Beans and Cheeze Enchilada Salad

It's been such a busy week at work, now that the season of summer has begun at Lake Naomi! Bring on the mupfers! Working at a pool that fries all their food, it is nearly impossible for me to eat or even trust food! I usually pack a bunch of goodies throughout the day, but the rushes at Lake Naomi get so busy that I can find myself not eating for 6 hours! YIKES! When work is done, I'm usually so starving, and it's almost too late to start making a delicious dinner. So the question is, how can you make sure your diet is healthy on such a busy schedule?

My best answer: semi-homemade! I always have backup microwave meals just in case I have these days. Microwave meals aren't always the best option, but I trust Amy's and Helen's Kitchen microwave meals so much- not only do they use recyclable, biodegradable products, fresh ingredients, and non-GMOs, they are amazing and most are gluten free! These two brands are the best also because they don't add preservatives and extra sodium in their meals. 

Have you noticed the SIZE of microwave meals? Uhm....no. It's not gonna curve my cravings. With a lot of microwave meals, I love to put it over a salad, because salad is so filling and satisfying and then I add even more veggies and sauté them for a real homemade flavor- it really makes the difference.

Because of this, I love to get some bean burrito bowls, veggie bowls, and mostly bowled-microwave meals. The Helen's Kitchen Beans and Cheeze Enchilada was awesome because there were tortillas that I used as a good starch! On top of my salad for additions I:

          - Sauteed some corn 

          - Sauteed some peppers and onions

          - Let it simmer in leftover salsa

          - Topped it with some cilantro and lime sour cream (vegan and semi-homemade)

Here are some other ways to semi-home-make microwave meals:

          - If you have a veggie bowl, use brown rice instead of salad for a heartier meal

          - Steam some vegetables like broccoli, peas, carrots- whatever vegetables you like!

          - Top it with some store-bought or homemade kale chips for an awesome crunch

          - Add some sunflower seeds, pepitas, or hemp seeds

          - Make your own dressing! I made a cilantro-lime dressing, recipe below

Cilantro and Lime Dressing

1 Serving

Juice of 1/2 Lime

2 spoonfuls of Sour Cream (vegan, non-vegan, whatever you want)

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

not even a pinch of salt and pepper

a little baby squirt of sriracha

mix all these ingredients together and then use it as a creamy dressing for anything!