Getting By

"Getting by" might seem like the mantra of under-achievers everywhere, but when I use the phrase I mean doing your very best to handle/juggle everything life may hand you. For some it's raising kids while working, for me it's school and everything in between, and for others it's the daunting combination of work, school, and kids. Whatever the circumstances are, sometimes just "getting by" or surviving the day is quite a feat and, in my opinion, not possible without the support of friends and family. My parents, sister, and fiancé have all been my biggest pillars of support but my friends are the daily, even hourly providers of comradery and encouragement. Living alone underscores the importance of friends even more-- especially when it comes to the kitchen. Cooking for one is no fun (and since that rhymed, it's probably worth becoming an official "saying"). I'm ashamed to think about the once beautiful bell peppers, plump mushrooms, crisp kale, and nutrient-packed sweet potatoes I've thrown out...Not to mention the food I prepared, got sick of, and left "to mature" a few weeks in the fridge. I've had to learn the hard way that cooking and eating one's food alone is simply a recipe for disaster and waste. Once I started cooking for and with my friends and exchanging dishes, things became much more manageable. The social aspect of eating and cooking is practically imprinted in our DNA and done solo they can become yet another monotonous chore. Today, I'm sharing a recipe for Chicken Enchiladas that I make to share with friends. The flavors are best the next day, and it makes a great lunch you can heat up at work or school. Bonus points: it's great on your wallet at under $20 for the whole meal or less than $2.00 a serving. Whether it's cooking, motivating myself to get to the gym, or studying for hours on end, I get by with a little a lot of help from my friends.

p.s. Don't let the length of this recipe fool you. I made these again last night and timed myself: from start to finish, it took 30 minutes.

KiwiConfections Enchiladas

Serves 8-10

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Cups sliced white mushrooms

6 Cups raw baby spinach

½ Cup finely chopped onion

3 Tablespoons chili powder

4 Tablespoons corn starch

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

3 Cups Organic, Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 (8 oz) Can Low Sodium Tomato Sauce

1 pound cooked chicken, shredded

2 Cup reduced fat “Mexican Blend” cheese

Directions

1. Drizzle olive oil in a large saucepan or wok and heat over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion to the pan. After allowing the onions and mushrooms to cook for about 1 minute, add the baby spinach to the saucepan. Sautee the vegetable until the spinach starts to soften. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the vegetables to cool down.
2. Pour the cooked vegetables into a colander and allow the excess water to drain while you make the enchilada sauce.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl
4. Stirring constantly, add enough chicken broth to create a thin paste. Pour into saucepan and add the rest of the chicken broth.
5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
6. Stir in Tomato Sauce
7. Pour half of the enchilada sauce into a heat safe bowl
8. Add the cooked chicken to the remaining half of the enchilada sauce and stir.
9. Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.
10. Heat corn tortillas in a pan or heat them up in the microwave with a wet paper towel on top.
11. Fill each warm tortilla with a mixture of chicken, mushrooms/spinach/onion, and cheese.
12. Roll the tortilla up and place it seam down in a baking dish.
13. Repeat this until your casserole dish is full.
14. Spoon enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
15. Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes.
16. Serve and Enjoy
    

A Women’s Magazine Article that Actually Said Something + A Recipe

   

     I read an article in Glamour magazine’s September issue while at the gym last week, and it was pretty great. In a nutshell, it dispelled the myth of today’s ideal woman—Wonder Woman. So it got me thinking about the comic book starlet…She has super powers. She’s smart. She kicks ass at work and at home. And did I mention that she’s hot? It’s no surprise, then, that Wonder Woman is actually the product of a pretty famous male psychologist. His name was William Moulton Marston, and he was already a big deal in his profession because he invented a blood-pressure monitoring apparatus that was instrumental in the creation of the lie-detector test. In describing the underlying theme of his female superhero creation Marston said, “Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world."¹

    While William Marston may have had the best of intensions in creating a new female heroin for little girls to look up to, Wonder Woman has become the caricature of something young women today constantly feel pressure to live up to. Young women including myself! Of course I am rational enough to know that there’s no such thing as a Gisele Bündchen, M.D. PhD that also has a perfect home life, tons of friends, a sweet spot for humanitarian work, and a knack for entertaining and bake sales. Actually, I think I kinda have believed that. Slowly, but surely I’m learning that Wonder Woman is not real and trying to be like her just leads to disaster. I am also learning the best tricks at surviving real life—not Wonder Woman style,not Gangam style, just me style. Me-style includes (but is not limited to): 1) frugal- I’m a med student surviving on student loans 2) quick- I have to study all the time, and when I’m not studying I want to see the people I haven’t seen in forever because I’ve been studying  All. The. Time. 3) taste conscious- I love eating, and it can sometimes be the highlight of my day, so it’s got to taste good 4) healthy- after I graduate my job will be to tell people to be healthier and help them become so. I want to walk the walk not just talk the talk. Plus I feel better.

     I’ll continue to share these tricks of surviving me-style on the blog, but let’s start with one of my favorites….

