Enchilada Casserole

 

Enchilada Casserole

I made BudgetBytes Not Refried Beans earlier this week, so we had a lot of beans to use. They are so good! So I thought I'd throw together an enchilada casserole. A casserole because it's much easier to do then rolling enchiladas while wrangling a 1 year old. Super good.

Ingredients:

- Corn tortillas, because that's what I had

- 1 lb ground beef, cooked with an onion then mixed with the 1/2 can chopped chilis

- 1/2 can green chilis, because I didn't want it too spicy for the baby

- Like 1 1/2 cups of the beans? I didn't measure

- Almost 2 cups of colby jack cheese

- 1 recipe of BudgetBytes enchilada sauce

I layered it like a lasagna, cooked at 350 for 30 min. I should have removed the foil and cooked it for another 10, but baby needed to go to bed, and husband can't help much because he just had surgery. You can top it with chopped onions, salsa, sour cream, hot sauce...whatever. Easy, quick and cheap. I've been making this sauce recipe for like a decade, it's so easy and delicious. I know it's even easier to open a can of sauce, but this tastes soooooo much better!

Click here for the Enchilada sauce recipe by BudgetBytes

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

 

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Again I forgot to get a picture, dinner time is chaotic with Linc now that' he's almost one. These were okay, they tasted too much like cream cheese we thought. Next time we'd half the cream cheese or honestly omit it all together and just add shredded cheese in the filling.

We really did like the flavor it just felt like a bit too much cream cheese :)

Click here for the recipe from The Everyday Cookbook

Pork Tacos

 

Pork Tacos

So this started out being Easy Pork Carnitas, but I kept not being able to make dinner because of the baby....so Craig ended up just smoking the meat with seasonings. I think he used a fajita seasoning and some sort of chipotle seasoning. It was really good! So I just made tacos with cheese, lettuce, cilantro, onions and Cholula Chipotle Cremosa sauce. Super good and flavorful!

Here is the recipe for Pork Carnitas from Damn Delicious that we were going to make 

Sheet Pan Crunchwrap Supreme

 

Sheet Pan Crunchwrap Supreme

I broiled it literally for 1 minute and it burned, argh. Still tasted good, I scraped off the mostly burned parts. I made the recipe almost exactly as written, except I used red onions instead of green because I already had some cut up. I'd defintely make again, just maybe broil it for like 20 seconds!

Sheet Pan Crunchwrap Supreme recipe by BoneAppleTeach

 

Sheet Pan Tacos

These look like a mess but they were tasty. I didn't warm the tortillas quite enough before I filled them because some of them split, but they stuck together fine after cooking. I did make 2 changes to the recipe, I used lean ground beef and instead of rotel I used some of my husbands homemade smoked salsa. They were really good and my son loved them, and his friends came over the next day and had some too. My husband wasn't hungry so he didn't try them. I'd make them again for sure!

Click here for the recipe from BudgetBytes

Taco Pasta

 

Taco Pasta

I forgot to grab a picture! Dinnertime is a bit chaotic because the baby is about ready for bed by then so he's a bit grumpy.

This was okay. I wouldn't make it again unless someone asked for it, but it was easy and budget friendly. It was a smidge bland and could have used more cheese. My son didn't say anything about it, and my husband was on a work trip so he didn't try it.

Click here for the Taco Pasta recipe from BudgetBytes

Healthy Girl Gorditas

 

Healthy Girl Gorditas

This recipe is from Makayla Thomas, it's lower calorie high fiber etc. I really liked it, but my husband did not. He didn't like the pita bread on the outside since it was kinda bland....which I get. I served it with a side salad just because I needed to use it up. They were actually super filling gorditas! I would make this again for me but probably not for the fam.

Click here for Makayla Thomas' recipes

Quesaritos

 

Quesaritos

This was just a random clean out the pantry meal. I was able to cook dinner again (yay!) Lincoln was cooperating lol. He likes to be held non stop, and mainly by me. But we've been having Craig give him a formula bottle (he's breastfed) in the evenings so I can do stuff....and it's really working out great. It takes some of the pressure off me and it helps them bond.

This quesarito was just whatever we had already lol. I spread a tortilla with a layer of canned fat free baked beans, a packet of Taco Bell hot sauce, ground beef that I cooked with taco seasoning, chopped onions, sour cream and cheese. Then I grilled it up in a pan and that's it. Super yummy and quick. 

For my quesarito I used a low carb tortilla and fat free cheese. 

I grilled the family's quesarito's with butter, but since mine was lower calorie I used this low calorie butter. It was crazy, instead of melting on the skillet it just evaporated lol. 

Baby tax!

Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet

Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet

I'm 9 months pregnant and we've been having all of our flooring replaced so I've hardly cooked lately. But there was no construction today and we had all the ingredients for this so I thought it was the perfect time. It's super easy, the most work is dicing the chicken. I've made this once before exactly as written, but this time I made a few changes to use up ingredients I already have. Instead of beans and corn I added a zucchini from the garden, and I used 2 cups of homemade salsa my husband smoked and made. I didn't have any queso fresco but I did have some shredded Monterey Jack cheese. The rice is also just the microwaveable cilantro lime rice pouch. The green onion is leftover from another recipe, if we didn't have any it still would have been tasty without it. The homemade salsa has so much flavor!

Click here for the Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet recipe from BudgetBytes

 

EveryPlate Cheesy Southwest Beef Tacodillas

 

EveryPlate Cheesy Southwest Beef Tacodillas

Not a very pretty picture, but I only wanted one lol. These are delicious of course, I mean who doesn't love taco meat in a quesadilla. Plus homemade salsa and a lime crema. The only changes I made were that I had cilantro already chopped so I added that to the salsa, plus a little garlic. My husband said they're "too cute" of course, but he should be happy that he has a homemade meal lol. 

My only complaint is that they did NOT add enough cheese for all those tortillas! If I only used what they sent, each tacodilla would only get a tiny sprinkle. I added cheese we already had so we could actually taste cheese. 

Zesty Refried Bean Cheese Dip

 

Zesty Refried Bean Cheese Dip

Terrible picture lol. I made this with all low fat/fat free ingredients for more of a low calorie option. It tasted good but it was super duper thick, like you couldn't use it as a dip so I used it as burrito filling. Next time I would probably only add 1 can of refried beans and mixed in either salsa or queso to make it more dippable. I did add cilantro because we had some. 

Actually now that I'm re-reading the recipe, it only calls for 1 can of refried beans.....whoops. I was looking at a few different recipes to try so I must have gotten it mixed up. 

Click here for the Zesty Refried Bean Cheese Dip recipe from Stuck on Sweet

Street Corn Chicken Enchiladas with Queso Broccoli

 

Street Corn Chicken Enchiladas with Queso Broccoli

This is super delicious, and it's easy but also I feel like it took longer then it should have. But it was probably a personal problem lol. I did add an onion to the mix since I have a bunch, and I did thin out the sauce a tad with some salsa verde because I had some of that too. Other then that I followed the recipe exactly! It's incredible, like company worthy.

The broccoli was just a fresh bagged broccoli with microwave steam instructions. After I steamed it I tossed it with some queso, pepper and garlic.

I loved it, my teenager is sleeping so he hasn't tried it...but my husband also really liked it.

I love it normal, but the tajin & lime really take it over the top to be special.

Click here for the Street Corn Chicken Enchilada recipe from Al Dente Diva

Smash Burger Tacos and Corn paired with White Cheddar Shells & Cheese

 

Smash Burger Tacos and Corn paired with White Cheddar Shells & Cheese

I really liked this! I am writing this before I know if my family liked it, so I'll have to update so I can see if I should make this again. That's why I started this blog, to keep track of recipes I've made so I can remake favs. I have a terrible memory lol.

I would of preferred different pickles though. I only had Frank's Red Hot Dill Pickle Chips. Which sounds amazing in theory, I love Frank's. I go through several bottles a year even.  But these pickles aren't that great, I'm not sure what it is. Too much of a vinegar & cayenne flavor? I'm really not sure because I like those flavors too. Regular dill pickles would be better and I won't buy the Frank's pickles again.

So I actually made 8 tacos instead of the 6 that the recipe called for. After adding all the toppings there was plenty of meat on each one. I rolled the meat into 8 balls, then rolled them into salt and pepper and gave them a bit of a roll more. Then I squished them onto the flour tortillas, street taco sized. I might try to put the balls straight onto the pan then squish the tortilla on top next time.

I also used cheddar instead of provolone and I forgot to buy shredded lettuce so I just tore up some spring mix. Since the recipe only called for 2 tacos a person I also plated some leftover corn and I made a box of Annie's White Cheddar Shells & Cheese that I added pepper and garlic to. 

Click here for the Smash Burger Tacos recipe from Heartbeet Kitchen

Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet with Cilantro Lime Rice

 

Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet with Cilantro Lime Rice

My husband smoked a ton of veggies and made a big batch of salsa with it, it's so good! So I thought this would be a great time to try this dinner, I've been wanting to make it for awhile but I always forget. In fact that's why I started this blog, so I stop forgetting recipes I've made lol. Plus you can never go wrong with BudgetBytes.

The only change I made to the recipe was I used pinto beans instead of black, and I didn't realize we were out of sour cream so I used enough cream cheese to add creaminess without tasting too much like cream cheese.

