamame, bell pepper, carrots and cucumber in a bowl and set aside while you make the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. 

Pour dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Taste and re-season if needed. Sprinkle with crunchy chow mein noodles if you feel like being fancy!

The Most Amazing Body Butter

I used to never make anything from scratch. But, since becoming a mom, I don't know what changed in me. Maybe when I gave birth, some genetic mutation occurred that made me get excited about things like making my own body lotion.

I have some seriously dry skin. Like, so dry it almost looks like I have scales on my legs in the winter. I even resorted to laser hair removal on my legs so I didn't have to shave because it made my legs THAT MUCH MORE dry and itchy. I about tried every lotion out there and there was not one that relieved the curse of dry skin. 

Then someone recommended raw shea butter. And, YES, it DOES work but I didn't like the smell. AT ALL. So, as any of us probably would do, I hopped on Pinterest and found a recipe for whipped body butter. 

This body butter is divine. I'll be honest, at first it's like putting Crisco on your skin. It goes on pretty oily. But, your skin just drinks it up! Plus, it moisturizes your skin for a really long time!

The other great thing I've found is that it has cleared up my son, Weston's eczema. Weston had really bad "chicken skin" on his torso and back. He's in a highly chlorinated pool for swim lessons at least twice a week, which makes it a lot worse. At one point, even the bottom of his foot cracked so deep we couldn't put socks on him. We tried a lot of different things but since it didn't seem to bother him too much, we didn't use anything medicated (other than Neosporin on his foot when it cracked). So, I started lathering him up with my body butter and in about a week, the eczema was COMPLETELY gone! GONE!

I even gave a small sample to my friend for her daughter who had such a bad rash under her chin due to  baby drool. She told me that it cleared it up in a matter of a couple of days. AMAZE BALLS.

So, me being me, I wanted to share with you my favorite whipped body lotion recipe. It's fairly simple to make, contains all natural ingredients (if you use essential oils only) and is by far my most favorite lotion ever!

To make the lotion you will need:

Raw Shea Butter

Coconut Oil

Sweet Almond Oil (Or any other oil like olive, jojoba, grape seed, etc.)

Essential Oils or Fragranced Scent Oil

Here's how I do it...

I take 1 cup of the raw shea butter and 1/2 cup of coconut oil and melt it in a double boiler. I have a bowl that is dedicated to my DIY beauty/craft stuff.

When the shea butter and coconut oil have melted, I mix in 1/2 cup of Sweet Almond Oil. At this point, I'm not going to lie, you're going to have a bowl which looks like a bunch of urine. When it looks like this, you KNOW you are on your way to having something awesome! I am just kidding, of course!

After the shea butter, coconut and almond oils are combined, put the entire bowl in the fridge until it has solidified. When it is solid, it will be quite opaque and hard.

I like to make two, some times three small batches of differing scents. This day, I made lavender-lemon-orange (with essential oils), Juniper Breeze (a Bath & Body Works dupe fragrance from Peak Candle Supply) and Pink Sugar (fragrance from Peak Candle Supply). I really like the Pink Sugar for the boys. It's not baby powder scented like everything else I've found made for kids. 

I like to cut the solidified lotion into three pieces and place in separate bowls to add fragrance to separately.

If you are using essential oils, especially orange or lemon, be prepared to put a lot in. Like 30 drops or more. With the fragrance oils from Peak Candle Supply (or similar), add it sparingly, starting with a tiny amount and adding more to achieve the strength of fragrance you would like. Artificial fragrance are very potent, so don't overdo it!

Once you have added your fragrance, beat with a hand mixer, until it reaches a light, airy whipped consistency. It will look like whipped butter. I store mine in round plastic containers that I purchased through Amazon. 

Make sure you don't store this in an area that is warm. Because this lotion recipe contains coconut oil, it has a low threshold for heat. Seriously, it will turn to liquid at about 80 degrees. If you are in a warmer climate, I'd even suggest keeping it in the fridge. Definitely don't store in your car's glove compartment! I've made THAT mistake for us all to learn from!

I have been making and using this whipped body butter for about a year and a half now. I love it. I've converted many of my friends over to this recipe. It's THAT good. And, I've found almost by accident that it's GREAT for eczema! 

And, one extra bonus...in the summer it gives you that summer glow like you've just slathered on some decadent body oil! I love it on my legs and shoulders for that exact reason!

Two Ingredient Pizza Dough

When in doubt, this mommy makes pizza. And, this pizza dough is not only easy to make, but super delicious!

All you need is TWO THINGS to make this dough, and I bet a lot of you already have these things on hand!

That's right! All you need is two things and those two things are greek yogurt and self rising flour! And, if you have all purpose flour on hand, simply follow these instructions here to make it self rising. I've even made it with Whole Wheat flour that I doctored up to make self rising. Still DELICIOUS!

