A Leftover Kind of Day (Recipe Included)

Posted: February 25, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Yesterday was crazy busy. I never knew I could pack so much into one day! I woke up early to get a head start. That’s probably the only way it could have happened.I showered and dressed. I packed the diaper bag. I prepared breakfast for when the kids awoke and snacks for on the go. I piled everyone into the car by 7:30 am. What for? Not the gym. I tried that schedule out today for the first time. Success in case you were wondering.

Yesterday I set out to conquer something else. I set out to conquer the children’s consignment sale.

source

These sales are basically huge garage sales where hundreds of moms come together to sell their gently used children items. Its the only way I buy my kids clothes. One third the cost and just as nice? Don’t mind if I do!

I hit up one sale from 8:30-9:30. I had to shop fast to keep the baby in the carrier and the toddler in the stroller from spontaneously combusting. I still managed okay..

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After we got home it was the usual nursing and playing routines. And hearing Makenzie rave about her new clothes. “Mommy, soooo cute!” “Ooooohhhh!!!”

makenzie shopping 2 makenzie shopping 1

Then, from 1-2 pm I participated in the 4all by jofit webcast as part of the Team 4all.

4all webcast 1 4all webcast 2

Can I just say how much I love this company and working with them?!

I still had more to do after the lovely chat, though. As in fitting in my workout. I completed a Turbo Jam DVD. It wasn’t the best workout. I need some new shoes specifically for cross training.

It worked well as my warm-up for round two. That’s right. Round two. I had another consignment sale to visit last night. I figured paying the $5 to do the presale was worth it. Not so much for getting in a night early. More so to not have to fear the spontaneous baby/toddler combustion previously mentioned. I got to shop alone. It was a mad hour rush. Once again, I think I did okay with my haul…

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Perhaps its a good thing I only had 2 hours to shop between the two sales. 😉

Obviously with a day like that I needed to take the easy route where I could. It was a leftovers for lunch kind of day. Fortunately, I had the perfect meal for leftovers. And a perfect recipe to share with all of you thanks to my friend, Danielle. It may sound familiar because Caitlin just did a spin on it after I shared the recipe with her. Check out her version as well.

Mexican Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

  • 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 lb. cremini or button mushrooms, trimmed & quartered
  • minced garlic (I used about 1 Tbsp)
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • course salt & ground pepper
  • 15.5 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 8 corn tortillas, warmed & halved
  • 2 cups salsa or basic marinara (I did the marinara bec of spice & b'feeding)
  • 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until browned, 7 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne; season with salt & pepper. Add black beans and stir to combine. Cook until beans are warmed through.

mexican casserole 1

Arrange 5 tortilla halves in a 8x8 baking dish. Top with half the bean mixture and 1/2 cup salsa/marinara, then sprinkle with one-third of the cheese.

mexican casserole 3

Repeat with another layer. Top with remaining tortilla, salsa/marinara, and cheese. Cover with foil and bake until center is hot and cheese melts, about 10-15 minutes.

mexican casserole 4

Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbling, another 10-15 minutes. Serve and savor.

mexican casserole 5

You know I don’t post recipes unless they’re something special. So, what are you waiting for? Make this!!! And the leftovers? Taste even better the next day. Gotta love that!

Question of the Day – How do you like to score a bargain? And what’s your favorite casserole dish meal? This may have just topped my favorite chicken enchiladas that I shared in my first post!

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55 Comments to “A Leftover Kind of Day (Recipe Included)”
  1. That is so cool they have big consignment sales like that! that casserole looks so good, I love easy yummy dishes like this!

  2. That’s really cool that you have those sales around you — I wouldn’t even know where to start to find one! I do like to shop at my favorite stores when they have sales but I have also found some of my favorite dresses at Target and Old Navy which always seem to be reasonable!

  3. Lori Lynn says:

    That looks really good! Would it still be good without the cayenne pepper? I’m one who does not do too well with really spicy and might leave it out!

  4. Erica says:

    ow! I will have to remember those sales once I have the baby! Sounds fabulous. And your dinner looks incredible. I love Mexican bakes…cheap, makes lots of food and you’re right- the leftovers are usually better than the original!!

  5. You made out great at those consignment sales!

  6. I love consignment sales/garage sales/estate sales, etc. You can find such incredibly cheap (and decent!) stuff. I can’t wait for “garage sale season” to start (usually mid May).

