Chile Colorado Burritos

(This may or may not become a weekly deal - depends on the feedback! :) )

I absolutely love to cook and I'm always searching for new, delicious, kid-friendly recipes to whip up for my family.

The recipe I'm about to share, I came across on Pinterest about five months ago, and since then it has been a huge hit with my husband and children. We probably have this meal at least once every two weeks!

To see the original recipe, go here.

I've changed this recipe a teensy bit to my liking.

Chile Colorado Burritos

You will need:

• Crock Pot
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Small Bowl (for the beans)
• Colander
• Medium Pot (for the rice) 

(I'm going to list the ingredients/quantities based on how I make it for my family. Recipe yields 5-7 burritos, depending on how much you use per burrito.)

Ingredients:

• 1-1 1/2 lbs of Stew Meat
• 1-3 15 oz cans of Enchilada Sauce(ANY brand), depending on how much sauce you want. I use 3 because I like a lot. (You can also make your own enchilada sauce, if you prefer)
• 1 Beef Bouillon Cube per can of enchilada sauce you use.
• 1 can of any brand of refried beans.
• 2-4 servings of any kind of rice (optional)
• Your choice of shredded cheese
• Burrito sized tortillas

    
Combine the stew meat, all of the enchilada sauce, and bouillon cubes into the CrockPot.

Season to taste (I usually add a dash of Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Garlic Powder,& Ground Cumin).

Cook on high for 7-8 hours OR (and this is what I do) low for 3-4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. 

 
Once the meat is tender to your liking, set up a colander over a large mixing bowl. Unplug your CrockPot and carefully pour it into the colander, straining the meat from the sauce.

Cook rice according to directions on box (or whatever kind you buy), warm up refried beans & tortillas.

From here, you can either keep your meat chunky or chop it up. I prefer to chop it up. 
 

I prepare our burritos by spreading the beans first, then rice, and then meat.

Fold the top and bottom ends of the burrito towards the inside of the burrito before rolling it up to avoid the insides spilling out.

Ladle the strained sauce on top of the burrito and top with your choice of shredded cheese. I always use a Fiesta/Mexican blend.

And, Voila!

These are pictures that I took tonight while preparing this for my family's dinner! If you try this recipe, please let me know how you liked it! 

And, feel free to share, but please link back to my blog! If you like this recipe and would like for me to continue sharing recipes I've found and tried, please leave some positive feedback! Thanks so much!

XOXO,

Marissa

Kleenex, DayQuil, & Nipple Soothing Cream.

Yes. Nipple soothing cream. And, no, I'm not breastfeeding. I've blown/wiped my nose approximately 76 times per hour for the past three days. My nose is raw. Burning raw. 

After practically crying the last time I had to blow my nose, I went on a manhunt for something, anything to soothe it. The popsicle (yes..popsicle. Don't judge me.) felt good at first before starting to burn. The Vicks stung like a mother. Nothing. Was. Working. 
So, I searched my very unorganized medicine cabinet and there it was, the Medela Tender Care Lanolin. It once healed my burning, bleeding nipples, and a nose is kind of like a nipple, right? Okay, no, it's not... but it was SOMETHING. I grabbed a q-tip and generously applied the nipple cream all over my swollen nose. Relief. Somewhat, at least. Then, without even a half-second passing, I sneezed one of those big, lots-a-snot sneezes and had to torture my poor nose again. I give up.

This. Freakin'. STINKS.

Just in the brief time it took to type the short paragraphs above, I've already sneezed once and had to do a follow-up blow.

My throat is sore. I have a sinus headache. My ears are hurting. My body is aching.

I keep reminding myself that I only have a few more hours before my husband is home and I can bitch and moan to him while he totally babies me. Because he's freakin' awesome.

Raymond took off of work yesterday for me. By the time his alarm went off, I had gotten maybe 20 minutes of sleep. Between me throwing up from coughing so much, constant sneezing, blowing my nose every five minutes, ripping apart our medicine cabinet and our teething toddler, I was miserable and he knew it.  

Once he got the OK from his Sgt. to have the day off, he went into total Husband-of-the-Year mode. Propping me up with pillows, setting up our Vicks Vaporizer, and loading me up with meds. (he finally found the DayQuil that I knew I had bought but couldn't remember where I put..)  
Feeling unbelievably relieved to not have to tackle the day on zero sleep while feeling like crap with three kiddos, I fell into a deep slumber. And slept until 3 in the afternoon! I couldn't believe it when I looked at my phone and saw what time it was. What scared me more was the silence from the front rooms. Where was my family!?!? 

