So, so bad...

I am not a huge Italian food fan. Besides pizza, Italian food is just not something I ever usually want. I like it and I will eat it, but it is very rare that I would ever actually request it or want to go to an Italian restaurant.

Last night was certainly an exception. For some reason, I wanted something with garlic. I wanted bread with garlic. Mike and I were out at Home Depot picking out paint for our foyer and bathroom and he asked me what I wanted to do for dinner. Neither of us felt like cooking and it was already 8 PM, so we figured we would just get something while we were out. When I said, "I feel like having Italian," we both just kind of stood there. Mike knows that it is not my favorite and when I said that, he didn't waste any time and drove straight to the closest Italian restaurant.

We live pretty close to a smaller suburb of Raleigh called Knightdale. We found a small, independently owned Italian restaurant called Mama Mia's. We were slightly skeptical. But when I saw they had garlic knots on the menu, I was sold.

This was definitely not a part of the healthy eating schedule, but sometimes, you have to step outside of the norm and just enjoy some homemade garlic knots, white pasta and cream sauce. Luckily, I probably only ate about 1/12 of the enormous serving they brought me. I would bet that I would have enough leftovers for at least 5 lunches and probably a dinner or 2. I am going to try not to do that though. I have been doing really well with my eating and adding this to the daily meals would not help me in any way.

It was delicious though, and certainly a place we will return to on the very slight occasion I feel like having Italian. When we left, I felt like garlic was seeping out of me. I had to brush my teeth 3 times when we got home to try to get the taste out of my mouth. It was exactly what I was hoping for. :)

On Sunday evening, I made a version of buffalo chicken enchiladas. It was super easy, and besides the sodium content, I would say it is pretty healthy and low in calories and fat.

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts - cooked and shredded
1/2 cup monterey jack shredded cheese
1 16 oz can/jar of enchilada sauce
1/2 cup hot sauce (I used Franks Red Hot Sauce)
8 whole wheat flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease the bottom of a baking dish and place a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish and set aside. Mix together the hot sauce and enchilada sauce in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the chicken and 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese. Place about 2 tablespoons of the hot sauce and enchilada sauce mixture into the chicken mixture. Mix well. In each tortilla, place a few heaping spoonfuls of the chicken and roll up. Place seam side down into the baking dish. Pour remaining hot sauce and enchilada sauce mixture over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are hot.

There were plenty of leftovers and I have been bringing an enchilada with a side salad to work with me. So good!

Now I need to go brush my teeth again, I can still taste the garlic.