Roasted pepper, goat cheese, & basil pasta

Happy Friday! Thank goodness it's the weekend, amiright?! The weather here has suddenly cooled to a beautiful 80-degrees-and-sunny for the last couple days, which is unheard of mid-July in North Carolina. We have been eating out on our back patio in the evenings, exercising outside, and overall just enjoying the lack of humidity. It's been lovely. It also makes it especially hard to sit in an office all day, hence the strong TGIF emotions I've been feeling all day!

A long weekend

The last couple weeks in instagram

1  The rental truck for 1/2 of the move (we did it in two parts on different days. totally a great idea). Note the "rent me" sign - no, you cannot rent my husband, just the truck.
2  These terrible toes have sadly gotten worse since this picture. They just haven't been a priority I guess. Definitely need to fix them this weekend.
3  A sunset from our back patio - not edited! Isn't it amazing?
4  Found this guy in our kitchen... went to sweep him out and found out he was still alive! (when the hubby wasn't home of course) Let's just say I won the battle and I'm pretty darn proud of myself.
5  Homemade iced coffee - mm mm good!
6  A quick trip to the beach in SC last weekend. It was so fun to see my family and this little cutie!
7  Michael finally picked out a grill and got it put together. We had friends over last night and grilled kabobs out on the patio. It was perfect!
8  I love that we now live in an older neighborhood and actually see some wildlife - this little bunny was hopping around in my neighbor's front yard.
9  A sneak peek of something in the house that actually looks put together! Once I have some more areas of the house ready I'll have some great before + afters coming up!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Chicken Taco Chili



via Skinny Taste

I have never really loved chicken chili. I think it's because I have only tried White Chicken Chili, and I always feel like there is something to be desired after I finish eating it. I just love the traditional rich tomato-based chili sauce so much, and the white chicken-broth sauce really doesn't quite satisfy me. When I found Gina's recipe, I was excited that it was a red meat alternative to traditional chili and would hopefully still have the same delicious flavor. And I was not disappointed! This is one of the best chilis I've ever had. It's loaded with beans, corn, and that rich spicy flavor my tastebuds crave. I served it over instant brown rice with shredded colby jack cheese and a dollop of low-fat sour cream. I left out the cilantro to save money, but I'm sure that would make it even more amazing. The best part is that the leftovers taste just as great! We served this for four and after already eating some leftovers, we still have more.

Chicken Taco Chili

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 can corn, drained
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (I used Rotel)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder, or to taste
24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
any desired toppings - sour cream, cheese, cilantro, rice

Combine everything in slow cooker except for chicken; mix well. Lay chicken on top (cut breasts into fours if you want it to cook faster) and cover. Cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 10 hours. Half an hour before cook time is over, remove chicken to shred, and then stir back in.

adapted from Skinny Taste.

Zucchini and Black Bean Skillet

Do you ever feel like cooking is therapeutic? There's something about taking a bunch of ingredients and then creating something that smells and tastes delicious. Tonight was a night where I wanted to cook. I went straight to Harris Teeter from work so I could get the ingredients for this recipe I saw on Pinterest (right now I'm on a veggie kick, and you know my love for black beans). I finally got home and cleared out my kitchen to prepare for cooking, only to find out I bought a CUCUMBER instead of a ZUCCHINI. Wow, my brain really must have been somewhere else while I was shopping. I ended up going back to HT for my zucchini, because I was determined to cook tonight. (This extra trip actually worked in my favor because I picked up a bottle of wine that I also forgot, of which I'm now  enjoying a glass!) I'm so glad I went back for the zucchini, because this recipe was delicioso! I also needed that stress-relieving time in the kitchen. So much that after dinner I baked some more chocolate chip pumpkin muffins. It turned out to be a good night after all :)

Zucchini and Black Bean Skillet

1 tablespoon olive oil (or canola)
1-2 zucchinis, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with garlic
3/4 cup water
1 cup instant brown rice
1/2 cup Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and green pepper, saute for 5 minutes. Add black beans, undrained tomatoes, and water. Increase and bring to a boil. Add rice, stir well.

Cover and let stand for 8-10 minutes (until water is absorbed). Sprinkle with cheese and serve!

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Source: Ready Set Eat

This post is featured in Alderberry Hill's "Make the Scene Monday" and Dittle Dattle's "Amaze Me Monday" Link parties

Best-Ever Cheeseburger Pie

This recipe is a favorite of mine from my mom's collection of yummy recipes. It is delicious, and I would also say a safe dish to serve with guests because it has some pretty basic ingredients. The great thing about this recipe is it already has your basic food groups before you even add sides: meat, veggie, dairy, starch. I usually serve it with salad, and sometimes I'll do sweet potato fries. So good!!

Here are the ingredients:

 

Start by chopping the onion. I'm not crazy about onions, so I usually do about half of a small one. Use your discretion here. There is no wrong amount!

Saute the meat and onion, add salt & pepper.

Use your butter or cooking spray to coat a 10" pie dish or 8" square dish. After the meat is thoroughly cooked, put into greased dish.

Top with the tomato, and then sprinkle with basil and cheese.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with oil and milk.

 

Add the flour mixture and mix until it's not lumpy.

Pour the batter over the meat in the pie dish.

Now you are ready to bake it!

Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, or until lightly brown on top. And voila! You now have a yummy dish that serves 4-6.

Hope you enjoy this recipe! Michael likes to add Lawry's seasoned salt to his helping. I'm sure it would be good with some other seasoning, too - chili powder maybe? Have fun experimenting!

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