Chicken vs. Veggie Rice Bowls

Hey friends! Happy Friday night! I am enjoying a nice night catching up on shows, drinking wine, and eating popcorn! I have finally stopped crying after watching Grey’s Anatomy, so I wanted to share with you a couple of quick throw together recipes. BUT honestly, Grey’s, Parenthood, and now This is Us are the shows I keep watching even though I always cry. Each time either my heart breaks a little, and my soul grows a bit OR my soul is crushed and my heart grows a little. Mostly both.

Anyways. My hubby loves when I make this. I usually make enough for the both of us so we can each have a lunch. Lately I have had to workout less, so I am watching what I eat just a little bit more. I used to be a vegetarian and vegan for 13 years, so I know how to eat super clean and play the food game. I am not giving up anything, just eating as healthy as possible when available and less portions of amazing food. For this, I just added less rice and more veggies to my mix.  Mine was made with the leftover rice from Taco Tuesday.  I knew I was still going to be hungry, so I ate a yummy grilled cheese dunked in tomato soup from my school cafeteria. Shout out to you, Mrs. Lisa 😉 img_1077-1img_1076-1

 

 

Tuesday Taco Bar

This past Saturday I went grocery shopping at Sprouts with Katie. When I asked her what she wanted to eat for dinner during the week, she said, “Is it almost Tuesday? I want to have Taco Tuesday!” The apple never falls too far off the tree with us, and this is no exception. Duh! Of course we can =)

Fast forward to Tuesday. She had her first Lacrosse practice and Becca had a tumbling class. By the time everyone got home, they were ravenous!  I decided to make a bar of taco goodies and everyone could make their own creation. Hard shells, small soft tortillas, large soft tortillas, rice, beans, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, and hot sauce.

Taco Tuesday is my favorite, too, Katie!

img_1059
Found these at Sprouts. I simmered the ground beef in that yummy sauce! That rice was a perfect balance of lime and garlic!
img_1063
I decided on a taco salad. It hit the spot!

Marinated Skirt Steak Fajitas

Hey guys! I made this the other night for a fast weeknight meal. Fajitas are always a hit in this house, particularly steak fajitas. You can use a skirt or flank steak for this recipe; whichever is on sale!  The veggies and toppings can be added to or changed depending on what your family likes.

Ingredients

1 whole Skirt Steak
1/2 cup Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
2 Tablespoons Cumin
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 large Onions, Halved And Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced
1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced
1 container sliced mushrooms
Oil, For Frying
Flour Tortillas, charred on the gas top
All the fixings you want…Grated Mexican Blend, Sour Cream, Guac/Avocado, Hot Sauce,shredded lettuce, tomato etc.
If I had some limes, I would have also added the juice of one or two

Instructions

In a dish, mix together olive oil, Worcestershire, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and sugar until combined. Pour half of the marinade into a separate dish. In one dish, place the flank steak, turning it over to coat. In the second dish, place all the veggies, turning to coat. If you have time, cover these in put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

Heat a cast iron skillet (or heavy skillet) over medium-high heat and drizzle in some oil. Add the veggies and cook them for a few minutes, until they’re cooked but still slightly firm and have a nice char to them.

On a grill pan (or you can use the same skillet as the veggies) over high heat and drizzle some oil. Cook the meat for about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness) until medium rare. Remove and allow to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Slice meat right before cooking.

While your meat rests, char up your tortillas and get your fajita fixings ready! Enjoy!

img_9753

Crockpot Salsa Chicken Taquitos

Happy Saturday! The girls and I took a little trip to the Farmer’s Market this morning and got a few treats; blueberries, squash, tomatoes, honey, apple butter, purple potatoes, and some pork (kielbasa, pork butt, and bacon)! I got my delicious iced coffee and the girls got to pet a lot of really cute dogs. I’m glad the weather held out for us; more rain is in the forecast for today =(  Right now the girls are taking all their books and making dominoes out of them all over the house.

Yesterday I had defrosted some chicken thighs for dinner and was trying to think of a way to make them without having to go to the store. I found a can of enchilada sauce, jar of salsa, beans, and canned green chilies. So I came up with this crockpot shredded chicken recipe. Super easy and very flavorful!

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs- I had bone-in, which adds a lot of flavor.
1 large can of enchilada sauce
1 jar of your favorite salsa
1 small can of chopped green chilies
A good pinch of salt and pepper
If you like it spicy, add in some hot sauce or chili powder and/or chili flakes

Directions- Literally dump and stir. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

You can use it for pretty much anything- tacos, enchiladas, burritos, nachos, etc. I rolled it up with some beans and cheese and made them in to taquitos.  I baked them in a 425 oven for about 15 minutes until the edges were crispy. Typically, taquitos are made with small corn tortillas and fried, but I only had medium sized flour tortillas, so I made that work. Plus, these baked ones are healthier and had all the same wonderful flavors! I served it with a side of Mexican rice and black beans.

img_8332

img_8341

Quiet Dinner for Mom

Tonight the girls had tumbling practice, and I dropped them off. The girls wanted eggs and cereal for dinner, and I knew that I needed something else besides that. I contemplated sushi or a gyro, but then I saw this cute little Mexican restaurant on the corner of one of the shopping centers near their gym and decided to go in for a little treat for myself. I don’t get to do that very often; go out to dinner by myself. I selected the artichoke dip and crab cakes.  I may have even had a small margarita 😉 Armando’ Caribe in Duluth, Ga is amazing!