Guilty? Nah.

First of all, I guess I should call this a "side note recipe," since this is not quite a story. :-)  I wanted to share this recipe last week but it totally slipped my mind. And we ate it all.  This is such a fast and really delicious meal!  I want to give awesome credit to one of the blogs that I read regularly; Taco Pasta! { See her actual website in the "Blogs I love" tab}. It's adorable!

One night after work I just really felt like cooking, but wanted it to be quick and easy. I did actually have this very similar idea to put pasta together with other items I already had in my pantry and fridge; onion, peppers, taco seasoning mix.  I logged onto to Christy's blog and searched for "pasta and Mexican flavors," to get a more structured recipe, and low and behold, this beauty popped up.  You'll see our recipes are slightly different and this is very much kid friendly; but mine has a bit more heat since I don't have any kids yet.  This busy mama has four!  (I really don't know how she does it). Enjoy!



Ingredients (with some substitutions)

1 lb , box of medium shell pasta or penne  pasta ( I use whole grain).

1 lb ground beef. ( I use lean ground turkey). 

1 medium yellow or  vidalia onion ( slice in long strips)

1 green bell pepper ( slice in long strips)

1 red pepper ( slice in long strips).

1 tbs minced garlic

1 pkg taco seasoning mix ( I buy a reduced sodium pkg)

1 tsp cayenne pepper 

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/2 cup reduced fat cream cheese

1 small can enchilada sauce

1/2 cup of your favorite salsa ( I like pace, medium ).

 

Cook pasta in salted water . Drain  at al dente and set aside. 

Cook down the ground turkey in a drizzle of evoo in a large saucepan over medium- high heat. Once the turkey is browned well, add the green and red peppers and onion to the pan. Cover over medium heat, for about 5 minutes. , stirring here and there.  Once the vegetables are cooked down and start to turn a tad soft, add in the garlic and mix well.  Add in enchilada sauce and salsa. Cook down for another 3 minutes until bubbly and a bit thickened. Finally, add in the taco seasoning mix, cayenne pepper, cream cheese, and sour cream. Cook another 3-5 minutes until everything is thickened and bubbly.

Pour pasta in the turkey and vegetable mixture and stir until all is combined. Serve in colorful bowls and top with fresh cilantro/parsley. {A "recipe" tab/page is in the works} :-)

Today was a long day back at work. Everyone was back from their Holiday vacations and it was busy.  That's never a bad thing though I guess.  At least tomorrow is Thursday!  Coming home I was just so tired and starving.  Unfortunately, sitting there, on the warm train ride home, I couldn't help but think that I was being "bad."  Bad for the fact that I already knew I was skipping the gym. It's not like I ate horrible today; {I had two apples, 1 cup of coffee, half of a turkey wrap from a catered lunch, water throughout the day and about 2 tablespoons worth of a tasty potato salad}. Not bad, right? 

Thank god for my husband who text me at the right time asking what we should do for dinner. He mentioned stopping at a hoagie shop that we like in our old home town of Marlton.  He was running some errands around there.  I had a very tasty chicken cheese steak with fried onions and my Frank's Red Hot Sauce; of course.Not the best photo...I was hungry.  That cheese steak didn't stand a chance tonight.

On my way home I had to stop at the drug store for a few items.  I felt a little guilty or "bad" if you will, because I also picked these bad boys up...They were 2 bags for $9!  It's dark chocolate. And caramel. I don't have that much will power.  I especially love the Sea Salt chocolates.  The salt gives a great flavor to them.  I thoroughly enjoyed my night for sure!



Why do we get that guilty feeling if we skip the gym and eat something bad for dinner...and also purchase dark chocolates? Okay well, that's what I did. But you get the picture. It's a sucky feeling that sometimes feels overwhelming for some reason.  I guess we have to just be honest with ourselves and  go with how we feel at that moment.  I don't feel bad at all about what I ate tonight and that I didn't break a sweat.  Winter time for me is when I'm laziest when it comes to hitting the gym. So is everyone else. It's also always extra packed come January and February.  {kind of annoying}.  Sorry. Rant over. 

Have a great night!