I try my best to live a healthy lifestyle.  I try to workout 6 days a week whether it be through running, strength training, or a fitness video.  It’s important to me to stay active and strong so I’m able to do the things I love and have enough energy to keep up with T.J.

The most important part of leading a healthy lifestyle is eating well.  This is the biggest struggle for me.  If being healthy were only about working out, I’d have it made.  Unfortunately, diet plays much more of a factor into overall health than how active an individual is over the course of their life.  The older I get, the more I notice the effects of putting too much of something bad for me into my body.  I feel tired, bloated, gain weight faster, etc.

Being the Foodie that I am, everyday is a constant struggle to allow myself to enjoy the foods I love while still having a healthy balance in my overall diet.  I don’t want to deprive myself of the things I enjoy so I’ve learned how important moderation is, not just in diet but with everything.

Occasionally, Mike and I get on big kicks where we count the calories in everything we eat.  This takes a little more time when we are preparing meals, but we’ve noticed that when we count calories we feel better.  It’s amazing how fast the little things can add up without even realizing it.  Whenever I’m counting calories my goal is to always have our supper be under 500 calories.  This can be a challenge on the nights we feel like splurging.

Last Wednesday we had decided to have Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas.  I already had all the regular ingredients and didn’t want to make a trip back into town to get lighter versions of everything so I decided to play around with a recipe I usually make, using all the regular ingredients, to make it lower calorie.  The key was cutting down on the tortillas (which have 190 calories each) and the cheese (which had 110 calories for a meager 1/4 cup).  What I came up with was absolutely delicious and only had 473 calories per serving.  No flavor was sacrificed because no light or reduced fat/calorie ingredients were used.  Here is what I did to make Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas – On the Ligther Side 🙂

This is what you’ll need on your grocery list:

**This recipe makes enough to serve 4 people – 473 Calories per Serving**

2 Flour Taco Tortillas (8-9 inches)

1 (16 oz) can Black Refried Beans

1 (10 oz) can White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained

1 (11 oz) can Corn with Peppers – I used Green Giant Mexicorn, drained

1 (4 oz) can Green Chili Peppers

1/8 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Chili Powder

1 cup Mexican Style Shredded Cheese

1 (10 oz) can Enchilada Sauce

Spray the bottom of crock pot with cooking spray.

Place two tortillas flat on bottom of crock pot so entire bottom is covered.

Spread entire can of black refried beans evenly over tortillas.

Sprinkle chicken evenly over the top of the refried beans.

Then, in the following order, layer each ingredient evenly on top of the other: Mexicorn, chili peppers, pepper, salt, chilli powder, cheese, and enchilada sauce.

Cover and Cook on Low for 4-5 hours.

This dish definitely wouldn’t win any beauty contests, but she sure tastes good.  I was pleasantly surprised with how big of a serving we were able to have for 473 calories and how well it filled both of us up.

Give them a try for your next crock pot meal.  You’ll feel like you’re splurging but will still have enough calories left in your day for a healthy dessert.

Enjoy!