Meatless Monday: Grilled Bean Burritos

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Here is another easy dinner idea for you Meatless Monday this week- Grilled Bean Burritos! We just love the simple pleasure that is a bean burrito. They use only 3 main ingredients: Refried Beans, cheese and great flour tortillas from Trader Joe’s.  Then you can use your imagination (and any leftovers) and jazz them up.

Trader Joe's Bean Burrito Fixings

Trader Joe's Bean Burrito Fixings

We love to eat them either plain (just beans and cheese) or with additional ingredients such as diced tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, green chilies or even leftover cooked vegetables.

This week, for this Meatless Monday post, we made the easy, bean and cheese version. But then we grilled the finished product for a minute (in a tiny bit of butter) to crisp up the outside and sorta toast the tortilla- YUM!

What you need:

  • Refried beans (Trader Joe’s has pinto or black- use the one you like best)
  • Cheese
  • Flour Tortiallas
  • Optional ingredients: salsa, sour cream, green chilies, green onions
  • Butter for browning (if you want)

How to:

1. Warm the refried beans in a small pan. Slice or grate cheese. Heat a non-stick skillet and warm up the tortillas for a few minutes for easy rolling.

2. Place a warm tortilla on a clean, dry cutting board and spoon some  hot beans in the middle. Top with grated cheese and fold in sides. Finally fold up the bottom and then fold down the top, making a nice little burrito- package.

3. Add small nob of butter to non-stick skillet and when melted, add the burrito- flap side down. Cook for a few minutes until it is golden and toasty then toast up the second side. YUM!!

A Toasty Grilled Burro

A Toasty Grilled Burro

You can serve these grilled burritos with some spicy vegetables, like the Calabacitas, or with some cool, crunchy coleslaw (that is our favorite way)

We hope you enjoyed this Meatless Monday Menu idea. Let us know what you are cooking on Meatless Monday this week. Leave a comment in the box below

Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs- YUM!

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This great product, Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs was recommended to us by a friend. I mentioned that I spotted them one day in the freezer case and wondered if she had tried them. I mean, how convenient is a fully cooked and flame broiled bag of turkey meatballs in your freezer, right?

Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs

Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs

Well, she just LOVES them and started to rattle of f the many ways that she uses them (with pasta and sauce and also for a meatball sandwich during football games). But she said that the real reason she loves them, is that her two year old gobbles them up for dinner. She just thaws up one or two meatballs and adds them to the “finger- friendly” assortment of food for her toddler.

OK so if they are given the “rubber stamp” from these two, we knew we had to give them a try.

Bottom line? Our friend was right- these are delicious and convenient to have around the house. They thaw up quickly and make a great addition to jazz up you meals.

These are the ways we have served them up:

  • With Marinara sauce over pasta
  • With BBQ sauce, coleslaw and oven frys
  • With Mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.
  • With mushroom sauce, rice and vegetables

We hope you like these ideas and find your own ways to enjoy these no-work, great tasting Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs. We also like the fact that they are so economical. I mean you are getting a full pound of cooked meatballs (no shrinkage here from cooking) and the price just can’t be beat for ground turkey. Check them out next time you are at Trader Joe’s

Let us know the creative ways that you use Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs. Leave a comment below if you like so we can compare notes….

How to Make Raw Almond Milk With the Vitamix

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Are you interested in learning How to make Raw Almond Milk at home quickly and easily? Then keep reading to learn just how simple this whole process can take. Almond milk is a healthy and tasty substitute for dairy milk that you can make quickly and easily at home with the Vitamix. The Vitamix makes creamy and delicious almond milk in less than 5 minutes.  We normally enjoy our almond milk on our morning oatmeal or cold cereal.  But it can be used in baking or even making French toast. Try it anyplace that you enjoy dairy milk.

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We also like the flexibility of making our Almond milk at home. This way we can make the amount that we need, we can avoid any unwanted preservatives, and, as we are shopping at Trader Joe’s, enjoy a high quality end product.

But I am sure that I don’t have to sell you on all the benefits of enjoying raw almond milk.

Let’s get started making Raw Almond Milk quickly and easily at home.

What You Need:

  • ¼ to ½  Cup Trader Joe’s Raw Almonds
  • 2 Cups  Water

Optional Ingredients: Vanilla, honey or Agave syrup

How To:

1. Pour  2 cups of water into the Vitamix blender. Add the amount of raw almonds that you wish to use. We like to use ½ cup of raw almonds to 2 cups of water. This makes thick, rich almond milk.  Experiment here and see  what you like the best.

2. Start the Vitamix on low and quickly increase to high speed. Let the almonds and water process until you can’t hear any “chunks” of almonds anymore and the container just starts to get warm. This is where we stop, so that we don’t wind up cooking the almonds.

3. Pour into a glass jar and it is ready to use. We like the almond milk cold, so we try to make sure that we make the almond milk the day before we need it.

Variations:

We like to add a drop or two of vanilla to the almond milk. You can also add a bit of Trader Joe’s honey or Agave syrup if you like.

Here is a short video of me making raw almond milk in the Vitamix (check out my crazy hair… can anyone say “haircut time Kris”?? :

So now that you know How to Make Raw Almond Milk at home quickly and easily.  We hope you get a chance to enjoy some soon.

Have you checked out the Vitamix yet? 

This super blender might be just what you need to reach your health goals.

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Vitamix: Tropical Smoothie Today

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Are you ready to expand your smoothie -making skills?  Are you ready to start experimenting with new and more exotic flavors? Then get ready today to try a  Vitamix Tropical Smoothie!

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As you know we have been making, sipping and just plain enjoying all the wonderful smoothies that we are making in the Vitamix this summer. Some of our more successful smoothies (and the ones that we have shared here) include:

Each smoothie, even though they are very different flavors, all have one thing in common- they are cool and smooth and “creamy” thanks to the power of the Vitamix.

Trader Joe's Tropical Smoothie

Trader Joe's Tropical Smoothie

Well today we got a bit creative, thanks to an impromptu run to Trader Joe’s.  Our Tucson store is practically overflowing with rip wonderful summer fruits, almost irresistible really!

But when we zipped by the cantaloupes, we knew we were taking one home with us.  Once the fruit was in the cart, another item jumped out as we shopped: Trader Joe’s Light Coconut milk.

It was an A-HA moment for us in the store.

Once we were back, we diced up the fruit and added it to the blender along with Mango cubes, coconut milk, ice and water.  A little shot of Trader Joe’s Agave syrup at the end just balanced the sweet fruit with the more savory coconut milk.

Icy… Cool….Just the perfect afternoon pick- me -up! (next time we will think about the rum before we get back home)

What you need:

  • 1 Cup diced cantaloupe
  • 1/2 Cup Frozen Mango Cubes
  • 1/2 Cup Trader Joe’s coconut Milk
  • 1/2 Cup water
  • 4 Ice Cubes
  • Agave Syrup or Honey if you like

How to:

1. Combine all Tropical Smoothie ingredients in the Vitamix and blend until just smooth (about 30 seconds)

2. Taste and add Agave Syrup or honey if you like.

Finished Smoothies

Finished Smoothies

This Vitamix Tropical Smoothie was just perfect for a HOT Arizona afternoon. But like I said earlier…. We were wishing that perhaps some Rum was around to…you know…. test it out….. for the blog readers only…. (yeah, right!)

Have you checked out the Vita-Mix yet?  This super blender might be just what you need.

Click HERE to Get FREE shipping on your Vitamix