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Black Bean Enchiladas

07/15/2010 By 2MannaSisters 2 Comments

By Marla Finley

This version of enchiladas is just a tad healthier than the usual fare, and it’s still SUPER yummy!

Here’s what you need:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (free range and no hormones and stuff added) sautéed and cut in bite-sized pieces

3 slices turkey bacon cooked and sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons coconut or olive oil for sautéing

1 1/2 Cup diced tomatoes or equivalent in mild salsa (to be divided)

1 (16 oz) can black beans (UN-drained)

1 red bell pepper, chopped (okay to use frozen)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

12 (6 inch) flour tortillas

1 1/2 Cup (6 oz) shredded Mexican cheese (to be divided)

Cook turkey bacon in a skillet until crisp.  Remove to paper towel and add chicken and extra oil for sautéing until it’s no longer pink.  Stir in 1/2 Cup of tomatoes (or salsa), beans, cumin and sea salt.

Simmer until thickened 5 minutes, stir occasionally.  Stir in bacon.

Lightly grease a large baking dish.  Place spoonful of mixture into center of tortilla.  Top with a tablespoon of cheese.

Plenty to share!

Fold the end and then place seam side down on the dish.  Spoon remaining mix over the top of all the enchiladas.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Top with remaining cheese and return to over for another 3 minutes.

Serve with sliced avocados or a light salad.

If you have more stuffing than you can put in one dish, simply grease another small baking dish.  Freeze the extra portion before baking.  On a day when you don’t want to cook, put the dish in the refrigerator in the morning to thaw.  That evening simply remove the lid and bake for 20-25 minutes!  Or you can deliver it to a shut-in or a new parent.

Grant likes enchiladas!

Caden says, "Mama, You're a good cooker!"

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Low-Glycemic Vanilla Fruit Smoothie

07/05/2010 By 2MannaSisters Leave a Comment

By Marla Finley

Here’s a healthy dessert idea for this July evening.

One of the things I love most about summer is all the yummy fruits.   When fruits are off-season I only eat a minimal amount to cover my nutritional bases for each day.  In the summer, it’s more of a desirable food for me.  One way I tend to sneak more fruits in is through smoothies.  And it’s such an EASY way to feel like I’m having a luxurious dessert.  However, if you used a full scoop of the meal replacement powder instead of only a 1/4 scoop, it could serve as one of your meals to help you cut calories and eat super healthy.

 

Here's what you need.

 

1/2 Cup crushed ice (or you can skip this when using frozen strawberries)

1/2 Cup Almond milk-original

1/2 Cup fresh or frozen strawberries

1/2 Banana

2 Scoops OsoLean whey protein powder

Optional: 1 teaspoon Ambrotose (but it’s always a must for me to sneak more immune power in!)

1/4 scoop GlycoSlim meal replacement drink-french vanilla flavor

(I haven’t found a great alternative for this product.  I’ve tried vanilla extract and almond extract, but each time it’s just overpowered the drink.  This meal replacement powder is super yummy and perfect for blending with fruits.  It’s also non-GMO and low-glycemic, which means that it won’t mess with your blood sugars.  If you use a full scoop of the powder, this smoothie can serve as one of your meals for the day instead of a snack or dessert.)

Calories  142

Carbs 22

Fat grams 2

Protein grams 11

A special for our lovely readers: When you get a month’s supply of OsoLean whey protein powder, we’ll throw in a free GlycoSlim meal replacement drink mix 15 day supply (either chocolate or french vanilla).  Contact us in the month of July to obtain this special by commenting on what you like about one of the smoothie recipes and by sending us your mailing address to 2mannasisters@mannateam360.org

Thanks for your readership!

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Crockpot Baked Beans for July 4th

07/01/2010 By 2MannaSisters 2 Comments

By Marla Finley

Every July 4th, my parents host a really awesome party in their amazing backyard in Flower Mound, TX.  They have it catered, so we don’t have to take anything.  Did I say it was amazing?!  Floating the lazy river, baby pool, clowns, magicians, view of at least 20 fireworks on the horizon…  Well that’s besides the point.  I just wanted to say I’m excited about the party and sure hope it doesn’t rain. (Below is a fuzzy picture of our family from the 2008 party.)

