Fresh Homemade Salsa

First off, don't forget to stop by tomorrow because we have a giveaway!!!

I'm IN LOVE with this salsa. It is super easy to make and I always get a ton of compliments on it. If you like fresh chunky salsa you will love this! And it isn't hard to make at all, just a lot of chopping. And if you wanted it a little less chunky it would be even easier because all you would have to do is put the veggies in the blender and voila!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/2 small white or yellow onion, diced

1garlic clove, chopped

1 lime, zest and juice

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 red pepper, diced

1/4 green pepper, diced

1/4 orange pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

4 roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 cup frozen corn

1 can black beans, drained

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Dice the onion and garlic. Put it in a bowl with the oil and juice and zest of the lime. Let sit while you chop the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight.

If you choose to use the blender, rough chop all the veggies (minus the corn) and throw them in the blender with the juice and zest of the lime, the oil, salt, and the cilantro. Then blend until the consistency you desire. Add corn and black beans.

Ugh, I love this stuff!! We add it to everything!! My most favorite is mixing it in an omelet. But I also love just eating it on it's own with some chips!! YUM!!

We can Wednesday!!

So, this week I'm not doing well at motivation, again........aaaaaaggggggain........but that's ok. I'm sorry. It's honestly just too damn cold. Maybe I can figure out how to get in the swing of things again when it's warm and then maybe next summer will be my summer to be skinny. haha. Pray for no broken bones!! If it wasn't for that stupid foot I'd still be on track. I just need a routine and not one that demands be to work out every single day of the week. And how can you resist doing things like this...

But one thing I am good at is meal prep. Well, at least for lunch and sometimes breakfast. lol. And the way I do it it doesn't take me long at all!! So....I figured I would share some things with you guys and hopefully it can help you, too!!

Breakfast, is so simple. Hard boil some eggs grab 2 every morning and enjoy. I also love me some breakfast wraps. Scramble some eggs, throw in a tiny bit of shredded cheese, some sauteed onions and peppers, turkey sausage if you have it, wrap it up. Wrap it in saran wrap or foil. Freeze. Grab one whenever you need it and throw it in the microwave on like 70% for a few minutes and turn halfway. Here is a recipe I wrote a while ago on Hopelessly Ever After.

OK, now lunch...now, to each their own, but I love seafood. So most of my lunches consist of fish or shrimp, but chicken is also definitely the way to go!! I usually get the big frozen bag of tilapia and the cooking is the EASIEST!! OK, thaw your fish, then sprinkle each side with some salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, etc. Then, broil top side down for about 5ish minutes depending on the size. When they start to turn white, you're good. Then turn it over and brush a tiny bit of light mayo...and I mean a tiny bit over the top and broil for a few more minutes. Done. Cook up some rice and broccoli and you're done!!

For the shrimp, I also buy mine frozen. I prefer the uncooked kind because I like to sauté mine in garlic and a little bit of olive oil, but it's up to you. The uncooked kind is a little more time consuming because you have to shell them. But honestly, so easy. Sprinkle a tiny bit of olive oil in a saute pan, then add some minced garlic. Drop in those thawed shrimp, sprinkle some salt and pepper and move em around a little until they turn pink. Don't overcook because remember you have to reheat when lunchtime comes. Then again, cook up some rice and broccoli and you're done!! 

OK and lunch numero tres!! Mike and I make an awesome, easy as 'ish crockpot chicken. It's not as healthy as grilled chicken, but it's soooo good. AND....you can use FROZEN chicken!! That's right!!! OK, so, put a few frozen chicken breasts in a crockpot, about 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, half a packet of taco seasoning, half a packet of ranch seasoning (you can do a whole packet we just try to keep it healthier). Cook on low at least 6 hours. We like to drain some of the broth out just to dry it up a little for tacos but if you're putting it on rice you might want it a little moist. moist. moist. Add some hot sauce or fresh salsa and voila!!

What do you prep for your meals?!?! I need ideas!!

Linking up for...

Taste of Tuesday - Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Mike LOVES cabbage. I had never had cabbage until I met him. (I guess my parents didn't like it??) The first time I had cabbage his mom had fried it. It was delicious. Then, we tried stuffed cabbage that, once again, his mom had made. Again, very good. We don't have it very often, but when I came across this recipe on Skinnytaste I immediately thought it was something that I would do for him. While also, ultimately, keeping it healthy for me. ;)

     The recipe didn't seem that difficult, however, it definitely took some time. In fact, after rereading the recipe, Mike ended up having to make this one. We wouldn't have eaten until 8 o'clock if I did it.

     The casserole turned out really good. I even made the comment to Mike that it was one of the first things that we made that actually looked like the picture!! What an accomplishment!! It tasted good, too. I have to admit it isn't my favorite cabbage recipe (or maybe that's just because someone else didn't make it) but it was definitely good. And it makes a ton!! Plenty of leftovers, for sure. 

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole 

(the healthy version)

(once again stealing it from Hopelessly Ever After)

INGREDIENTS:

     1 lb. 95% lean ground beef

     2 tsp. olive oil, divided

     1 large onion, diced

     1 tbsp minced garlic

     1/2 tsp. dried thyme

     1 tsp. paprika

     salt and pepper, to taste

     1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped

     1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes, undrained

     1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

     1/4 cup water

     2 cups brown rice, cooked

     2 cups low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a large baking pan with nonstick spray. 

     Brown ground beef in a skillet, remove and set aside. In the same pan, add 1tsp olive oil and diced onion and cook until onion is translucent. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika. Cook an additional 2 minutes. Then, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Pour in water. Simmer about 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened.

     Cut cabbage in half and cut out the core. Roughly chop into 1 inch pieces. Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the cabbage. Cook over medium heat until cabbage is wilted and half cooked turning frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When meat mixture has cooked and thickened, stir in brown rice. Add half the meat mixture to the casserole dish, then top with half the cabbage. Then layer again. 

     Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes or until casserole is starting to bubble. Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese. Bake another 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!

Taste of Tuesday - Chicken Taquitos

I made these last week and couldn't wait to share them with you. They were so good and a nice change from the typical chicken and rice or chicken tacos we were having. It may be the same ingredients, but changing them around a little is how you can stay healthy and keep it fresh!!

And, the best part. They're pretty healthy. There is a little bit of cream cheese in it but we used the 1/3 less fat to cut down a little.

They also don't take that much time. Well, at least for us. We always have cooked chicken breast on hand because chicken and rice is our go to staple for any lunch craving.

OK, so here's the recipe!! Let me know if you try them out. They are sooo delish!!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

INGREDIENTS:

3 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup verde (we used a garlic lime one, yum!!)

juice from half a lime (our verde had lime so we skipped this)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp green onions, sliced

2 cups shredded cooked chicken 

1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese

small flour tortillas (use corn to make it even healthier) 

salt

cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray a baking dish with a small amount of cooking spray.

Mix first 7 ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add cilantro and onions. Mix again. Add chicken and cheese and mix everything together. 

Using the microwave, heat up tortillas between paper towels for about 15 seconds.

Spoon desired amount of chicken mixture onto tortillas and roll up. Place seam side down onto baking sheet. Continue until mixture is gone. Make sure tortillas are not touching each other and lightly spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle some salt over each tortilla.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tortillas seem crisp. Voila!! Enjoy!!

Linking up with Ashley and Jessica today for Taste of Tuesday!!