Monday, January 27, 2014

Mexican Chicken Pasta Bake

I am not a picky eater whatsoever so when I told Jon that I would cook him dinner tonight I had to keep in mind some of the things he will not eat - onions, chunks of tomatoes, peppers… I really wanted to make Mexican and how can you make a good Mexican dish without any of those things?

I figured it to be impossible. But it wasn't.

I did some recipe searching but everything Mexican contained at least one of the things he doesn't like so I had to make some adjustments. (He really isn't that picky but I feel like everyone is picky compared to me!)

Here's what I came up with -





It was definitely delicious!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 box (16 oz) pasta - (I used half bowtie macaroni)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (16 oz) black beans - rinsed and drained
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 can (15.25 oz) sweet corn, drained
6 jalapeño slices or 1/2 jalapeño - (I used precut from a jar)
1 ounce or 3/4 package of taco seasoning *See recipe below to make your own*
1/2 cup salsa
1 1/2 cup Mexican shredded cheese
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350'
2. Cook pasta as directed on packaging. Drain and pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Cook chicken in a large skillet over medium heat until fully cooked. Add in beans, corn, jalapeños, taco seasoning, salsa, half the cheese, and some water to prevent from drying out. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Pour the chicken mixture on top of the pasta. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

*makes 6 large servings

I thought I had taco seasoning on hand but apparently I didn't! Here's the spice combination I used to create my own - it tasted better than store bought!


Question of the Day:

What is your favorite Mexican dish?

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Meal Inspiration

I was standing in line at Meijer yesterday and could not help but notice all of the magazines in the checkout aisle. I hardly ever take the time to read them but the JanuaryFebruary issue of Cooking Light caught my eye. 

This issue contains recipes for simple quick breakfasts, all-day snack solutions, jazzed-up microwave lunches, and fast and healthy entrees! Who wouldn't want recipes and ideas for all of those meals? 

Last night's dinner inspiration came from one of the "Jazzed-Up Microwave Lunches" recipes.


While I was at Meijer I stocked up on all of the necessities - avocados, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, mushrooms, hummus, the list goes on and on.

I already had turkey burgers in the fridge so I changed up their Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle Burger recipe a little bit to fit what I had on hand.






My burger consisted of: 1 turkey burger, spinach, cucumbers, avocado, and hummus all stuffed into 1/2 a pita pocket. I also had cherry tomatoes and mushrooms on the side and then a little bit later snacked on a handful of nuts.

Let me tell you - this was absolutely delicious. I loved how the cucumbers added a crunch to the sandwich and the avocado was super creamy!

A perfect meal in my book.

If you hadn't noticed, I added a "Recipe" tab to the blog. Just click on it and you can find a list of all the recipes I have had on the blog. I haven't posted many recipes yet but am working on cooking/baking more and sharing them with you all!

Question of the Day:

What is your favorite magazine? Where is your favorite place to get inspiration for new meals?


Sunday, January 19, 2014

It's Been Awhile

My good friend, Carling (you may remember her from here), blogs over at My Adventures and Photography and was telling me that she wants to blog more! I love talking blogs with people and having blog-friends! Talking with her had me thinking - it's been awhile since I last blogged. The last post I made was on October 6th. Over 3 months ago!

I can not let this keep happening.

I can not let life keep getting so busy that I don't give myself 10 minutes a day to sit down and read some of my favorite blogs, write a quick post about my day, or share a new fun Pinterest find I tried.

The other downside of not blogging in awhile is that all of you lovely followers have no idea what I have been up to! I bet you didn't know I joined CrossFit and haven't ran since…well…the Indy Monumental Marathon in November. Crazy right?

But I am making it a goal to blog at least twice a week. So all of you followers who have missed reading about my life can catch up ;)

Since I don't have any pictures related to today, I'll share one of Jon and I from NYE!


Question of the Day:

What is the longest blog break you have ever taken? 

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