    Favorite casserole? Actually I like one that is very similar to the one you posted — it uses layered flour tortillas, refried beans, browned ground beef, salsa, black olives, etc. So delicious.

  7. good grief you did a lot! Dinner looks delicious and I think M ahd a great time playing dress up! I love a good bargain since I HATE spending money!

  8. Wow, you definitely got bang for your buck with all the great kids clothes!! I love a good bargain – sometimes it’s thrill of the “find” that is most rewarding!

    Your casserole looks wonderful. I love blackbeans and anything with a mexican flair!

  9. I’ve never heard of those types of sales, but it sure seems like it was worth getting up early for! It’s like Black Friday all over again!

  10. Sounds like a busy but productive day! Wish I knew how to score bargains LOL I don’t really have the patience to look for them.

    As for Turbo Jam, I did a workout recently and find I also need to get some cross trainers.

    Off to the gym tonight for personal training (boxing with the big bad bag ha ha )

  11. looks like you got tons of cute clothes!! and that dinner looks totally delicious!

  12. That looks delish! I’m allergic to mushrooms but I definitely think I would love it even without them 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

  13. I am SO jealous!! We dont have ANYTHING like there here in South Jersey (tho if any of you commenter/readers know of any – even in Philadelphia – PLEASE let me know!!!)

    Great job! and Yummy Recipe!!!

  14. Tina says:

    I am all about bargains! I just posted about how I have been craving Mexican food lately, which is very unlike me. From the looks of your recipe, I’m not alone! Enjoy your weekend!

  15. Mellissa says:

    I made this casserole a few weeks ago, so good! Its from Everyday Food.

  16. Stephanie says:

    We LOVE consignment shops. We have several in our neighborhood and we love them! Really makes purchasing clothes for 3 kids much less of a nightmare.. 🙂

  17. I’ll definitely be trying that recipe. I’m always looking for quick and easy meals, and especially LOVE ones with lots of leftovers! I’ve been cooking a lot more with beans lately, so this is perfect.

    I’m not much of a bargain shopper… never have been, but I wish I was! But when it comes to clothes for my little guy I hate spending a lot of money because he grows out of everything so fast. I’m definitely more into sales now than I ever was!

  18. I love bargain shopping! It makes me all giddy and excited.
    That casserole looks dynamite. Definitely a dish I’d make at home. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  19. Dorry says:

    My sister loves consignment for her young girls – such great deals! There are a couple of resale shops in Dallas with fun, vintage clothes. And I can’t remember the last time bought something full price. I head straight for the sale section and love stores like Nordstrom Rack for bargains. I’m not much of an online shopper for clothes, but I find good deals online for shoes!

  20. Karen says:

    I love bargains on kids clothes!! They only wear them for a short time before they outgrow them so I have a hard time justifying spending a ton of money on their clothes. I always stalk the clearance rack and buy the next size up for the following year. I love consignment shops/goodwill for kids clothes too.

  21. Kelly says:

    I am weird in that I really only like to shop consigment. There is this place by my house called Plato’s Closet and they only sell trendy (and more often than not designer) clothing. I can get out of there with designer jeans, a shirt and shoes for under $30. Score! Plus I LOVE (read: slightly obessed) with hand me down jeans because they are already broken in.

  22. I’m all about consignment sales and consignment stores! Sometimes raiding my mom’s closet and my sister’s closet just doesn’t do the trick 🙂

    My mom makes a similar tortilla pie and the whole family always attacks it like a pack of rabid wolves! Something about the cheese…

  23. Kacy says:

    Wow, what great stuff! That seems like a great way to shop for kid’s clothes!

    I love casseroles. I’m big on Mexican-themed egg casseroles and my mom makes an unreal broccoli and Gruyere casserole that I adore.

  24. I stalk the sale racks at Walmart and Target. We pick up an awful lot of stuff for a $1-5 for the boys. 🙂 That and the Goodwill.

    I love a pesto lasagna that I make with a homemade Alfredo sauce. Mmmm. 2nd best right now is a pizza casserole with pasta, marinara, cheese and a turkey kielbasa.

  25. Great job at the sales! You picked up a major haul! 😀

  26. Wow you got lots of stuff! I definitely could almost hear little M’s voice about the clothes! Too adorable!

  27. Wow! I’m going to see if I can scope out a consignment sale in my neighborhood! Mmm….the recipe looks tasty…I’ll have to give it a try!

