Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas

Personally, I loved this meal. Mainly because the week that I made it I was craving pineapple! YUM! Dan on the other hand probably could have taken it or left it.

Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas (www.budgetbytes.com) $7.28

Ingredients
  • 1 lg. chicken breast (3/4 lb.)
  • 1 (15 oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans
  • 3 whole green onions
  • ¼ bunch fresh cilantro
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella or monterrey jack
  • 8 (8-inch, soft taco size) flour tortillas 

Cook the chicken in a countertop grill until golden brown on the outside and completely cooked through. If you don't have a grill, cut the chicken into 1-2 inch chunks and sauté in a skillet until golden brown on the outside and cooked through. Allow the chicken to cool slightly as you prepare the rest of the filling.

Drain the pineapple chunks well, then roughly chop the chunks into smaller pieces. Rinse and drain the black beans. Roughly chop the cilantro and slice the green onions. Combine the pineapple, black beans, cilantro, green onions, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, and shredded cheese in a bowl. Stir to combine.



Once the chicken has cooled some, chop it into small chunks (no need to make neat or tidy shapes, just chop roughly). Add the chicken to the rest of the filling in the bowl and then stir to combine.


Place ½ cup of the quesadilla filling onto a tortilla and spread it out over half of the surface. Fold the tortilla in half and then cook it in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown and crispy on the bottom. Flip and cook on the second side in the same manner. Use oil or non-stick spray in the skillet as needed to keep the tortilla from sticking (I find that I don't need either when using a non-stick skillet).

 
Use a pizza slicer to cut the quesadilla into three wedges and serve hot.


Dan gave this a 4 out of 5 stars. I rated it delicious!

Taco Stuffed Shells

So even though I have been super busy with work, I have religiously stuck with cooking at least three times a week. I even went as far to create a binder with meal plans laid out for each month, ingredients needed, and cost of each meal. I hope to revert back to it in the future to make life a little easier as a Mom.

A lot of these upcoming meals were made a while ago... but I got so far behind posting them because of all that has been going on. I'm thinking for upcoming posts that I will only submit my favorite meals for you since why would you want to see that ones that didn't impress me :)

Taco Stuffed Shells (www.budgetbytes.com) $14.65

Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1½ lb. ground beef
  • 2 cups black beans
  • 2 cups pinto beans
  • 1 taco seasoning packet
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 12 ounces jumbo shells
  • 1 can enchilada sauce
  • 2 cups shredded cheese
  • 3-4 whole green onions

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes). 


Add the ground beef and continue to cook until browned. Mix together the taco seasoning ingredients while the beef is browning. Once the beef is fully cooked through, add the taco seasoning and stir to combine. Drain the beans and add to the skillet. Stir until combined. Taste and season with salt as needed (I used about 1 teaspoon).




Allow the beef and bean filling to sit while you cook the pasta shells. Bring a large pot to a boil, add the shells and cook just until tender. Be sure not to over cook the shells or they will be soft and difficult to fill.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the shells in a colander and rinse with cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Spray the inside of a 9×13 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill the shells with the beef and bean filling and place in the casserole dish. It’s okay if they’re not aligned neatly or if they topple over and spill some filling, it will still be good.


 
 
Once all of the shells are filled and in the casserole dish, pour the prepared enchilada sauce over top and then add the shredded cheese. Cook in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through (all ingredients are already cooked, so there is no real danger of undercooking here. You just want to get it all HOT).


Slice the green onions and sprinkle over top after it comes out of the oven. Serve hot!

Dan rated this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I liked it because there were a lot of leftovers which meant I was off the hook cooking for a few days :)

Mileage Monday x 2

Stats for the week of March 9th - March 15th... This is the week that I first started feeling pretty crappy and my work load took a huge toll on me. I really don't have much to report on other than I walked so much at work that there were often days I would come home and was limping around the house because of the pain and swollenness of my feet. The only feeling I can really compare it to is how I felt after running my first half marathon. But I kept on truckin' (big smile).


