How I Know I'm A Grown Up #17

Sleeping past sunrise feels like sleeping in.

Mexican Lasagna

This dish is super easy and is mostly assembly.  Serve with sour cream, guacamole and a green salad. It's also good with Spanish rice (substitute a 1/4 cup of salsa for water in rice cooker). Yum!

Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Jar of salsa (I like Muir Glen)
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Can of black beans
One box of LightLife Smart Ground (It's vegetarian meat that is so good My Heart's Desire did not know if was vegetarian for years!)

Fresh or frozen diced onion

Frozen or canned corn
Can of fire roasted tomatoes

Small can of chopped or sliced olives

Guacamole
3 cloves of garlic
1 t paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt, pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*

Cook the Smart Ground with diced onions and spices.  It takes only a few minutes and since it isn't really meat, it's not greasy and there's no fat to drain.  

Spray a square Pyrex dish with Pam.

Spread salsa over the bottom of the pan.  Add a tortilla.  Pour in some ground, beans, cheese, salsa, corn, tomatoes, and olives.  Put down another tortilla and repeat a couple more times. 

On the top tortilla, pour lots of salsa, cheese, and olives.  Cover the dish in foil.

Bake covered for 20-25 mins.  Then take off the foil and bake for another 5 mins or until the cheese is all melty.

Voila!  Dinner is ready.  Makes enough to feed 2 hungry people at dinner with a leftover lunch or two.

Today I got up with Babyface, played, cared for him, had a nice chat with my sister, started reading Nourishing Traditions, cleaned the bathroom, washed my delicates with Dr. Bonner's hippie soap,  met a friend for coffee, chat and hugs, cuddled with Babyface some more, hung out with My Heart's Desire, had dinner, and am going to bed early. 

Hippie Feet

As I mentioned, I've been considering signing up for a race to motivate me.  One of my friends sent me a link to some races, and after a little back and forth, we decided to sign up for the Earth Day 5K.  If this sounds familiar, it's because I participated in this race in 2010.  It's a really pretty course and well organized. 

I haven't participated in a race since Thankgiving 2010 and am still quite rusty.  I'm going to train for distance on this race.  It's at the end of April, so I have enough time to train inside on the treadmill on bad weather days and outside on nice ones.   

Slow in Love

One of the things that I got for Christmas was a slow cooker. I really wanted one.  My Heart's Desire fears that it will burn down our house but I have no such fear.  It immediately became a kitchen favorite!  Easy and delicious, what else does a soon-to-be-working mom need?

I've made about eight different things in it by now and some have been great and others have been not great.  Still, we haven't had to order pizza even with the flops.

My favorite thing so far has been Slow Cooker Jambalaya.  Real Jambalaya has shrimp and other delights from the sea.  Mine does not.  When I was pregnant with Babyface, I had an allergic reaction to shellfish and I am scared to eat it now.  Anyway, feel free to add some cooked shrimp at the end if you like.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya
1lb of chicken breasts or strips, cut into one-inch pieces
1/3 or 1/2 of turkey kielbasa, cut into one-inch pieces
2 green peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
3 oz tomato paste
1 can beef broth
1 can small red beans
1 T parsley
1 1/2 t basil
1/2 t oregano
1 t Tabasco
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t salt
3 cups cooked rice (I used the rice cooker)

Toss all ingredients except rice into the slow cooker.  Cook on low for six hours.  If you want to add cooked shrimp, put in for the last 20 minutes or so.  Pour over rice and serve.  Voila!  My Heart's Desire liked it too.

Today I am grateful for Babyface sleeping through the night, magazines, my slow cooker, hot water, comfy clothes, neti pot, thrift stores, patience, jazz vocals, and that I know how to type.