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.

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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..

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

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

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…

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

Thank you all so much for the thoughts on my internal dilemma. I’m still processing it all and will let you know my final thoughts soon. I certainly appreciate that all of you continue to believe in me and don’t see it as losing credibility. I can tell its a topic many feel strongly about and your continued support means a lot. Thank you.

On to more fun topics. Like food. Check out my fridge right now…

I wish I was kidding. Actually, no I don’t. I love this stuff! You see…I typically shop for my groceries at Kroger. They had Chobani 10 for $10 this week, so I bought 10. Then, I heard from my sister-in-law that Publix also had a 10 for $10 sale. They have all the good flavors! So…*cough cough*…I made a little pit stop after the gym to check what they had available. NEW FLAVORS!!!

Yea. I bought more. I don’t go to Publix often so I had to take advantage of new flavors for sale. You know you would do the same thing. Don’t deny it! Then…the very next day…a package showed up on my doorstep. It was from Chobani. They sent me the new flavors to try, as well as some of their new kid flavors for M.

And although it tempts me to just eat Greek yogurt for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I have managed to consume regular meals. I even discovered a couple new dishes to love in the process. Like this sandwich I tossed together for lunch yesterday…

An egg with a blue cheese laughing cow wedge, tomato, and spinach on my favorite 9 grain bakery bread. When I don’t have leftovers for lunch I usually turn to sandwiches. I discovered that eggs totally beat turkey for a sandwich filler.

I also found a new recipe to whip up for dinner. I made it Tuesday night and it was a total hit! Cooking Light inspired me with this recipe.

Spicy Honey Chicken

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 TBSP honey
• 2 tsp cider vinegar

Cut the chicken breasts into one inch chunks.

Wash hands thoroughly and prepare the spice rub by mixing the garlic powder, chili powder, salt, cumin, paprika, and red pepper in a medium sized bowl. Put chicken in bowl and toss to coat in spice blend.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or add a teaspoon of oil. Cook chicken 5-10 minutes in the skillet until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, mix the honey and cider vinegar together in another small dish. When chicken finishes cooking, pour the honey/vinegar mixture over and toss to coat.

Serve it up! Roasted brussels always make an excellent side.

Question of the Day – What flavor combos are you loving right now?