  28. Angela says:

    WOW that is quite the haul Tina! Nice work! I’ve been craving Mexican food lately and something like this recipe is sounding mighty fine just now!

  29. jobo says:

    YUM! That looks like a really good recipe! I may have to try it myself! For more higher end stuff (once in awhile!), I LOVE Rue La La and Gilt Groupe. I also like LivingSocial and Groupon and for trips or hotel rooms, SniqueAway! 🙂 Need any invites?!

  30. Sarah says:

    I’m going to try out one of those sales at a local Kindergarten here in Germany on Sunday….hoping I will be as lucky as you and find lots of great bargains for my 4 month old 🙂

  31. emily says:

    I am so glad you got to workout this morning and it was a success!!! My church is getting ready to do a kids cosignment sale…the website is at http://simply4kidspage1.blogspot.com/ if you are interested. Yesterday, I had to teach a diabetes class and do a cooking demo…so your recipe reminded me of this because I made black bean quesadillas and fruit salsa with cinnamon tortilla chips….SUCCESS!!! but my favorite casserole is broccoli and cheese!

  32. Allie says:

    Wow, you had a busy day ! Glad you could fit everything in and have a yummy dinner 🙂

  33. Melissa says:

    When I have kids I will definitely go to swaps and second hand stores.
    I volunteered for a society that had their own thrift store and kids stuff would come in still with the price tag on it. And they would sell it for a $1. I’ve been to kids clothing swaps with friends too and they are awesome!
    Congrats on the finds!

    That casserole looks so awesome!! I’m drooling:)

    I love to thrift and consignment store swap! It’s so much more interesting than going to a store in the mall. You never know what you are going to find. A friend of mine found True Religion jeans for $20 once , they are valued at $200.

  34. You got some awesome stuff for the kids!! I’m all about garage sales/thrift shopping for kids stuff – they grow out of it in no time!!

  35. This looks delicious! I love one dish meals.
    I have to admit, I went to one of those mom’s sales and I was not a fan. I had to wait in line waaaaaay too long. First I had to wait in line (in the rain!) to get in, and then I had to wait in line to buy my items. Were your sales like that, too? I can’t stand lines.

    • Tina says:

      It depends on when you go. If you hit it at down times there are no lines. I have spent my time in lines a couple of times though and learned when not to go. IE – if you go at opening time you have to shop FAST to beat others to the lines. Or go mid-day a couple hours before they close and its not as hectic too. At least for me that works. 🙂

  36. Wow–that sale looks intense! But looks like you scored some great finds.

  37. Melodie says:

    I so need to hit up some sales like this! I am NOT a shopper! I hate it! But, I do like a good deal 🙂

    Sounds like you had a fun, busy day 🙂 Little M with her clothes… adorable 🙂

    If it is the Lord’s plan for us to adopt a little girl I hope I can find her elmo shoes like M has and I hope that she is just as cute!!!!!!!

  38. your casserole looks awesome!

    i just made one pot vegan sloppy joes. easy, fast, leftovers = makes us mommies happy!

    And getting rid of kids clothes is a lot of work! but hopefully worth$$ it in the end 🙂

  39. oh man I love a good bargain. Garage sales are great and so is Goodwill. consignment shops are so much fun too!!

    My favorite casserole is enchaladas. Nothing compares in my book!

  40. Those sales are genius! Considering how fast little kiddos grow out of their stuff, gently used is just that… GENTLY used! 🙂

  41. Lee says:

    Yum. I love Mexican casserole type meals.

  42. I love the idea of that sale, especially for kids! I feel like so many children’s clothes are WAY overpriced for something they grow out of so quickly. My mom used to sell most of my old clothes to consignment shops, but she always kept the dresses and things that I really really loved. We still have a few of them in my attic!

  43. Amanda says:

    This looks so so good!! 🙂

  44. Wow, looks like you hit the jackpot there! I love consignment sales!

    Mmm, that casserole looks great! My favorites are breakfast casseroles and enchiladas!

  45. I think I’m going to make this for tonight! Would it be good without the mushroooms though?? Hubby doesn’t care for them.

    What about some veggies added instead?? Yellow squash?

  46. About to take it out of the oven 🙂 Can’t wait!

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