Even though he is only 10 months old, I think Jack is a lot like me.  I went to a yoga class last weekend.  It was my first one since maternity leave (wowza!  How did that happen??)  and was a wonderful class…but there were a couple of funny little incidents.  About 20 minutes into class a lady with THE LOUDEST FLIP FLOPS EVER came trudging into class and threw down her mat.  She wiped out during a fairly normal pose, got up and yelled “I’m ok!”  At that point I was looking around the room for a camera because I figured her antics were a joke.  Sometimes loud, disruptive people in the middle of a yoga practice annoy me but I found this experience especially amusing.  I came home after class to have dinner with my guys and when I was telling Matt the story and laughing hard, Jack started laughing so hard he gave himself hiccups.  This guy likes a good joke, and had me laughing even harder.  This little funny guy is SO my kid.

In addition to appreciating my humor, he seems to appreciate my favorite foods too. I made two batches of this:  one to have for lunches throughout the week and one to puree to freeze in pouches for Jack to enjoy later.  I originally only made one batch but when he finished two baby bowls of this dinner I knew I had to make another for just him.

This is a great one to make over the weekend to enjoy leftovers all week.  The flavors meld together nicely and this can be served warm or cold.  I especially recommend crumbling a piece of manchego cheese over the top of it.

Roasted Veggie Quinoa
Ingredients:
1 cup of quinoa
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 large bag of kale, roughly chopped
1 can of beets (sliced or chopped is fine.  Just get regular, not pickled)
1 can of black beans, rinsed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Place sweet potatoes and red onion in a dutch oven of oven save dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Stir.  Place in oven for 20 minutes.
2. While veggies are roasting, cook quinoa according to directions.  (I highly recommend using a rice cooker).
3. After veggies have been roasting for about 20 minutes, remove from the oven and stir in as much kale as you can start to wilt.
4. Place the veggies back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
5. When the veggies are done roasting, add the quinoa the veggie mixture.  Add the beets and the black beans.  Stir to combine.  (at this point I removed the amount I was going to puree for Jack)
6. Add a healthy amount of balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.  Feel free to add additional salt and pepper to taste and then serve…or portion out individual servings into Mason Jars for lunch throughout the week.

Hello!  Long time no see.  Life seems to have gotten busy, but when doesn’t life seem busy?  I made these enchiladas two weekends ago and was planning on sharing the recipe right away.  I made them on a day when Jack was really asserting his independence and I went to bed wondering how time went by so quickly.  The next day, when I planned to write up this recipe, he woke very early into his nap and seemed to want to be held.  Instead of doing anything “productive” that I always scurry along to do during nap time, I held him, rocked and sang as he slipped back to sleep.  When I looked at his beautiful sleeping face, and smelled in his sweet baby hair, I soaked in every minute of that hour…one of the best hours of my whole week.

Long intro to let you know that this recipe makes two batches.  Enjoy the first right away and freeze the other to enjoy on a weekend that you are busy living life to do much cooking.
Chicken Enchiladas
(Based on this recipe in the October 2013 Cooking Light)

2 chicken breast halves
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jar salsa verde (16 oz), divided
6 oz cream cheese (I used 1/3-less-fat)
20 (6-inch) corn tortillas
¼- ½ cup shredded sharp cheese
salt and pepper
garlic powder

1. Pre-heat over to 400.
2. Sprinkle the chicken breasts (both sides) with a good does of black pepper and garlic powder and some freshly ground salt.
3. Pan sear the chicken breasts over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes per side.
4. Put the chicken in a baking dish and bake in the oven for another 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
5. While chicken is cooking, saute the onions, carrots, and peppers.
6. When chicken is done cooking, shred the chicken and combine with sauteed veggies and cream cheese.
7. Pour a small amount of the salsa verde on a plate and place a corn tortilla over the salsa to coat one side.
8. Fill each tortilla with a heaping ¼ cup of chicken mixture.  Place the filled tortillas into two baking dishes (one to bake now and one to freeze for cooking later).
9. Spoon the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and (optionally) sprinkle with cheese.
10. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, if you’re planning on serving today.  Freeze remaining baking dish before baking if you plan to enjoy at a later date.