Friday, September 10, 2010

New Mexican Recipe, Book Review, 10K Training

Happy Friday! Going to kick off this post with a new recipe and book review - yay!! First up - New Recipe I found on Real Mom Kitchen.
Skillet Tacos
Makes 4 Servings

1 pound 96/4 ground beef
1 small red onion, chopped
1 can corn, rinsed drained
10 corn tortillas (6 inches),cut into 1-inch pieces with pizza cutter
1 8-oz. bottle taco sauce
1 cup cabot 75% cheese, divided

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Add drained corn, taco sauce, and ¾ cup cheese to meat until well mixed. Mix in tortilla pieces and heat through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Nutritional Information: 426 calories, 44 carbs, 10 fat grams and 38 protein grams.
Review: Great! I thought it was just the right amount of beef/tortillas and cheese. It may have had too much corn for me (not a huge fan) but I can deal with it! Or switch it out for black beans or something - could be fun! This recipe was super easy to make and easy to portion out/reheat/etc. You can definitely make it your own too by topping it with salsa or fat-free sour cream, even lettuce! Skillet tacos will be made again at my house - thanks Real Mom Kitchen!

Now it's book review time! Here is my book review for James Patterson’s The 5th Horseman. This book was part of the Women’s Murder Club series, meaning it focused on the same group of strong female characters, a cop, a lawyer, a reporter and a mortician. As usual it was fast-paced, full of twists and told from multiple perspectives. The plot centered around mysterious deaths at a hospital – patients going in with broken arms and never coming out… is someone at the hospital murdering them? Is it just malpractice? There was also a side mystery that was really interesting, as well as a court case centered around a class action suit against the hospital. Great mystery that I really enjoyed listening to – very Law & Order meets Crossing Jordan. I give it a 4 out of 5. Would have been a 5 if the end had been a bit more compelling and if the side mystery had fit in better – felt a bit like a tack on? Either way – good read, and I’m excited to read another Patterson book, 4th of July (yes, technically came first in the series but I’ve heard it doesn’t matter!).

To Answer Your book-related questions: Nope, not really reading more than normal - just so happened they all kind of ended around the same time. Really, the bulk of the 5th Horseman was read in August! And as far as print vs. audio - I always have one audio book going at a time for my commutes, and 1-2 print books too (small-print books for home and larger-print books for treadmill - for instance, Jodi Picoult's font is too small to read while i'm working out!). :)

To sum up Wednesday: Just worked, walked 4 miles during lunch, worked more, then after work walked 1/4 mile and ran 3 miles straight at 6.3 mph. Woo! Then hit up Macy's for baby Emma's birthday gift, then home to shower and chill with the family! I ended up at 1,869 calories, 139 carbs, 65 fat grams and 109 protein grams. Here's what I ate.

To sum up yesterday/Thursday: Just worked, took my lunch to buy the car... it wasn't ready and I was LIVID. So we swung by the grocery store for next week's meal plan. GRRR. Then I worked more and went back after work (skipping yet another workout) and it still wasn't ready. I was furious, ready to walk out, high drama, then they fixed it/made it work and we left at 6:30 - the new owners of a 2007 Black Lexus RX 400H!!! Love it! We swung by the house to pick up dinner/drinks - then headed over to Katie and Cush's to watch Auburn's turnover-heavy football game against Mississippi State. WE WON! But really, we just made fewer mistakes than they did. We handed them the first TD. GRRR. Oh well - it's only the first game - we'll get better and our defense will get stronger for sure!! We had a few drinks and caught up with them, then headed home, finished packing and called it a night. I ended up a little high at 2,058 calories, 266 carbs, 35 fat grams and 91 protein grams. Here's what I ate.

Q: Do you hate buying cars? I do. I really hated this process. It was downright painful. I'm such a whine-baby.

Q: Whatcha doing this weekend? We're back to Birmingham, Ala., tonight for Austin's brother's high school football game tonight, then over to the Velotas's tomorrow for baby Emma's tailgate birthday! So excited to wear my orange and blue, tailgate with my college besties and watch some football/day drink!

16 comments:

Jenny said...

TACO SKILLET. I need to make that. Wow, that looks good!!!

P.S. I'm sorry you're having issues commenting on my blogs. I don't know a thing about Google Chrome, so I don't know how to fix that issue :(

Tyler said...

I hate buying cars. The end result is nice, but the whole process sucks.

My weekend is going to consist of cleaning and packing. Time is a ticking.

Have a great one!

Pining for Pinterest said...

Have a great weekend!! I am reading House Rules right now by Jodi Picoult, I am loving it :)

Nicky @ Eat, Run, Read said...

Yeah, at least the defense looked a little bit better than last week. Though, I was slightly nervous right there at the end!

War Eagle!

Erica said...

Hey girl! Mexican!!!!! Deliciousness. I hope that you have fun this weekend. Sounds like a great trip

Jenn@slim-shoppin.com said...

I love that taco skillet, I never make mine like that, but now I want to!

Have a super weekend!

Val said...

TACO SKILLET!!! Oh my word!!! 10 k training? Girl, you are amazing!!

Biz said...

I hate buying cars - except for when we bought Hannah's car, because we paid cash for it - after the test drive it took us a total of about 30 minutes tops!

Have fun!! I am making Mexican pizza tonight - your taco skillet just reminded me!

homecookedem said...

Those skillet tacos look great!! I love easy, healthy, and yummy recipes like that!! And it's gluten free too since it uses corn tortillas!! ;) I may have to make that sometime soon for us. Thanks!! :)

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Tyler said...

Thanks lady! I truly appreciate it. It just feels good to get your feelings out. There's only so much I can talk to Ryan about before he shuts down. It's draining for him too.

I have the link to that blog actually. I am hoping to have something for their book. I still have to start it! I work much better under pressure, especially when it comes to writing.

I'm so glad I have you as my bloggie friend! I just wanted you to know!

Mica said...

Congratulations on the new wheels! (I don't hate buying cars because I never have. I imagine that it will stress me out a lot though.) Enjoy the new car!

This weekend? Hm, I'm going to do homework, grocery shop, and maybe run a soggy 5K tomorrow morning.

Kelly Olexa said...

What am I doing this weekend? My first 5K was yesterday, and then I spent time with the family, then some well-needed veg-out time on my couch! Today is dedicated 100% to solely finishing up what is not done on my book. (My publicist is ready to show up on my doorstep and beat it out of me if I don't give her the manuscript tomorrow! LOL) That Mexican dish looks....well, what do I always say? Divine.
Love that your training is going well. I want to do a few more 5Ks along the way - Amy is looking for a good 10K for us and then the Vegas 1/2 Marathon on 12/5!! OMG!!

Pam said...

I am loving the new recipe - Mexican food is my favorite.

Anonymous said...

I hate buying cars too!! That taco skillet looks amazing!

internationalloser said...

I just wanted to let you know I gave you a blogging award at http://internationalloser.wordpress.com/ !

Nicky said...

Yeah, at least the defense looked a little bit better than last week. Though, I was slightly nervous right there at the end!

War Eagle!