To make a small pizza, simply mix 1 cup of yogurt with a heaping cup of flour. Knead in the bowl, adding flour when it becomes too sticky. It will stick to your hands, but if it is clinging to your hands, add more flour. Knead for about 5-7 minutes, or 3 if you have a toddler pulling on your pants.

I press into shape on a pizza stone and top with sauce and cheese. If you are baking on a cookie sheet, I'd probably spray some oil oil (Um, Mistos are awesome by the way) to make sure it doesn't stick. The best part about making your own pizza is you can covertly add kid yuckies like carrots, spinach and zucchini.

Tip...I normally make a batch of spiked pizza sauce by combining tomato sauce, italian seasoning, garlic powder, carrots, spinach and zucchini. I blend in my blender and freeze in ice cube trays. When I make a small pizza, I defrost three cubes and that's the perfect amount for my boys. They like their pizza on the drier side (not oozing with sauce). If you like saucier pizza, I'd add more than 3 cubes!

Now, my kids like their pizza with brown cheese. I don't know if that's a testament to my inability to remember I have something in the oven or if they are weird like me and like crunchy, burnt cheese. Either way, bake at 425 until the crust is slightly brown and your cheese is how you like it!

The dough bakes nice and fluffy! The crust doesn't get hard and crunchy, but it's like really soft bread. You can use this dough recipe to make awesome garlic bread for dipping as well! I've been meaning to use it for some delish cinnamon-sugar bread sticks with some drizzled powder sugar frosting! YUM!

So, there's my secret. We eat this when I'm lazy or when I make something that I know neither boy would like. Just call me Patricia the Pizzarita. 

Make Your Own Laundry Detergent for Under $40!

With two young and rambunctious boys, one can only imagine that we wash A WHOLE LOT of clothes! It seems like we are always doing laundry! And, doing that much laundry requires a lot of detergent. 

When I saw this "recipe" for a years worth of homemade detergent for under $40 I figured I had nothing to lose. All of the ingredients were easily accessible at my local Walmart, and at under $40, if it didn't work, I wasn't breaking the bank. But, surprisingly, this detergent DOES work pretty well. And, last July, when I made our first batch, I was also a little skeptical that it would last a year. A YEAR? Well, almost 11 months later, we are reaching the bottom of our detergent box. So, YES, it does last nearly a year! And, that's with a load or two a day!

Unlike a lot of the homemade detergent recipes floating around Pinterest, this detergent is POWDER. Now, I used to use liquid but decided to try this since it's easier to store. And, you only use 2, yes TWO  heaping tablespoons per load.

To make this detergent you will need (and I priced out the current prices at my local Walmart):

• 3 bar of Fels Naptha (.97 each)
• 1 76-ounce box of Borax (3.38)
• 1 4-lb box of Baking Soda (3.24)
• 1 3-lb 7-ounce box of Washing Soda (3.24)
• 2 containers of Oxyclean (7.52 each) (I used 1 5-lb box of Oxyclean, plus about 2 cups I had left over from another container - 9.47)
• 1-2 bottles of Gain Fireworks Crystals (9.97) (or any "scent" laundry crystals)

Last year, when I made this detergent for the first time, I grated all three bars of Fels-Naptha by hand. Urgh, don't do that. It's no fun! This time I cut the bars up into cubs, put it in my food processor with a little bit of Washing Soda. I simply washed the food processor bowl out with SUPER HOT water to make sure to get out all of the Fels-Naptha, which melts really fast! Now, THAT's the way to do it. Not only does it do it faster than hand grating, but it grates it really fine! And, if you've never heard of Fels-Naptha, it is an awesome stain remover. I love that this "recipe" has it in it!

This is how I cut the Fel-Naptha and pulsed it with Washing Soda

I really like the smell of Gain, but you can use any of the scent crystals or none at all! I know Purex makes some lovely scented laundry scent boosters also!

To assemble the detergent, you simply pour all of the ingredients into a big container and mix. I have a big Rubbermaid box that I store the bulk of the detergent in my garage (my garage smells so wonderful, just like clean clothes, too!). I keep a wooden spoon in the box to mix and scoop it into an empty Gain Fireworks Crystals bottle, which I store and dispense from. I simply give the entire storage box a shake before filling my bottle. When using, I eyeball 2 tablespoons into the cap of the Gain Fireworks Crystals bottle and pour right into the washing machine as it is filling with water.

THAT'S IT!!! I swear, that is all there is to making this detergent. It really is no harder than buying the products to assemble it! So, why not give it a twirl! Use the money you save to buy some more clothes to wash!!!

Farro Salad - Yum!

I saw this recipe on Little Miss Momma's site and knew I had to try it! We eat a lot of rice in our house, so I was excited to try something a little different.

