my go to meal.

After we had Solomon, we had so many family and friends bring us meals, which we were incredibly thankful for. I loved waiting to see what we were going to enjoy for dinner and not have to worry about what to make or what we needed to go shopping at the grocery store for. One of the meals we received from a friend definitely stuck out in our mind. It was a healthy twist on a mexican casserole and since we love anything with salsa and beans and corn, we were a big fan. I asked for the recipe and over the past several months I've tweaked it a bit to make it my own and I thought I'd share it here. 

cute little helper!! 

"finally, all done! Get me outta this thing and play with me, Momma!!"

This meal has become my go to for anyone that needs a meal. I normally double the recipe so I can have some for us and then deliver a large dish to whom ever I'm making it for. 

Chicken Quinoa Bake

- ingredients - 

6 chicken breasts

2 cups quinoa

1 jar of salsa

1 can of rotel

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn

1 tbs chili powder

1/2 tbs hot hungarian paprika

1/2 tbs cayenne pepper

1/2 tbs salt

1/2 tbs cumin 

1 cup greek yogurt

2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese

- directions - 

slice all the chicken into small equal size chunks and place them in a pot with all the spices while tossing them to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once they start to cook and the spices are sticking a bit, add the jar of salsa. You can add more spice to the meal buy picking a spicier salsa or keep it tame with a mild salsa. Keep stirring the salsa and chicken until all the spices are mixed in and let the chicken cook. 

while the chicken is cooking place the 2 cups of quinoa with 4 cups of water in a pot and turn on high. Add a dash of salt to season. Once the quinoa is boiling turn to low and leave to simmer until the quinoa is light and fluffy. 

once the chicken and quinoa are both finished cooking (abut 15 minutes) add the quinoa to the pot of chicken and mix well. Then mix in the cans of rotel, black beans & corn. Once everything is combined, remove the pot from the heat and add in the cup of greek yogurt, folding it into the mixture. Lastly, add one cup of cheese and mix until the cheese is melted. 

pour the mixture into the dishes (FYI, a throw away is great for those families with a new baby!!) and then sprinkle on the remaining cup of cheese. 

reheat when ready to eat for 20-30 minutes at 375. ENJOY!