Oven Bean and Cheese Burritos

These are super simple and easy  to throw together for a weeknight dinner. My kids love this. Perfect for Meatless Mondays!

Oven Bean and Cheese Burritos

1 can refried beans
1 package soft shells, (8 ct burrito size)
3 green onions, sliced
2 C shredded cheese (reserve 1/2 C)
1 jar of Taco Bell Mild Sauce (or 1 1/2 C or you favorite salsa)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Split refried beans, 1 1/2 C shredded cheese and scallions evenly among 8 burrito shells. 
Fold in opposite sides of the burrito, then fold in the other opposite sides of the burrito creating a rectangle .
Place (end sides down) in a greasded 13x9 baking dish. Make 2 rows of 4 burritos.
Pour mild sauce over the entire dish.
Bake for 1 hour.
Top with reserve 1/2 C shredded cheese the last 5 min of baking.

Enjoy!

#ad Black Bean Burger Wraps with GrubMarket Avocados (REVIEW & GIVEAWAY too!)

I love lettuce wraps in lieu of buns. Don't get me wrong, I do love a nice ciabatta roll, but sometimes I want something lighter or am watching where my carbs are coming from. I wrap these black bean burgers that you can buy at Aldi Food Stores in my lettuce, but not before I top them with loads of other goodies including cheese, tomatoes, salsa and these organic avocados from Grub Market.

I knew my readers would love to hear about Grub Market and what exactly it is. It was new to me when I agreed to do this review and provide my readers with a giveaway. See that box full of fruits!!! They are all ORGANIC! When they arrived, they were either ready to eat or ripened in a few days. Included in this California Fruit Bounty Grub Box was a Pummelo, a Mandarin, a Blood Oranges, 2 Oranges, 3 Apples, a Pomegrante, an Avocado, a Pineapple, 2 Bosc Pears, and a container of Medjool Dates. This was the regular size grub box and it lasted our family of 4 about a week, but I also had some other fruits from the grocery store I already had purchased as well. They sell this box for $29.99, but is supposed to be a value of $45 and is for 2-3 people. They also sell a large box that is supposed to feed 5-6 people for $44.99 (value of $65).

Check back often or sign up for their email list to find out about specials on Grub Market. Right now they have organic loose red beets on sale for 50% off.

Now, the contents of your grub box can vary from time to time depending upon what is in season. So, what you see here might not be what my winner gets and might not be what you get with your order. You can also choose to have it delivered just one time or at a regular frequency every week, 2 weeks or 4 weeks.

Of course, you can always choose to buy each item individually and then you know exactly what you are getting. If you do that, I highly recommend these Medjool Dates. We had never had such wonderful tasting dates. Even the kids loved them and they weren't too sure about dates.

And it's not just produce they sell, you can buy a whole variety or food and beauty and health products on their website, but the greatest quantity of food is of the produce.Grub Market is helping make organic food, including produce available to anyone with just a few clicks online. My box was shipped via Fed Ex and if you buy $49+ you get free delivery as well.

If you like the GrubBox Idea, they also have a Sack Grub Box, Fruit and Snack Grub Box, and College Care Grub Box.

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO WIN A

REGULAR SIZE CALIFORNIA

GRUB BOX

(GIVEAWAY ENDS  2/12/16)

Find GrubMarket online:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Southwestern Chicken Stew

This time I am serving the stew on it's own, although you can also have Southwestern Chicken Stew over Rice. Plus, this recipe also makes a good freezer meal and I have included it in my post 10 Paleo Freezer Slow Cooker Meals.

Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken Stew

2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 C cilantro, minced
1 med red onion, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
15 oz can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can corn, drained
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 C tomato juice
24 oz salsa

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on Low for 8 hours. Shred chicken with 2 forks before serving.Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Saturday: Southwestern Chicken Stew

This is a wonderfully delicious thick stew that you can eat on it's own or serve over the top of rice or quinoa. This recipe will easily fit in your Clean Eating or Paleo diet.

Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken Stew
2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1" cubed
1/2 C cilantro, minced
1 med red onion, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
15 oz can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can corn, drained
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 C tomato juice
24 oz salsa

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on Low for 8 hours. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Thrifty Thursday: Slow Cooker Beans Recipe

Last week, I shared with you about saving money by making baked potatoes in your crock pot and this week I am going to tell you  how simple it is to take dried beans and cook them. Beans are an excellent protein source and vital to a clean eating diet, or should be vital to any diet. I know beans are relatively inexpensive when you can get them for under $1 a can. I often buy them when they are on sale for 2/$1, but I can also buy a pound of dried beans for $1, which will make about 6 cups of beans, which is an even better deal than my sale can beans. And if you buy in bulk, you can lower the price even further.

Now for the directions - super simple!

Directions: Rinse and drain dried beans. Pour beans in to a slow cooker and cover with 8 cups of water. Cook on low for 8 hours.

So, what will you make with your beans? Some burritos? Soup? How about some of my recipes that use beans:

• Three Bean Salad
• Clean Eating Brownies
• Pinto de Gallo
• Slow Cooker Minestrone
• Homemade Hummus
• Black Bean Soup
• Quinoa, Black Bean and Avocado Salad
• Turkey, Quinoa and Black Bean Burgers
• Slow Cooker White Chili
• Fresh Black Bean Salsa
• Or get more ideas from my post "Stretch Your Budget with Beans"

Make It Monday: Three Bean Salad Recipe

You are going to love this recipe for Three Bean Salad! It combines all your favorites, plus some new things and uses balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a good quality balsamic vinegar is. You could probably forego the honey because a REALLY good balsamic vinegar will have both a sweet and tang taste.


