Working Mom Special - Fancied Up Chicken Noodle Soup and Grilled Cheese

I'm always looking for quick ways to jazz up a meal that is made from pre-made ingredients.  This meal was inspired by my 3 year old son's request for chicken noodle soup for dinner.  Of course he didn't end up touching the soup, but it was delicious nonetheless.

Soup:
1 can chicken noodle condensed soup
1 can cream of chicken condensed soup
1 medium carrot
small bunch of chives

1. Combine soups and add water as described on can's instructions.
2. Heat over med-hi burner.
3. Grate carrot and add to soup.
4. Once soup is steamy, add the chives by snipping them with scissors.  Stir to combine and remove from heat.  

Grilled Cheese:

Nothing fancy here.  Make a grilled cheese sandwich however you like it.  I like to make mine with a nice whole wheat bread and 2 slices of american cheese.  

1. Toast the bread lightly.
2. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil over med heat.
3. Make a sandwich with the cheese and grill in the pan.  
4. Done.

Enjoy!

Mexicano Rice Bowls

A few summers ago (likely more than a few, but we won't go there!) Taco Bell had this new menu item and I can't remember the exact name, but it was something like the Chicken Nirvana Bowl. Of course I loved it, and of course it eventually was taken off the menu. To quell my cravings for that lost treasure I had to recreate it in my own kitchen. I'm pretty sure my version is a bit on the healthier side!

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 colored pepper, chopped
4 cloves chopped garlic
1-1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup salsa (any variety)
1-1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper

In a 2-quart saucepan add chicken stock and rice. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cook this about 30 minutes until rice is tender.

While the rice is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a pot/pan that has a lot of room inside of it. Add chicken to start browning. Add chili powder, cumin, & cayenne pepper to chicken. Break up the ground chicken as it is browning and combine the spices really well. Once the chicken is nice and browned, add the onion, garlic, and colored pepper. Saute mixture for another 10 minutes, until onions are soft. Add salsa and mix. Remove from heat.

Stir rice into the meat mixture. Serve with sour cream, avocado, or any other mexicano condiment you'd like.

Enjoy!