Tasty Tuesday | Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe I came up with when I was in one of my cooking ruts. I was looking for new food finds, and discovered frontera green chile enchilada sauce at my local grocery store. I decided to give it a try, and whipped up this recipe. We now enjoy these enchiladas often at our house. If your family likes food with Mexican flair as much as mine, I think this recipe will be a winner!

ingredients

1 cup shredded chicken breast, cooked

 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 can diced green chiles

6 tortillas, corn or flour

1 packet Fontera Green Chile Enchilada Sauce 

instructions

1. Mix together green chiles and shredded chicken.

2. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and cheese.

3. Roll into enchiladas and place in a 8x8 baking dish.

4. Preheat oven to 350*.

5. Top enchiladas with green chile sauce and remaining cheese.

6. Bake enchiladas for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted.

7. Let cool, and serve with your favorite Mexican side dishes.

8. ENJOY!

I usually bake two chicken breasts and shred them for the filling, and I always use reduced fat cheese. However, canned or rotisserie chicken will also work. I've found the Fontera green chile enchilada sauce at super Target and my local grocery store, so I'm sure it can be found at most grocery stores. We also usually top with light sour cream. 

Bon appetite!

Tasty Tuesday | Grilled Hickory Bourbon Chicken

We all know that when summer comes around it means grilling season is on us! At our house, we love our grill year ‘round but I especially love it in the summer. I am not a fan of heating up the house with the oven on a 90*+ day if I don’t have to. Grilled chicken is also a very popular dish at our house, but I’m always looking for new recipes so we don’t get burnt out. We’ve taken this chicken with us to two different cookouts, and made it at home this summer and it never seems to disappoint! It has a nice, rich, savory flavor and just the right amount of bbq taste. We typically pair it with some grilled veggies, and dinner is served!

ingredients

1 lb chicken breast {boneless and skinless}

1 cup Stubb’s Hickory Bourbon BBQ Sauce

salt and pepper to taste

instructions

1. Salt and pepper chicken on both sides.

2. Place chicken in gallon size baggie with sauce and let marinate. 

I typically will put the chicken in the sauce of a morning 

and let it marinate all day until it’s time to prepare dinner.

3. Grill chicken to 165 degrees. {until done}

4. Serve & enjoy!

I have found the Stubb’s sauce at Target and our local grocery store I shop at. I’m sure you can find it in multiple grocery chains. We’ve only tried this with that particular sauce, so using something different could give the chicken a different taste. Of course, you can use any BBQ sauce for a BBQ chicken, but the flavor this particular sauce gives is sure to make your taste buds light up!

Bon appetite!   

the balance.

When I first decided to start this little space and get back to blogging, I was nearing the end of my maternity leave. We were adjusting (and we still are) to being new parents since Mac was only a couple months old. I had a list of unknowns and questions I found myself asking about how our normal routine would be once I went back to work that I wrote about in this post. I knew at the time of writing the post that "we'd figure it out" as people told me, (ps: thanks for the tough love people) but the unknown is always a little nerve racking.

I've been back at work now for 6 weeks, and I think we're adjusting just fine. Mac is loving daycare, and mommy is enjoying being back in the office. We've found a good balance, but as with anything there's always room for improvement. We're "figuring it out" and it's working well so far! I have to take a moment to brag on my husband because I could not do it without him, and that's a fact. He's my biggest supporter and helper. He helps with our morning routine, and on most days he's the one who picks Mac up from daycare. He also helps in the evenings when it comes to bath and bedtime. Basically whatever needs to be done or where ever he's needed, he's there. He's a very hands-on daddy, and for that I am grateful. Becoming parents has made our relationship grow, and also forced us to communicate better. We've always made a good team, but parenthood has made us even better teammates!

I'm coming up on my one year work anniversary, and I couldn't be more happy with the decision I made to make a career change. Leaving a workplace I was at for 5+ years was not easy but as Pastor Craig preached one weekend last year, "sometimes it's easier to stay when it's better to go." When I was contemplating making the change and feelings of fear would come over me, I would hear that line from his message in the back of my head. Over the past year I have grown not only in my personal life, but also in my career. I've learned new things, conquered new challenges, and have done things I didn't know I was capable of doing. I've advanced far beyond what I ever imagined I'd be able to do in a year. (mind you, 12 weeks of being on maternity leave)  

source

I came to the conclusion while being on maternity leave that staying at home wasn't for me. I cherished every minute I was able to have with Mac during those 12 weeks, but I also looked forward to returning to work. After being back in the office and in the swing of things again, I still feel the same way and I will not ever allow myself to feel guilty for being a working mother. For me, having a career helps me keep life in balance. 

4 months old

It's often said that the older you get, the faster time goes by. When I was younger I never understood this statement, but now that I'm a mother myself I understand what people mean when they say this. It's true, time is passing way too quickly! Many people warned me that it would go by too fast, and I've discovered that they were not exaggerating. Today our baby boy is 4 months old! How is this possible?