I used just 2 packs of microwaveable cilantro lime rice, the topped it with cheese, cilantro and crushed chips. You can really taste the smokiness from the salsa, it's amazing. We will definitely be having this next time he smokes salsa!! I'm sure it's good with store bought salsa, but I know it would be a lot more bland.

Click here for the Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet recipe by Budget Bytes.

Cafe Rio Smothered Burritos

 

Cafe Rio Smothered Burritos

This was excellent and I even got high praises from my husband. I followed the Cafe Rio Instant Pot recipe exactly. Then I filled the burritos with the pork, microwaveable cilantro lime rice, Bush's southwest beans, and shredded Mexican cheese. I baked uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes. I then topped it with some of the leftover sauce, monterey jack cheese, cilantro, hot sauce, onion and avocado. Super good!

Click here for the copycat Cafe Rio Pork recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Grilled Tacos with Street Corn & Cilantro Lime Rice

 

Grilled Tacos with Street Corn & Cilantro Lime Rice

   This was really easy and it was pretty good. It was inspired by a few random quick dinner TikTok videos. I needed to use less beans in the tacos so more meat and cheese could fit. The dipping sauce was useless and bland we we didn't dip. Maybe if it had time to sit or something it would be better. The corn is a frozen street corn mix from Target, and the rice was a cilantro lime rice that was microwaveable. But it's pretty low calorie, high protein and fiber.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb ground beef

- 1 can fat free refried beans

- 1 jalapeno chopped

- 1 onion chopped

- shredded cheddar

- zero carb street taco tortillas

- 1 bag frozen street corn

- 1 packet microwaveable cilantro lime rice

- dipping "sauce" was beef broth, sriracha and garlic

   Brown ground beef then add 2 tbs taco seasoning and 1/3 cup water. Sauté the jalapeno to soften. Mix refried beans with some sour cream, garlic, cumin, chili powder and hot sauce. Spread some refried bean mixture on street corn size tortilla, then top with some ground beef, onions, hot sauce, cheese and jalapenos. Toast on a heated skillet. 

Baja Fish Tacos

 

Baja Fish Tacos

Recipe from Lauren McDuffie's "Homemade-ish" book. These were so good! My tortillas were a little too small for the fish fillets but it worked. I layered avocado with this amazing street corn sauce, then the fish, then topped it with the slaw. My only change from the recipe was that instead of the mayo/hot sauce mixture for the sauce I used this street corn sauce I had. I LOVE that sauce. It reminds me of the quesadilla sauce from Taco Bell. Smokey, creamy, and not fake tasting like a lot of bottled sauces are. 

I would definitely make these again! The corn was just this Easy Skillet Roasted Corn by Borrowed Bites. This was last moment because I remembered we have extra frozen corn and I keep forgetting to use it up. I'd make this recipe again too.

Sweet Corn and Poblano Lasagna

 

Sweet Corn and Poblano Lasagna

I went to the library with my son and I picked up the "Homemade-ish" cookbook by Lauren Duffie. The first recipe I tried was the Sweet Corn and Poblano Lasagna. It's more work then I'd normally pick for a weekday meal, but I actually had the day off so I figured it would be perfect to try. 

I was so bummed it wasn't that great! I mean the flavor was okay, but it was VERY light. I salted it generously so it wasn't really bland, but there just wasn't much flavor. I even roasted 5 poblanos instead of 4 because that's how many came in the bag. I think maybe next time I would add a can of chopped green chilis or even chipotles. Like it wasn't bad but it was a lot of work for not much flavor.

Click here for the Sweet Corn and Poblano Lasagna recipe from MyKitchenLittle

Hello Fresh Sante Fe Pork Tacos

 

Hello Fresh Sante Fe Pork Tacos

I liked how quick this was, and there was tons of food for 3 people. It did taste good but it wasn't anything too special. It needed more cilantro, there was barely any. I did heat the tortillas on a pan instead of microwaving them, and I liked the leftovers a lot better actually! I definitely underfilled the first ones that I took a picture of, I wanted to make sure there was enough for all of us. But there is plenty so I could of filled them a lot fuller. 

Chipotle Beef Bowls

 

Chipotle Beef Bowls

   Terrible picture lol, but they were delicious. I used this chipotle tinga sauce I got from Target, the flavor was so good but it was SUPER spicy. I'm not super wimpy with spice but this was very hot. I'd still buy it again. I just sauteed some sirloin tips for a few minutes then finished cooking them in the sauce.

   I served it over brown rice cooked with a little beef bullion. On the side I added this steamtable street corn along with a can of fat free refried beans I heated up with taco seasoning and 2 Laughing Cow wedges. I also topped it with salsa and mine had a drizzle of queso. I love meals like this, my husband says they are fine and my son doesn't like them mixed together. Oh well cheap and easy.