Burrito Bowl Night

Mexican food is hands-down my favorite cuisine. I never tire of it, and neither does my family. We eat it at least once a week in the form of tacos, burritos, salad, enchilada soup. The list goes on and on. When we lived in California, we frequented a restaurant famous for their burrito bowls. But now that we live in Kansas, the restaurant is no longer just down the road. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I re-created the burrito bowl experience at home. In fact, I think I prefer my version even more than the original.

My boys are not very picky, but my daughter is really difficult to feed. But when I make Mexican food, there is something on the table that everyone will eat. It might seem like a lot of effort to make all of the components, but it is well worth it if I can feed my family a healthy meal we all enjoy. Sometimes, I make everything from scratch, from the tomato and corn salsas to the guacamole. Other times, I buy it all. It just depends on how busy I am. If I am making this on a weekend, I always make extra and send leftovers in lunches the next week. It really makes life easy.

I start by throwing some chicken breasts into the slow cooker. I cover them with salsa, chipotle peppers in adobo and some fresh cilantro. I cook the chicken for a few hours, and then shred it. Sometimes, I freeze half of the chicken for a quick meal another day.

I love corn salsa. To make it at home, cook some ears on a grill pan and remove the kernels. Then toss the kernels with a little olive oil, lime juice, jalapeno, red onion, salt and pepper. It's my favorite salsa ever!

I make some basmati rice and combine it with lime juice and cilantro. (This goes in the bottom of the bowls). Rinse a can of pinto and black beans; heat through. Saute chopped onions and yellow and red peppers until soft. Set out bowls of salsa, guacamole, sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and lime wedges.

Let everyone build their own burrito bowl. My vegetarians and meat eaters are all happy. Picky eaters can choose only what they like, while the more adventurous can fill their bowls with everything. It's a healthy and colorful meal. We all win!