Beef and Bean Taco Casserole

Beef and Bean Taco Casserole


INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 jar (16 oz) Thick ‘n Chunky salsa
1 package (1 oz) taco seasoning mix
2 1/2 cups coarsely broken tortilla chips
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped (3/4 cup)
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
1 cup shredded lettuce

Heat oven to 350°F. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in refried beans, salsa and taco seasoning mix. Reduce heat to medium. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

In ungreased 2-quart casserole, place 2 cups of the broken tortilla chips. Top evenly with beef mixture. Sprinkle with bell pepper, onions, 1 cup of the tomato, the cheese and olives.

Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Top baked casserole with lettuce, remaining 1/2 cup tomato and remaining 1/2 cup tortilla chips. Serves 5

Chicken Mexican Soup

This is super easy to make and my kids love it!!!

Ingredients:
-1 pack of dry ranch dressing seasoning
-1 pack of dry low sodium taco seasoning mild
-1 can of kidney beans
-1 can corn
-1 black beans
-1 package of chicken breasts (3 or more)
-3 cans of water
-shredded cheese
-tostitos

Steps:
1- place chicken breasts in crockpot with packet of dry ranch and taco seasoning and cook on high for 2-3 hours
2 - shred the chicken
3 - rinse kidney beans, corn, black beans and put into crockpot with the shredded chicken and add 3 cans of water and cook on low for 2 additional hours - stir occasionally
4 - serve with tostitos and shredded cheese

Welcome to our Healthy Living/Recipe exchange BLOG!

Hey everyone - we thought it would be fun to have healthy living/recipe exchange BLOG.  We are forever making copies of recipes and talking about the things we do to help make our lives (and our families) healthier - so what a great way to share those ideas and comment!  Hope you enjoy!!!!

Here is the first recipe - I made Quinoa "Mac-n-Cheese ".  Macklin (5yrs old) loved it so much he asked me to pack some in his lunch the next day!!!

You'll need:

1 ½ cups Quinoa

Chicken broth

Veggies (I added carrots and zucchini but would add broccoli next time too) 

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large eggs

1 cup skim milk

2 cups shredded cheese (my hubby said it could have been a bit "cheesier")

2 cups corn flakes, crushed

2 T. butter, melted

Cholula (hot sauce) or salsa, optional

Directions:

1. Sautee the veggies and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook quinoa in 3 cups of chicken broth. I cook mine in my rice cooker.
3. Whisk the eggs and milk in a large bowl.
4. Fold in quinoa, veggies, cheese, garlic, salt & pepper.
5. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan.
6. Mix together the crushed corn flakes and melted butter and sprinkle on top of the quinoa mixture.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes and top with Cholula!