Taking it easy and stayin’ alive.

Don’t you love it when songs get stuck in your head? Yeah, me either. But today I found myself singing along to some good songs. It was better than the sound of my own wheels driving me crazy.

Summer is winding down FAST. School starts soon and I’ll be back in full blown stress crazy girl mode. Frankie and Stephen hide for about two weeks until I get all my ducks in a row and settle down. Each year I promise myself that I’ll get a head start on all the stuff that is most stress-inducing like setting my room back up, lesson plans, schedules, the never-ending back to school list, and oh..TEACHING. But this year, I KNOW I will have a better start. I took my whole summer away from anything school related. I didn’t go to any conferences, meetings or training. I took a complete break. After 13 years of round the clock school mode, I enjoyed 7 weeks away. I feel rested. I’ve kept up with running. I’m back to CrossFit. I feel so much better than the run-down girl who walked away May 25th. Of course, that run down girl had other things going on like tornado recovery. But even though we are still in recovery stages, I’ve moved on to another stage of normal. It feels good. I feel ready to start a new school year with new babies and new excitement!

Now the stayin’ alive part.

It’s hot y’all.

And for the readers who live north and west of Alabama, y’all are hotter than I am. I never thought I would see the day when James Spann points to Alabama as being cooler than Chicago and New York. However, the difference between a 95 and 105* with humidity shooting both indexes into the 120’s is not very much……it’s HOT!!!

For dinner, I didn’t want another salad. I wanted something different. But something that did not require much stove time. Quesadillas are quick and healthy and fixed that craving for gooey melty. These things are so versatile. You can cram anything into a tortilla and call it good. Change to chicken or veggie and choose brown rice wraps for a gluten free option. These are low-carb wraps.

Steak Quesadillas

• protein of choice—chicken, steak, shrimp, pork, tofu
• sliced vegetables-peppers, onions, etc
• tortillas
• shredded reduced fat cheese
• oil mister or canola oil for pan

1. Heat grill pan or FLAT skillet to med-high. Spray with oil mister or pour 1 TB oil in pan.

2. Cook veggies first. With the high heat and occasional stirring, these take about 7-8 minutes to cook. I like mine with a little crunch left. Remove vegetables to a plate and keep warm.

3. Mist pan, if needed. Cook protein choice the same way as veggies. Stir occasionally for about 7-8 minutes until cooked. The smaller the pieces, the quicker the cooking. Remove from pan.

4. Wipe out skillet. Keep on med-high heat. Lay tortilla in pan.

5. Place meat, veggies, and cheese on half of tortilla. Fold over the other half and press down.

6. Cook the tortilla 3 minutes or until crunchy and lightly browned. 

7. Using a wide turner, flip the quesadilla over and let other side brown.

8. Remove, cut into wedges.

 

This looks like a lot of steps, but I had this ready in 25 minutes. I bought the steak already sliced for fajitas and I marinated it all day in oil, lemon juice, and spices. I heated the pan while I fast chopped the vegetables. Then I cooked them and assembled. It’s easy, versatile, and good for those days when cooking seems like a daunting task.

Now, pass the ice tea and point me to an air conditioner.