Enchiladas!

I know, I know...I'm not off to a good start when it comes to keeping up with the blog.  I promise, I'll get better!!

In my first post I promised a recipe for enchiladas - healthier enchiladas, that is.

The problem with enchiladas is that the tortillas are usually fried and they are typically stuffed with a ton of cheese and greasy meat.  Not that I don't love the highly caloric gooey mess, but there has got to be a better way to take enjoy a tasty meal without clogging our articles.

So without further ado, here is my step-by-step to yummy, mostly healthy enchiladas!!

First, we need some ingredients!

Tortillas - Whether you like flour or corn (I like flour), it's super important that they be FRESH.  I always buy mine freshly baked at Central Market.  If I'm not using them that day, I put them in the freezer and they're still just as delicious for up to a week, longer if you're lucky.

Veggies - I like zucchini, red onion (however I'm converting to shallots!) and red bell pepper

Cheese - experiment!  This time, I used Monterrey Jack with salsa mixed in.

Beef - Matt likes beef.  So I make it for him.

Tomato sauce - it's important to get the right kind.  My favorite one is the Central Market Organics line, but we bought a different kind (organic) at Costco and it's almost as good.  One time we used a cheap grocery store brand and we both thought it was yucky.  So don't buy the cheap stuff just to save 20 cents.

First, brown the meat.  I didn't take a picture of this step.

While the meat is browning, chop the veggies.  I find that smaller is better.

Then, set the meat aside and it's time to start the sauce.

For my sauce, I use cumin...LOTS of cumin.  It's my favorite spice EVER when I cook Mexican food. Cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.

If I'm just making veggie, I start by heating up a little bit of olive oil, and then dumping the spices in.  When I make beef for Matt, I use the left over fat from the beef.  Letting the spices brown a bit before you add the tomato sauce brings out the flavor more than if you just mix it in with the tomato sauce.

Then in a tad of olive oil, lightly sauté the veggies.  I add a little more cumin and a pinch of salt, and I really only sauté them for two to three minutes.  I like them to still have a little crunch.

Add the tomato sauce, and stir occasionally until perfect!  Sample and add spices as you see fit.

Shred the cheese!!

As soon as the sauce is ready, spread a little bit in the bottom of the pan that you're using and start assembling the enchiladas.  Scoop beef or veggies into the tortilla, spread a little sauce, and then sprinkle with a little cheese.

When you roll the tortillas and put them in the pan, make sure you put the "seam" on the bottom of the pan.  It seems obvious, but it's easy to forget the first time.

Once you have all your enchiladas lined up, smother the rest of the sauce all over it and sprinkle the cheese on top.

Pop it in the oven at 375 for about 15-20 minutes and enjoy!!

We love the recipe and make it at least twice a month...sometimes more!

I also like to make a tomatillo sauce, but Matt doesn't like that as much, so I usually do the red sauce.

If you want to try the tomatillo sauce, all you need are: tomatillos (2-3), onion, and a pepper with the heat factor of your choice.  Blend it all up in the blender and then heat in the pan with some salt, pepper, lime juice, and of course, cumin.

Enjoy making something yummy for dinner!

Random Splattering of Crunchy

I promised I would post my enchilada recipe, and I will, but I decided it would be better if I had pictures (for the visual learners) so I'm going to make enchiladas this week (probably Tuesday) and then post my recipe.

In the meantime, here's a crunchy way to wash your face:

Put a little hot water on a washcloth.  Put half a teaspoon or so of honey.  Then sprinkle a little baking soda.  Start rubbing it around and enjoy!  You don't have to scrub hard because the baking soda will be exfoliating on its own without much pressure.  After you have thoroughly rubbed it all over and are satisfied that all the gunk is gone, rinse with warm water.

This method exfoliates, removes make-up (except for eye-make up - don't use it on your eyes!  It's too scratchy!), and moisturizes.  Honey is naturally anti-microbial and moisturizing, and the baking soda has other properties that make it great for your face.  I should really look those up so I can be more specific.

