Special Delivery: Beefy Enchiladas

In my group of friends, we like to have baby-buddies.  I say that tongue-in-cheek, because it's never planned, but as a happy coincidence there are usually two of us pregnant at the same time.  When I was pregnant, my baby-buddy was M, who was due a week after me, but had her daughter 5 days before Thatbaby was born (because everyone has their babies before me).  

More recently Horsewhisperer and Jurisslave were baby-buddies.  Both due in March.  But, in an uncanny coincidence, both gave birth in February.  I joked that their boys just couldn't wait to meet each other.  

Which means earlier this month I was running around, visiting babies and bringing food to my friends. 

Like orange cinnamon muffins, for quick one-handed breakfasts.

I love chicken, and it easily serves a grip of people, so I always like to bring a chicken dish to homes with a new baby.  Like this Cuban chicken.

Or this rosemary chicken.

With this warmer weather we've been having, a chilled soup makes a nice, easy lunch.  I thought the avocado soup would work well with the Cuban chicken.  And the strawberry soup is popular enough in my house that I wanted to share it with my friends.

One other trick I found when bringing over meals is to bring a special treat for the new big sibling.  Like chocolate chunk cookies.

Or cream puffs.

Or a berry-filled steamed pudding.

I love feeling helpful and bringing food to my friends.  It wasn't so long ago I was trying to balance adjusting to a new family member.  And although it was easier the second time around, it's always nice to feel taken care of.  When I make food, I will sometimes make a meal specifically for my friends, like the chicken dishes.  Other times, I take a meal we're eating for dinner at our house and double it.  Like the strawberry soup, or these enchiladas.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to make a ton of enchiladas?  It's a great thing to serve to a crowd, which means it's easy to make enough to feed 2 families.   They also freeze fantastically.  I made a set of these enchiladas for us, and a set for Jurisslave and her family.   You'll notice these are "undressed" which I prefer if you're going to freeze them.  Add the sauce right before reheating in the oven.

Beefy Enchiladas (From Guilt Free Weeknight Favorites)

 1 cup chunky picante sauce, divided

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 lb extra lean ground beef

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

5 corn tortillas

2 Tbsp chipped cilantro

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Spread 1/4 cup picante sauce in a 9-inch square baking dish, set aside.
2.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute bell peppers, onion, and ground beef until peppers are soft and beef is browned.  Drain excess liquid.
3. Stir in 1/2 cup picate sauce, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat; stir in half the cheese.
5. Stack the tortillas and wrap in wax paper.  Heat in microwave on HIGH 10 seconds, or until warmed.
6. Spoon 1/2 cup meat mixture down center of each tortilla. 
7. Top evenly with remaining picante sauce, remaining cheese, and the cilantro.  Roll up and serve.