Taco spin off.

Last night my mother-in-law came over and we spent hours upon hours planning details for Erin's shower that we're throwing next month. We finally organized all the chaotic ideas we had floating around in our brains, and came up with a serious amount of adorableness. My heart just can't wait to put all these ideas into motion!

Before we both whipped out our planners, notebooks, sharpies and magazines, I whipped up the yummiest taco themed meal and guys, it made me PUMPED for warmer weather. Now I'm basically begging Caleb to let us get an outdoor patio set so we can enjoy these warm nights (seriously, it was MID 70's last night!!!).

Pre baking:

Post baking: yes, I realize its terrible quality, but I didn't want my family judging me for taking photos of my food, so I was quick about it. They don't blog, remember? ;)

Anyway, I know that photo sucks, but I cannot wait to tell you how easy and delicious it all was!!!! You know I get easily intimated by main courses, but this was about the easiest thing I've ever made.

Easy Taco Bake

-1 tube of regular crescent rolls

-1 lb lean ground turkey

-3/4 cup favorite salsa

-Taco seasoning packet

-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Step one: preheat oven to 375 and line your pie pan (8-10") with the crescent rolls.

Step two: cook your ground turkey (or beef) like usual.

Step three: drain the meat, stick it back in the skillet and add both your taco seasoning and salsa.

Step four: once its all mixed in, spoon it into the pie and cover it with cheese. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the crust is golden brown and cheeses melted.

Frito Salad

- 2 cans sweet corn, drained

- 1/2 red onion diced

- 1 diced green pepper

-1 cup light mayo (I used a little over 3/4 and it was fine)

-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

-1 bag of Chili Cheese Fritos

Step one: mix every ingredient except Fritos in large bowl

Step two: if you are serving it right away, add Fritos last. If not, stick it in the fridge and add Fritos right before serving.

Don't even get me started on this Frito corn "salad" thing. I could've finished the entire bowl on my own. I'm so excited that I now have a go-to summer dish for parties, etc.! I hope you all like it, too! Enjoy your hump day!

Getting a grip on meal planning.

last nights stir fry with homemade sauce!!

I don't know what it was about meal planning that intimidated me. I've posted about it multiple times, asking for advice, getting suggestions on how you all do your shopping, how often, what you make, etc.! It was all almost overwhelming that I'd end up just going to the store with no real plan but a list full of crap that would hardly last 2 weeks, and spend way too much.

Don't get me wrong, its not like I've gone the last 2.5 years of marriage without ever cooking. It's just been sporadic, unplanned, and somehow a lot of pizza delivery men show up at our door... ?!?! Pretty much everything we made wasn't by following a recipe!

So one day last week at work, I decided to use my lunch break to give it another whirl. I sat down for a full hour, dusted off the digital cobwebs on my Pinterest boards and went to town. I even had my colored sharpies out, you guys! I decided I'd start small and instead of giving myself restrictions based on cost or nutrition, etc., I decided to have no limits and just make it delicious and somewhat easy! This is what I ended up with for next week:

Monday: Slow Cooker Cheesy Enchilada Bake...because holy yum.

Tuesday: Lemon Garlic Dump Chicken (probably the easiest looking "recipe" in the world) + glazed carrots for our side.

Wednesday: Chicken Enchilada Soup OR some new form of stuffed peppers again - because I may want a break from all the chicken I accidentally incorporated ;)

Thursday: One Pan Balsamic Chicken + Veggies -- I don't know about you but if it only includes ONE PAN? I'm in!!

Friday (and weekend leftovers): Quinoa Chicken Chili - Erin posted about this recipe earlier this week and I immediately knew I needed the recipe. 1) I love quinoa. 2) sounded like there would be lots of leftovers...and with this cold weather lately, its the perfect comfort food to have on hand so we can eat it for weekend lunches!

So now I'm curious to know - what is your FAVORITE meal to cook for yourself/your family?

Can a girl get some help?! Meal planning 101.

I feel like with all these resources out there, and the fact that I've been married well over a year now, I should be some sort of wizard at cooking for Caleb and I by now. I don't know what it is, I just haven't grasped onto the concept of cooking for two every single night, having all the right ingredients when I DO actually have the time to cook, and even just that, finding the time. I feel like I need to be better at making my time right after work specifically about my marriage. Half the time we cook together, and then we can enjoy a dinner together at the table! However, Caleb and I have crazy schedules (both with work + personal commitments) so some weeks, we're not home long enough to cook a giant meal and actually enjoy it.

Remember this post last year about how I'd never used my crock pot? Yeah, so I wrote that on August 29th, and here we are...nearly a year later. Still haven't used it. I will be honest, I'm getting MUCH better at cooking in general, everything I've made us, we've loved, and following a (hard) recipe is even proving to not be so terrible... its just the PREP-work that I need help with.

I will say though, last night I made Mediterranean stuffed zucchini and EEK, it was amazing. Guys, at one point I looked down and realized I had a towel on my shoulder, Caleb looked up and said "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, a CHEF!", we cracked up, but for real?? These things were so good we went back for seconds and thirds, and I don't care how silly it was that I'm still proud of myself. I have actual freak-outs about how I don't think I'm a great "housewife" so I'm giving myself 7 golden stars for last nights dinner ;)

Pampered Chef creates wonders. This made my job so much easier last night!

How do you ladies meal plan? Is Pinterest your best friend each Sunday afternoon? Or do you literally sit at your kitchen table and write down ingredients from your fav cookbooks and just go for it?! I just need a little direction because I feel like its my organizational process (the part before the a actual cooking) thats just NOT that great. Also, while you're at it, I could use some yummy side dish ideas. Thanks, in advance!!!