Then, put a drop or two of apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball and rub around.  This neutralizes the baking soda.  I like to also add a coule of drops of tea tree oil, which is also naturally anti-microbial and, because it's an oil, it picks up any extra residue.  Tea tree oil is a bit strong, as is apple cider vinegar, so also add two or three drops of water OR another oil (olive, grapeseed, almond, castor...I've tried them all and love them all) to dilute it.

Some newbies to the crunchy world might be shocked at the thought of rubbing oil all over your face, but it's actually far more effective at cleansing and moisturizing than most store-bought (even the "natural" ones) cleansers.  Your skin produces oil on it's own - oil is natural!  Most cleansers strip your skin of its natural oils, then the "oil-free" moisturizers attempt to replenish moisture in an unnatural manner.

I've completely removed "moisturizers" from my facial routine and use grapeseed or, currently, almond oil.  I'm still experimenting to find my perfect match.  Olive oil works great as well, but you have to be careful not to over-indulge.

And since I'm talking about oils, they are the best eye-makeup remover you will ever use!  I've tried various brands of the famous blue soapy liquid, and yet there is always a residue left, and if you get the soap in your eyes it stings (albeit not as much as other soaps).

But a little dab of olive oil on a cotton ball works wonders.  Or grapeseed oil.  Almond oil doesn't seem to do the trick quite as well for me.  And not only does the oil remove the mascara, but it also leaves my eyes and eyelashes feeling moisturized and soft.

Speaking of soft, exfoliate your feet and then rub them in olive oil and then put on some cushy socks before bed.  You'll wake up to super smooth skin!

There you have it.  A completely random splattering of several of my newly crunchy habits.

Try them out.  You'll be surprised how effective (and cheap!) they are!

Our Gassy Mistake

This weekend I was craving a chile relleno.

I may be converting to crunchy, but I'm still a Texan and I will ALWAYS love Tex-Mex.  Greasy, cheesy, spicy, artery clogging Tex-Mex.  So we try not to eat it often, and I even try to choose somewhat healthier options or else I cook it myself at home so I know exactly what I'm consuming and have more control over what I put in my body, but it's just....I could taste the chile relleno in my mouth.

Cheesy, spicy, with that slightly crunchy fried batter on the outside.  MMmmm...

I knew I should have had a salad or even some veggie enchiladas, but I just really, really, really wanted a chile relleno.

So we gave in to the craving and went to On The Border.  I haven't eaten at On The Border in YEARS.  Since I started slowly converting to a healthier lifestyle, my husband and I have been giving up most chain restaurants (however I just cannot convince him that Chili's is gross, no matter how many times we leave there feeling miserable).

The first sign that we were in the wrong place was the massive throngs of teenagers.  I hold nothing against teenagers since I used to be one and currently I'm the math teacher for approximately 130 of them, but in general teenagers are not known for having a refined taste in food, fashion, or....anything, really.

Just as I avoid wearing the same fashions sported by my students (they're horrid, really), I also avoid eating at the same places.  No self-respecting adult should be wearing Aeropostale.

But the craving for the chile relleno was so strong, not even noisy teenagers in short skirts wearing too much make up could convince me to go anywhere else.

My husband ate beef and cheese enchiladas...3 of them.  I ate half a chicken enchilada, a cheese chile relleno stuffed with more monterrey jack cheese than any one human should ever consume, and a little guacamole tostada.  I don't even want to think about how many grams of fat or calories must have been on that plate, but my pregnant hormones told me it would be okay.

It wasn't.

Not only did I feel as though a nuclear war was battling inside my intestines, but I could smell the war inside my husband's.

All

night.

long.

I don't know why we continue to do this to ourselves.  We know how to eat healthy...we like to eat healthy...we insist that we are on a mission to be healthy, and yet we continue to sabotage ourselves all because of cravings or convenience.

We walk away feeling bloated, gassy, gross, and fat and swear we'll never do it again, and then a week or two later, we find ourselves in the same position all over again.

Filling up the car with some serious gas, and not the petrol kind.

