Here's something for tempting the palette...

A couple of times a month I will be sharing new recipes I have tried as part of our meal plan. We had another few recipes that were winners in this group - I think all are absolutely repeatable and I also think all of them were enjoyed by our ENTIRE family.  (This is a trait which makes any recipe worth its weight in gold.  Lots of pasta featured here, so you low carb types might want to look away.  Remember, I also repin the pins for all of the recipes I try through Pinterest on my board "I Made This" so make sure you are following!

Spicy Sausage Pasta - My aunt and I have this tried and true theory that pasta ALWAYS tastes better when you warm it up and eat it as leftovers the next day.  This pasta does not disappoint AND it also happens to taste AMAZING fresh off the stove (or out of the broiler, in this case.)  I cannot say enough good things about this pasta.  It is teeny bit on the spicy side even with the mild rotel, but The Incredible Hulk (who loves to call things "spicy" even when they aren't) devoured every bite.  As per the original poster's suggestion, I used both turkey sausage and campanelle - both made the dish even more fantastic.  My husband doesn't even like smoked sausage and still went and had seconds (plus I had to fight him for the leftovers.)  It's a little on the heavy side, so it would be perfect for a Sunday night dinner.  We will definitely be reprising this recipe in the winter months.  I just have to make sure I can guard the leftovers again...

Ingredients ready to go before cooking in the slow cooker.

Crock Pot "Fried" Rice - What an awesome and SIMPLE recipe for "fried rice" (fried in quotes because it's all cooked in the slow cooker, no frying about it.)  The night before we had this, we used a rotisserie chicken as filling for some quesadillas we made.  (By the way, if you haven't tried making chicken quesadillas using a rotisserie chicken, DEFINITELY check that out.  It is FAB.)  Knowing that the original poster for this recipe utilized leftover chicken, I bought a bigger chicken than usual and saved half of it to throw in the crock with the rice.  This plan worked out splendidly!  I used two of those Uncle Ben's "Boil-in-a-Bag" brown rices (also, these are total life savers), one diced yellow onion (some sliced scallions would be awesome in this as well) and some frozen peas/carrots.  Basically, you're throwing a mostly cooked meal (and one raw egg) into the crock pot for a few hours to warm up and cook together.  It could not be more simple and was absolutely delicious.  My husband and I could order Chinese takeout weekly and never get sick of it, but with the hefty delivery price, this is an incredible substitute.

Lemon Bruschetta Pasta (with Grilled Chicken) - This didn't turn out exactly how I expected, but it was, without a doubt, a successful recipe.  The flavor is light and fresh which makes me think it might be a better recipe for summer.  I did not use the recommended seasoning, opting instead for my own blend of seasoning.  Unfortunately, it resulted in me needing to add a lot of salt to the dish to make the other flavors come alive a little better.  Otherwise, it was absolutely perfect and I enjoyed the nice fresh sauce the romas cooked down to make.  (And basically anything that that involves fresh snips of basil is a winner in my book.)

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I'll be back sharing my newest meal plan (for October, my FAVORITE MONTH!) next week.  We're at the end of the month...did anyone try a meal plan for the first time (monthly or weekly)?  How did it go?  Share the good recipes!  We like to eat.

Ole, ole, ole, ole...

When I was in college, I was introduced to the wonder that is Chipotle Mexican Grill.
I am not even kidding when I say there were days that I had it for lunch AND dinner.
There have also been weeks where I have eaten it multiple days in a row.
I actually really admire Chipotle as a company because of their stance on many aspects of the food industry - buying local, serving antibiotic/hormone-free meats, as well as their recent decision to label (and hopefully discontinue use) of GMOs.  I know I have trouble being able to do any of this in my own household and I'm not trying to run a (successful) national business.

All that said, I sometimes get a little twitchy when I'm charged two dollars for a dollop of guacamole (albeit, a LARGE dollop), but you can purchase enough avocados to feed my family for two bucks.  (I guess us poor people have to eat our GMOs and like it.)

Perfect avocados ready to be mashed into my famous (top secret) guacamole.

So, not too long ago, we had a great idea to start making our Chipotle bowls at home!  Sure, we pay a visit to the real deal every once in awhile, but we have found that making them at home helps us manage our intake a little better.  (Though, probably not eating quite as clean as we would at Chipotle...you win some, you lose some.)

So, this is all pretty self explanatory and super easy to adapt to your tastes, but here's what a Chipotle bowl looks like in my world.

{Chipotle Mexican Grill Bowls - At Home}

To start, I make some Cilantro Lime Brown Rice.  Basically, get yourself your favorite brand of rice, some fresh cilantro, some kosher salt, and the juice from one (very juicy) lime and you're good to go.

Freshly chopped cilantro - don't be afraid to get a few stems in there.  They're good for you.

Here's a recipe if you want some more specifics, but I have found the best flavor comes from when I just throw it all in a bowl and toss it together sans measurements.  The only rule here is that you use fresh ingredients (herbs and lime juice) and kosher salt. That's the only way you're going to match the flavor profile of the Chipotle stuff.

This was a particularly successful batch.

We like chicken for our bowls and you'll find lots of copycat recipes for Chipotle's chicken on the web.  We tried one once and it burned our mouths off.  So, instead we found a marinade at the store that we like.  Yeah yeah yeah, making this from a package isn't the healthiest option, but this marinade tastes awesome in these bowls.  So, eh.  Deal with it.  Or make your own marinade.

MSG'D!

We cook the chicken on the grill (and by "we," I mean, "my husband) and slice it up after it has time to rest.

I came out to give him moral support.  And take pictures.

The rest is super simple.  Open up a can of black beans, pick up any sort of Mexican shredded cheese, chop up some nice crispy romaine, get a little sour cream and pico de gallo (we always buy ours fresh from a local produce market), and whip up a batch of your favorite guacamole.

This picture may have been staged.  A little

My husband even gets fancier and will grill up some fajita veggies for himself (I prefer mine without) and will get some spicy salsa to go over his bowl.

And, there you have it!  Could it BE any simpler? (said a la Chandler Bing)

I failed to get a good "finished product" picture, but everyone's Chipotle bowl looks different, so whatev.

ENJOY!