Pre Pregnancy Weight: 158 lbs 

End of Pregnancy Weight: 156 lbs, -2 lbs 

Last Weigh In: 137.6, 0 lbs 

Current Weight: 135.6, -2 lbs

Total Weight Loss: 22.4 lbs

How are you feeling? Awesome! I haven't been to the gym a ton lately but I have been eating extremely clean so it's nice to see the weight still is coming off and I feel so close to my goal! I've officially lost 20 lbs since having Foster and that feels amazing. I did restart my "girl time" so that sucks...I thought that didn't happen while you were breastfeeding! Oh well, my milk supply was also getting low so I have been taking my placenta pills and pumping every hour and a half but besides that everything has been great. 

Stats: 

Calf: 13, -0

Thigh: 20 ,-0

Hips: 38.5, -1

Waist: 35, -0

Abs: 28.5, -0

Torso: 33.5, -.5

Arms: 10, -0

Neck: 12.5, -0

Here are a couple phone snapshots from the week.

Meal Planning Calendar and Shopping List

I love writing things out....probably because I love checking them off. Here are a couple little calendars and shopping list's I made that I can print out and fill in. It's awesome being able to sit down and figure out exactly what you're going to have for the next month. Here is Septembers Meal Plan Calendar and Shopping List Print outs.

*To print out right click on the image and click save as. Once the picture is saved to your computer you can print any size you want

Grocery Cart Staples

This is a "typical" grocery store staples cart for us. Some things I buy in bulk like spinach, kale, coconut oil, chia seed, flaxseed meal, granola and almond milk and some of these I wouldn't buy but the hubby and L came with me so some things magically ended up in the cart ;) This whole cart was under $120 and is 95% organic. Organic shopping doesn't have to be expensive. Skip Whole Foods and try a local store. Our Safeway is PACKED with organic options and costs way less than Whole Foods for the exact same thing. 

I never buy pasta. The last time I bought it was maybe 6 months ago but I decided to go out on a limb when I saw a yummy looking recipe for spinach lasagna when I came across these! Quinoa pasta....What?!?! I didn't even know they made that. I'll give you a review of it after we try it out :)

Healthy Snacks! Healthy snacks are so important in achieving your weight-loss goals. They help keep you from over eating when meals come around and indulging on bad options. The Lime chips are super good and they don't have that nasty synthetic lime taste. Apple straws should be called cinnamon sugar goodness. Nuff said. The vegetable chips are actually something my hubby found and they are so good and so pretty! We love to dip them in our favorite Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. (We also like the dill and cucumber hummus made with greek yogurt.) The bunny chocolate grahams are my daughters and they taste just like teddy grahams 

It took me awhile to get into the greek yogurt faze because I never really liked the taste but I learned to love it! You can definitely train your body to like certain things but with all the flavors they have they are delicious! 

We use about an onion a week but I don't like to buy more than one at a time or I feel like they go bad. We got broccoli and cauliflower for roasting to dip in Hummus and bananas for protein pancakes, breads, smoothies and lots more. I normally buy two and let one get brown because then it's better in things like breads and pancakes. The pumpkin is another thing that just ended up in the cart. There's also bell peppers to stuff with quinoa and other veggies! 

A couple things we didn't need and probably shouldn't get but ended up in the cart 

The ricotta and parmesan is for the skinny lasagna I am making tomorrow, the mozzarella is for the hubby and the feta we share :) That's another thing I've grown to love as I've gotten older. I used to hate strong cheeses and now I love them! I put feta in salads, on chicken, in frittatas and whatever else! 

 Bacon is L's favorite breakfast and I love it in my salads. This is the best turkey bacon I have ever had, When you cook it there isn't even any grease in the pan so you know that there's going to be no grease coating your insides haha The chicken apple sausage I haven't tried yet but again it's all natural and it sounds deliciously fall.