I grabbed my robe and crept down the hall (literally crept.. I'm so dramatic and watch too many movies/shows - I had a million Law&Order scenarios swirling in my head). What did I find? My husband, relaxing on the couch watching football. In a clean living room. A clean, kid-less living room. He had cleaned both the kitchen and the living room, folded & put away the two baskets of clothes that I had meant to do two days before, and had the kids all down for their afternoon naps. Yeah. Mental note to rock his world once I'm not a coughing, snotty mess. 

I'm well aware how lucky I am to have snagged such an awesome hubby. I'm so thankful for that day off yesterday. And, while I'm complaining today since he's back at work, I'm trying to keep in mind that there are so many women who wouldn't even be able to dream of a day off like I had yesterday.

So, with my tissues in one hand and the remote in the other, I'm going to take advantage of the remainder of my kids' extremely late nap (that I'm sure to regret at 8:30 tonight) and watch some Long Island Medium off my DVR.

Until next time...

XOXO, 
Marissa 

 

 

  

Change.

"Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are."

"What other people think of you is not your business. If you start to make that business your business, you will be offended for the rest of your life."

Deepak Chopra

"You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches."  

Dita Von Teese

 

 

These are some of the many quotes that I've discovered on Pinterest and fell in love with. I am one of those people that wants everyone to be my friend. I stress out when I think someone is mad at me or just doesn't like me.

I hate being a slave to my desperate need to please everyone. 

Don't cuss, because then So&So will judge me and not like me. 

Don't post certain things because So&So may think it's about them and not want to be my friend anymore or So&So may see something I posted and think I'm a bad person/mother.

Don't do this because So&So said something about it first and then that means I'm copying.

Don't admit to ever having a fight with your husband, because then everyone will think/assume you're in a failing marriage.

Don't talk to So&So because So&So doesn't like him/her and if they see it, they won't want to be my friend anymore.

Don't be yourself, because then no one will like you.

Whatever I say or do is judged, I feel. It's draining, to think about that constantly. It's caused me to try to maintain a perfect image by choosing to share only the happy, seemingly perfect times with social media. That doesn't stop it from happening, though, because then some people think I'm fake. 

I've been hurt by outrageous lies that were said about every aspect of my life. I was horrified and angry when I found out. But, then I thought, how many people have I hurt by saying/doing something similar? I've judged people, too. I'm guilty of lying about someone that I don't like or that I was jealous of at the time. I'm guilty of making slighted judgments against people for no other reason than just because they weren't like me. How would those people feel if they found out everything I had ever said about them?

What gives me the right to do those things and then be surprised when it happens to me? I tried to justify those things by saying, Well, what I said wasn't as bad as what So&So said about me. Or I know they're doing it, so it's just me getting them back. Or, my favorite, I'm not talking shit. I'm just venting.

I decided about five months ago that the person I had become inside wasn't a person that I was proud of. The false judgments made about my life had hurt, deeply. Made me feel even more insecure. But, it also made me look at the things that I had said or done against people. It never made me feel better to judge someone or say mean things about them. As a matter of fact, it made me feel worse. 

After a long, hard self-examination, I turned to the one person I can count on to be a listening, non-judgmental ear with good advice: my husband. We talked, I cried, he comforted. I came to one simple, yet way easier-said-than-done solution: change. 

Don't like the type of friendship you have with certain people? Change it or remove it entirely. Don't like how it feels to do to others the same thing that's been done to you? Then stop. Want to truly feel better about yourself? Stop caring what everyone else thinks of you. 

It all sounds easy. It should be easy. But, it hasn't been. I've slipped up. I've felt like I've failed myself. I'm constantly reminding myself that I'm only human. I've learned to never say or do something that I wouldn't want to be confronted with. 
That's not to say that I never say anything negative about anyone. I do. I'm outspoken and opinionated, so it happens. The only difference is that I choose my words carefully, I don't say something just for the sake of being mean. And, like I wrote above - I don't say anything about anyone that I would be ashamed or afraid to be confronted with. I don't have anything to hide anymore.