Monday, March 9th, 2015 - 12,179 total steps / 4.0 total miles / 350 calories

Tuesday, March 10th, 2015 - 11,919 total steps / 3.9 total miles / 287 calories
 
Wednesday, March 11th, 2015 - 17,523 total steps / 6.1 total miles / 621 calories

Thursday, March 12th, 2015 - 9,918 total steps / 3.4 total miles / 214 calories

Friday, March 13th, 2015 - 5,784 total steps / 2.5 total miles / 127 calories

Saturday, March 14th, 2015 - 13,102 total steps / 4.2 total miles / 352 calories

Sunday, March 15th, 2015 - 11,487 total steps / 3.7 total miles / 330 calories

Totals for the week : 81,912 total steps / 27.8 total miles / 2,281 calories

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stats for the week of March 16th - March 22nd... And this week the joy of pregnancy and a heavy work load continued as I worked three 13 hour days in a row and my back/hips/chest/feet hurt so badly that I was getting only a few hours of sleep each night (cringe). I did muster up the energy though to take Remi on a 2 mile walk on Saturday with the weather being so nice. Actually that sweet boy ended up getting 4 walks in this week thanks to my hubs! What a lucky fella! Remington not Dan :)


Monday, March 16th, 2015 - 10,166 total steps / 3.5 total miles / 220 calories

Tuesday, March 17th, 2015 - 13,110 total steps / 4.2  total miles / 356 calories
 
Wednesday, March 18th, 2015 - 16,009 total steps / 5.8 total miles / 589 calories

Thursday, March 19th, 2015 - 18,203 total steps / 6.3 total miles / 641 calories

Friday, March 20th, 2015 - 6,427 total steps / 2.8 total miles / 220 calories

Saturday, March 21st, 2015 - 2 mile walk with Remi / 5,210 total steps / 2.2 total miles / 189 calories

Sunday, March 22nd, 2015 - 2,399  total steps / 1.5 total miles / 110 calories

Totals for the week : 71,524 total steps / 26.3 total miles / 2,325 calories

3rd Trimester & All I Want Is Sleep!

I don't know how some pregnant women deal with being pregnant plus a highly demanding job. I'm sure that my job is not nearly as tough as most and I have been struggling so much lately just making it through my days. There have been nights when I got home from work and either crashed on the couch or cried...

At the beginning of the month we ended up losing several of the employees in our department for various reasons. What this meant is that because I'm one of the managers in our department I'm expected to pick up some of the hours and responsibilities that those employees had. So for the past several weeks I have not only been working my job, but I am also working evenings/weekends/13 hour days/and I'm back to driving the bus for doctors visits and outings. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but being in my 3rd trimester now you can imagine the toll it takes on me. Plus, keep in mind I don't really have a sit down job and am usually walking up to 4-6 miles per day. I'm almost at the point where I question how much longer I can keep this up and I still have three months left for this baby to cook. What's a girl to do? To top it all off... the state board of health made their appearance in our building at the beginning of the week which adds that much more stress to the mix. PHEW!


Anyways... the reason for the back story is to let you know I'm still alive and kicking and to apologize once again for my lack of post these past few weeks. I have not felt well or had the energy to do any posts and they are backing up in my brain. Hoping to play some catch up over the weekend to fill you in on some recipes and other developments taking place in the Rhoton household...

Right now I'm off to start my last 13 hour day this week... Thank you Lord!   

Mileage Monday... 2 Days Late

Stats for the week of March 2nd - March 8th... I have not been feeling at all well lately. My ribs seriously feel like they could completely split apart with all the pressure that is going on in my belly. I have been dealing with a burning/achy/throbbing sensation for probably the last three days and I have been having trouble breathing. **That is why I have been delayed in blogging lately... I just haven't felt up to par to do it** I know it's just the baby taking up room in my body, but it has definitely not been fun. I talked to my cousin about it since she just had a baby and is littler than I am and she said she had this same thing happen to her and that her doctor told her it is the baby slowly collapsing her lungs. Lovely. I asked what I could do to help. Her response was... "Wait until it comes out." Oh my! I don't want to be a complainer and know that I just need to suck it up, but most nights when I get home I just put on my PJ's and head straight to bed so I can just sleep through it. Sigh....

In other news, the weather is starting to get warmer and my legs are itching to get outside and run!! I have seen so many people around my neighborhood hitting the pavement and all I can do is wish I was one of them. Personally, I will probably wait until after I have the baby to start running again. For me, it is just too uncomfortable on my body right now which makes it not enjoyable. I am terribly excited though to start taking long walks outside with Remington again... even though almost everyday includes a lot of walk for me!!


Monday, March 2nd, 2015 - 7,871 total steps / 2.7 total miles / 151 calories

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015 - 9,992 total steps / 3.5 total miles / 197 calories
 
Wednesday, March 4th, 2015 - 14,755 total steps / 4.7 total miles / 406 calories

Thursday, March 5th, 2015 - 7,698 total steps / 2.3 total miles / 134 calories

Friday, March 6th, 2015 - 11,247 total steps / 3.7 total miles / 329 calories

Saturday, March 7th, 2015 - 3,210 total steps / 1.9 total miles / 16 calories

Sunday, March 8th, 2015 - 1,143 total steps / .7 total miles / 6 calories

Totals for the week : 55,916 total steps / 19.5 total miles / 1,239 calories

Sweet Chili Shrimp

This meal looked super simple to make so I decided to take a stab at it. It would be nice meal for a family if you were in a hurry that's for sure.

