Yesterday I didn’t even leave the house other than to grocery shop and out for a quick pizza date night with hubby…and I walked nearly 11,000 steps (over 5 miles) according to my FitBit. It was a BUSY day around the house and considering it was 44 pathetic degrees and overcast much of the day, I guess it was a good way to do a million loads of laundry, get the nursery organized, and of course, clean up after a tornado toddler alllllllll dayyyy long.
We’ve officially reached the point at which I can no longer keep up with the messes she makes. She’s faster and more creative in her destruction than I could’ve ever predicted.
I run a load of laundry upstairs and come down 1 minute later to find the few remaining kibbles of dog food thrown across the room…after offering them to the dog.
I include her in muffin making, turn to grab eggs out of the fridge, and she has flung flour over the length of the kitchen. Grinning.
While I take pictures for the blog, she’s either getting in the frame or pulling every swatch of fabric from its carefully rolled and stored location in my “blog prop” storage chest.
Mark looked at me across the table at dinner last night and said, “You look exhausted.” Bingo. And simply factual rather than offensive at this point in our life. Almost an entire weekend will have gone by and I’m reading the same 3 paragraphs over and over in the book I just started. Even to get this blog post up, it’s a, “Hey babe, I need you to keep her occupied and away from me for just a bit while I finish up this post..” (unsuccessful, by the way).
But, I’m getting a bit better with my toddler “damage control”. The night I served up these Vegetarian Quinoa Fajita Bowls, quinoa was EVERYWHERE. Mark took Shea straight up for a bath while I found pieces of quinoa in every nook and cranny of her highchair and my kitchen floor for the next 30 minutes.
Since she absolutely loved these fajita bowls, I served the leftovers OUTSIDE on the porch. And then, being the thoughtful person that I am, I also sent the last of the leftovers with Shea to daycare for lunch. Her teachers didn’t comment on the mess…only the fact that my kid inhaled every last pepper, onion, and bean in the Tupperware.
What can I say? She knows good food when she has it!
- 1½ cups dry quinoa, rinsed well through a fine mesh strainer
- 1 packet fajita seasoning, divided
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, halved and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
- 5 Tbsp cojita cheese, crumbled
- In a large sauce pan, bring the quinoa and 3 cups of water to a boil. Stir in two-thirds of the fajita seasoning, reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes; fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Add bell peppers and sprinkle with remaining fajita seasoning; cook an additional 6-8 minutes or until softened and beginning to char.
- Warm black beans and corn in the microwave.
- To assemble, place scant 1 cup cooked quinoa in the bottom of a bowl and top with ⅕ of the peppers/onions, about ⅔ cup bean/corn mixture, and 1 tablespoon cojita cheese. Serve hot.
- Sunday: Ranch Cheddar Chicken (FINALLY, FOR SURE) with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob
- Monday: Pesto Pasta with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Tomatoes
- Tuesday: leftovers – working late
- Wednesday: One Skillet Sausage and Rice (Again. We loved it and I need to take photos 🙂 )
- Thursday: mini pizzas on sandwich thins + veggie (TBD – whatever comes in the CSA box that day)
Be well,
These look really good! Looks like you added some avocado, too, what a great idea!
Haha, does the dog not clean up after the toddler’s meals? My dog figured out really fast that my 2 year old niece gets more food on the floor than she does in her mouth, so when we have family dinners, the dog hangs out right under the high chair!
Wonderful recipe ! Thanks for sharing it 🙂