I've decided to just be myself. No one else. No competitions. No sugar coating. I am who I am.
I do cuss more than I should. I post whatever I like. I'm confident that I'm a good mother, so if there's something you see or have heard that makes you think otherwise, then whatever. My kids are loved and well taken care of. I do what I want for myself - if someone has done it before me, then who gives a crap. My husband and I fight, but we always make up and anyone that actually knows us, knows our marriage is anything but failing. I talk to whoever I want and I don't let anyone in my life dictate who I'm friends with. 

I'm proud to say that I have a lot of great friends in my life. I've repaired broken friendships that I felt were worth the effort. I've made new friends. I've become a better friend myself.

So, if you don't like me , then you're stupid. Because I'm awesome. And I plan on winning the lottery at some point in my life and you're totally going to miss out on my friend donations. So screw you.



 

There are no words.

My husband left for work at 6 am. On a normal morning, I'd go back to sleep (my kids sleep in fairly late) for a few more hours before starting my day. Sometimes, I get up and have some me time - check email, FB, Twitter, clean up, what have you. This morning I couldn't go back to sleep, but my younger siblings spent the night and they're all sprawled out in my living room and I didn't want to wake them this early. So, I laid in bed and played on Twitter & FB. A friend of mine posted a link to a blog with the words, "Must read if you're a parent to little ones". I clicked on it, and was not prepared for what I read.

http://lovelightlaughterandchocolate.blogspot.com/2012/12/be-with-me-just-for-today.html?showComment=1356884422136

I urge you to take a moment to read it. I laid there in total darkness in my room, with only the light from my phone and sobbed while reading it. I'm not talking about a few tears, either. It was the hard to breathe, nose stopped up, body shaking, SOBBING. 

Why does life go on when something like that happens? Doesn't it make sense for the world to just shut down and mourn with you? Why does this kind of thing happen? Why? I'm just a reader, a fellow mother reading the story, yet there's a million questions swirling in my head, my heart aching, for this family. After I got up to blow my nose, I went into my daughters' room. Gracelyn was sleeping peacefully and for one morbid, horrible moment, I realized her still, beautiful body could be lifeless - she could be dead. For a half second, I thought about how I'd feel if I was standing there at that moment looking at her and she wasn't breathing. How would I react? That heartbreaking, half second of pretend caused a strangled sob to escape my lips before I could run to her bed and scoop her up. Of course, waking her out of a dead sleep startled her and she gasped and clung to me, not knowing what was going on. I laid her back down on the bed without letting her out of my arms and laid with her. Feeling her breathe, smelling her hair, just holding her. I was surprised at how quickly she fell back asleep. I laid there, holding her and crying. I tried to stop myself because I knew how confused she would be, but I couldn't stop. I whispered, "I love you, Bug. I love you so much." Her light snore let me know she was asleep, but a few seconds later, she rolled over in my arms, breathing into my chest and wrapping her arms around my neck and softly breathed, "Love you, Momma.", and nestled closer to me. I silently prayed and thanked God for my three healthy, beautiful, breathing children and sent a prayer to Meghan's mother on this cool morning. I don't know her, I've never seen her face, and I've only just this morning read anything about her, but I love her. I love her and wish I could comfort her. I wish I could sit and cry with her, pray with her, just be there. I cannot imagine her pain. I don't want to try. 

Meghan's story has hit me right in the heart. I have three kids running around here. They all have furniture in their rooms that could kill if it fell on them. Why is it all not secured to the wall? Reilly, my son, climbs on stuff all the time. Paisley has just mastered crawling on top of the couch and coffee table - she, too, could climb on the big shelf in hers and her sister's room and it could easily fall on her. Knowing all of this, WHY HAVE I NOT DONE SOMETHING? Thanks to Kimberly writing through the pain to try to raise awareness for the dangers in our homes, to help prevent heartbreak from happening in other families, I will do something about it. Not next week, not on payday, not tomorrow. TODAY.

We will spend the majority of our day outside playing (if the weather permits, that is) or watching movies and playing in the living room. But, they will not be allowed to play in their rooms until Raymond gets home and can secure their furniture tonight. 

 Look around your homes. Is there anything your child can climb on that can fall on them? A dresser? A tv? Even a nightstand? Secure it. Secure it today. TODAY.

I leave you all with this: Hug your children, love them, cherish them. For there are so many parents of angels wishing they could do the same. But, heaven is just too far away...





-Marissa   

One of Those Days..

