Two More TexMex-ish Dinners

I have a cold and the extra spice is nice right now!

Number one:
2 lg. cans chicken, drained
2 c. cooked rice
1 lg. can chile peppers
8 oz shredded Mexican blend cheese (I used Sargento)
Red enchilada sauce
Cream

Combine and heat until cheese is melted.

Number two:
16-20 oz ground beef
1 lb carrots, shredded
Seasonings - salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, Tony Chachere's
Pepper-jack slices

Combine meat, carrots, and seasonings. Place in baking dish. Microwave until meat is cooked through. Top with cheese. Microwave to melt if needed.

Shrimp Scampi

I caught a good sale this week on fresh, wild caught Gulf shrimp. I wanted to make shrimp scampi but I have never made it before. So I looked at a few different recipes, used them as a guide, and came up with what Jesse called the best shrimp scampi he's ever eaten :) I wish I had fresh parsley, but that's the only change I'll make next time!

SHRIMP SCAMPI

8 oz penne, cooked
6 tbsp butter
5 tbsp olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 lbs peeled and deveined shrimp
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp parsley flakes or 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated (1/4 to 1/2 cup)

Heat butter and oo over medium low heat until the butter is melted. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook until barely done, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice, parsley, and salt and pepper. Use slightly less salt than you think - the parmesan is salty! Add 1/4 c. parmesan and stir to melt. Add more parmesan to thicken if needed. Stir in pasta.

Sunflower Seeds and Sweat

Nope, this isn't a post about baseball ;)

I used to be able to eat sunflower seeds and foods with sunflower seeds with no problems. In fact, while I was pregnant with Ethan, Jesse worked near a Chick-Fil-A and I would stop there once a week for their chicken, egg, and cheese multi-grain bagel at breakfast. When I got pregnant for Gabriel, I noticed that when I took a bite of the bagel that had a sunflower seed in it, my mouth would itch. So I would pick them out. It got worse. Eventually I couldn't eat the bagel sandwich at all because my mouth would burn and swell. I've unintentionally eaten things with ground sunflower seeds since then and the same thing happened :(

A couple weeks ago I needed to mix some seed for our pet birds. I buy parakeet mix and add a cockatiel mix to it. Well... I decided to mix it in the big jar I store it in. With my hand. I stuck my arm in almost elbow deep and started mixing it together, swirling my arm around in the seed. I had done it before without any problems. But this time was different... My arm started itching a bit and burning. I realized what was happening and pulled my arm out. I stood dumbfounded for a minute then ran to the bathroom. I washed both hands and the arm that was breaking out. I eventually got a bit itchy all over but it was only my arm that broke out in whelps. Of course, this happened close to bedtime. So I took a dose of Benadryl just in case. The next morning I was fine except for a slight case of Benadryl hangover :p

Since then, I've been extra careful to not touch the seed when I feed the birds!

So... Sweat.

I've never sweat much. Ever. I was the child who would be overheated and dry, while everyone around me was soaking wet and feeling okay. It wasn't much better as an adult :(

Until recently :)

I SWEAT!!! And boy, does it feel good LOL

After this last increase in my iron dosage, I am sweating a lot more. And staying so much cooler :) Considering I'm driving around in a car with no ac with heat indexes in the 100s, this is a very good thing!

I suspect it's a combination of factors that's making me sweat, but my iron seems to be making the biggest difference. I've noticed in the past that when my iron is low, I barely sweat at all. And since I'm taking my highest ever dosage of iron, I'm sweating the most in my life.

And I'm very happy about it :)

Bet you've never seen a person so excited about getting sweaty ;)

June Thanksgiving

JUNE THANKSGIVING

12 oz cooked turkey, chopped or shredded
24 oz frozen green beans, cooked
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3-1/2 c. Craisins
Cream
1/2 c. water
Salt and pepper

Combine and heat.

Meal Plan Wed June 6 to Tues June 12

Breakfasts:
Scrambled cheese eggs
Leftover crockpot oatmeal
Apple sausage
Cottage cheese and peaches

Lunch:
Unstuffed bell peppers (if they aren't ridiculously priced this week) or Sweet beef with rice
Italian quickie
Roasted red bell pepper spaghetti with Italian sausage
Simple stir-fried rice
Crockpot BBQ chicken, rice, green beans

Supper:
Mexican meatloaf patties
Meatball salad or Greek salad
Turkey Craisins salad
Maple chicken salad (new recipe) with crackers
Taco salad
Loaded potatoes

I have ingredients to try homemade Larabars for snacks. Don't know if I'll get to them this week though...

Mexican Meatloaf Patties

Thought I had put this one on here but I don't see it...

MEXICAN MEATLOAF PATTIES
1 lb lean ground beef
14 oz canned chile peppers, drained
32 Nut Thins, crushed
Onion powder
Garlic powder
2 oz pepper jack, shredded
2 oz monterey jack, shredded

Combine beef, chilies, crackers, and seasonings. Microwave until done. Sprinkle with cheeses, heating if necessary to melt them.

Fresh Crockpot Chili

FRESH CROCKPOT CHILI

9 oz pinto beans
9 oz red beans
Bean seasoning:
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
For chili:
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
5 lbs tomatoes, cored and pulsed in food processor to desired consistency
6 oz poblano peppers, seeded and minced
1 lg bell pepper, diced
8 tsp taco seasoning (see below)
2 tbsp salt

Soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse. Cover beans with water. Add bean seasonings. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 2-3 hours until soft. Drain.

Brown ground beef and onion. Combine with rest of ingredients in crockpot and cook. The longer, the better!

Serve with cheddar, onions, Fritos, etc.

Enjoy :)

TACO SEASONING
2 tbsp chili powder
5 tsp paprika
4 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp salt
2 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix. Store in airtight container. 8 tsp = 1 packet store-bought taco seasoning

Chinese Quickie

CHINESE QUICKIE

2 c. cooked rice
12 oz cooked chicken
8-10 oz shredded carrots
1 romaine heart, shredded
Soy sauce
Garlic powder

Combine everything except romaine and heat until carrots are barely cooked. Stir in romaine.

More Mexican :)

AS-YET-UNNAMED MEXICAN CASSEROLE

12 oz cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
14 oz canned chile peppers
8 oz pepper-jack cheese, shredded
8 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded
Cream
Pepper
Sour cream
Cooked rice and/or Fritos
Sliced black olives

Combine chicken, chiles, cheeses, cream, and pepper. Heat 5 minutes at 50% power or until cheese is melted. Stir well.

For each serving, either mix in 1/2 c. rice or top with a handful or two of crushed Fritos.

How we ate ours:
Connie - topped chicken mixture with sour cream, then Fritos and olives
Jesse - topped chicken mixture with sour cream, then Fritos
Boys - mixed chicken mixture with rice, then topped with sour cream and olives

Italian Wilted Romaine and Sausage

ITALIAN WILTED ROMAINE AND SAUSAGE

12 oz al fresco brand sundried tomato and basil chicken sausage, skinned and chopped
2 c cooked rice
1 romaine heart past its prime, shredded
2 handfuls Italian blend cheese
Cream

Combine and heat, covered, in microwave about 8 minutes at 50% power. Stir and serve :)