Hubby loves orange juice while I, on the other hand, am not a fan. So that's all him haha Balsamic Vinaigrette is yummy on chicken and salads. 

There was no ezekial bread at Safeway and we didn't want to go to Whole Foods for just one thing so Bryson picked this out to give it a try! 

I'm the only one in my family that likes sushi so I normally just get my fix when we go out but I decided to give Safeway made sushi a try and I have to say it wasn't bad! It actually was pretty dang good and I will be getting it again (probably a couple times a week)! They didn't have any spring rolls or I would've gone out on a limb with those as well. 

*Remember to look at serving sizes. This box is 3 servings

Isn't this cup cute?! It was on sale for 50% off! I also got a few cute plates! EEEK I love sales almost as much as I love straws! 

I toss a little under a tbs of chia seeds in with my yogurt, mix and let sit for 10 minutes or so. The seeds will get soft and it's almost like a healthy tapioca pudding ;) ok, not really but it's still super delicious!

NIKKI's Coconut Butter Giveaway!

****Giveaway is now closed. Winner has 24 hours to reply or runner up will be notified****

Winner: Ashley        Runner Up: Hannah 

*Disclaimer* I was not paid to advertise the Nikki's Coconut Butter Product but instead was invited to to a customer review and am doing this promotion because I love this product!

Do any of you use coconut butter? Neither did I until recently. I purchased my first coconut butter from the whole foods store in my town and was not that impressed. It was nothing like butter and if you wanted to do anything with it you had to melt it first. Then I discovered Nikki's Coconut Butter  It's nothing like any other coconut butters. It's the consistency of peanut butter (but has little coconut flakes in it) and comes in FIVE flavors! These are all flavors that you just want to eat out of the jar. No joke they are that good and because of the consistency you actually could eat them out of the jar if you wanted!

Nikki's Coconut Butter is so versatile it can be used in products like cookies, cupcakes, oatmeal and even foods like shrimp! My favorite way (besides eating it straight) is to melt it and put it over my homemade ice cream. It forms this hard shell that is super yummy.

The 5 flavors that they offer are:

Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie
Macadamia Nut Cookie
Midnight Mocha

and their two best sellers are

Honey Pecan Pie
Cake Batter


If you're wondering what coconut butter is exactly is, it's just like any other nut butters. It's coconut blended or ground until it is a butter consistency and then they add these super yummy flavors that just melt in your mouth.

Now for what we all are here for....How to win!


Entries begin today {September 10} and run through next Tuesday {September 17} at 9PM {EST} 

To enter you MUST do this
Comment on this post with the two flavors you'd like to try and your email address so I can contact you if you win.
To insure that you receive no spam by posting your email address please post it in the format keltymarie@gmail (DOT) com

Bonus Entries

Like my page on Facebook and share the post about this giveaway (5 extra entries) 
Follow my Instagram and like the picture of this giveaway (4 extra entries) 

Remember to include the extra entries you do in the comment section 


Good luck everyone! 

*I will be using a random generator to choose the winner. I have no say in the winner*

Be sure to subscribe via email or bloglovin so you don't miss out on any giveaways! 

If you're having problems commenting please
1) try commenting under name/url and leave url blank or use anonymous and leave your name 
or
2) send me an email @ keltymarie@gmail.com with all your info and I'll put it in for you. I'm not sure why some comments won't go through 

No Cheats 'Till Turkey Dinner!

Today at the gym my goal was to burn 1,000 calories and I over shot that goal and I was so proud of myself! Some people are more motivated to get bikini ready but for me I want to get in shape for the holidays because, let's face it, that's when most of us gain our weight back. I figure if I get motivated to lose weight for the holidays then I'll be more conscious of what I'm eating this season.

My goal is to be at my goal weight (120) or size (1/2) by New Years so that when summer comes around I'm maintaining and not having to work my buns off and be miserable trying to get into the perfect swim suit (which I have yet to find by the way). 

Here's how #NoCheatsTillTurkeyDinner works....

