I could eat Mexican food everyday.  Thank GOD Christian loves Mexican food too – I don’t know what I would do if he didn’t!  Now that I think about it…I usually clear at least one basket of chips by myself anyway…so I’m sure I could manage.

I’ve made Mexican pizzas and skinny chicken enchiladas, but I wanted to try a new recipe that took less than thirty minutes for a quick weeknight meal.  With only a few easy steps – I found something that was simple and filling!  I used this recipe and changed it up a little bit, also pairing the meal with fresh guacamole and shandies (a refreshing and low calorie cocktail recipe mentioned by a friend).

Let’s start with the drinks.  A friend recently shared this low calorie treat with me — simple split a beer between two glasses and fill the rest of the glass with lemonade (I went pink).  Add a slice of lemon if you’re feeling fancy and enjoy this refreshing “cocktail.”  YUMS.

Now that you’ve got your cocktail, it’s time to start cookin’.

• small corn tortillas
• 1 TB butter
• sharp cheddar cheese (shredded or you can grate your own)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 15oz. can green enchilada sauce
• 2 4oz. cans chopped green chilies
• optional toppings – sour cream, salsa, guacomole (recipe below), shredded grilled chicken (I season it with taco seasoning after shredding)

for guac:

• 2 avocados
• 1/2 (or more if you’d like) roma tomato, chopped
• at least 1 TB chopped onion
• dash of salt, ground black pepper, oregano
• squeeze of lime (optional)

Pour enchilada sauce and chilies in a sauce pan and heat on medium-low heat.  Chop your onion and throw some butter in a skillet.  If you are making guac, save at least one tablespoon of onions for the dip.  Once the butter is melted, add the onions and saute until soft.

While the onions are cooking, cut and dice your avocados and tomato.  Toss them in a bowl and add the onion.  Mix well with a wooden spoon, blending as best as you can and season with salt, ground black pepper and oregano to taste.  Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice if you have one around!

Turn your oven on broil and arrange six tortillas on a baking sheet.  Add the cheese to the tortillas and stick in the oven until melted.  Once melted, layer them in sets of threes (see below) and add the enchilada sauce, onions, salsa, guacamole and shredded chicken.

Thank you so much for reading! XO –

I love the fresh change of a tart dessert instead of something chocolate and heavy.  Don’t get me wrong – I will never turn down a warm brownie, but if faced with the choice between rich chocolate and a refreshing tart dessert…I will usually choose tart unless my sweatpants are at arms reach.

There are a lot of key lime pie recipes out there and most all of them are pretty simple.  I’ve tried a few different recipes and tend to stick with the ones that list fewer egg yolks.  Lately I’ve been sticking with this recipe and it doesn’t disappoint!

• 1 graham cracker pie crust (or if you want to make your own it only requires graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar)
• 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (or key limes if you’re feeling like staying true to your pie, I understand)
• 1 TB lime zest (optional)
• cool whip for topping OR heavy whipping cream + 2 TB sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix lime zest, juice and egg yolks together well.  Add sweetened condensed milk and beat with whisk until blended well.  Pour mixture into pie crust and bake for 15 minutes.  Once pie is removed from oven and cool, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

To make whipped cream, combine one cup of heavy whipping cream with 2 TB sugar and mix with an electric mixer until stiff and fluffy.

Thank you so much for reading! XO –

If the Pioneer Woman says she has a favorite pizza, I have to try it.  I have really been into making pizzas every since we received a pizza stone as a wedding gift.  In addition to my undying love for carbs, I love how easy pizza dough is to make (only four ingredients!) and how quickly it cooks (10 minutes, y’all).  I LOVE this pear & gorgonzola pizza, but I knew it was time to give Ree’s eggplant and tomato pizza a whirl.

I said, “Christian!  Look at the dough — it looks like a BRAIN.”

He said, “no it doesn’t.”

Rude.

Absolutely delicious – even the meat loving guy in my house preferred this pizza over the steak pizza because it had so much flavor.  Note:  the second time I made this pizza I sped it up by skipping the eggplant/colander step and letting the eggplant sit for only a few minutes on the cutting board before patting them down with the paper towels.  I couldn’t tell that much of a difference – still cleaned my plate!

Thanks so much for reading – XO –

I love an easy salad…because that’s what salads are supposed to be, right?  Oh–and healthy.  This quick salad has been my lunch go-to lately and has me really looking forward to shopping for fresh, local berries this summer in California.  Adding strawberries to the balsamic vinaigrette is such a nice change – I love the additional tartness!

• fresh spinach or  spring mix
• 5-6 strawberries, sliced
• 1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/3 cup walnuts

Wash and slice your strawberries.  Go ahead and make your salad and slice extra strawberries for the dressing.  Add the dressing ingredients into a blender until smooth and drizzle over salad.