Next time I crave a chile relleno, I'll just make my own.  Stuffed with veggies and a reasonable amount of cheese (because really, who doesn't love cheese?), baked in the oven, not fried.

My husband even said that the enchiladas I make at home are better than the ones at On The Border, because I "use better ingredients."  I felt so encouraged by his compliment!

So to help my readers avoid a potentially hazardous gassy situation, I'm going to post my healthier enchilada recipe later this week.

I make enchiladas one of two ways - with a red sauce or with a green tomatillo sauce.  My husband prefers red, and I prefer green.  I make everything from scratch except the tortillas, but even those I buy freshly made from Central Market (or the local Mexican shop).  I usually use beef for him and veggies for me, and we NEVER leave the table feeling heavy or gassy.  We usually feel full, satisfied, and fresh.

So get ready!  Coming later this week is my super-yummy and super-easy enchilada recipe.  So easy anybody could make them, and so delicious anybody would eat them.  :)

First Post!

Welcome to our blog!

We're the Tiptons!

You may have previously followed me (the wifey) on BrunerAbroad.blogspot.com

But then I got married.

After I got married, I became a teacher.  Therefore, I became uber-busy.  I'm still uber-busy, but I miss blogging.  I didn't feel right blogging on BrunerAbroad because I'm not longer Bruner and I no longer live abroad (but hopefully not for long!).

So I finally decided to start a new blog with my new name, and the occasional input from my hubby.

You may be asking yourself, "Why are they converting to crunchy?  What's 'crunchy'?"

Well, we are slowly but surely converting to a more natural (i.e. "crunchy") lifestyle.  I've been following the blogs of some ladies far more crunchy than myself and learning from their wealth of wisdom.  I've started making my own laundry detergent, household cleaners, face/body soap, etc.  I try to buy mostly organic produce and all-natural animal products.

I also stopped using medication as much as possible.  I used to be at risk for diabetes.  The endocrinologist put me on diabetes medication when I was 19 and told me I would be on it for the rest of my life, weather I got diabetes or not.  The damage to my body was already done and the medicine (combined with weight loss) would keep the diabetes at bay.

After 7 years, I had lost approximately 85 pounds, ran 3 half-marathons, learned to tolerate and then even enjoy salad, and got my blood levels under control.  After some lab-work my doctor told me that it was up to me if I wanted to stay on the medicine or not.  I chose not.

So we're working towards a natural, non-medicated, chemical free lifestyle.  It's not always convenient and my husband doesn't always like it (and sometimes I just crave Chik-Fil-A!) but we're making healthy, natural living our goal.  We'll probably blog about that a lot.  Recipes for food, soap, laundry detergent, and all things natural can be expected on this blog.

My husband is in seminary working on a seemingly never-ending Master of Divinity (I was too, but then I started teaching this year).  So we'll probably post about seminary life, church, and what God is teaching us lately.  Which is a lot.

And I'm pregnant!

Yup.  Married 6 months...5 months pregnant...you do the math.

Our first baby is due June 14th, 2012.  Gender to be confirmed this week.

My goal is a natural, unmedicated hospital birth.  My doctor is a D.O. and super supportive.  True Crunchy ladies might scoff at me for having a doctor and not a midwife, and going to a hospital instead of a birthing center, but I love my doctor so much that I just can't hold it against her.

So don't be surprised if I post about a lot of icky pregnancy and birth stuff.  :)  Maybe I shouldn't say "icky" because it is a natural process, ordained by God, but let's be honest - it's icky.  Beautiful in a "wow I can't believe that just happened" sort of way, but still icky.

And since I'm a teacher, I'll probably make carefully worded comments about the education system.  But nothing too edgy, since I'd like to keep my job.  Maybe I'll mostly stick to funny stories about my students and the absolutely ridiculous things they say and do.

We're glad you stopped by our blog, and we hope you find it fun, educational, inspiring, enjoyable, thought provoking and occasionally a tad bit uncomfortable.

Thanks!

The Tiptons