1) make a diet plan and stick to it

In my diet plan it's no processed foods with one cheat meal a week and working out 4+ days a week. This plan could be different for everyone and it's ultimately what YOU think YOU can do so YOU can achieve the results YOU are working towards. Notice this all has to do with capital Y O U. This doesn't mean you have to skip yummy holiday favorites just try healthy alternatives like my yummy Paleo Banana Bread.

2) if you screw up it's ok. There is no reason ever to skip a meal. 

This is all a out being healthy and fit not skinny and starving. If you go out and mess up or grab a handful of _______ or a slice of______. It's ok. This is life after all and we're meant to enjoy it. Just remember if you mess up once during the day it's not an excuse to continue to mess up. 

3) The only person that can hold you accountable is you. 

Your spouse, brother, sister, mom, dad, cousin, ect. can only help you so much. You ultimately have to want it for you. 

4) get a buddy. 

I'm your buddy! Use the hash tag #NoCheatsTillTurkeyDinner on Instagram, Facebook and twitter to "check in" post meals, workouts or if you just need a boost! 

Add me on MyFitnessPal to keep track and share food and exercises day to day. My username is aspengroen 

Let's work together and get fit! 



If you want to do an Instagram photo challenge here are the posts and days but feel free to post a ton more :) 

September 10: Your meal/workout plan 

September 13: Your "before" picture, include stat's if you want or keep them for yourself. To figure out how to properly take stats click here. 

September 17: Your meals for the day

September 20: Your workout for the day 

September 24: Your inspiration

September 28: Your motivation 

October 2: Your cheat meal for the week. (This may be a different day based on your plan) 

October 5: Your view for the day

October 10: Your one month progress pic! Maybe a side by side of month 1 to 2? Check your stats today too! 

October 13: Favorite place

October 19: Your night

October 23: The most relaxing place for you

October 25: Your favorite Halloween decoration

October 28: Your favorite healthy meal

October 31: Your awesome Halloween costume! 

November 3: Daylight Savings! The best/worst of daylight savings 

November 7: What you wore

November 11: Veterans Day - Whatever that is to you

November 14: Your month 2 progress pic! Side by side and stats! 

November 18: Your favorite fall decoration in your house! 

November 21: What has helped you most this journey

November 25: What you are most excited to eat at Thanksgiving

November 28: A collage of your Thanksgiving! 


I think a #NoCheatsTillChristmasDinner might be in order..... 

Good Luck Everyone! 

Paleo Banana Bread

Fall is here! Ok, not really. But I "can't" wear white pants anymore so for me it's time to decorate for fall! My very favorite thing about fall is all the food of course! Since we are trying to eat healthier I am trying to make traditional recipes that we all love into better alternatives. Here's the first one that Logan and I made last night and there will be a whole lot more to come! 

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Servings: 12 

Calories: 88

Total Fat: 4.4 g

Saturated: 3.8 g

Cholesterol: 35.2 mg

Sodium: 117.5 mg

Potassium: 100.9 mg

Total Carbs: 10.3 g

Fiber: 1.2 g

Sugars: 5.4 g

Protein: 2.2 g

M3, (M1 + M2 in moderation) 

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Ingredients 

2 overly ripe Bananas

2 whole Eggs

2 tbs Coconut Oil, melted

1 tps Vanilla Extract

2 tbs pure Maple Syrup

1/2 cp Coconut Flour

2 tbs Ground Flaxseed

1 tbs Cinnamon

1 tps Baking Soda

Recipe

  Preheat oven to 350

1) Mash banana in medium bowl with eggs and coconut oil until there are no big clumps of banana.

2) Pour in vanilla extract and maple syrup and mix thoroughly 

3) Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients 

4) Mix and pour into a greased loaf pan. Mixture will barely rise.

5) Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

You can keep on the countertop for up to one week or you can freeze it :)  

Let me know if you have any healthy fall recipes! 

