Beef and Corn Enchilada Spaghetti Squash Boats

Woohoo!! This is an Amazing Dinner Alert!!

There it is. Right up there.

Spicy, cheesy, beefy - these are a few of my favorite things. 

These Beef and Corn Enchilada Spaghetti Squash Boats are a wonderful lightened-up alternative to one of my favorite comfort foods. I could eat these every week! Spaghetti squash makes the perfect vessel for homemade enchilada sauce, lots of cheese, crunchy corn and hearty ground beef. 

The best part about this meal, besides the deliciousness of it all, is that it can be customized in any way to your tastes. Lighten things up more with shredded chicken or ground turkey; make it entirely vegetarian by stuffing these with chopped cauliflower; perhaps you just want lots of cheese, in which case you can take out the beef, add some black beans and extra cheddar. 

No matter how you stuff it, I'm sure you're going to love it. 

Potato and Ham Chowder {Lightened up!}

So that polar vortex was a whole thing, huh?! If we don't see temperatures that cold for a while, I really won't mind.

Soup, of course, was the perfect meal to defrost after the walk home from the subway. As we already know, I am soup crazed! I love making new pots of chowder whenever possible.

On Christmas Day (flashback!) I made Cory and I a Dr. Pepper glazed spiral ham (a laPioneer Woman!). Now, the thing about spiral hams is that it is basically impossible to find a reasonably-sized ham for a small crowd. So, let's just say that there were a few pounds of ham in our freezer for a while.

Thanks to this Potato and Ham Chowder recipe, I have finally used up the last big piece of ham! Should we have a party? If you ask me, this soup IS the party. Rich, potato soup loaded up with sweet corn, salty ham, crunchy celery and leeks. Don't be shy -- top a big, warm bowl of this chowder with a little grated cheese and chopped chives!

I lightened up this soup by using 1% milk and thinning it out with a little low sodium chicken broth. So, although not totally guilt free, I think we should definitely serve ourselves a second bowl.

Extra bonus--this is a ONE POT DINNER! My favorite!

Lightened up -- BBQ Chicken Nachos

Fall has officially arrived and that means football season is in full swing!

I haven't had a lot of time to fully enjoy the first few weeks of the season, which means I haven't had much time to whip up a really fun game day appetizer.

Well, it's time for that to change and it is time for you guys to make these amazing BBQ Chicken Nachos on game day!

There are very few things in the world better than a big plate of nachos, a cold beer, and a whole Sunday full of football games. But we've all had the usual -- chips with melted cheddar cheese, jalapenos, taco meat, salsa, sour cream, the works. I think it's time we jazz up our nacho game and make it BBQ inspired instead! Added bonus - I'm lightening up this plate of nachos with a few key changes that won't compromise flavor but will make you feel less guilty when you add a second or third handful to your plate!

These nachos start with whole wheat tortilla chips (I'm a fan of Tostitos whole wheat scoops, but any tasty tortilla chip will do!) and shredded grilled chicken breasts. To stay true to the barbeque theme, Monteray Jack cheese is melted on top of the chips and chicken. Oh boy, it's getting real.

After the nachos come out of the oven, a few additional toppings are added in order to take our nachos to the next level: cole slaw, prepared with a homemade chipotle mayonnaise, low sodium BBQ sauce, and green onions. Crispy, smokey, cheesy BBQ nachos. I mean, how could this get any better?