Six Ways to Upcycle your Chipotle Bowl (or Burrito!)

My hubby and I don’t go “out” to eat much, but we like to get Chipotle To-Go about once a week, generally on a Friday or Saturday night.  It is great to have an easy and delicious meal with no clean up on the weekend. It is relatively healthy compared to other take-out options and it makes great left-overs.  Before baby, I could barely finish a whole burrito or bowl; now I order two (yes, for myself), so I (generally) have some for the next day.  They are great straight out of the fridge, IMO, but I am all about using leftovers, and especially with my little guy wanting to play, mealtime is often grab and go.  So I occasionally use recipes, but also have fun coming up with some interesting concoctions on the fly, mostly with great success!  Next time, save your smidgen of rice, beans and toppings at the end or order two from the get-go for the below Chipotle Bowl (or Burrito!) Upcycles created by me!

1)  Mock stuffed squash-I usually roast a squash once every 1-2 weeks, and with half a roasted butternut squash and my Chipotle in the fridge, I stumbled across a new combination.  I grabbed them both, heated them, and discovered the flavors were amazingly harmonious!   Squash is a super-food and tastes great on its own, mild and sweet but the flavors in the Chipotle kick it up a notch and take the squash from a side-dish to a whole meal. You can use any winter squash, but I particularily like butternut prepared similar to this recipe.

2) Stir-fry-Use the leftover Chipotle as part of the flavor profile for a super easy stir-fry.  Stir up some rice or noodles and a protein, throw in peppers (frozen are super easy), onion and garlic. I like to add cashews or peanut sauce to change the flavor a bit and keep it from being too much of a repeat. The beauty of using the Chipotle is that you get a hint of that extra spiciness and grilled flavor that is sometimes hard to get at home! Yum!

3) Egg bake-Thanks  to my mom for showing me growing up that you can turn just about any savory left-over into a delicious egg bake, especially if the eggs are about to expire 🙂 .  Use anywhere from 6-12 eggs, a dash of milk, bread crusts, chopped onions, S&P and chipotle, and it is 30 minutes at 350 F until done. This recipe is a great starting point. It is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and sometimes I like to freeze half of the finished product for breakfasts at a later date. Endless tessellations of Chipotle.

3) Soup-I keep home-made broth on hand in the freeze, but you could just as easily use store-bought, or even add your chipotle to a pre-made canned soup.  Throw in extra frozen or fresh veggies, beans or another protein, simmer and done!

5) Salad-So chipotle does sell a salad bowl, but honestly I have never ordered it, because who wants to waste that yum real-estate on lettuce?  However, if you have leftovers and always have fresh greens in the fridge like me, the combo is obvious and can stretch your leftovers into a nice lunch. The leftovers already have all of the salad toppings you could want and no dressing required with all of that flavor chocked in the Chipotle.

6) Meatloaf-This one is getting a little bit adventurous, but it is worth taking the risk!  Lots of times I eat all of the meat out of my burrito bowl and just end up with the rice and other toppings. It is fine for any of the above recipes, but also serves me well for a dish like meatloaf. Make sure the large veggies are diced and then modify a recipe like this one for awesome results!

7) Guacamole-Bonus idea! I haven’t tried this yet, it just occured to me! Just mash your Chipotle leftovers in with avocado, lemon juice, garlic and diced onion! The circle of avocado life, or compounded Chipotle interest, right?

Sometimes it feels like there is nothing to eat even when I just went to the grocery store. Other times I open my fridge door, see my leftovers, inspiration hits me over the head, and I feel like a genius in the kitchen! Do you have any leftover dishes that have become your favorite go-tos? Please share!

Image from Tumblr.

Why Motherhood is Like an Endless Spa Day

Time for your facial!

Yesterday I came to the realization that my life is uncannily similar to a getaway at a five star spa and resort.  I did not notice this at first because the execution is different than a typical spa, but all of the big players are there: yoga, massage etc.  To help us mommies realize how much pampering we actually get on a day-to-day basis I drew up a list of spa-like diversions that I get to enjoy!

1) Yoga: We start the day with a diaper change around here.  If your tot is like mine this means you stretch all four of your limbs into impossible configurations and hold the pose (wait, wait, wait) for 60-90 seconds with each diap. Occasional, with certain diaper poses we focus on breathing, so we practice conscious deep abdominal breaths and holding during the face-everted pose. Lucky us; we get to participate in diaper yoga anywhere from 6-10 times per day at the mommy spa! It brings a whole new meaning to “child’s pose.”

2) Facial: Your facial appointment coincides with breakfast time. Whether fruit, oatmeal or milk, breakfast ingredients are rife with micronutrients and antioxidants.  The expert application to our forehead, cheeks and occasional hair may go unnoticed by us, but our mommy friends at play date may be kind enough to point out our unconscious anti-aging mask.  Our little ones are keeping us young!

3) Acupuncture: It is well known that many important pressure points are found in the foot. Your tot knows this too and has strategically placed small pointy toys where you least expect them, so that you get the full benefit of the accupuncture as you bring your foot down into contact with them. Ahh, your entire nervous system has now been reset!

4) Meditation: Meditation is an important part of mental health and well-being. Luckily, your little guy or gal is eager to assist you with this.  Whether it be stacking blocks or re-reading “Little Blue Truck” for the tenth time, your tot is definitely has a mantra in mind for you. You repeat your mini Zen Master’s activity of choice until your mind is blank, and then you find yourself doing the shape sorter of your own volition.  Congratulations; your thought-purging is on par with a Buddhist monk!

5) Light Snack: Every excellent spa offers a light and healthy snack during the course of your stay; Mommyhood also ensures that you will snack lightly since you can’t remember the last time you sat down to eat a meal.  Don’t worry, you will get a few snacks during your spa day, as it will round out to four peanut butter sandwich crusts, eight cubes of cheese, half an apple, diced pre-chewed chicken, as many carrot sticks and you can eat and orange juice to wash it down.

6) Finally, the long awaited massage: After all of the cleansing of the day it is time to wind down with a massage.  You lay face down on the mattress or floor with your eyes closed and wait. Your little one begins the massage in an unorthodox manner, by climbing on to your shoulders and butting heads with you.  He continues to seek out all areas of tension and apply moderate to firm pressure. He uses varied techniques; climbing and applying feet and elbows liberally.  You find yourself dozing off and as the massage comes to a close your heart fills with bliss and gratefulness for another amazing day at the Mommy Spa!

The day has come to a close and you may not have noticed all of the rejuvenation that took place!  What a shame.  Don’t worry though, every day is spa day! Now go on with Mommy Spa Day and remember to RELAX!

What is your favorite part of Mommy Spa Day?