The "Do You Like Reese's" Protein Ball

If the answer is "no" to my question then there's a pretty little x at the top of your screen, feel free to press it. But who am I kidding, we all love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! With this recipe I'm going to give you just the base recipe. It's up to you to decide what to put into these bad boys! I put in 2 tbs chocolate chips...I know, I know but how can you have peanut butter with no chocolate?! You just can't. These are no bake so the combinations are endless. Feel free to substitute the peanut butter for your favorite nut butter. Throw in some coconut, maybe some fruit! Let me know what you decide because these are amazing! I have to tell myself, "Moderation Aspen, moderation!" to keep from inhaling one after another. ;) 

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Serves: 15

Serving Size: 1 ball

Calories: 151

(These puppies are a "splurge" not something you should eat daily but where you don't have to worry about your waistline if you indulge in a few) 

Total Fat: 10.1 g

Sodium: 75.3 mg

Potassium: 18.2 mg

Total Carbs: 12.3 g

Fiber: 2.7 g

Sugars: 5.1 g

Protein: 5.1 g

This "splurge" doesn't fit into any meal group but they would be best to eat around lunch time or when you're not getting fat from other foods.

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Ingredients

1 cp Old Fashioned Oats

1/3 cp 100% Pure Old Fashioned Maple Syrup

1/2 cp Nut Butter of choice

1 tbs Chia Seeds

1/3 cp Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal

1 tps Vanilla Extract

Recipe

1) Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl.

2) Refrigerate 1 hour and then roll into 1" balls.

3) Refrigerate after making and enjoy! 

Swap the peanut butter for pb2 here are the nutritional info for the pb2 

I'd love to hear all the different combinations you come up with so please tag me or let me know :) 

Creamy Avocado Dressing

Who's ready for a yummy dressing that you'll be putting on everything?! This is a creamy, rich dressing that can be used for salads, to top meat, a dip and anything else you want to slather it on! Healthy, all natural ingredients will make this your new go to instead of that squeeze bottle of chemicals. AKA ranch. Seriously, everyone, it's like a guacamole but better and you can use it for everything!

Let's compare this dressing to Ranch...just for fun I'll put the Ranch nutritional values in italics after the Creamy Avocado Dressing info. 

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Serves: 32 

Serving Size: about 2 Tbs

                      Creamy Avocado Dressing                       Ranch Dressing 

Cranberry, Date + Walnut Protein Balls

One word, YUM! I love protein bars but 1) They're expensive and 2) All protein bars are not created equal

We're going on a trip this weekend and instead of loading up on gas station junk L and I decided while Dad was at work and we were packing anyways we might as well pack snacks! This is our first snack that we made this morning and they are YUMM-AY! 

I did pretty much put the directions on the picture so if you wanted to pin it then the directions and ingredients would already be there :) 

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Serves: 12

Serving Size: 1 ball

Calori

The BEST Spinach Chips EVER!

I love chips. That could be my whole post and I'm pretty sure 99%  of you would understand exactly what I mean. I don't like chips. I don't like to snack on chips. I love chips. A choice between cookies and chips and chips will win every. single. time. 

A long time ago I decided to stop buying chips because, no joke, I could sit down and eat a bag of chips without even thinking about it. And not those single serve bags either. That was one temptation that I knew I couldn't have in my home or I would never be able to live the healthy lifestyle I wanted to because I have absolutely no control when it comes to their salty goodness. 

Needless to say the craving was out of control and it wasn't just something that I could push aside. Alas, spinach chips were born. This wasn't a recipe that took a lot of thought and it wasn't hard. The first time they came out perfect. So why did it take so long to do this post you might ask? The answer is simple. I ate them all before I could take any picture ;) 

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Chicken and Quinoa Kale Salad

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Servings: 3

Calories: 275

Total Fat: 3 g

Cholesterol: 47 mg

Sodium: 82 mg

Protein: 22 g

Potassium: 804 mg <----wowza

Total Carbs: 23 g

Dietary Fiber: 4 g

Sugars: 1 g

EXTREMELY high source of Vitamin A and C - 230%-350% in fact. 

