Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas

Paleo or not, this recipe is great! If you eat strict paleo you are probably against eating anything that contains dairy/cheese. My husband and I try to follow an 80/20 paleo lifestyle, so this meal falls into one of our not completely paleo meals, but we don't feel guilty about eating it.  My newest endeavor is to start using grass-fed cheese, but still limiting the cheese overall. I'm trying to find where to buy grass-fed cheese locally. I found a few places where I can order it online and I'm not opposed to that either.

I am becoming more and more conscious of the food we eat and where it comes from. I haven't gone to the extremes yet, but I can see it in my near future! :)  The excuse I use to have is that it's too expensive to eat healthy, but since starting CrossFit last September and being introduced the the Paleo lifestyle, I've quickly realized that it is not much more expensive and that meal planning is key. It is NOT too expensive to make small changes to the way you eat and prepare meals... if you're like me, this can be done in baby steps, slowly changing one or two things at a time. Sure, you will notice that buying organic, or grass-fed or gluten-free does cost a little more, so this is where budgeting and pre-planning meals for the week really helps. The results and the way you feel will speak volumes and encourage you to continue making these small changes. Afterall, this could be the difference between living a long life and still being able to enjoy that life.

Don't get me wrong, we still eat plenty of things that aren't Paleo... we try to plan out our "cheat" meal in advance which helps keep us focused on eating well until then, but we all have bad days and sometimes the "cheat" happens without planning. To be honest, we never feel good after a cheat meal... we seem to always be reminded that eating well and food without all those preservatives and chemicals, makes us feel so much better.

Now for some Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas...

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

• Zucchini (Approx. 4)
• Chicken, shredded (I usually cook 3-4 breasts in the crockpot for 2 hours on high)
• Enchilada sauce
• Shredded Cheese (I used mexican-blend)

**A little side note about the enchilada sauce: The first time I made this recipe I bought a really expensive can from Clarks Nutrition, it was about 4 times the amount of a regular can of enchilada sauce. This time I bought one from Von's, though I can't recall the brand and the trash already went out... oops! But I did check the labels of all of them and bought the one that seemed to have the least preservatives. Though I never have, I think making a home-made enchilada sauce is on my list of things to do. And of course, I will share that too!

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1.  Prepare your chicken in advance (I usually throw 3-4 pieces of chicken into the crockpot with some seasonings and 1/4 cup of broth, cook on High for 2 hours, then shred with a fork)

 

2.  Cut zucchini in half, then slice lengthwise into thin strips

 

3.  Steam the zucchini briefly, just to soften slightly

 

4.  Start layering your ingredients in a casserole dish; zucchini, chicken, sauce, cheese. REPEAT until all ingredients are used (I usually do 3 layers total)

 

5.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

 

SERVE & ENJOY!