Mexican Taco Monday!

At the end of a dreadful Monday, I always need a good meal to look forward to. Am I right?

I found this recipe a few weeks ago when reading a magazine, made a few changes to make it work for us, and now we have a new easy weeknight dinner. Ole!

The secret to this recipe is in the beans. Seriously! They're packed with flavor and add a perfect kick to the meal.

Chicken Fajita Tacos

What you need for the beans-

1 can of black beans (or 2 if you're making a larger batch; which we have been doing)

1/4 cup cilantro

4 slices of deli sliced jalepeno peppers

Sprinkle of salt and pepper

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons water

1 tsp. cumin 

1 tsp. garlic powder

All of your ingredients for the beans.

Put all of the ingredients into your food processor and press go! After the beans are mixed, simply transfer them to a pot and warm them on the stove.

Next, cook a chicken breast. Then cut it into strips, dice it or shred it (however you like it)! Or you can take the easy route, which I prefer to do on a weeknight every night, and use a pre-cooked chicken like this one:

This is really delicious and takes just three minutes in the microwave! #winning

Grab your tortilla, spread a generous amount of beans on it, add your chicken and any other desired toppings (I added salsa and cheese) and dinner is done. BOOM.

The picture really doesn't do it justice. This meal is delicious!

It's a really quick weeknight meal. To save time you can prepare the beans over the weekend and keep them in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, just heat them up.

I also love this because you can do several variations. The first night I made it, we had shredded chicken tostadas. Lately, we've been doing fajita tacos. You can also substitute the chicken for beef, make quesadillas, or a taco salad. Again, the flavor in this recipe comes from the beans. It's all about the beans!

And did I mention that if you dip the taco in queso it's absolute perfection? Because every Monday deserves some queso. 

Weeknight Pasta

Before we got married, my family threw me a kitchen shower where guests attached a recipe to their gift. I got a few great recipes, and this weeknight pasta was one of them (thanks, Kim!). It has three ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. It's so easy to throw together on a busy weeknight, trust me!

A little background: my husband is a very picky eater...and that is an understatement. He doesn't eat anything green; no fruits, veggies, or anything remotely healthy. His favorite veggie: salsa; favorite fruit: red starburst. This is not an exaggeration. So, cooking in our house can be quite a challenge as you can probably imagine.

Fortunately, we both agree on this dish and love it. Hope you enjoy it, too!

Balsamic Pasta
9 oz. store bought ravioli (or your favorite pasta) (we use the Buitoni brand)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Chopped, toasted walnuts, if desired (hubs does NOT desire)
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

How to make it: Boil water. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain pasta and put back in pot. While pasta is boiling, combine butter and vinegar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until bubbly. Once foam subsides and butter turns brown, turn heat off and let it cool. Stir in the balsamic butter mix with the pasta. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and walnuts on top.

This is what the final product looks like (for tonight, anyway).



I also love this dish because there are several variations to it. You can use ravioli, tortellini, angel hair, and the list goes on. You can easily throw in last night's leftover chicken to make it a more hearty dish or add in some sun dried tomatoes and spinach to get your veggies for the day. I usually serve it with a light salad, too. It's also good reheated for lunch the next day (if that's your thing...and it's very much my thing!).

Bon appétit!

The Boys: 3 Months and 2 Years

I think we are finally getting used to being parents of two. It's been such an adjustment going from one to two. The freedom we were used to with Connor (being more on the go, able to easily get out the door, etc.) is long gone for the moment. Don't get me wrong, we are on the go quite a bit, but it just takes longer and requires more planning with Parker in tow.

Connor is at my favorite age -- but surely I've thought this about every age he's been at! He talks in little sentences, can sing his ABC's and other songs, knows numbers and shapes and is so observant! Right now, he loves to sing Wheels on the Bus, Humpty Dumpty, Jesus Loves Me, No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Muffin Man, Thumpkin and Hey Fightin' Tigers (of course!). It's the cutest thing listening to him sing! We've also been doing "big hugs" and saying "Can I have 4 kisses...and he will give me 4 kisses" (or however many I ask for). Gah! Just when I think I can't get enough of Connor, the next day he does something else adorable and I fall more in love with him. Little people are just the cutest!

Parker is adorable, of course. All of his coo's and grins melt my heart. He loves to move his legs like crazy, smile with his adorable dimples, and chew on his hands! He sleeps through the night most of the time, which is lovely! We haven't gotten a lot of great pics of him...he's not hamming it up for the camera yet! My favorite thing is to kiss his cheeks. Connor had these meaty cheeks, and while Parker's are not small by any means, they are more dense and you can really get good kisses!

First smile to finally catch on camera! Love my Parker Man!

Those legs and that belly...can you even stand it?

First time to get the kiddie cart at Kroger - he was so excited about the flag and he was a great grocery helper!

He loves taking a bubble bath and blowing the bubbles! He says "my bow" and "mama bow" (blow)

Much to my surprise, I love being a boy mom! But I also realize we aren't to the stinky, dirty, icky stages just yet...and that's okay with me!