Burritos Archives ⋆ Typical Broad

Guys… I got the BEST gift from my in-laws for Christmas: the official Thug Kitchen cookbook.

OMG! I have followed Thug Kitchen on Facebook for about a year and am so excited to finally have the cookbook. All of their recipes sound sooooo scrumptious and healthy.

This week I tried three new recipes. Two from Thug Kitchen, and one from Pinterest.

I’ve probably mentioned here earlier that I am culinarily challenged. I REALLY lack confidence in the kitchen, but I LOVE to eat good food.

I think part of my lack of confidence comes from my depression/anxiety and not believing in myself enough. I have always convinced myself that I suck at cooking, and I usually approach new recipes with a lot of anxiety. I think my belief that I suck at cooking became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This week I realized that I don’t suck at cooking. When I actually try and stop worrying about it, I’m not bad at all.

The Thug Kitchen cookbook aptly begins with the following quote from Julia Child:

So I figured that from now forward I would approach cooking with a similar “what-the-hell” attitude. Sometimes recipes don’t come out right. Sometimes you just need more practice. WHO CARES. Don’t apologize. Ever.

The first thing I made this week was quinoa and broccoli burritos. I was expecting my husband to dislike them, because they don’t have meat and had the potential to be spicy (he can’t handle much spice). In fact, they turned out great and we both loved them.

BAM! Sticking a tab on that recipe. Here’s a link to it if you’re interested. These burritos aren’t only delicious, they’re filling as fuck (now I’m slipping into Thug Kitchen speak!).

On New Year’s Day I made spiced apple waffles, which were posted on the Thug Kitchen Facebook page (they’re not in the cookbook, FYI).

These turned out okay, but the consistency wasn’t perfect. I might have mixed them a little too much, or I didn’t cook them enough. Oh well… they were still good and worth a shot.

The third thing I made this week was Crockpot Chicken Parmesan soup, a recipe I found on Pinterest. I wanted to make this because ever since we moved back to the Boston area, my husband has made it his mission to try Chicken Parmesan from every Italian restaurant we visit or order from (those who are not from the Boston area: we have A LOT of authentic Italian restaurants and it is the best stuff on this side of the Atlantic. If you visit this area, be sure to get some amazing Italian food and pastries in the historic North End of Boston).

I made this slow cooker Chicken Parmesan soup for Greg, my sister-in-law Bailey, and her boyfriend Steve. We ate nearly the entire pot between the four of us! I think it turned out well, and the three of them seemed to think so too. This is a great recipe to prepare for a cold day, or for a day of watching football on TV with friends. You could even bring it to your Superbowl party!

What I learned this week is that you shouldn’t convince yourself that you suck at something without giving it a true shot. Also, be kind to yourself. If you don’t get it right the first time, there’s always next time!

And just for fun, here’s a picture of what I look like after dicing onions. My husband was laughing at me the entire time.

So there’s my second day! Stay tuned to 28 more days of #30DaysProud!

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of eating this frozen processed shit.

But it’s so easy that I inevitably grab it from the frozen section every time I go to Market Basket (my local grocery store).

Recently I found an alternative to Lean Pockets that is healthier and tastes better: 4 ingredient burritos with chicken and quinoa, from The Reluctant Entertainer.

These burritos are not only wicked good, they’re wicked easy to make!

I adjusted the recipe a little, since I don’t have a family and I’ll be the only person in the house eating these. Also, I made medium sized burritos instead of large since I tend to eat smaller meals. Feel free to double the recipe if you need to and/or make larger burritos.

For one batch, all you need are about two cups of the following:

Grilled chicken
Salsa
Canned beans (black, kidney or pinto)

Then you’ll need tortillas to wrap your burritos. I just bought a couple packs of store brand medium sized tortillas.

First thing’s first:

Pour yourself a glass of wine. You deserve it.

Then, put on the quinoa. Cook according to directions.

I used 2 cups of dry quinoa, which translates to TOO DAMN MUCH cooked quinoa:

Oh well. Supper is made for the week! Yayyyyyyyy

But seriously, I will probably use a 1/2 cup of dry quinoa next time. I went a little overboard.

Next: grill the chicken while the quinoa is simmering. In your pajamas and sans makeup. Because who gives a fuck.

Then cut the chicken into small squares. Remember to cut your chicken like someone with fingers. Pretend your hand is a claw. I sometimes make it into a fist, because I’m super clumsy and paranoid.

Then, drain the canned beans. I will usually run a little water over them as well so they have less sodium. But that’s up to you.

Once everything is ready, mix it together in a large mixing bowl.

Then, get out your tortillas and start rolling!

Finally, wrap your burritos in saran wrap and throw them in the freezer.

THAT’S IT. This batch gave me 14 burritos- almost three weeks worth of lunches!

To heat up in the microwave, simply remove the saran wrap and wrap the burrito in a paper towel. Cook 1-2 minutes per side, depending on your microwave power.

These can stay frozen up to three months, if you wish to plan that far in advance!

The best thing about these burritos? They’re delicious AND filling. Quinoa tends to be more filling than your average carb due to the fiber and iron content. I felt so much fuller after eating one of these than Lean Pockets. I didn’t even feel compelled to eat my usual snacks that I have with lunch.

I’d like to find a similar recipe for breakfast burritos. I could certainly use those for those mornings when I’m in a rush!

Typical Broad

Writer, Wife, Feminist, and Mental Health Advocate

Tag: Burritos

Day 2: Overcoming Culinary Challenges

Wicked Good Eats: 4 Ingredient Frozen Burritos