October 1st

Oh, delicious days of October... Let this feeling linger within me always.

     It's been a long, long time since I've blogged. It's not that I haven't wanted to, but you know how life goes. It tends to get in the way of things. 

     I've been working...a lot. This is my first ever 40 hour job and I really do love it. But lately, with Autumn tugging at the edge of Summer, I've started to long for the freedom; the inspiration that kicked me in to motion almost a year ago when I started this blogging/Etsy journey.

     I've been feeling reminiscent as I've been planning my next trip to California. I can't wait to wake up in my Grandma's house and drink coffee. To hear all about school from my brother and sisters. To sit with my Grandma. To dream with my mom.

     Has it really been almost a year since we made the trek to California to say our goodbyes to the man who filled life with such joy? Has it really been almost a year since we all held each other and cried? Has it really been almost a year since I moved away from Colorado for three months? Has it really been almost a year since I discovered who I am and what I am meant to be doing? 

    It's easy to get caught up in "life" and before you know it a year has gone by, and you look back and wonder what you've been doing with yourself....

Autumn has many emotions. 

     It's a time of birthdays, and a time of death. It's a time of anniversaries and new beginnings. It's a time to soak in the explosions of colors and drink pumpkin spice lattes. It's a time full of delicious scents that only come this time of year. It's a time for friendships and "fall themed" pedicures. It's a time when the world glows as the sun shines through the golden leaves. It's a time to be thoughtful and thankful. It's a time of joy, a time of hope, a time to be quiet and maybe even a little melancholy. 

    I'm hoping and praying that as this season progresses, I don't lose sight of where I was this time last year. That I don't feel discouraged. That I embrace the inevitable sadness that will fill the days to come as we approach the first year anniversary of Grandpa leaving this world... I hope that Heaven is like a never ending October.


     October marks my official first day of Fall. There's this indescribable feeling that comes with October 1st. It's the true symbol of Fall.


     Nothing compares to this feeling of sitting at one of my coffee shops, and being able to look out the window at the mountains bursting in to flame from the sun kissing the changing leaves.

Oh, delicious days of October.

 

Smothered Burrito (With A Twist) Recipe

     Meals like today make me believe that I could be vegan. I mean. If I had to.

     Meet the Sweet Potato Smothered Burrito aka Whip Up Something With Whatever Is Lying Around…er…Burrito.

Sorry for the ONE horrible picture. I didn't think about taking photos until I was in the middle of eating it!

    

My husband and I are big Mexican food fans. I could live off of Mexican food for life. I am part Mexican, and clearly got the I-Love-Mexican-Food gene.

So… anyway, on to the burrito!

     I just got home from a walk, and when that happens I tend to want to carry on the semi-healthy moment I’ve got going on.
     I jumped in bed next to my video game playing husband, and began to rattle off all the food that is in the house (it’s about time for a trip to the grocery store I think). The meal was originally going to be sweet potato and eggs in a tortilla. But it quickly escalated to a delicious smothered burrito! 

I used:

1 can of tri-blend beans
1 can of refried beans
1 can of green chili enchilada sauce
1 cup of white rice
2 sweet potatoes (cut in to bite size pieces)
A handful of baby spinach
Seasonings to taste (I used cumin, salt, pepper, garlic and chipotle chile spice)
Garnishes of your choice (I used sour cream, cheese and taco sauce). Obviously not vegan with my cheese and what not. Cilantro would be amazing!

     I brought a pot of water to a boil, and dropped in my sweet potatoes, cut in to bit size pieces and let it boil for about 10 minutes or so. Just long enough so that they’re mostly soft (I then drained and put them in a pan to get a little bit of a crisp on them while they finished cooking).

     While the potatoes were boiling, a got my water ready for my instant white rice (in the future, I would use brown rice or quinoa). After it was done cooking I added the seasonings to the rice.

     I added the boiled potatoes to a pan with some oil, and added the seasonings to taste. I like food that’s a little spicier, so I may have gone a bit overboard with the chipotle. After they browned a little bit, I tossed in my can of tri-blend beans, and continued cooking until everything was heated. I then heated up the refried beans and the enchilada sauce while the potato/bean mixture was warming.

     I then got my tortilla, spread out a bit of the potato/bean mixture, scooped on some rice, added some spinach leaves and then taco sauce. I wrapped it up and smeared some of the refried beans over the top, then drizzled on the enchilada sauce, put on a dollop of sour cream, and topped it off with some cheese.

     You’d never know there wasn’t meat in this! It was so filling, and I’ve found that sweet potato can easily take the place of meat when seasoned correctly (one of my all time favorite foods because of it’s taste and versatility).

     So there you have it! Our take on the Smothered Burrito, from our home to yours. 

                            Happy cooking!