[bites] cheesy enchilada casserole- my version

monday i wanted to make taco's and a beef enchiladas but realized i didn't have any sauce and i didn't feel like making any homemade. i found this recipe but tweaked it with what i already had. turned out delicious! my changes are in in red. enjoy!

cheesy enchilada casserole via totally recipes

1 lb ground chuck
1 large onion, chopped  [1 decent size shallot]
2 1/2 cups salsa           [1 jar newmans black bean and corn salsa + 1 jar newsman's medium salsa]
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons taco seasoning [homemade]
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
6 to 8 flour tortillas (8 to 10 inches)
1 can corn, drained
3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, cook the ground chuck and onion over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain the beef. Add in the salsa, beans, dressing, sour cream, corn, taco seasoning, and cumin. Stir and mix well.

Place a layer of this beef mixture on the bottom of a two quart baking dish. Next, add a layer of grated cheese. Place a layer of flour or corn tortillas on top of grated cheese layer, then layer with the beef mixture again – then another cheese layer – then another layer of flour or corn tortillas. Repeat as many layers as you like or have room for. The top layer should be a nice amount of grated cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. To prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil, it helps to spray the inside of the foil with spray oil (like Pam) first.

Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Makes 8 servings.

catching up wednesday

sarge bearington hitching an easter egg hunt ride

1. she named her bear after austin's bear on austin and ally. [ham got her that bear when she was born]

2. friday kaylee spent the night over at friends house and got to ride the only bus our school has. [everyone else either gets dropped off or walks]

3. after 5 or so outfit changes, we went to drop off kaylee's sleeping bag and overnight bag to her friends house. 

4. she wanted to see us before we headed down to mike's friends house for our own sleep over.

5. we went to a mexican place for dinner then to see the spazmatics- an 80's cover band.

6. the boys drank too much. [his friend's wife was the designate driver since she had a mud run the next morning]

7. the next morning we actually made it down to galveston to watch her and her team run.

8. after eating a late mexican breakfast, mike and i decided to see what houses were for sale in the village of tiki island. [its right before you hit galveston]

9. we even got to go through an open house.

10. depending on mike's next move with his company, we are considering moving closer to galveston. while our house will be smaller we're hoping the outside living space, boat and jet skis make up for it.

random stuff

via my instagram so don't go stealing my picture

1. had an awesome easter.

2. been doing 4-5 miles and running at least 1- 1.5 miles of it.

3. currently at 971,616 steps since january. need to get to that million to get my 500 points for our health insurance benefits.

4. tried eating some sweets but they didn't taste very good so i think the weight loss tea is working.

5. did some good shopping.  had birthday coupons to use. vera bradley was the best one- 40% off an item while anthropology was a stink'n 15%. (i've spent so much money in that store this past year!)

6. also have an addiction to bags/purses. yup, ordered another one "on the line" (quote from the movie internship)

7. watching dancing with the stars and hope meryl davis wins.

8. also watching 19 kids and counting/courting and the little couple. tonight i watched truetori instead. can't help it. i've always liked her.

9. went to our first crawfish boil saturday and tried my first mudbug. taste like shrimp!

10. still cleaning and doing laundry.

getting myself back into shape

via instagram

 (but can't remember the name)

1. i hate that i say this [in my mind] every morning and every night or whenever i look in the mirror.

2. i'm not trying to be all about weight but this is the heaviest i have ever been and i'm not liking it. [i say that every time i get heavier]

3. it depresses me because i don't feel healthy. its not all about my eating habits because they're not horrible but its that i'm not moving. [eats less move more motto]

4. so why don't you do something about it you ask?

5. well, because my body and my mind are fighting and my mind is winning. [telling me i can't run/walk or to eat junk food]

6. so last night i made tortilla soup which i think is pretty healthy. i love that i know all the ingredients thats in there. [mike had his with a cheese quesdilla.]

7. and i've continued by eating a bowl of granola and a healthy lunch today.

8. i'm also drinking this ice tea to help curb that afternoon sweet tooth appetite. [i also like their get clean and get charged teas.]

9. and i'm hoping to go for a walk/run once kaylee gets home from school.

10. and i'm making myself earn my sweet treats thats only redeemable on the weekends. i have to walk/run 3-5 miles for 5-6 days a week in order to get my treat.  

LET'S DO THIS!

an awesome birthday weekend

1.  so last thursday was my birthday. i got this in the mail and knew who it was when i saw it was from hawaii. 

2. that would be one of my favorite people from indiana who knows that heather brown is my favorite hawaiian artist. (this is her new book.)

 3. this was delivered in the afternoon sent by my sweet family.  i've always wanted one and i have to say they are awesome. did you know it costs extra for pineapple and chocolate?

 4. then mike came home with these.  the one on the right is kind of a joke bouquet. he use to get me those all the time and one time i asked him if he realized they had other arrangements that had different varieties of flowers? (not saying he had to get me more expensive ones!)

5. then we went to campioni's (local restaurant) for dinner. the food was so awesome!

 6. this is mike retrieving one of my earrings he knocked into the 68 degree pool. thats what he gets for trying to push me friday morning after our 2 mile walk.