Robbins Family on July 4th

However, last weekend we attended a pool party with a potluck dinner.  I usually would have just warmed up several cans of Bush’s baked beans and added some ketchup and brown sugar.  But doing this blogging thing really has changed how I cook.  I decided to try out making my own baked beans in a healthier way.

Homemade Baked Beans in a  Crockpot (Wellness Style)

1 pound dried Great Northern beans or Navy beans

1 1/4 Cup of Agave Nectar (lots of healthy properties without the glycemic overload)

4 Tablespoons of catsup (without high fructose corn syrup

1/4 C Worcestire sauce

1 tsp Mustard powder or yellow mustard

1 cube chicken bouillon cube

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

Dash of black pepper to taste

Optional: Ham hock

In a large stock pot, cover the beans with water.   Bring to a boil and turn to low.  Add the cube of bouillon.  Cover and allow to simmer for an hour until beans are soft.

In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients.  Use a slotted spoon to place beans in a crock pot.  Add ham hock if you have one.  Use some of the reserved cooking liquid to barely cover the beans.

Cover and cook on low setting for 7-8 hours or until beans are soft.

Now, feel confident that you can at least provide one healthy potluck item at your 4th of July party.  And it’s yummy too!

Happy 4th of July!

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Reese's Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

06/28/2010 By 2MannaSisters 3 Comments

By Marla Finley

Don’t worry.  It’s not as sinful as it sounds.  In fact, My Fitness Pal calculates that it only has 213 calories.

 

Here's what you need

 

½ Cup crushed ice

½ Cup Almond Milk (or cow milk)

1/2 Tablespoon GlycoSlim Meal Replacement mix—chocolate (or Nesquik)

2 scoops OsoLean Whey Protein powder

1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter (Skippy Natural is our favorite.)

½ Banana

1 teaspoon Ambrotose

Blend well and Enjoy!

 

This smoothie gets a big thumbs up!

 

This would make for a powerful breakfast.  But I prefer it as an after-the-kids-go-to-bed dessert to wind down.

 

Sunbutter makes for a great peanut butter alternative.

 

If you’re looking for an alternative to peanut butter, I highly recommend Sunbutter.  It doesn’t require refrigeration, so it stays nice and creamy.  And when it’s in recipes with lots of ingredients like this one, I can’t tell the difference!

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Easy Sweet Tomato Baked Fish

06/25/2010 By 2MannaSisters 1 Comment

By Marla Finley

My role for small group this week was to bring a fish dish to Rhesa’s house (my sister-in-law).  We get together most Wednesdays for dinner with just us and the kids (and sometime other girlfriends) in one of our homes in Rowlett near Dallas.  We have a great, noisy time together and wish you could all join us!

Instead of more homemade fish sticks, I decided to create an original recipe.  It’s usually scary trying out a new creation, but this one was a big hit with all but the little boys.  (They’re a tough crowd.)

 

Here's what you need

 

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (0r Olive Oil)

1/2 Cup finely chopped onion

1/2 Cup finely chopped red bell pepper (or other color)

1 Tablespoon of Wheat flour and enough flour to coat the fillets (about 1 Cup)

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes (or fresh)

1 pound of fish fillets (I used a combo of cod and orange roughy)

________________________________________________

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a small baking dish (1 or 2 quarts).

Cut fillets in serving sizes and coat with flour.

Saute onions and bell peppers with coconut oil over medium heat until golden.  Stir in flour, agave nectar, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper.

Slowly add diced tomatoes (0r pureed for picky eaters).  Bring to a boil stirring constantly until sauce thickens.

Pour sauce over the fish.  Bake for 15 minutes or until fish starts to flake easily.

 

 

Yum-O!

 

Pair the fish casserole with rice, veggie, and fruit salad and you’re set for a nice summer dinner with a friends (and noisy kids!)

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Mocha Frappuccino Wellness-Style

06/15/2010 By 2MannaSisters 16 Comments

By Marla Finley

I know I’m not alone to say I’ve got a Starbucks vice.  Since our work is based from home, coffee joints are a great place to meet up for business appointments.  I know it would be best for me to get a simple coffee with no sugar, but what’s the fun in that?

So a couple of times a month I give in and get this yummy drink that’s only 2nd in my favs list to Thai iced tea. I make myself feel better by having the barista mix in my favorite fat loss whey protein, which gives it a nice flavor boost too.

