5 way Chicken Santa Fe

I got this recipe from a really great friend over at The Hungry Mamma (Hi Chels!) her sister in law made this for a party we had around christmas time, and I fell in LOVE! 

4 large Chicken breasts

1 jar of medium salsa

1 can Black Beans, drained

1 can Corn, drained

5 TBS taco seasoning (or 1 package)

1 (heaping) cup of shredded cheese

Spray crock pot with cooking spray.

Place chicken on bottom of crock pot.

In a small bowl, add salsa, black beans, corn and taco seasoning and mix well. Pour over chicken and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

When chicken is done, shred and add cheese. continue to cook until cheese is melted.

This filling is SO versatile! You can basically use it for anything... but here are the 5 ways we've used it.

DIP: This is the easiest way! Top with sour cream and cilantro, and use as a dip for tortilla chips!

TACOS: Spoon into taco shells, add lettuce and sour cream.

BURRITOS: Spoon into tortillas and fold up to close. Cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. Top with sour cream.

NACHOS: Dollop filling over corn chips, and cover with cheese. Bake at 300 for 10 min or until cheese is melted.

ENCHILADAS: Spoon into corn tortillas and roll up. Place into a 9x13 pan and cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 10-20 min.

7 Layer Bean Dip

I don't know about anyone else, but in my family, this dip is a staple at parties and get togethers! What I have learned, however, is that while most families I know make this dip, everyone makes it a little different! So this is my version!

1 can fat free refried beans

1 small tub guacamole (or about 1 1/2 cups homemade)

1 (15 oz.) tub sour cream

4 TBS taco seasoning

1 cup shredded cheese

1 small jar of chunky salsa

1 cup sliced olives

cilantro

Spread beans in the bottom of an 8x8 casserole dish.

Top with guacamole and spread evenly.

In a bowl, mix sour cream and taco seasoning. Spread that mixture over the guacamole.

Top with cheese.

Drain salsa of most of the liquid, and spread ofer the cheese.

Top with olives,

and then cilantro.

Chill for an hour and serve with tortilla chips.



Low Fat Guacamole

I love guacamole! I was a little weary to try this version, but I really really liked it!



1 avocado
1 cup thawed green peas
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

2 TBS picante sauce
1 tbsp chopped red onion
1 TBS fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


Thousand Island Dressing

Thousand Island is not a dressing that we use on a regular basis at our house. However, my husband's favorite macaroni salad recipe calls for it, so I usually keep it on hand. But when I found out how simple it was to make, I was so glad because I wouldn't have to throw out 1/2 bottles of dressing every few weeks! I don't think I'll every buy the bottled kind again!

Thousand Island Dressing

1 cup miracle whip (or mayo)

4 Tablespoons ketchup

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

1 Tablespoon  sugar

1 Tablespoon  sweet pickle relish

1/4 teaspoon onion powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon  black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix very well. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Italian Bean Salsa

This is pretty much the same thing as Cowboy Caviar (if you've ever heard of that), but this is just our 'pantry' version! Usually this had onion, tomato and avacado in it, but my husband hates tomato and onion, and the avacados were rock solid at the store that day! This was all stuff that was already in my pantry!

1 can black beans

1 can black eyed peas

1 can sweet corn

1/2 cup italian dressing

1 tsp lime juice

salt and pepper

Mix everything up in a big bowl, and seasong with s&p to taste. Allow to sit in the fridge for at least an hour or two! Serve with frito scoops.

Baked Fish and Chips

These were SO good! And super easy! They were really crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! I will definitely be making these again!

Baked Fish and Chips

3 Tilapia fillets cut into strips

Flour Mixture: 1/2 c. Flour + salt and pepper + 1/2 tsp lemon pepper

Egg Wash: 1 egg + splash of water+ salt and pepper

Breading: 3/4 cup Rice Krispies (crushed) + 1/3 cup Italian Breadcrumbs + 1/2 tsp garlic powder + 1/4 tsp onion powder + 1/4 tsp paprika

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all 3 of your mixtures into separate shallow bowls. Dip your fish strips into the flour mixture first, and shake off the excess. Next, dip the fish into the egg mixture. Lastly, dip the fish into the breading mixture.

Place fish onto an OVEN SAFE cooling rack that has been greased and placed on top of a baking sheet. this allows the hot air to circulate around the fish so you don't get a mushy bottom. Once you have repeated the process, lightly spray the fish with vegetable cooking spray (this helps it crisp up) and Bake for about 20-30 min. We like our fish overcooked, so I did more like 40 min! But our fish was on the thick side. Just keep checking it until it's done to your liking.

Oh and for the chips I just used walmart brand seasoned fries, they are a favorite at our house! But you can use this recipe for steak fries!

I made a quick Tarter sauce to dip the fish in, All you need is

1/2 c. miracle whip

1 TBS relish

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

Deviled Egg Spread

I made this spread the other day for the big BYU vs. Utah game (that did NOT go over well at our house:( ) However, this spread did! It's basically like the deviled egg center with the white mixed in. YUM-MY!

6 Hard Boiled Eggs

3 TBS Miracle Whip

1tsp yellow mustard

3 TBS sweet relish

1/4 cup olives (chopped)

dash of onion powder

dash of garlic powder

salt and pepper

Seperate the egg whites from the yolks and mix the yolks with the remaining ingretients. Finely chop the egg whites and fold into yolk mixture. Serve with crackers.

Easy Fruit Dip

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup applesauce

strawberries, bananas, peaches or any other fruit

Mix applesauce and yougurt together, and dip with fruit.