Speedy Chicken Enchiladas

My husband taught me this recipe when we were first married!  It is extremely quick and easy - once again perfect for a week night.  If he can do it, so can you :) (Love ya, honey!)

Speedy Chicken Enchiladas

*Makes 1 9x13 pan of enchiladas - serves 4-5

1 Rotisserie Chicken

1 can Red Enchilada Sauce (14 oz can is plenty, I use Medium heat)

10 Corn Tortillas

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Canned or Frozen Corn

Black Beans

Cumin

Garlic Salt

Shredded Lettuce

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: salsa, sour cream, taco sauce, etc.

1.) Shred the meat from the rotisserie chicken and place in a bowl.

2.) Spray your 9x13 pan. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

3.) Create your assembly line: line up a bowl of shredded cheese, 

a bowl chicken, and a bowl of enchilada sauce.  Dip a tortilla in enchilada sauce.  

Add chicken and cheese, and roll up the tortilla placing it seam side down in oven pan.

4.) Continue dipping, filling, and rolling tortillas until pan is full (about 10 enchiladas).

5.) Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas.  

Sprinkle more cheddar cheese on top.

6.) Cover pan with tin foil and bake for 10 minutes.  Take off foil, and continue to bake 

for another 10 minutes - or until the tortillas and cheese get a little crispy.

7.)  While tortillas are warming, heat up the black beans (sprinkled with garlic salt and ground cumin to taste) and the corn.  Shred the lettuce.

8.) Serve enchiladas with corn, beans, and lettuce on top.  Add any extras - sour cream, salsa, taco sauce, your pick!

Happy Wednesday!

Our DIY Painted Shelves were featured on We Like To Learn As We Go!

Check it out!!

DIY Kitchen Chalkboard

I love an easy craft project that makes a big difference :)  And let's be honest, chalkboard paint could not be easier to work with.   Especially the spray paint version!  For quite awhile now I've been meaning to buy a magnet pad of paper to put on my refrigerator so I can jot down those grocery store items I need to buy that I think about in the moment of cooking but ALWAYS forget once I get to the store.  Does that ever happen to you?  

However, I've had this empty wall in my kitchen since we moved in.  I thought I'd get around to finding art or something to fill the hole eventually, but then I came across this old tray that I got at the flea market a hundred years ago.  Boom! Let's make a chalkboard, hang it in the empty space, and now I can add items to buy as I think of them.  Ahhhh I love efficiency.

DIY Kitchen Chalkboard

Old Tray

Rust-oleum Chalkboard Spray Paint

Painters Tape

Chalk

1.) Tape off edges of tray with painters tape.

2.) Spray chalkboard paint on face of tray.  

I sprayed 3 coats, taking about a 2 minute break between coats.

3.) Wait 24 hours. (Hardest part! Ah patience!)

4.) Cure chalkboard by covering the entire area with chalk.  

Wipe off chalk and voila!

5.) List away!

I had to add a small sawtooth picture hanger to the back of my chalkboard.  You can buy these at any hardware store - I happened to have some in my tool box.  They come with tiny screws, you just grab a screw driver and screw them into the back of your tray.  Then I attached some kitchen twine to the back, and hung the tray on the wall.

The Painters tape actually pulled off a little of the old paint from the original tray.  But it ended up making the sign look even better! Unintentional distressing :)

I love how it fills up that empty wall and lets me remember what I actually need from the store!  Win, win.

xo,

Kate

Kate's Nursery Inspiration: A Bohemian Baby Room

Image via Gypsie Sister

It's time.  Kacey has officially shamed me into starting on my nursery :)  Hers is SO CUTE! Check out her progress here, here, and here.  I've decided to go colorful and bohemian in our nursery.  I want it to be comfy, cozy, and inspiring for baby Bean!  You can see some of my inspiration photos below...lots of jewel tones, pattern...indigo, magenta, gold, turquoise....whimsical and fun!

Images clockwise from left 1 | 2 | 3

And here is my inspiration board...These are the images that are driving me creatively now.  I've linked to the below photos, but I plan to DIY some of these items, flea market find others, and re-purpose pieces we already have in our home.  Updates on real progress to come!

It's GO TIME!

xo,

Kate

1.) Dresser

2.) Boho/Persian Printed Rug - Overstock

3.) Patterned Throw - Happy Habitat

4.) Dreamcatcher as art

5.) Magenta/Purple Armchair

6.) Printed throw Pillow - Urban Outfitters

7.) Green Mirror

8.) Crib - Babyletto Mercer Crib

9.) Shelving

10.) Elephant Hamper

11.) Boho Bedding - Target Mudhut Bengal Baby Set

12.) Gold Table Lamp - Land Of Nod

13.) Boho Pillow- Lulu and Georgia Field Of Gold Pillow

14.) Brass Side Table - West Elm Martini Side Table

15.) Chambray Linen Crib Skirt - Land Of Nod

Hand Down Best "Made From Scratch Pancakes" Recipe!

Why not treat yourself this weekend and make these can't miss pancakes? They are just as easy as using a pre-made batter mix, but infinitely more tasty.  Serve them classic style with butter and syrup OR eat them like we do up at the lake - butter and a layer of sugar.  

So. Worth. It.