M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 

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Our New Lifestyle

I have been waiting months to start our new lifestyle. I call it a lifestyle and not a diet because I don't want to it to be something that is easily quit. While I was pregnant I didn't want to shock my body with a drastic food change. My husband finally jumped on the bandwagon when I agreed to learn all I could about the New England Patriots and watch all the games with him. We are cutting out ALL processed foods. If it is processed it will not be in our bodies or our children's. Does this mean we won't eat at other peoples houses or go out to eat for special occasions? Definitely not. We'll still enjoy the little things in life without stressing about it but it has to be a balance for us it's going to be a 90%/10% balance. We'll stick to our lifestyle plan 90% of the time and be 'reckless' the other 10% ;)

Not only are we cutting out all processed foods but we are eating 5 meals a day, upping water intake and only eating certain things at certain times. A majority

Chai Cinnamon Espresso

Today I finally mastered my cheapo espresso machine! After trying a ton of gross latte recipes I finally just made one that is sooooo delicious! I will probably make this every morning. Bye, Bye $7 lattes from Durango Joes/Starbucks, hello pajama pants and a rocking chair while I sip my homemade latte. 

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Calories: 56

Total Fat: 3 g

Sodium: 179 mg

Potassium: 167 mg

Total Carbs: 8 g

Dietary Fiber: 4 g

Sugars: 1 g

High source of calcium

M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 

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Ingredients 

3 Shots Espresso OR 1 cup of Coffee 

1 Cup Vanilla flavored Almond Milk (stea

Watermelon Ice Pops

Summer is definitely here! Since it's over one hundred degrees here every day we reach for otter pops and popsicles like nobodies business. Have you actually looked at the ingredients in any of those things? I couldn't understand over half of them. I'm getting to the point where if I don't know what it is should I really be giving it to my kids? Probably not. So yesterday Logan and I made Watermelon Pops! They are sooooo yummy! It's a plus that they are so cute! With the Fourth of July right around the corner these are perfect for your family cookout! 

Strawberry Fruit Leathers

All kids love anything gummy. Let's be honest here, all people love anything gummy. Instead of reaching for the box of fruit roll ups why not try making your own at home? Extremely easy and even more tasty than those long "fruit" rolls. With only 4 ingredients (and one being water) you can give these to your kids when they are craving something sweet and feel good that they are getting a healthy alternative to that processed junk. 

Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie

One Word: Delicious! 

This is L's and my favorite smoothie so far! 

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

L and I have been on a smoothie kick lately and these last couple we have tried have been DELICIOUS! We've been using them as a quick and healthy breakfast and L drinks it like crazy! She'll drink the whole thing before I even get started on mine and she hasn't even been asking for a snack before lunch (which is crazy because she loves her snacks!)

The Perfect Meatballs

Pin Here

I have been trying for months to come up with the perfect meatball recipe. I know it sounds so simple but they all came out to liquidy or the bread crumbs would get mushy it was just one thing after another that wasn't quite right. Then a couple weeks ago I made these bad boys and they are delicious! I finally found the right combo of ingredients that made the perfect meatball! 

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Serves: 5 (makes 15 meatballs) 

Serving Size: 3 Meat Balls 

Calories: 220

Total Fat: 10 g

Saturated: 3 g

Cholesterol: 83 g

Sodium: 246 mg

Potassium: 47 mg

Total Carbs: 6 g

Dietary Fiber: 1 g

Sugars: 1 g

Protein: 24 g

*Contains Calcium, Iron, Vitamin A and C* 

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Ingredients 

20 ounces low fat ground turkey ( I used Jenni-O)

1/4 cp yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cp shredded Mozzarella 
1/4 cp Italian bread crumbs
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 minced  clove garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cp canned pizza sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 oz fresh Mozzarella

Recipe

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the wrack near the top.