Three Bean Salad
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Garbanzo Beans
1 can Green Beans
1/2 Red Onion, minced
1 med cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 C balsamic vinegar (a good quality one!!)
1 T honey
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried cilantro

Directions:

• Combine all beans, onion and cucumber in a large bowl.
• Stir to combine.
• In a shaker container, combine balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, garlic and cilantro and Shake.
• Pour over vegetables in bowl.
• Stir to cover.
• Let sit for at least 1/2 hour before serving.
• Enjoy!

Double Your Meatloaf with Beans in This Recipe!

Double the size of your meatloaf at a fraction of the cost, fat & calories by using Van Camps pork & beans instead of doubling your meat. This recipe still has a pound of ground beef, so they won't even know that a second pound is missing for such a large loaf that SERVES 8. 

I often see Van Camps pork & beans on sale for 2/$1 or even sometimes I have seen it as a loss-leader for 3/$1. Instead of paying $3 for another pound of ground beef, you could pay 50-cents or less. Give it a try!

When I made this, my husband knew I did something to it since I am always doing something to a recipe to make it healthier but he had no idea that it was beans in there for half the ground beef until I showed him a bean that I had not mashed very well.

Also be sure to read my post on Northern Cheapskate titled "Learn to Stretch Your Budget with Beans"

Meat and Beans Meatloaf Recipe
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 C fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 C finely chopped onion
1/2 C shredded carrot
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 pound ground beef
1 15 oz can Van Camps Pork & Beans, mashed
Ketchup for the top, optional

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees
* Beat eggs in a separate bowl
* Mash beans with sauce in a bowl using a hand potato masher
*Combine eggs, beans. bread crumbs, onion, carrots, basil, oregano and beef in a bowl
*Mix well - I find the best way it to use your clean hands to mix meatloaf and to shape in to a loaf
*Shape mixture and place in a bread loaf pan
*Top with ketchup, if desired
* Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour

Make It Monday - Quinoa, Black Bean & Avocado Salad

I found several version of this recipe out there, but sometimes a recipe just tastes better when you simplify it. Plus, I wanted a single serving recipe because sometimes we are eating different things. What I love about this recipe is that it has a handful of ingredients from the fridge (I made up quinoa in advance and had it in the fridge to make several meals out of it) and it made up quickly.

Quinoa, Black Bean and Avocado Salad

2/3 C cooked quinoa
1/2 C black beans
1 small avocado
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 lime

Directions:
Toss quinoa, beans, avocado, and cilantro together. Place cherry tomatoes on top. Squeeze the juice of 1/4 lime over the salad. Serves 1.

ENJOY!

7 Ideas for Clean Eating Lunch

Today, I am presenting you with 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Lunch, be sure to check out all four of my posts in this series (this will be updated with links once future the posts have been created.)

• 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Breakfast
• 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Snacks
• 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Lunch
• 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Dinner

All of the following photographs are taken by me and are of meals I made in my home.

Idea #1: Tuna and Veggie Wrap and a Side of Fruit - I added some balsamic vinegar & a little bit of olive oil to my tuna and placed the tuna "salad" on an Ezekiel wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, & homemade pickles. Yum!

Idea #2: Egg Salad Sandwich with a Side of Fruit - Use this Eat-Clean Diet Egg Salad Recipe and serve on some high fiber bread. I left out the onions and celery from this recipe because egg salad is one of those comfort foods for me and I like it plain, without any type of vegetable added.

This is the soup before I pureed it.

Idea #3: Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup - Soup is filling, but with this soup you still need to add in some protein to your lunch. So, why not add a side of Ants on a Log.

Idea #4: Crockpot Black Bean Soup - With the addition of beans to your soup, you have included a protein to have a very filling meal. Add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to the top, if desired. I love to make soups in the crockpot because I can get it going when I wake up and depending if I set it to low or high I have can have it ready for dinner (low for 6-8 hours) or lunch (high for 3-4 hours.)

Crockpot Black Bean Soup Recipe
2 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
8 C broth
4 carrots, sliced
4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 med onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T cumin
1 T basil
1/4 C fresh cilantro

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hour. Serve & enjoy!

Idea #5: Quick Packed Lunch Bag - Go for the Greek Yogurt and some fruit. Typically, cheese is not allowed in the Clean Eating Diet because of the amount of saturated fat (30% in one stick) it contains, but you can have it occasionally and in small amounts. I like these cheese sticks because they are portion sized and you can occasionally indulge while controlling your portion size and pack in 7g of protein and 20% calcium.

Idea #6: Tabouleh with an Ezekiel wrap and alfalfa sprouts - Tabbouleh is very easy to make with the  box mix from Fantastic Foods, but it is also quite easy to make with a Tabbouleh recipe. Don't forget to make up some clean Pita Bread (so easy!) if you don't have Ezekiel wraps.

Idea #7: Quinoa, Black Bean and Avocado Salad - In my efforts to incorporate more grains I have discovered quinoa which also provides some protein as well. Quinoa is quite easy to make in a rice cooker and it provides a good base to add items to for a healthy and clean salad. I am very happy I discovered this salad because it is fast becoming a favorite. I found that the more I simplified this recipe, the tastier is was.