Mac has developed quite the personality! He is smiling, talking, and laughing all the time. It makes our hearts so happy when he talks to us with a big smile on his face. I never knew motherhood would be this hard, but also so fun and rewarding. He is still loving his bouncer, and is also starting to like tummy time. He's getting stronger, and is starting to really hold himself up well. He loves bath time, riding in the car, and watching TV. He also loves to lay and kick. He's a morning person, and always has bright eyes and a big smile on his face when he wakes up. He loves his furry sister, and has recently started to really watch her around the house. He has started to grasp firmly, and likes holding his silkie and toys. He just recently discovered his feet, and he's been grabbing at them a lot. He loves to be propped up so he can see, and has been trying to sit up on his own. He's not quite there yet, but soon! He also very close to rolling over. He loves going to Mrs. Cindy's every day, and going to LifeKids at church. Mommy thinks he's starting to teethe because he's chewing on everything, and also has lots of slobber. He's eating 6 oz bottles, wearing size 3 diapers, and sleeping through the night! We tried cereal this past week, but he wasn't a big fan. We will try again soon!

Mac,
We can't believe it's already been 4 whole months since you came into our life, but we couldn't imagine life any other way. You are by far the best thing that's ever happened to mommy and daddy! We thank God every day for you, and for giving you to us. We love you more than you know!
XOXO,
Mommy

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Happy Weekend, friends! 

Tasty Tuesday | Taco Cupcakes

Like I've mentioned before, {and something you'll continue to hear from me} I like to keep things simple, easy, not complicated, etc. when it comes to cooking. I do enjoy cooking, but there's no need for it to be difficult or complicated. We all have enough difficult things going on in life, and making dinner shouldn't be one of them!

This recipe is easy, and always a hit at our house. I can't remember where I originally got it from, but every time I've ever made them they have never gone to waste. I'm sure these "cupcakes" would be a big hit for kids too! I mean what child wouldn't want cupcakes for dinner?! This is one of those dinners that everyone wins. It's easy to prepare, and everyone will love!

ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef 

1 packet taco seasoning

1 cup salsa or rotel

24 wonton wrappers

1 cup reduced fat Mexican blend cheese

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

instructions

1. Brown beef with taco seasoning, and drain if needed. 

Turkey or chicken can easily be substituted for beef.

2. Pour salsa in beef, mix together.

3. Preheat oven to 350.

4. Spray cupcake pan with nonstick spray.

 5. Line each cupcake hole with a wonton wrapper. Then repeat.

6. Fill wonton wrappers with beef mixture, then top with cheese.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Cheese will be melted and wonton wrappers should be crispy.

8. Pull from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

9. Remove from cupcake pan and top with sour cream. 

You can add any other taco toppings you wish. 
I substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream.

10. Serve and ENJOY!

the big surprise.

A year ago today... the day we received the biggest and best surprise of our life! I peed on a stick and got a positive pregnancy test. August 4, 2013 is the day we found out our little nugget was on his way!

I say "big surprise" loosely. My pregnancy was somewhat planned. We had not really been trying, but we also were not preventing and hadn't been for about 5 months. When it was time for my 2013 annual, we decided I would just discontinue my birth control and we would let whatever happened, happen. However, in late July I accepted a job offer with a new company so when I found out I was expecting days before starting at a brand new workplace, I was a little shocked to say the least.

I will never forget the morning I got the positive test. I was about to shower for the day, and was also a couple days late. I just knew there was no way I was pregnant, but decided to take a test just in case. I took the test and set it aside. I then went about my routine, and as I was about to step into the shower I glanced at the test and saw two pink lines clear as day! I was in shock. I screamed for Clete to come to the bathroom because we had company. {Side note: NEVER take a pregnancy test when you have company at your house. It's a horrible idea. NEVER do it!} Once he walked into the bathroom I shoved the test in his face, and immediately began sobbing. He didn't understand why I was so upset as we had decided months before that if it was God's time for us to begin our family we were completely okay with it. It just wasn't ideal to start a brand new job and be 7 weeks pregnant, but that's what I was going to do. After a few hours of being in shock, having to pretend like everything was normal until our company was gone, and then taking another test or two; I then began to get over the shock and be a little excited. I have wanted to be a mommy my whole life, and it's happened. I now look back at that morning and laugh at how I told my husband we were becoming parents. It wasn't how I had imagined I would tell him at all, but it was just how I reacted in the moment.

I sit here and look at our almost 4 month old baby boy in complete awe. Time is passing way too quickly, but life couldn't be better! I never could have imagined how our life would be today a year ago. He has changed our lives for the better, and is the biggest blessing we've ever received! This day last year we had tons of different emotions, and no idea how we'd be able to handle a baby, but fast forward to a year later and we're getting along just fine! We now couldn't imagine life without him in it. Looking back, August 4, 2013 has been one of the greatest days of our life!