Sweet Chili Shrimp (www.budgetbytes.com) $7.17

Ingredients
  • 1 lb. raw shrimp
  • 20 oz. can pineapple chunks
  • ½ cup sweet chili sauce
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil 
  • 1 cup white rice
 
Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray it with non-stick spray. Drain the pineapple chunks and spread them out on the cookie sheet. Place them on the top rack of your oven under the broiler. Keep an eye on them and remove from the oven when they have browned on the edges (about 10 minutes). This will caramelize some of the natural sugars and give the pineapple a great flavor. When they are finished broiling, set them aside.
 
 
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat. When the skillet is very hot (but the oil is not smoking), add the shrimp and stir-fry (just stir it around as it cooks) until the flesh is white and they have a pink blush on the outside (this will only take a few minutes). Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the pineapple letting a little bit of their juices release from the pan’s radiant heat.
 
 
Stir in the sweet chili sauce and you’re done!
 
 
I served ours over white rice.
 
 
Dan rated this meal a 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. It was good, but nothing special.

25 Weeks

Life in general has been moving along like normal for the most part. I have been keeping busy with work as usual and trying my best to prepare for this transition period that is about to happen. There has definitely been some major changes taking place around our neck of the woods lately.

My pregnancy has been pretty easy, which I'm extremely thankful for. I really can't complain about too much. I am amazed with how much body is changing. Right now our June Bug is the size of an ear of corn and weighing in at about 1 1/2 lbs. However, my uterus is the size of a soccer ball which is a little freaky. My cravings are all over the place... from fast food one week to all veggies the next. I'm just going with the flow.

I have been wearing maternity pants for probably over a month now. When I finally switched over to them all I could think about was why didn't I do this a LONG time ago. It is so nice to actually feel like I can breathe! Also, my cousin, Leslie, gave me all her maternity clothes since she just had a baby recently. How sweet of her to do and a true blessing. I feel like I may make it through this pregnancy without spending hardly any money on clothes I'll only wear for a few months. YAY!


Remington has definitely been realizing that changes are happening and I have tried to make it very clear to him that he is more than welcome to explore those changes. Any new baby stuff we purchase goes straight to the floor for a few days for him to sniff out and discover what they are all about. I have read that keeping your dog away from baby items only makes the transition harder when the baby comes, so he has had free reign of almost everything. He has also become very clingy to me lately... always following me around and during therapy dog visits leaning his head up against my belly. All my residents are amazed at the changes they have seen in him toward me lately.

Dan and I have been hard at work shuffling our house around and getting the nursery ready. I have felt a little badly because Dan has kind of lost his space in our house, but he has been a trooper during every minute and has done nothing but try to make me happy and do exactly what I want. I'm definitely the stressed and anxious one about the baby coming and he is my rock as usual. I am so blessed to have him as my partner... so so blessed.

The most amazing thing I have seen and felt these past few weeks is the amount of movement happening! I am truly shocked at how strong this little human is at just 1 1/2 lbs! One night I was sitting watching TV and our little June Bug was kicking really hard so I decided to try to catch it on video to share with Dan. I cannot tell you how many times I have watched this over and over again in pure amazement!!!


Crazy right! And just FYI... I don't have three belly button holes... two of them are from when I use to have a belly button ring :)

Anyways... more updates to come in the following weeks. Time is flying by so fast that it is hard to keep up, but I will try my best!!!! Hopefully this was a nice little update to keep everyone in the loop!

Mileage Monday

Stats for the week of February 23rd - March 1st... YES! We are finally into March! Can we get some warmer weather around here please!!!! This weekend we had 8 inches of snow... Lordy! I'm officially over this winter! Bring on spring time and some temps over 40 degrees... pretty please!


Monday, February 23rd, 2015 - 14,671 total steps / 4.8 total miles / 461 calories

Tuesday, February 24th, 2015 - 10,592 total steps / 3.5 total miles / 196 calories
 
Wednesday, February 25th, 2015 - 9,705 total steps / 3.2 total miles / 184 calories

Thursday, February 26th, 2015 - 6,789 total steps / 2.2 total miles / 110 calories

Friday, February 27th, 2015 - 11,007 total steps / 3.6 total miles / 334 calories

Saturday, February 28th, 2015 - 12,700 total steps / 4.2 total miles / 441 calories

Sunday, March 1st, 2015 - 9,580 total steps / 3.1 total miles / 188 calories

Totals for the week : 75,044 total steps / 24.6 total miles / 1,914 calories 
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