  First, I wake up to my 16 month old standing in her crib, on top of her pillow, WITHOUT a diaper. Of course, she peed. A lot. Not just on her pillow, but all over the crib. Grab her, take her to the bathroom, give her a quick bath. Diaper & dress her, go into the kitchen, strap her into her booster seat with a banana & go to strip her crib and throw it into the wash. 
 
   Normally, it wouldn't suck so bad, but a couple months ago our dryer broke (y'know, the one we JUST paid off in February. Ugh.) and we still haven't bought the piece we need to fix it. So, I either have to hang dry everything or drive to my Grandma's down the road and use her dryer. Seeing as how 1) It's FREEZING outside so I doubt it'll dry the clothes out on the line. And, 2) We're a one vehicle family and my husband is at work, so there's no way to take the clothes to my Grandma's until after 7 pm. This happened at 8 am. I decide to think about that later and just go ahead and get the day started.

   Log into my email and then check the bank like I always do. NEGATIVE BALANCE. WHAT?!?! There's NO way. This was a good, cushioned check with lots of breathing room. This is a mistake. Hurriedly check the history on the account and once I see what's wrong, I FREAK. Two loan payments that were supposed to be deferred, as our December payments always are (for the past 5 years), thanks to a great friend and VP of our bank as a "Christmas gift", was all taken out of the account. I call my husband at work, freak out, cry; he's not at a computer, but he promises to take a break and call the bank to get it all figured out. 

  While I'm on the phone freaking out, my son wakes up and asks if he can pour his own milk in his cereal like a big boy. Normally, I'd say yes and then supervise, but he asked at the moment when I was half paying attention and still freaking out to my husband, so I didn't actually process his question and just nodded my head. Fast forward a half minute and CRASH. I jerk my head from my computer screen, drop my phone, and turn to the kitchen - spilled milk, scattered cereal, and a broken glass bowl that he's not even supposed to use in the first place. He immediately starts crying, I grab by phone, hurry a 'okay, gotta go, call me on break. Love you, bye' to my husband and pick my son up to comfort him and let him know it was my fault and that he's not in trouble. Thankfully, I have awesome dogs that pretty much cleaned up the food mess faster than I could start on cleaning it, so all I had to do was pick up the pieces of the bowl and swirl a wet dish rag on the floor a couple times. Done. 

   I quickly get my son a new bowl of cereal, see that Paisley is done with her banana and toss a few cut up strawberries onto her tray and realize my oldest daughter isn't up yet. I walk down the hall, hear her talking and open the door to see that she's used her new nailpolish and painted on her table in her room. She tries to explain that she was painting her friends' nails (yes, she has an imaginary friend, and boy, that's a WHOLE 'nother post) and just hands me her bag of make-up (that her lovely Nana got her for Christmas). At that point, I didn't even have the energy to reprimand or ask her WHY she even had her make-up out in her room without asking. I got her set-up with breakfast and just laid on the couch. 

   Throughout the day, it's been equally as hectic thanks to my toddler who has just learned how to climb and is on top of the coffee table, picnic table we use for home-preschool, couch, you name it. On a normal day, none of that would have bothered me a super lot, but for some reason, I've been in a HORRIBLE funk all day, even before any of that started, which made my reactions to the chaos THAT much worse. Which, in turn, makes me feel terribly guilty. It's not their fault that I'm having a bad day, so why am I taking it out on them? I hate being short with them or not up for playing. I'm hoping that once my husband gets home from work tonight, I can sit down with my cheap wine and read my favorite book that I just restarted, Scarlett. The fact that this is my husband's three day weekend coming up helps to relieve some of this stress. 

   And, for anyone wondering, I did get a call this afternoon from my husband, letting me know that everything with the bank was figured out & there's nothing to stress over with that. Thank you, Baby Jesus, 'cause I hate being broke! I'm hoping to come back tomorrow with a better attitude and be rid of this annoying, woe-is-me bull. Until next time! 


-Marissa

New Blogger! Where's My Welcome Party?

So, I did it. Finally, after years of wanting to, talking about it, and being an avid blog reader myself, I've started one. Yay for me! :) Now comes the hard part... keeping up with it. Also, why didn't anyone tell me how easy it is to start?! I would have done it long ago.

I started this just to have a place where I'm able to ramble, be myself, express my opinions, and brag about my awesome crew. Welcome to my world. Stay a while, browse around, leave a comment, do what you please. Just be nice.