But when I’m at home I often wished I could create the same drink in a healthier way so I don’t feel the magnetized pull to Starbucks so frequently.  I’ve been experimenting and think I’ve found a recipe that suits my tastes quite nicely!

Marla’s Mocha Frappuccino Smoothie Recipe

1/2 Cup chopped ice

1 Cup milk (I prefer Silk Pure Almond since I’m dairy sensitive. Thankfully, Wal-Mart sells it now.)

1/2 banana

1 t Decaffeinated instant coffee

1 t Chocolate Nesquik

2 Scoops of whey protein fat loss powder (OsoLean is my fav!)

1-2 t Ambrotose for immune support (optional)

Place in blender and voilà!

Here’s where I chose to enjoy my special wellness drink last night after the kids were in bed.  I’ve seen some people post about where they blog from.  So, here it is–a cool picture of my desk.  Ha!

PS–I’m sure some would say that adding Nesquik adds too many calories.  Here’s my take on that sort of thing.  If you’re considering eating a plateful of nachos or a bowl of ice cream, then this kind of alternative with a bit of sugar in it is certainly a wiser choice.  If you prefer Nazi style discipline in counting calories, good luck with that.

I don’t know what will work for you.  All I know is that these are the kinds of choices I have used to lose 4 pant sizes, 28 inches and 30 pounds and kept it off for almost 2 years!

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Easy (and fancy) Tuna Fish Sandwich

06/14/2010 By 2MannaSisters 7 Comments

By Marla Finley

Tuna is a treat in my house.  I know there are health benefits to eating tuna fish, but because of the high mercury levels that can be found in this type of fish, I just eat it occasionally.  When I do, it’s my own little dish.  I won’t pretend to say that this is a family friendly recipe.  It’s Mama’s “strange sandwich” in our house.

This is basically the recipe that I’ve learned from my mom.  It makes enough for me to have a bulky sandwich and then store the rest in the fridge for another day.  (FYI–make sure to block out air if you save it by covering with plastic wrap sitting on the mixture.  Then, use within 4 days for best results.)

1 can low sodium tuna

2 slices of wheat bread (make sure the first ingredient is stone ground whole wheat

1 hard-boiled egg chopped

7 sliced grapes

3 small dill pickles chopped

4 slices of apple chopped

1 big dollop of mayo (I never measure, but it’s probably around 3 Tablespoons)

sprinkle of onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

This is how I like to chop apples.  Use the apple corer and then slice on a cutting board with Cutco knives.  Chop 4 slices for the mixture and share the rest with your family!

How do you hard boil your eggs?  I like to put mine in just a little water, cover in a stainless steel cookware and bring to a boil.  Then, I cut off the gas and let them sit covered for about 5-10 minutes.  If you boil more than you need, you can peel and place in a ziploc in the fridge for healthy snacking throughout the week.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and then place as much as you can between 2 slices of your favorite bread.

Enjoy (if you like tuna)! I’m guessing you could substitute with any kind of fish and definitely with chicken.  Yum!

 

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How to make a Healthy Sloppy Joe Sandwich

06/08/2010 By 2MannaSisters Leave a Comment

By Marla Finley

Thanks to my lovely sister-in-law, Demra Robbins, we now are enjoying healthy sloppy joes.  Yes, it’s easy to just get a jar from the store and mix it with meat and voila.  But the taste and nutritional value can be really lacking.

Dare to spice it up with just a couple of extra steps.  And see how your kids will even eat fresh red and yellow or orange peppers and tomatoes and onions.

Here’s what you need:

1 lb. organic lean ground hamburger (or turkey)

1/2 cup chopped peppers ( Choose orange, red and yellow peppers so the kids won’t see anything green.)

1/2 cup chopped onion ( or minced dried onions while browning the meat)

1 – 10 oz can tomato paste

1 can tomato sauce

1/4 cup organic ketchup without high fructose corn syrup

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar or trehalose

Salt & Pepper to taste

A little organic yellow Mustard drizzled on top of browned meat in a zig zag formation for just a touch of flavor

3 teaspoons of Ambrotose powder sprinkled on before the simmer (optional)

Wheat hamburger buns (Nature’s Own has stone ground whole wheat as the first ingredient.  Many breads that promote themselves as whole wheat do NOT have stone ground whole wheat as the first ingredient, so check the label.)

A little bit of real, unsalted butter

Thawing chopped onions and peppers before pureeing them.

