Pumpkin Enchiladas

Today’s evening activities started with puppy play time followed by a 2.5 mile walk with Sadie.

Don’t even think about it…

Just tryyyy to take it…

It was hot outside but not Sahara-hot, so we were able to enjoy our walk around the lake near our apartment without sweating too much.

Victory!

Dinner

When we arrived back at our apartment, I got to work in the kitchen.

On the menu this evening: Pumpkin enchiladas.

Using a recipe I found on Janetha’s blog, I began making the enchiladas by chopping up an onion. I proceeded to break down in tears because onions always make me cry.

Usually onion chopping is Ryan’s job, but he was in the shower and I needed a chopped onion STAT!

Once the onion was sautéing in the pan, my tears subsided and I was able to continue with the recipe.

Janetha’s recipe called for turkey, but I substituted the meat for kidney beans.

I prepped a 9×9 pan and filled whole wheat tortillas with the pumpkin and bean mixture.

After placing the enchiladas in the pan and topping them with the pumpkiny filling, I sprinkled them with cheese and baked them for about 10 minutes, until the cheese melted.

The result was a flavorful, healthy, veggie-packed enchilada.

 

When I first told Ryan that pumpkin enchiladas were on the menu for dinner this evening, he seemed a little skeptical. I think he previously associated pumpkin with sweet treats like his favorite pumpkin spice cookies and didn’t realize it could be prepared in a savory way as well.

After asking his opinion on tonight’s dish, he replied, “They tasted like real enchiladas!” He also said he’d gladly eat them again, which is a good sign.

Oh how I love healthified Mexican food! 😀

Pumpkin Enchiladas (adapted from Janetha’s recipe)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• One 10 oz can of red enchilada sauce
• 1 can pure pumpkin (about 2 1/2 c.) 
• 1 c. black or kidney beans
• Large bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• 5 ounces 0% greek yogurt
• 3 large whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Sauté onion and garlic in a pan sprayed with cooking spray
• Stir in enchilada sauce
• Add pumpkin and stir until combined
• Add cilantro, cumin and chili powder
• Spread a light layer of sauce on the bottom of an 8×8 or 9×9 pan
• Fill tortillas with an even amount of sauce and beans
• Roll tortillas and place in the pan with the folded edges facing down to keep them closed
• Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese
• Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese melts
• Serve with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream if desired

Striiiike

Phew!

I feel like I’ve been on the move all day! It feels good to finally be at home. 🙂

Lunch

After a nice, long shower following this morning’s 10k race, my tummy started rumblin’ again.

I boiled some water to make pasta while roasting asparagus in the oven and steaming broccoli in the microwave. I had all the appliances in use!

I knew I needed a lunch with staying power since we were going to be bowling from 1 to 4 p.m. Pasta with veggies seemed like a great option.

Lunch

Noodles + Broccoli + Sauce + Cheese

Yum

Afternoon Bowling

After inhaling lunch, Ryan and I headed to Boardwalk Bowl for an afternoon of bowling to raise money for Junior Achievement with his coworkers.

Couple o' Bowlers

Our team was a fun one! Ryan and his buddy Rob were quite the bowlers and were neck-in-neck throughout the first game.

Ryan got three strikes in a row (a turkey!) and just barely nudged him out for the win. It was a lot of fun to watch!

Ryan, Me, Katie & Rob

 

Top Notch Bowlers

Bowl Baby Bowl

Ryan and His Winning Score

Our friend Katie was also a big winner… She won the top pirze for the worst score in the first round (a 43 in case you were wondering). As a former winner of this prize, I was especially proud of her.

Katie the Big Winner & Me

A little after 4 p.m., greasy bowling alley food was brought out for us to snack on.

Bowling Alley Food

I was pretty hungry but knew Ryan and I had plans to head out for a date night right after bowling, so I limited my snacking to a couple of pigs in a blanket and a chicken finger.

Date Night

We left about 30 minutes later and headed right to Paco’s, a small Mexican restaurant we’ve heard great things about.

Da Suuun!

Whenever we’ve driven by Paco’s, the parking lot is packed and now we know why!

Paco's

What to get... What to get...

Within five minutes of our waiter bringing chips and homemade salsa to our table, they were gooone!

Chips and Salsa

Our food was delivered to our table very quickly, which was wonderful because I was hungry!

Enchiladas

Chicken Tacos

I downed the chicken tacos like it was my job and had several bites of Ryan’s enchiladas. Tasty!

Dessert

After dinner, we headed home to our energetic puppy.

Since it wasn’t quite dark outside yet, we took her on a 40 minute walk around the lake by our apartment to let our dinner digest a bit before heading out for dessert.

Dessert = McDonald’s shamrock shakes!!!

Shamrock Shake

I love milkhakes and McDonald’s makes a mean shake!

My McDonald’s shake flavor rankings are as follows:

1. Strawberry shake
2. Shamrock shake
3. Chocolate
4. Pumpkin shake
5. Eggnog shake

I drank a big diet coke while we were bowling today and I think it triggered my sweet tooth so the shamrock shake hit the spot! 

I’ve read a lot of articles about diet soda and I don’t drink it often. I definitely think it makes me want sugary foods… Something about the sweetness of the soda sets me off!

Do you drink diet soda?