Baked Nachos

Lunch is one of those meals that I tend to struggle with. I spend most of my effort on breakfast and dinner, so lunch leaves me wondering why my family needs to eat so often and if it is really my turn to feed them again.

When my kids were smaller, I usually had leftovers from dinner that we could eat the next day and then we'd fill in the gaps with sandwiches, so I didn't have to think about it much. These days, I still have leftovers, but not enough to feed everyone, so I've been forced to think about lunch a bit more.

Being a homeschool mom and having children that do their best work in the morning, means that lunch can't take a lot of time to prepare. These nachos take about 15 minutes from start to finish and my children gobble them up.

For the basic recipe you'll need:
1 bag tortilla chips
1 can black beans
1 1/2 TBSP ground cumin
1-2 C Mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cover the bottom of a large jelly roll pan with tortilla chips (this may or may not take the entire bag).
Rinse and drain black beans, then put on top of the chips.
Sprinkle cumin over the beans and chips.
Top with cheese and bake 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

To make a more balanced lunch, add diced peppers before baking, then serve with avocado and fresh salsa.

What's your favorite quick and easy lunch?

Spinach and Black Bean Taquitos

I made these taquitos for my mom the other day and she was certainly skeptical when I told her what I was making. As she watched me make them, she still wasn't sure. When they came out of the oven, I gave her a small plate and she hesitantly took a bite. To my delight, she loved them and even had seconds. So if you're not sure about these, I dare you to give them a try, because they are healthy and delicious.

The instructions might seem intimidating, because you have to get out your food processor, but it's really very easy and from start to finish and only takes about 30 minutes (longer if you count oven preheating time.) Click here for printer friendly version.

 Preheat oven to 425 F. Process 1 (15 oz) can drained and rinsed black beans, 2 T salsa, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1 T lime juice until mostly smooth.

 Add 6 oz thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach to processor and pulse until incorporated

 Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in 1 C shredded Mexican blend cheese and 1/2 C frozen corn kernels until well incorporated.

 Roll 1/4 C mixture in an 8-in whole wheat tortilla and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture ending with 8 or 9 taquitos.

Spray the taquitos with a little oil and bake 20-25 minutes until lightly toasted. Enjoy!

Click here for a printer friendly version.

Sweet Potato Chili

This is probably my favorite chili recipe and I'm pretty sure it's Wyatt's too. I can pretty much always count on him to ask for seconds and thirds when I make this yummy goodness. This is also one of the two ways I can get David to happily eat sweet potato and this version is certainly healthier than the sweet potato casserole I make .

 This recipe is perfect for those days you will be gone all day and want a hot and tasty meal ready as soon as you get home. I usually cook this 8-10 hours, but it could cook for 12 without getting overcooked.
Serves about 10 with roughly 302 Calories and 11 g dietary fiber per serving.
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 You'll need: 2 tsp chili powder, 2-3 TBSP baking cocoa, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 2 cans chili style tomatoes, 1 can chili beans, 1 can black beans, 1 can dark red kidney beans, 1 can cannellini beans, 1 lb sweet potato, 1 onion, 1 tsp oregano, 1.25 lb stewing beef

 Turn slow cooker on low. Peel and dice the sweet potato and onion. Place in the slow cooker with the beef chunks.

 Add the chili beans and tomatoes with their juices.

 Drain and rinse the cannelini, black, and kidney beans before adding them to the slow cooker.

 Add the spices...

 ...and stir together. It won't look like it has enough liquid, but it has plenty. Cover the slow cooker and leave it alone for at least 8 hours

 When it's ready, the sweet potato will be tender, the meat will be cooked, and the liquid will have more of a brown color than red.

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What's your favorite way to eat sweet potatoes?

Stretcher Foods

The secret to low-cost meals is easy: stretcher foods. Stretcher foods are inexpensive foods that "stretch" your expensive ingredients, your meal, and your budget.
My favorite stretcher foods are beans, rice, pasta, oats, and veggies. They can be used with just about anything if you use your imagination. In fact, there were a couple semesters in college that I cooked almost exclusively with these stretcher foods.

If you're wondering how they work, think stir-fry, and chili. Still confused? Allow me to explain. 
In stir-fry you take meat and seasoning then add some vegetables to make it more balanced and filling. Then to make it even more filling you serve it with rice or noodles. Chili is made with a little meat, a little seasoning, a lot of beans, and some vegetables. To make it even more filling, some people add pasta.
These are such common examples, that it's easy to overlook their "stretching" ingredients.

If you're still confused allow me to break it down:

• Beans are a great additive to ground meat. You can use as much as a 2:1 ratio meat:bean and still have a predominately meat feel to your dish. I use this most often on taco/burrito night and always have plenty of leftovers to freeze and/or have for lunch the next day.
• Veggies are so versatile! When you pair them with meat (any cut) you get a meal that is more filling and visually satisfying. I've actually found that most recipes can be modified by increasing the amount of vegetables and cutting the amount of meat.
• Rice and pasta are similar in how they are used. You can add them as a side or mix them right into lots of dishes to fill you up and "stretch" the meal.

Oats aren't quite as versatile, but they pair well with ground meats. I use them regularly in sloppy joes and meatloaf. If you don't want to be too obvious about using oats, simply cut the oats up in a food processor first. Adding oats will make the dish more filling/ rib-sticking and in some cases less messy.

What's your favorite meal that utilizes stretcher foods? 

 This post is a revised compilation of two posts I originally published in October 2011 @ oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com.