I like to puree veggies with the Magic Bullet.  Any blender will do.  This is only necessary if you have picky eaters in your house who don’t like chunky veggies.

Brown meat with pureed onions and bell peppers.  Drain. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-20 minutes or longer to get all of the flavors to sink in, stirring occasionally.

Serve on toasted whole wheat buns with a dab of butter on each slice.  Cheese is another good addition especially if melted on the bun first.

Ideas for what to eat with it: Salad, peas and fruit.  You’ll see in the picture above that this time we tried zucchini spaghetti.  It did not go over well for anyone.  I must need some extra tips for that to work.  I wouldn’t recommend it just yet, but it was in the picture before I tried it.  :)

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Chicken with Baked Sweet Potatoes and Peas

05/21/2010 By 2MannaSisters 7 Comments

From the Kitchen of Marla Finley

Here’s a healthy dinner idea that gets the thumb’s up at our house.  It also feels elegant and doesn’t take a lot of prep to make it come to pass.

Here’s what you need:

Preheat the oven at 375 degrees.  We like to use both ovens, but if you only have one, then you may need to increase the heat or bake it longer.

One medium sweet potato per 2 people. (That means 2 potatoes for our little family of 4.)  Foil to place on a tin pan (to save washing), 1/2 stick unsalted real butter, and 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Organic frozen peas. We like the sealed, frozen peas.  It makes for great nutritional value that’s quick to warm up in stainless steel cookware.  We order our veggies and meats from a food service that delivers high quality foods each 6 months with a monthly payment plan from Town and Country.

In this meal we are using the Chicken Cordon Bleu that comes pre-made from Town and Country. One breast per two people is more than plenty for us.

Scrub the potatoes with a veggie brush and then rub on butter all over the skin.  Bake for about one hour.  Check it starting at 45 minutes by squeezing it with a hot pad.  If it gives nicely, it’s done.  If it’s still hard, put it back in for 10 minute increments.  Half the potatoes and slice into them and place butter inside to melt.  Sprinkle on brown sugar to taste.

Bake the chicken also for about one hour.  The Town and Country chickens come with a handy indicator that pops up when it’s done.  If yours doesn’t just cut into it and check to make sure it’s all white.

At 35 minutes into the baking, warm the peas with a little water and a slice of butter on low heat.  Before serving sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy your elegant meal.  Often times we like to make up a reason to celebrate something.  On this night we were celebrating Caden’s graduation from preschool and his good attitude about going to Kindergarten soon.

 

This meal gets high scores in Caden's book!

 

Do you think one hour is too long to prepare dinner? I do too.  But sometimes it just takes that.  Here’s what I do to make it workable:

I place an alert on my calendar to prep the potatoes and warm the ovens at 4:00pm.  It’s ready to go in the oven at 4:10.  Then, I work from my laptop or make calls from the kitchen until the peas need to get warmed around 4:50.  More work on the computer until I check it at 5:00.  Depending on the size of the potatoes, it may take another 15 or 30 minutes.  Turn off the stove and keep the peas covered until the rest is ready.

I recognize that if you work away from home it’s not possible to start it this early.  I don’t know what I would do if that were the case.  This is simply one of the perks of working from home.

Enjoy!

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Fruit and Protein Smoothie Recipe

05/17/2010 By 2MannaSisters Leave a Comment

By Marla Finley

With what do you like to mix your protein supplement?  It’s such a common and popular supplement that there are endless ways to use it.

For breakfast I typically mix it with water and my meal replacement mix for a nice light start to the day.

My evening use of it gets changed up daily.  Here is one of my favorite ways to make it.

Fruit & Protein Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

  • Several frozen strawberries (fresh are fine, but frozen makes it slushy)
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 cup white grape juice
  • 1/2 cup filtered water
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • Whey protein.  I like to use 2 scoops of OsoLean.  (It’s a high quality whey protein peptide technology that helps control the appetite and targets belly fat.)
  • Optional: 3 heaping scoops of Ambrotose (for more health benefits for the immune system & memory)

Our family loves using the Magic Bullet for blending since we can all have our own concoctions without having to clean out the pitcher each time. Blend it well and enjoy!

Our little family of 4 enjoys smoothies so much that we’ve worn out several parts of our blender.  Thankfully, I just found replacement parts here.

Our two-year old pictured here begs for “moodies”!  (He doesn’t get the fat loss kind though.)

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