Crockpot meals! (No, not queso dip) They’re not glamorous, but we’re talking about real life here, remember? What’s awesome about these are that they work on my $50/week food budget, allow me to still get my 8 hours of studying in, and provide something yummy and healthy to eat. One of my favorites right now is Chicken Tortilla Soup. The recipe takes away any excuse you have to not make yourself a healthy home-cooked dinner tonight.

1. Hendrix, Grady (December 11, 2007). "Out for Justice". The New York Sun.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 5

2 lbs Chicken Breast*

1 (15 oz) can Whole Peeled Tomatoes Mashed

1 (10 oz) can Reduced Sodium Enchilada Sauce

1 Dried Ancho Chile

5 Cloves Garlic, chopped

1 Medium Onion, chopped

1 Serrano Pepper, halved and chopped

2 Cups water

2 Cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth*

1 ½ teaspoon Cumin

1 ½ teaspoon Chili Powder

1 ½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Bay leaf

1 Cup frozen Corn Kernels

2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped

1 Lime

2 Avocados, sliced

*To make this recipe vegetarian: Substitute frozen edamame and/or black beans for the chicken. Don’t add the edamame or black beans until the end of the cooking time. Sub low sodium vegetable broth in for the chicken broth.

Directions

Before you go to sleep: place the raw chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, garlic, onion, Serrano, water, chicken broth, and seasonings in a crock pot. Do not add the (edamame and/or black beans), corn, cilantro, lime or avocado in yet. Set it to medium or low heat. Allow it to cook over night: 6 to 8 hours.

After it is done cooking, use a fork to break apart/shred the chicken (while in the crockpot). Add in the (edamame), corn,and cilantro. Cover the pot with the lid and allow it to slowly cool down for 30 minutes. During this time, the (edamame and/or  beans), corn, and cilantro will also warm up.

Serve into bowls. Squeeze in a bit of lime into each bowl and add 5 or 6 slices of avocado to each bowl. You can also add some tortilla chips in, but I love it without chips too. Enjoy!

(Or, store the chicken tortilla soup in Tupperware until it’s meal time. Heat up individual servings in the microwave. Then add slices of avocado and some lime before eating).

Recipe Photo Credits: KiwiConfections

Doce De Julio

Okay, so it's not Cinco De Mayo....but it is about 101 degrees outside, so a margarita sounds pretty good. In case you ever wondered, here's the history of America's favorite tequila cocktail:

Photo Credit: History of the Margarita

"One of the most prevalent stories is that Carlos “Danny” Herrera developed the drink at his Tijuana-area restaurant, Rancho La Gloria, around 1938. As the legend goes, Herrera dreamed up the cocktail for one of his customers, an aspiring actress named Marjorie King who was allergic to all hard alcohol other than tequila. To make the liquor more palatable to his fussy client, he combined the elements of a traditional tequila shot—a lick of salt and a wedge of lime—and turned them into a refreshing drink." (The History of the Margarita) Since 1938, however, there have been more than a few changes made to Herrera's Mexican cocktail-- sweet & sour mix for one. Today's average Margaritas costs you about 540 calories, and most of them don't taste like they're worth that. So when Ryan decided to make his shrimp ceviche tacos for dinner the other night, I decided I'd do my part by whipping up some calorie-friendly mango margaritas...and I think we may have a new favorite margarita recipe at 175 calories. Ryan's shrimp ceviche tacos were fantastic too, and he guarantees they're very easy to make.

Photo Credit: Me

Senushi's Low Cal Mango Margarita

Serves 1

1/2 Cup Ice Cubes

1/2 Cup Fresh Mango slices

3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime juice

1/2 teaspoon Fresh Lime zest

1 teaspoon sugar

1.5 ounces Espolón Tequila (or something equally smooth, but this is my favorite)

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender. (If you feel like adding an extra shot, just remember that it's an extra 100 calories too). I love using the magic bullet for blending this because it's just the right size for making two or three margaritas. Blend until you get the desired consistency.
2. Optional: Salt or Sugar the rims of your margarita glasses.
3. Pour the blended margarita into your favorite margarita glasses.

   

   Photo Credit: Me

Ryan's Shrimp Ceviche Tacos

Serves 5

3 limes

1 cup chopped seeded tomato

1 cup diced, peeled ripe avocado (about 1 avocado)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound cooked peeled medium shrimp

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Directions

1. Zest 1/2 Tablespoon of lime zest. Juice 1/4 cup lime juice. Place the zest and juice in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add tomato, cilantro, salt, black pepper, garlic, and shrimp to the bowl. Toss well to combine.
3. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Arrange 4 to 5 tortillas on a microwave-safe plate. Place a damp/wet paper towel on top of the tortillas. Microwave for 20-30 seconds.
5. Spoon about 1/2 cup shrimp mixture down the center of each tortilla; fold in half.
6. Serve immediately.

Photo Credit: Me

Taco Recipe Adapted from: Lorrie Corvin, Cooking Light JULY 2005

p.s. if you try any of the recipes or have ideas/requests for future posts, I'd love it if you left a comment :-)