For this delicious, but crazy spicy recipe you’ll need:

• 2 Zucchinis
• 1 Pasilla Chile
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 1 cup of Corn
• 1 cup of Pinto Beans
• 1 can of Chipotle Peppers (7 oz)
• 1/2 cup of Crema
• 2 Limes
• Cotija
• Sea Salt
• Tortillas

Makes 6 tacos

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, begin slicing the zucchini and red onion, and then place on to a baking sheet. Remove the stem and seeds from the Pasilla and just cut it in half. Rub some olive oil on the skin of the pepper, and then drizzle some olive oil over the zucchini and onion as well. It took about 20 minutes to roast the veggies, but I feel like I could have done less time for the zucchini, so just keep an eye on it once they have been in the oven for 15 minutes.

While the veggies are roasting, make the creamy chipotle sauce in your food processor. I dumped the entire can of chipotles into the food processor, a decision that I regretted after tasting the sauce, although delicious and smokey, crazy spicy. Consider yourself warned. I’d suggest using half the can, 1/2 cup of crema, and the juice from one lime. If you feel like that isn’t spicy enough, then by all means, go to town and throw the rest of the can in there.

This is the point when I realized I had frozen corn and that it would be a lovely addition to the tacos. I simply thawed some corn and browned it a smidge on the stove top. I also realized that I had a can of pinto beans, so you can guess what happened next…I heated the beans on the stove top.

Okay, it should be about time to pull the veggies out of the oven. Turn off the oven and put the tortillas on the middle rack of the oven to warm them. Now, go ahead and put the onion and zucchini in a bowl and add the corn too. Let the chiles sit for a bit, until they are cool enough to handle, and pull the skin off, and then slice. Add the chiles to the bowl with a dash of salt, and toss everything together. Pull the tortillas out and put them into a tortilla warmer, or in a towel to keep them warm.

Everything is ready, so it’s time assemble and eat. I did a layer of beans, layer of veggies, creamy chipotle sauce, and then some cotija. Garnish the plate with a lime wedge or two and enjoy.

Happy Tuesday!

xo

As you all know, I like to plan. It makes my life easier when I have control over a few things because let’s face it, you can’t control everything. On Sundays, I enjoy going through my pantry, fridge and freezer to see what I have and think up what I could do with these items. Some days this task is easy, some days it’s hard. Some days the ingredients practically tell me how to use them up, and some days they don’t. When it’s tough, I go to the internet for ideas and inspiration.

WORK FROM THE BOTTOM UP, DINNER MENU FIRST:

I like to begin with deciding on dinners first. My goal is to cook at least four times a week. Four is good, five is better, and three is likely. Knowing this helps me from overbuying and wasting food. If you know that you are going to have a busy week and you’ll only cook twice, only buy enough for two dinners. You can always go to the market if you really need something, and then you don’t waste food and money. After taking stock and visiting my Pinterest board, I know what I’m making for dinners and can create my grocery list.

*Side note, in looking at your menu for the week, think about how these things will translate for lunches. For example, re-heating tacos don’t really work for lunch in your typical office kitchen, so I make sure to buy enough lettuce to create a taco salad for the next day.

Once dinners and lunches are covered, I think about breakfast. For me breakfast consists of a smoothie, coffee, and an egg. For my husband, oatmeal and orange juice. Add those items to your list. Now is the time to jot down any other necessities, such as toiletries or cleaning products. There it is, your list, in all its glory.

COUPONING, LAZY GIRL STYLE:

This is the part where I go to my coupon envelopes to see if I have anything that will save us a few bucks. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. The thing I have learned about couponing is that it can be easy to clip coupons because they sound good, but if the coupon is for something you don’t normally buy, it’s not worth it. I clip coupons once a week and stash them in an envelope. After I make my list, I see what I can use for this shopping trip, and I go through and toss anything that has expired.

Another way that I coupon is through Safeway’s Just For You program. Safeway is the closest grocery store to me, and convenience is king when it comes to chores like grocery shopping. I simply log into my account, and review all of the personalized deals, store specials, and manufacturer coupons. I click away on what I need, and it automatically loads them to my card. It is super easy, and it’s pretty silly not to do it. Super dorky fact, I have the app on my phone too (see image above). Oh, and I accumulate gas rewards points. After grocery shopping today, I received a $0.90/gallon discount. I know, super dorky. I like saving money, can’t help it.

In all this process takes me about an hour. Within this hour, I am able to make my evenings easier, so I have more time to spend with my hubby and pets, and I keep our dinners interesting, so we don’t eat the same things over and over. I’m sure that this isn’t for everyone, but it works for me, so I wanted to share.

xo

It was a sunny, warm day here, so I decided to do everything in my power to not use the oven or stove. Enter shrimp with mango & avocado tacos. Mission accomplished. I wanted to make ceviche tacos but I didn’t have raw shrimp, and I ended up working late, so I didn’t really have the time either. This is my “short on time” version.

I had cooked shrimp and red cabbage in the fridge, and mango, avocado, tomato, onion, lemon and lime in my fruit bowl. I chopped up all of the ingredients, squeezed in the juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime, and added a dash of sea salt. I let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill and allow the flavors to come together.

• 6 oz cooked shrimp (tails removed and cut into small chunks)
• 1 large ripe mango
• 1 large avocado
• 1 small vine tomato
• 1/2 small white onion
• 1/2 bag shredded red cabbage
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• Sea salt
• Chili powder
• 12 corn tortillas

To put them together lay down a layer of shredded red cabbage, a couple scoops of the shrimp/mango/avocado mixture, a dash of chili powder, and you’re done. This made 6 tacos with a generous helping of leftovers, which I used to make a salad for my lunch. My regrets–not having cilantro and not heating the tortillas on the grill. I think those two things would’ve made these tacos stellar. They were still pretty delicious though. Give them a try and let me know your take on this recipe.

xo