Hand Down Best "Made From Scratch Pancakes" Recipe

Makes 8 pancakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4 cups skim milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
blueberries Optional

1.) In a large bowl, sift together the flour, 

baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. 

2.) Make a well in the center of dry mix, and pour in the milk, egg, 

vanilla and melted butter.  Mix until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled pan over medium high heat. 

Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using 

approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.  If using blueberries
add a couple to each pancake before you flip.

Let both sides of the pancake get golden brown, and serve hot.

Mmm Mmm Mmm,

Kate

Baby Room Update! DIY Shelves for Kacey's Nursery

Ok kids! Here are the fun shelves Kate and I ended up painting for the Baby's room! They turned out so cute and pretty, and I just had to share them with you!

Step 1: Buy these $7.99 shelves from Ikea.  They come with metal hinges and are super easy to drill into the wall.

Step 2: Dry brush an antique white paint onto all sides of the shelves.  Use a large dry paint brush and dip a small amount of paint onto it.  Then brush it on to the shelf in a coarse, carefree manner.  It creates a lovely farmhouse feel to the shelves. Let dry (doesn't take long!).

Step 3:  Decide what shapes you want to paint onto the shelves so you can tape off the patterns.  We used painters tape. You need to paint on all sides of shelf because you'll be able to see the bottom as well as the top.  This was the fun creative part! We went with some simple stripes on one, and got funky and whimsical on the third!

Step 4:  Paint! We chose 4 different colors from Michaels, but the world is your oyster on this one. 

1. Martha Stewart ANTIQUE SILK Pearl Craft Paint

2. Craft Smart SILVER Metallic Paint

3. Americana CORAL BLUSH Acrylic paint

4. Dazzling Metallics SILVER SAGE Paint

You need to go slow and really plan out which color should go where.  The paint dries fairly quickly though, so this project can be accomplished in one afternoon!

And before you know it...the tape comes off and.....voila!!

3 fun, different, whimsical shelves!

This baby hasn't even arrived yet, and I've already managed to fill up all available space:)

Enjoy crafting!! I know I did...this one was a fun one!

Love!

Kacey

Linking to:

Living Well Spending Less

Live Laugh Rowe

1 Dog Woof

House Wife Eclectic

The DIY Dreamer

This Silly Girls Life

We Like To Learn as We Go

Some Day Crafts

Ginger Snap Crafts

A Bowl Full Of Lemons

Free Online Meditation Conference

Meditation.....

It's very trendy these days.  Gaining popularity in mainstream media and medical circles - while being a mainstay in yoga and spiritual communities for as long as yoga and spirit have existed.  From the Mayo Clinic to MindBodyGreen to Russell Simmons to even the Harvard Business Review, everyone is touting the benefits of incorporating a meditation practice into your daily life.

...Relieve Stress

alleviate illness...

.....promote spiritual connection...

....improve relationships

enhance mental performance....

and more.

I came across this free online Meditation conference on Entheos.  Led by Yoga and Meditation teacher Ashley Turner, the conference is available to be streamed on your computer for free from April 21st through April 25th.  

Check out the Conference Overview from the En*Theos website:

Ashley interviewed 30+ world-class experts ranging on topics from the neuroscience of meditation, mindfulness based stress-reduction, Positive Psychology, Transcendental Meditation, the Mind-Body connection, Buddhism and Tantra. 

Demystify meditation, discover a wide-range of tools from many different traditions so you can choose which practice fits your personality and lifestyle and start meditating today. 

As yogis have known for centuries and scientists have more recently discovered, the benefits of meditation are profound! This conference breaks down meditation in an accessible and practical way - so even if you only have 5 minutes, you can begin a daily meditation practice.

Amazing yoga teachers, spiritual leaders, and pop culture icons are speaking during the online global conference.  Even if you can only listen to 1 or 2, it's worth it! And free!

Namaste :)

1 | 2 | 3

Ginger Beef and Kale Stir Fry

Healthy, quick, delicious!  Make this Stir fry tonight, you won't be sorry.

Ginger Beef and Kale Stir Fry

Serves 4-6

Marinade

2/3 cup low sodium Soy Sauce (Green lid!)

1 cup broth (chicken, vegetable - your choice)

5 tbsp rice wine vinegar

4 tbsp corn starch

4 tsp ground ginger

fresh ground black pepper

Stir Fry

1 lb. flank steak, cut into thin slices

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

8 oz (1 small box) white button mushrooms

1 bunch organic Kale

1 organic red pepper, thinly sliced

Garlic Salt

1.) Whisk together all marinade ingredients and pour in a plastic bag with sliced steak. 

Let marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to a few hours.

2.)  Pour olive oil into a large saute pan. 

Add garlic and saute at med-hi for a minute.  

Using a slotted spoon, remove steak from plastic bag and put in pan (Save marinade).  

Saute for 5 minutes, or until cooked through.

3.)  Remove steak from pan, and set aside.  Toss in kale, mushrooms, 

red pepper, and the rest of the marinade plus a sprinkle of garlic salt.  

Stir often until kale begins to wilt and the sauce thickens.  Add steak back in 

and stir for another 3-5 minutes.

Serve stir-fry over a big pot of brown rice.

enjoy!

Kate