Ryan's Favorite Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

For chicken:
- 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lbs shredded chicken (I used about 2 1/2 breasts)
- 1/8 tsp of each; black pepper, cayenne, garlic salt, cumin and onion powder
- 1 1/2  cups sliced white mushrooms
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 3 strips uncooked chopped bacon
- 1/4 cup chopped white onion
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cans diced green chilies mild (I substitute 1 can with diced jalapeños for the heat)
- 1 can cream of chicken condensed soup
- 1/2 small can of green enchilada sauce ( I save the other half to add to breakfast skillets)
- chicken stock from cooking chicken

For the enchiladas:
- 4-5 flour tortillas
- 2 1/2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a shallow baking dish with foil, take care with the foil since you want all the yummy juices saved. Fillet chicken breasts and arrange in dish. Season chicken breasts with black pepper, cayenne, garlic salt, cumin and onion powder.  Bake fillets for 20 mins.

While chicken is baking, saute white onion, bacon, mushrooms and minced garlic. Set aside.

When chicken is cooked through, (saving all the juices and combining flour to them) remove chicken from pan and lay out to cool. Bump up the oven temperature now to 375 degrees. Shred chicken when it has cooled. Combine shredded chicken with bacon and mushroom mixture. Set aside.

In a separate bowl combine cream of chicken, chilies and/or peppers, sour cream and enchilada sauce. Gradually add saved stock to sauce mixture to taste.

Smother the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish with 1/2 cup sauce mixture. One by one,  lay tortilla in baking dish and fill with 3/4 cup shredded chicken, layer 3 tsps of sauce and then 1/4 cup of cheese. Roll each tortilla and repeat. Cover enchiladas with left over sauce once you have them all rolled. Top enchiladas with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let stand 10 mins after cooking.

Doing what YOU love and being proud of it ♡

I found this ingenious tidbit of insight on Pinterest today and it struck a cord in me.

There are so many strong women in my life and it made me think of all of them. They inspire me to be me, not "one of them", but myself. I have women in my life that are fearless, outspoken, successful,  proud and completely unique within themselves.

Recently I have made drastic, life-changing decisions about myself and my future and I am so HAPPY!!! It's a real thing....happiness I mean. I was depressed and hopeless and I decided to do WHAT I WANTED. I stopped working (huge adjustment) and moved in with the man of my dreams. Now...

I am a stay-at-homer! I fill my days with cleaning, ironing, cooking, crafting, walking my dog, my friends, laundry and researching ways to be a more productive person, friend and homemaker. This is the most rewarding role I have ever had in my life. I devote my life and energy daily to taking care of the man I love, our home and everything and everyone that is important to us.

My life is absolutely not simple or mundane.  Everything I do I put my love and pride into. From making a wreath for the front door to ironing Ryans shirts,  I do my best and it has made me beyond happy and fulfilled.

I am a woman, a beautiful, young, driven and loving woman. I am a woman that is so grateful for the opportunity to do what I do everyday. I am blessed.

I encourage every woman I know to acknowledge the things that you ARE NOT doing that would make you happy. Things that may just be for you.  No matter what it is, taking an active role in your own happiness feels amazing and I hope everyone can find that for themselves!

My newly created Steak Fajita Tacos!

So incredibly easy!!!

I had an extra ribeye steak in the fridge I needed to use and some bell peppers hanging around. Usually I would have gone the stir-fry route, but I'm doing my best to step out of the box in my cooking lately. No one likes the same things over and over again (even if they are amazing things 😉). So....

- I cut up the ribeye steak,  removing most of the fat and cutting against the grain to keep it tender.
- I sliced four different colors of bell peppers (not necessary but visually exciting) and some white onion
- I cooked the ribeye with minced garlic and Fajita seasoning. I added a little oil for moisture.  I VERY quickly cooked the vegetables because we like the fresh taste and crunch of bell peppers. I also put a little bit of the Fajita seasoning in the vegetables.
- Then I whipped up a very simple packages Spanish Rice and layered it all in flat bottom hard taco shells. Rice for the bottom layer, then vegetables and then meat. I topped with shredded cheddar!

ALL DONE!!!

These were so easy and Ryan was a huge fan. He said I need to add them to my "recipe rotation". 😃