I had never had Farro before, but it looked delish! Anything with sun dried tomatoes and feta has to be pretty darn good, right?! I got most of my ingredients at my go-to Trader Joe's. I found the Farro with the rice and quinoa. This salad paired really well with Mediterranean marinated fish that we had that night!

This side dish was super fast and easy to whip up. Farro is pretty filling and yummy! Surprisingly, lemon seeds look a lot like cooked Farro, so MY TIP - juice in separate container before tossing with salad! Nothing like biting down on a damn lemon seed! Oh, and keep an eye on it when boiling because just like pasta, it foams up when at a full boil!

Farro Salad
adapted from Little Miss Momma

1 package of Trader Joe's 10-minute Farro (boiled and drained)
1 jar Julienne Sun Dried Tomatoes (rough chop and don't drain)
1 can Sliced Olives (drained)
1 container of Mediterranean Feta 
1/2 cup chopped Green Onion 
Juice of 1 Lemon
Season with Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder

Directions
Boil and drain Farro as directed on package and chill in the fridge. Rough chop the tomatoes, reserving the oil to toss with the Farro. Combine remaining ingredients and season accordingly.

The Most Amazing Dipping Sauce You Will Make

There's this sauce - I won't say the name - but it is simply amazing. AH-Freaking-mazing. It's so good, that I will drive to a damn farmer's market with two bat-sh*t crazy boys and stock up. It's THAT good. It's also expensive. And, inconvenient. So, slowly, it became a special rare treat. And, now, if I know one of my friend's is going to the farmers market, I make them buy it for me. Oops, my bad, I just tattled on myself. Many of my peeps in San Diego probably know what sauce I speak of.

But, low and behold, I came across someone else cuckoo cachoo for it like I am. And, they live in another city (it's only available in SD). So, in THEIR desperation, they worked on creating a dupe recipe. They claimed that they had nailed it. So, because they spent all that time recreating it, I thought to myself, "I'll be the judge of that!". So, I gathered some of my best girlfriends and we made a double batch and taste tested it out.

My friend and almond supplier, Rian, and my boys (plus one wonky sea horse)

The verdict? Absolutely nailed it. So. Damn. Good. I've been eating it everyday. EVERY DAY people. And, my hubby? He likes it, too. Which is saying something since he's pretty much averse to anything new. Trust me, it's worth your time to make it.

What makes this sauce, well, um, awesome sauce? If you are a hummus fan, you will love it. It's similar, but it's made from almonds. It's got a bit of a bite (well, maybe since I doubled the garlic) and a little after note of lemon. Best thing about it is that nothing in it is bad for you. NOTHING. No, really. I no lie.

There are a few ingredients which are not traditional pantry items, like nutritional yeast and Braggs Liquid Aminos. Trust me, invest in them. I'll put a little after note about how I use these items in other ways. If you have a Sprouts, you can find these items there. I'm sure Whole Foods has them, too. Seriously, buy them. You can thank me later. 

Give the sauce a try. You can even blend in some chipotles (see below for add ins) and use it on fish tacos or on a rice bowl with grilled chicken, diced avocados, black beans, tomatoes and corn. Oh my lordy, so delish. You can serve it with veggies and chips. Bring it to a hen party. You'll be the talk of the town. 

Awesome Sauce Recipe

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. of water

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. of grapeseed oil

1/2 cup of raw almonds

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. of fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 tbsp. of  nutritional yeast **

2 cloves of garlic (of 5 if you're like me and love garlic)

2 tsp. of bragg liquid aminos **

1/2 tsp. of himalyan pink salt

1/2 tsp. of cumin

1/2 tsp. of chili powder

1/4 tsp. of coriander

1/4 tsp. of paprika

Place all of the ingredients in a powerful blender (I used my VitaMix). Slowly blend for one minute. Blend on high and continue to blend for 1-2 minutes or until you reach a smooth and creamy texture. Store in the fridge. If sauce separates, stir. 

**I already had these ingredients in my pantry. But, if you don't, you can probably find them at your local health food store or Whole Foods. Braggs also makes fabulous Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, so you'll most likely find their Liquid Aminos in the same aisle. You can use it it in place of soy sauce or spray on most anything that would taste good with soy sauce in it. The nutritional yeast is also pretty yummy on popcorn or sprinkled on pasta. 

The end product + 2 carrots. Like a bunny buried at the beach. Mob style.

AND, if you want to try it with Chipotle, here you go...Gather all the ingredients to make awesome sauce and add:
1 chipotle in adobo sauce (not 1 can, 1 chipotle people)
1/4 cup onion
1 tsp. vinegar

Poo-Pouri

There is one thing that is universal. We ALL poop. Yup, that's what we're talking about today. Dropping deuces. The number TWO. Dropping the kids off at the community pool. Crap. Sh*t. Poop. Don't be scurred. We are only going to talk about the smell. Or, more specifically, how to get rid of it!