2) Throw in all the ingredients – except for the last 3 – into a bowl, and mix well.

3) Make large balls with your hands, and arrange them into your baking dish

4) Open the canned pizza sauce, and in bowl, mix 1 spoon of the sauce and 3 tbs olive oil.

5) Use a brush to rub the mixture on the meatballs.

6) Put in the oven and bake for 15 mins.

7) When ready, take out from the oven and add  fresh mozzarella on top of meatballs. Add the rest of the sauce to the dish. 

8) Insert the meatballs again for 3 to 5 mins for the cheese to melt

What would I do differently? Not one thing. Like I said I have been working on the recipe for awhile to get it just the way I like it and I personally think it's perfect! 

Fast and Easy Tomato Basil Pasta: Under 250 Calories

Pin This Recipe Here

This isn't typically what I would make for dinner. I try to avoid pasta at all costs but the fact of the matter is, I love pasta! For me any pasta under 600 calories is a winner but cutting that in half and then some is even better! Definitely found a new staple dish at my house.

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Serves: 3 

Calories: 248

Total Fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 0

Sodium: 985 mg

Potassium: 394 mg

Carbs: 51g

Dietary Fiber: 8 g

Sugars: 7g

*Contains Vitamin A, C, Iron and Calcium*

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Ingredients 

6 ounces linguine pasta

1 can (7-8 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid ( I used Rotel Zesty Chile Flavor)

1/2 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

1 large sprigs basil, chopped

2 1/4 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Recipe: 

1) Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil. DO NOT STIR!

2) Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired. The longer it's in for the tastier it gets.

Oh you were looking for more steps. Sorry to disappoint but that's it! 

What would I do differently? If it was just Bryson and I again with no kids then I wouldn't do anything differently. However, if L was eating with us it's a tad spicy. I would just leave out the red pepper flakes but besides that it's great! My husband requested chicken cooked in the extra sauce for his next time he also helped himself to two servings! That's how I judge food in my house, if they go back for more it's probably pretty tasty. 

Thanks everyone! 

Rolled Chicken and Spinach Flautas: Baked

Pin This Post Here

This is a recipe I make pretty regularly. Being from New Mexico I love mexican food but it is ridiculously bad for you. One day while going through recipe after recipe looking for a good recipe for flautas that wouldn't send us into cardiac arrest the moment we finished dinner we decided to invent our own....and bake it :) Oh, and of course sneak in green leafy veggies. I, personally do not think these are spicy and my three year old gobbles them up, but if you are not into spicy foods at all try using only half of the jalapeno or when choosing your jalapeno pick one with a rounded end and clean all the seeds out.

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Servings: 4

Calories: 177

Total Fat: 7 g

Cholesterol: 43 mg

Sodium: 685 mg

Potassium: 56 mg

Total Carbs: 21 g

Protein: 28 g

Contains Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron and Vitamin C

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Ingredients 

1/2 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (about 2) 

8 oz Light Beer (or chicken broth)

1 cp Water

1 tps Paprika 

1 tps Kosher salt

1 tps Garlic powder

1 tps Ground cumin

1 tps Chili Powder

1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 1/2 cp Spinach

4 burrito sized Wheat Tortillas 

1 tps Olive Oil 

Recipe 

1) Preheat oven to 450

2) Put the chicken breasts in a deep sided saute pan and cover with beer and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it...(have your hubby shred it) Mix together seasoning and chicken.

3) Pour out all but 1/4 cp of the water/beer liquid. Add the jalapeno and spinach and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.

4) Cut the tortillas in half. Spoon 1-1.5 tbs of the mixture along the long edge of the tortilla. Repeat with spinach/ jalapeno mixture. Roll tortilla up and place, seam side down on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

5) Brush the flautas with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes. Turn flautas over and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until crispy. Serve with home made salsa, cheese, sour cream or refried beans.