Baseball season is almost over!
As crazy as that time is, we’re sad. When your kids love something as much as our boys love baseball, you can’t help but grieve a little that another year of this phase of life has ended.
I said at the beginning of the season that I was going to do a picnic series, using this blog as motivation to be creative and keep ourselves from grabbing fast food on double-header evenings.
Except for the one pizza night, we did it!
But I’ll admit that last week I was beginning to run out of ideas. I asked hubby if he could think of something that would be good, and he suggested wraps. When I wrote out the menu plan, though, that didn’t sound good. I wrote . . . burritos.
I compromised. I made Chicken and Black Bean Burritos. We’ve had these as tacos before, and like them. I just made up the “recipe” but I’ll share it here.
Ingredients:
Leftover chicken.
One can of black beans.
One packet of taco seasoning.
1/3 cup water.
Large tortillas.
I used two breasts that I had grilled a few days before.
I chopped them up and added about 2/3 of the can of black beans.
I added the seasoning packet and only 1/3 cup of water instead of the 2/3 the packet called for. I wanted to keep them from being too soupy. In the future, I’ll probably use only half a package of seasoning.
Since everything was already cooked, I just heated it all through and then assembled the burritos.
I put the lettuce down first so it wouldn’t fall out as much when folding.
Really, folding was the hardest part. With later ones, I found that if I left more room at the bottom, it folded better. Wrapping them in foil helped a lot too.
These were a hit with hubby and me. And the kids didn’t complain, so I guess they liked them. (They’re so busy at the game that I don’t get a chance to watch for their reactions.)
We will definitely make these again!
Now for this week’s menu plan. We’re heading out on vacation on Friday, so my goal this week is to have super-simple meals so I can focus on packing.
Monday – Spaghetti
Tuesday – BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Wednesday – Pizza Pockets (These aren’t super simple, but the kids requested them for our last picnic supper. I’m thinking of trying an easy version of them.)
Thursday – Tacos
Here is where I buy 40 lbs of chicken at one time for a great price (yes, that was an affiliate link!) and see how I manage 40 lbs of chicken here.
I am so sorry to say that it seems Zaycon has gone out of business. I say “seems” because the information I’ve seen says they’ve “suspended” operations and I don’t fully understand what is happening. I’m so so sad about this since this will change how our family keeps our freezer stocked with meat. We’ve been ordering almost all of our chicken, bacon, and shrimp for them for more than five years. If you had ordered recently, I recommend that you call your credit card company or bank (for debit cards) to see what can be done. I’ve heard many people have had success doing this.
I’m linking this up over at Orgjunkie.com for Menu Plan Monday.
Those burritos look really great! Like your new blog design.
It’s funny you put these on your post. I actually made black bean and ground beef burritos last night. They were really good. I used taco seasoning in it like you did.
Hi, Nony.
I’ve been lurking on your blog for a while now, and I absolutely LOVE it. I’ve actually laughed so hard I have cried…and there have been days that I needed it, badly!
I feel like another one of your soul sisters. I’m a slob, too….but I hate nastiness. Go figure. I struggle the hardest with just tackling things instead of waiting until I can do it to perfection. What is that, anyway???
But on to why I really wanted to comment. I do the pizza pocket thing, but I just cheat and use the pizza dough from the can, like biscuits. I suggest two cans; but I have a hungry family 🙂 Then I just put my sauce, some pepperoni, and cheese….bake according to the package directions, and viola!
Hope this helps.
I’ve been lurking your blog also…what a great idea to take other things on picnics besides sandwiches. It seems like that’s all I can think of to take. I will keep this recipe in mind when we are prepping for our next picnic. I am excited to see how your pizza pockets come together. Thanks…I’m loving your blog!
Alycia
A tip for the burrito folding – if you nuke the tortillas in the microwave (2 or 3 at a time for about 10-20 seconds) they become more pliable and easier to wrap. Sprinkling with a bit of water before microwaving them helps even more. 🙂
Just wanted to mention quickly that I understand the sorrow that comes w/ the end of a sport season. My son is a hockey goalie and we LOVE hockey! We joke about switching back to our old Polish name (Wasielewski ) b/c it sounds more hockey-ish.
Anyway, my son was in the SOCCER goal today and I was cheering him on from the sidelines and he looked over at me and said, “I wish I was in the crease!” — which, if you don’t know, is the area in front of the hockey net for the goalie .
Hockey begins in November. I can’t wait. 🙂
i was wondering the other day if you couldn’t make your pizza pockets and breakfast pockets with canned crescent rolls. i know your homemade crust is much more economical, but if you’re in a hurry the crescent rolls could be a great option.
yes, nony, i think about your blog even when i’m not reading it! 😀
Ha! I know there’s also that frozen pizza dough that would probably work well. Must try, since I haven’t been motivated to go through the hassle lately!