This is another "recipe" I ran across that had me on the floor laughing. I was thinking, "Seriously? Is this a joke?" But, after I about spit out my morning coffee, it dawned on me, "I don't like poo smell. Why not try this out?". Right? No one likes to walk into the bathroom and inhale the lingering scent of poo. So, if this poo-pouri works, why not use it!?

Here's my personal custom poo-pouri blend:

• 2 ounce glass spray bottle
• distilled water (I boiled and cooled tap water instead)
• 20 drops peppermint essential oil
• 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil
• 3 drops tea tree essential oil (for it's anti-bacterial properties, because no one wants to neutralize poo with germs!)

I just mixed all of the above in my spray bottle and set it out with this sign.

Okay, this poem about my poo spray sucks. I KNOW this. But, this sign is not always in my bathroom. I left it for the hubby one time! I just can't bring myself to leave instructions for my guests to use my poo-pouri. I like to imagine that none of my friends poop in my house. Or poop at all. *Poking out my minds eye right now* 

The verdict? It works! Spray before you dump and the smell is dissipated! I'm thinking I might give this away for Christmas and for Teacher Appreciation Day. Well, maybe not. But, this stuff is pretty awesome. 

Give it a try. It's well worth making a small batch! The person using the bathroom after you will thank you!

No Bake Energy Bites

I came across this recipe on good ol' Pinterest and thought I'd make them to see if I could get some flax and chia seed into my older son by way of sneakery. It didn't work, BUT I thought they were mighty tasty! Good enough to replace my nightly piece of See's Candy. Say what?! 

I have to admit...I am a sweets addict. I cannot end my day without a little bit of chocolate. If I don't have it, I lie awake in bed and then sneak downstairs after the kids go to sleep. I keep a stash in the cupboards behind the sippy cups. I purposefully buy dark chocolate, knowing my husband doesn't like it, just so I don't have to share with him. I am a regular at See's Candy. I know the hours of all my favorite bakeries. The owner of our local Toll House and I are on a first name basis (Hi, Mitch!). I often times tell my kids we are getting special treats for them when I'm hankering for something with loads of sugar. I think that one of the best thing about having kids is buying fun and sugary snacks. AND, it's pathetic because I am pretty good about everything else. But, screw it! I love me some sugar! Pour some sugar on me! (Def Leppard fan, anyone? ANYONE?)

So, it really surprised me that these healthy (ok, mostly healthy) little schwetty ball nuggets (I couldn't help it, it's much more fun to call them that) satisfied my night sweet tooth. And, with Summer creeping up on us, it's great that you don't have to fire up the oven. Give it a try! I think next time I'll use unsweetened coconut flakes, almond butter and maybe cocoa nibs. Maybe. Probably not. 

Schwetty Ball Nuggets (a.k.a. No Bake Energy Bites)

adapted from Smashed Peas and Carrots

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

2 tbs chia seeds

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. Makes 18-21 schwetty balls. ENJOY!

http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2011/08/no-bake-energy-bites-recipe.html

Sort of Healthy Enchiladas

Before you read this post, I have to give you this disclaimer - I am not a photographer. My house was not furnished by an interior designer. I live with two creatures called sons, who wipe their dirty hands on everything, leave legos strewn about and yell a lot. So, these are by no means good photos and my house looks like a mess. This particular night, I needed an easy meal, with stuff I could get at Trader Joe's (my one stop for the day) and cheated by buying ready-cooked chicken (damn you, Trader Joe's for not having rotisserie chickens!). With that said, please enjoy the recipe! (Oh, and I forgot to take a photo of the finished dish, but ya'll know what enchiladas look like, right?)

I came across this recipe on Pinterest (I know, surprise, right?!). What I liked about this recipe is that it had some added veggies and looked like a good freezable meal. Knowing my hubby's taste buds, I added a few changes. 

My messy kitchen

Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas 
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Enchilada Sauce (I cheated and used a bottle from Trader Joe's)
1/2 a small can of salsa verde
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups corn (I used canned)
Oven roasted Chicken Breasts, chopped (about a pound)
6 oz. fresh baby spinach
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
3 tbs. minced garlic
2 tsp. cumin
3 cups shredded 3 cheese blend (or pepper jack, etc.)
8 whole wheat or flour tortillas
***The original recipe called for making your own enchilada sauce, which I intended to do but ran out of time. Vegetable Broth was for the enchilada sauce which I didn't make.

Directions
Saute the spinach and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted. 

In a large bowl, combine chopped chicken, beans, 2 cups cheese, spinach, corn, green onions, 2 tsp. cumin, and cilantro.

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish, and pour a small amount of the sauce to coat the bottom. Generously fill tortillas with mixture, roll up tightly with ends tucked in, and place seam side down in dish.

Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top.
Bake about 20 minutes, and garnish with cilantro and/or green onions (optional).