7.  mike's parents and my parent's sent me money. (yeah- money!)

8.  saturday, before dinner, we took ham shopping for clothes. he got 2 pairs of shorts and a shirt. we went to one store for 30 minutes then he was done- men!

 9. we went to benihana's to continue my birthday celebration. i wanted ham to be there.
(he should be smiling after what we spent on his 2 pairs of shorts and shirt!)

10. and one with me and the kids. it was an awesome birthday!
 (our waiter wrote happy 18th birthday on the receipt so i'm keeping it with my other birthday cards)

wishful thinking

hawaii 2011

1. oh how i wish i back there! or living there. 

2. the weekend was good, didn't do too much.

3. in fact, sunday, i didn't do squat and i kinda liked it.

4. mike was feeling adventurous on monday and suggested we drive 45-50 miles to eat dinner at sharky's. it was a gorgeous day to eat by the lake.

5. mike's usually in bed by 8:30, vapor locking by 9 so he can get up by 3:30-4 to go run.

6. monday i started this cleanse. i'm having a hard time doing step 3. its making me feel sick so i'm going to try and take it with some food. (like with a banana or kind bar)

7. i have a hard time doing anything with a powder mix so i'm proud of myself for making it to day 3.

8. the mom whose baby shower i went to last week sent a few pics of me last night. i look like a quarter back! (small head, big shoulders/body) 

9. so i'm going to start watching what i eat, how much of it and of course get exercising! (as soon as i pop that blister thats still on my foot!)

10. yes, i still have that dang blister on my foot. its still the size of my thumbnail but its less painful and its getting softer. now to work up the nerve to pop it. (my neighbor whose a doctor said i should pop it)

thursday was a great day

a rare moment (that ham actually let me take this!)

natural bridge caverns/san antonio

1. had a great day yesterday. went to hobby lobby and got a custom matte for ham's frame of the united states. only cost me 10 bucks since they let me use the 40% off coupon.

2. then headed to michaels to get a few wood boxes so i can make them pretty for my best friend who lives in arizona. (they didn't have the size i wanted at hobby lobby)

3. i called her on wednesday to see how she's been. we talked for about an hour and it was so good to hear her voice. i always miss her.

4. went to the evil panera bread for some cinnamon rolls, spinach + bacon soufflé and tried their iced green tea. i am in love!

5. of course had to stop into charming charlies because its right next door. found 2 tops and barrettes because i had to spend $45.00 in order to get $15.00 off. (i actually forgot i had that coupon till i went to check out)

6. then i came home to eat the spinach and bacon soufflé for lunch and decided to call microsoft office 365 because they keep charging ham $11.00 a month for a trial subscription???

7. the guy i ended up talking too tricked me by saying that he couldn't get me a refund for the one month...he got me a refund for both months ham was charged!! (i wasn't even expecting any refund so bonus!)

8. then i had to text ham telling him i got it taken care and bam- thats how its done i rock! he said whatever.

9. got my orla kiely purse and its going to work so much better than the dooney one. the shoulder strap is wider and sturdier and my big dog camera fits in there nicely without it being too bulky.

10. mike came home telling me people at his office are asking him where his wife finds his socks because he is now known as the "cool sock guy". (my words, not his)

i love food!

roasted shrimp enchiladas 

via: damn delicious

1. i made this for dinner last night. oh its sooooo good that we're going to have it again tonight.

2. after tasting the shrimp filling, i left out the jalapeno's in the cream sauce since it was plenty spicy already. i even made a salad to go with it.

3. a friend invited me over for lunch yesterday. she made a chicken curry pasta dish that was yummy.

4. i took some cupcakes from a local bakery as a thank-you.

5. not sure whats going on but ifeel more energized this week that i even feel like cleaning house!

6. or i'm just so sick of the dust bunnies flying around that i'm ready to clean them up!

7. i'm waiting for my new orla kiely purse to arrive- any day now. i'm hoping this one will be better as my camera purse. (the strap on the dooney purse is too thin and hurts my shoulder)

8. i'm also waiting for my erin condren purchase.... i need to go on a spending freeze!

9. monday, kaylee and i watch dancing with the stars. we're rooting for james, meryl and charlie.

10. i mentioned something about how good looking james maslow is.  kaylee wouldn't agree with me out loud because her dad was there but very slyly she shook her head yes. it was so funny!

the weekend

1.  friday, after eating lunch with kaylee, mike and i went and bought lots of flowers.

 2. saturday was spent planting those flowers.

3. i got bit twice by a fire ant.

4. saturday evening i went to a baby shower. it was fun, the good was yummy and i won a game.

5. sunday, we went looking for more flowers but didn't see any at a different garden center.

6. so we went to willies for a late lunch.

7. after eating a late lunch, i came home to do this:

8. that's chicken parmesan, blackened tilipia, mahi, salmon, steak and grilled chicken with pasta, potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, and mac n cheese. (there's also chili and corn bread from a previous meal)

9. ham took most of it with him. he just puts them in his freezer till he's ready to eat one. lets them defrost in the fridge for the day then he's got a home cooked meal.

10. my friend tania said that it almost made her cry when she saw this because it shows what a good mom i am.  proud mama moment.