July 08, 2015

Ranch Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I was craving boneless chicken wings like crazy recently, but I've been avoiding them--they always make me retain a ton of water weight, and I just generally feel like crap when I eat them. I decided to try making a buffalo chicken dish for dinner that would have the same flavor that I was craving, but not so much of a caloric nightmare. I ended up making a super easy crockpot chicken that was so good!

I just cooked two pounds of chicken breasts in the crockpot (cover with water, cook on high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is tender). I threw the chicken (discarding the water that it was cooked in) into my mixing bowl for my Kitchen Aid mixer, and mixed it on low for about 30 seconds until the chicken was shredded (saw that tip on Pinterest, and it is AMAZING--such a huge time saver, and my hands don't get so tired from shredding chicken!). Then I added 1/2 cup water, 3 Tbsp. ranch dressing mix, and 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce.

I wrapped some in tortillas for the kids, but I made lettuce wraps for Jerry and me, and they were phenomenal. Definitely crushed that craving for wings!




For two of them, with a touch of Bolthouse Farms Ranch dressing, there were just 5 PointsPlus. (Probably good with blue cheese, too, but I prefer ranch with my buffalo chicken.) I had leftovers for lunch today.

This morning, I had a three-mile run on the schedule. The weather was glorious for running, too--it was 58 degrees and only about 45% humidity. I changed the run/walk segments to 2:30/0:30 (increasing the running by 30 seconds), because I've been feeling good lately.

It ended up being a fantastic run! The first mile or so, I felt a little stiff, but I wasn't trying to push the pace or anything, so I just ran however it felt most comfortable. I can tell my endurance is improving since I started running again, because the 2:30 running portion seemed to fly by--and I definitely felt like I could keep going. It was an uneventful run (no bird issues, haha), and it boosted my confidence a little. My splits were 10:39, 10:49, and 10:13.

After my run, I took a quick shower and then headed to Weight Watchers. The last couple of weeks, I went to a different center on Tuesday mornings (still with Glenda, my leader); but I wasn't able to go yesterday, because the kids had baseball practice, so I went to my Wednesday meeting. This week, I was only down 0.4, but I expected that--my weight went up 1.5 pounds a couple of days ago, for some reason, and I'm still waiting for it to fall back down. But either way, I'm happy to see another loss on the scale.

At the meeting, we talked about taking time for ourselves, to do something positive for one (or all) of three categories: 1) Body, 2) Mind, or 3) Spirit. Glenda asked if we do something for ourselves each day, and what category it falls into. My "unwind" time each day is usually spent by playing solitaire or some other game in the evenings. I love to read a good book, but I haven't been reading much lately, so usually I will play a game.

This afternoon, I went to pick up my bike from the bike shop (I dropped it off last week for a tune-up). Jerry came with me, because he's been wanting to get a bike for a while, so we looked at bikes for him. He ended up getting the same bike that I have, only the male version of it. He was (obviously) very excited ;)



The kids were very excited, also, because they've been wanting us to go for bike rides together as a family, but Jerry didn't have a bike. So this afternoon, we headed out for a bike ride around the neighborhoods with the kids.


Now, we have to head out to the boys' last baseball game. Their team has two more games next week, but since Noah and Eli will be at camp, they'll have to miss them. I wish their season was longer--it's so fun to watch them play! After the game tonight, Sarah and her husband are coming over, as well as Nathan and Kendall. Should be a fun evening :)

10 comments:

  1. The recipe looks delicious-- I'm going to have to try it. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good solution for a meal that can be modified for the kids! I know you've said before that you eat dinner at 4:00, doesn't your family (and you) get hungry later since you eat so early?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, but I eat dessert at around 8:00. I typically eat at 8:00, 12:00, 4:00, and 8:00. Apparently, my body is happy when I eat every four hours :)

      Delete
  3. WOW! Remember when you couldn't teach Noah to ride his bike? And now you're riding with him. I LOVE the family picture altho you need somebody to stand behind YOU with a camera/phone, so you can be in the picture too. Nice run! We are having cool, non humid weather here in Nebraska too. Gotta love it, but I hear it's all over this weekend, with highs back in the 90's. Nice while it lasted.

    Love the chicken recipe/idea. I just might try that. Yesterday at Walmart they wee giving away samples of shredded chicken and cheese wrapped in tortillas. I think they used barbecue sauce on the chicken, but I like the hot wing sauce with ranch idea better. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Specialized bikes are the best!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce is the best invention this century.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aw, I can't wait til my kids are old enough to ride their own bikes and we can go on family bike rides! Also, that recipe sounds delicious--definitely adding it to my arsenal!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousJuly 10, 2015

    Hey Katie- I noticed that your blogroll is mostly submissions by your readers- will you tell us about which blogs you personally read for inspiration and ideas?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To be honest, I really don't read many blogs anymore, because I spend a lot of time on the computer for my blog. I read the blogs of a few "real life" friends, but that's about it. When I'm in the mood to read blogs, I usually click on the readers' links in the comments on my blog. Sometimes I get drawn in, and discover some great blogs that way! Or I'll read a few posts from people on my blog list.

      Delete
  8. Loved this recipe! Super simple, and my boyfriend and I loved it. So much so that we ate it again just a few days later.

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

Featured Posts

Blog Archive