A Day Off + Easy Tamale Pie Recipe

Hey, folks! I hope you are all having a lovely week so far. After teaching a high intensity circuit training class yesterday morning, I had the entire day free from any obligations. It was truly amazing! I was able to get three loads of laundry washed and dried, I read more of Wild, and I sat down and watched a movie; yes, I watched a full movie in the middle of the day!

Throughout the day, I made three loaves of bread (two to give away and one to keep) with my bread machine I bought with graduation money. If I remember correctly, I've made 10 loaves of bread so far. Each loaf has turned out great and the machine itself still works like a charm (thank goodness!).

My favorite thing about being home in the evening is being able to make dinner. I love the taste of Mexican food, but I'm not always in the mood to "pretty-up" and go out for dinner... So, when the craving hit me today, I made a super simple dish: Tamale Pie. If you're unfamiliar with Tamale Pie, it's a Mexican-style dish made of a meat mixture baked with cornbread on top. The recipe that inspired me was meant to be cooked in a slow cooker, but I didn't want it to be an all-day process; I just wanted to cook it and be done with it! It tasted great (a million times better than the photo looks!) and it definitely satisfied my craving for Mexican food.

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs ground meat (I used 93% lean ground beef)
1/2 small onion, peeled and diced
1 can black beans (15 ounces), rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn (11 ounces), drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green peppers (14.5 ounces), drained
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 package (8.5 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix (I used Jiffy brand)
2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350* F and spray a 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef and onions together until the meat is cooked through. Drain the mixture and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, cheese, cilantro, salt, chili powder, pepper, and cumin. Mix until well incorporated. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for about 15 minutes.

While the mixture is baking, beat the eggs in a small mixing bowl. Add the cornbread/muffin mix and mix well. Spoon the mixture over the meat mixture and continue baking for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

 

Healthy Refried Black Beans

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! Despite all of the Mexican-themed dishes I have seen online and on TV lately, I kind of forgot about Cindo de Mayo when I was doing my meal planning for the week. I had already bought the ingredients to make my favorite meatloaf, so I decided to make a festive afternoon snack instead... healthy refried black beans- served as a dip with whole grain tortilla chips. Fun fact: black beans are packed with protein and fiber and have only 1 gram of fat per serving!

I prepped my crock pot and turned it to the low setting before going to work this morning. By the time I got home from my first official training run this afternoon, the house smelled amazing!

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry black beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
8 cups water

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on high for 6-8 hours and add more water as needed. (I cooked mine on low for 6 hours and had plenty of liquid.)

Once the beans have cooked, strain them and reserve the liquid.

 

Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved liquid as needed to attain desired consistency.

 

Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo today? If so, how?

What is your favorite Mexican dish?

Easy Bean and Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Today I want to share with you my recipe for Easy Bean and Chicken Enchilada Casserole. It really is super simple to make and it is so good! We had this for dinner the other night and it was so tasty that I got distracted and I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished product. I would probably go eat at a Mexican restaurant every day if I could; this recipe allows me to eat the yummy Mexican food I crave, but without the extra guilt!

For all of you busy people out there, this is so easy to throw together before work and bake when you get home. However, if you choose to do so, I recommend placing your baking dish in the oven while the oven preheats. In case you didn’t already know, a cold glass or ceramic dish in a hot oven could be a recipe for disaster.

Ingredients:

Small onion, chopped and sautéed in olive oil (I used a yellow onion)

Package of whole wheat tortillas (I used 8”)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 small can of green chilies
1 can of enchilada sauce
2 cups reduced fat cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
Tomatoes, fat-free sour cream, etc. for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350*.

Mix beans, chicken, chilies, ¾ of the cheese, onions, and the rice in a medium sized mixing bowl.

 

Spread about 3 tablespoons of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.

Divide the mixture among the tortillas and roll them up!

Place the tortillas in the baking dish, seam side down.

Cover the tortillas with the remaining enchilada sauce (about ½ a cup or so) and cheese.

Cook for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with your toppings of choice and enjoy!

Easy Fiesta Chicken Casserole

It can be pretty difficult to put together a decent dinner when you are crunched for time. I often go to the gym in the evenings and want to eat something right away after a hard workout; it’s a pain when I have no time for cooking up a wholesome meal.

Enter “Fiesta Chicken Casserole”. This is so easy to make and I didn’t even need to make a trip to the grocery store. It's packed with whole grains, protein, and fiber and tastes delicious. It's a much healthier alternative to many of the dishes you can order at your local Mexican restaurant. This dish can be prepped the night before or the morning before and tossed into the oven for a quick meal.

Easy Fiesta Chicken Casserole

(Adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked

1 cup prepared salsa
1 can diced tomatoes (I used one with peppers and onion)
1 can corn, drained (I used the no salt added kind)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed/shredded (I boiled mine, but feel free to use rotisserie chicken)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
8 ounces of sliced or shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F and lightly coat a 13” X 9” baking dish with cooking spray. Combine cooked brown rice, salsa, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, chicken breast pieces, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Cook for 15 minutes covered. Remove casserole from oven and top with cheese. Continue baking for 15 more minutes or until heated throughout.

Although this dish is great as-is, a dollop of fat-free sour cream or guacamole would be dreamy!

Enjoy!