Husband Approved Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas

I found this recipe on $5 Dinners, and just had to try it. It was so amazing, that my husband asked for it the next week when I was planning the meals for the week. I said, "Are you sure? We just had them two nights ago." He said he absolutely wanted them again. So, after making some modifications to suit our personal taste buds, here is the Husband Approved Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas!

Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1.5 - 2 C cooked, shredded chicken
8 oz. sour cream (or more if you like extra on the finished product)
1 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 C pepper jack cheese, shredded and divided
2 T. minced onion (I used about 1/3 of a large onion)
2 t. garlic
2 t. cumin
1 can black beans, drained
1 red bell pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 tortillas
1 10 oz. can of your favorite enchilada sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9x13 pan (or whatever pan you like; you could use 2 8x8 and freeze one for later).

Saute the onion, garlic, and red pepper to your liking (I cooked mine for about 4 minutes just to soften them up and release the flavors). Mix these with the chicken, large dollop of sour cream (eyeball it), spinach, black beans, 1 cup of the pepper jack cheese, and spices. Spoon equal portions onto the 8 tortillas. Roll up the individual tortillas, placing seam-side down in the pan. Pour the enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining pepper jack cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and begins to golden and the sauce is bubbling.

Photo source: $5 Dinners

We like to serve this with Mexican rice ($.50 at the commissary), a large dollop of sour cream, and side salad.

Getting Caught by the "Colors"

I like to take walks. If you know me, you know I can't stand to run or jog or anything that resembles those two activities. However, I love to walk. Not my usual Tennessee stroll, either, but a quick, purposeful, I-tell-myself-I'm-burning-calories walk. Here on base, I have a beautiful walking trail around the housing development. It follows along the river and I've seen some amazing sunsets.

Sometimes, I get caught by the "Colors."

If you speak military, you know what I mean. At 1700, the flags are lowered for the day. If you're outside when the music begins to play to signal "Colors," you must stop what you are doing and either salute or cover your heart with your right hand. At first, this seemed to be an inconvenience to my calorie-burning power walk. Now, I thoroughly enjoy being caught by the "Colors." As the national anthem is blared out across the base, I take the moments to say an extra prayer - for my Coastie, for all the troops serving here and abroad, and for living in such a beautiful and free country. Sure, the country isn't perfect, but I choose not to dwell on the latest political speech or bumble of Congress. I choose to be grateful for the life of freedom and abundance I have been born into. I choose to be grateful that the flag and the song that remind me to pray for the 157th time that hour for my husband and my country.

Next time you are caught by the "Colors," please enjoy the moment. Say a prayer for the men and women who have sacrificed for you... even if you've never met.

Thankful Thursday

For those of you who understand our lifestyle, you can probably guess why I haven't posted very much in the last few weeks. But don't you worry, you one random person who is the only one who reads this besides me! I will be posting a lot more very, very soon.

Until then, I will still post a Thankful Thursday list. This week, I am thankful for:

Leviticus 19:32

A free lunch

Tri-care insurance

Maintenance workers who fix things around my house for me

Grapefruit

Honeynut Cheerios

Books that can enthrall me

Recipes from blogs that rock my socks off

My husband... every day and every minute

Be thankful today! Spread your positive gratitude to others!