Monday Maniac's: Exercise & Cooking up a Storm

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Quesadillas were on the menu for our Monday night dinner date with my parents. Jesse and I typically pick one night of the week when we are out at the gym near my house to share a dinner together with my parents. They are just as adventurous as Jesse when it comes to food, so they are always up to try a new recipe with us. I ended up changing the recipe a little with the types of cheese and going on the healthier side of things.

So before I left to head to campus, I combined the ingredients into the slow cooker and set it on low. When we got back from the gym, it was time to shred the chicken and make the quesadillas. After standing over the stove for all of ten minutes, we all gathered around the table for a delicious dinner. 

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Facts (per 1 serving):

430g Calories, 19g Fat, 68mg Cholesterol, 934mg Sodium, 0mg Potassium, 44g Carbs, 22g Fiber,

7g Sugars, 42g Protein, 8% Vitamin A, 0% Vitamin C, 40% Calcium, 0% Iron

Ingredients:
10 oz boneless skinless chicken breast (Market Pantry)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp BBQ sauce (Jack Daniels No. 7 Original)
1/4 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar Cheese - Market Pantry)
8 flour tortillas (80 calorie - Market Pantry)

Steps:

1. Place chicken, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, and 1/4 cup chicken broth in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

2. When the 5-6 hours is finished, take out the chicken and shred with two forks.

3. Mix shredded chicken with 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce in a bowl.

4. Place 1 flour tortilla in a skillet with 1/4 cup of cheese on it. Let the cheese start to melt.

5. Add 2 1/2 oz of shredded chicken on top of the melted cheese, also add any other toppings, such as: pineapples, caramelized onions, peppers, etc.

6. Add 1/4 cup of cheese and a second flour tortilla and flip over. Let cook for about 2 minutes roughly.

7. Remove and repeat process for others eating with you.

8. Serve and enjoy.

I mentioned earlier that Jesse and I hit the gym as part of our being Monday Maniac's. Typically on Monday and Wednesday, Jesse and I head out to Snap Fitness for Jesse to go to Zumba while I do cardio and free weights.

Usually everything goes smooth and normal, we both get a great workout and feel refreshed when we leave. Of course that is typically, not this Monday though. I wanted to push myself on the treadmill since Jesse and I are running our first 5K on Saturday, The Color Run. So I knew that the 5K is 3.1 miles roughly. I started with a nice pace of 13:04 for my first mile, which I was excited about since I haven't pushed myself for time in about 2 weeks. My second mile was 13:19 which impressed myself. But for some odd reason I started feeling really horrible, like stomach in knots, overheated, wanted to throw up, etc. So I walked about 4 minutes until I reached the 30 minute mark. I got off the treadmill and grabbed some water, which I thought would help.

So I jumped on the elliptical since its easier on my knees, is less intense for me (odd I know!), and would still get a workout while trying to feel better. After spending 30 minutes on the elliptical, I was toast, done, stick a fork in me and roast me over a fire. I don't know how or by what means but in 65 minutes I burned just over 840 calories. I can honestly say that it was the first night that Jesse left the gym feeling better than me after getting her butt kicked in Zumba.

Hopefully I'll get over whatever had me feeling bad, so that I can keep getting in shape and ready for our 5K on Saturday morning.