Freezer Meals: Chicken Fajita Casserole

Chicken Fajita Casserole
Makes 4 8x8 freezer meals.

1 4-lb whole chicken
6 cups cooked Minute Rice (3 cups dry rice + 3 cups water)
1 Knorr Rice Sides Fajita flavor
2 can of Rotel tomatoes
2 packs of fajita seasoning
1 quart-bag of frozen corn
2 cans of black beans (undrained)
1 6oz can of black olives, sliced
4 cups of shredded Mexican cheese

Crockpot your chicken overnight. Then debone it and shred all your chicken into one bowl.

As an aside, here's how to make Easy Chicken Stock  

Put all the scraps (bones, skin, etc) back in the crockpot with the chicken broth. Fill with water and turn on high for 5-10hrs. Strain the chicken stock into a container and put in fridge overnight for the fat to harden on the top. Toss fat, then divide chicken stock into 2-cup freezer safe bags and freeze for later. Delicious homemade chicken broth. 

Now, back to our reguarly scheduled program:

Mix all ingredients (except cheese), then top with cheese. Freeze for an easy meal later! Bake at 350 until heated thoroughly and cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and tortilla chips.

Adopted from the Shabby Creek Cottage's Tex Mex Chicken Casserole.

Affordable shopping tips:

I had everything on hand for this except the chicken and the olives, so my shopping trip didn't cost me much. Many of these items are things that I watch for sales on and keep on hand for later. 

• 1 4-lb whole chicken - I watched for whole chicken to go on sale for $0.99/lb; so it cost me $4
• 6 cups cooked Minute Rice - I don't think I've seen Minute Rice on sale, but I buy the off-brand to save some money on rice
• 1 Knorr Rice Sides Fajita flavor - Watch for the 10 for $10 sale, then these are only $1 each
• 2 can of Rotel tomatoes - Occasionally, these will be on sale for $0.99; usually around a big game b/c people use them in Rotel dip
• 2 packs of fajita seasoning - HyVee seasoning packets go on sale for 3/$1, so when they do, I stock up
• 1 quart-bag of frozen corn - I used fresh corn that we did ourselves over the summer, but HyVee frequently has bags of frozen veggies on sale for $1
• 2 cans of black beans (undrained) - These are usually $0.88 each, and it's even cheaper (and there's less sodium) if you opt to buy the dry black beans and cook them yourself
• 4 cups of shredded Mexican cheese - Watch for the cheese sale. $1.67/bag is what we've been keeping our eye out for.

On Marriage

Jordan and I aren't much for Valentine's Day...not much in the chocolates-cards-flowers kind of way. I had an extra vacation day that I needed to use up, he doesn't have class on Fridays, and we spent Valentine's morning just laying in bed and talking about everything and nothing for an hour. It wasn't planned, it was just a rare occasion that we both happened to wake at the same time, and one of us didn't have to rush off to work/school. My heart was warmed for the rest of the day from that one hour of words passing between our pillows.

Later that morning, I read something from Relevant magazine - I used to read this magazine cover-to-cover when I was a teenager, and every time I read something in it now, I wish I still got it in the mail. It has some solid things in it, people - the article was titled, "The Promise You Can't Keep in Marriage" and I was surprised when I read the exact reason I married Jordan:

"...do get married when you see who God is making somebody to be, and it lights you up. When you want to be a part of that story of transformation, that journey to the future. When you are well aware it will be a long and bumpy ride, but you don’t want to miss one mile. Because you believe in God’s calling on them, and you want in."

I'd never really been able to put my finger on it, although I remember telling someone something similar to that while he and I were broke up during my senior year of college. That I didn't want to miss out on the rest of his story. That God had already done such a great work in him, and I wanted to be there for the rest of it.

Like that quote says, there have been times where the ride has just been long and bumpy, and you wonder when you're ever going to get back to smooth interstates...and then there are quiet mornings, with no responsibilities, when you can just lay together in bed and talk as the sun filters through the window and across the bed. Those are the moments when you're reminded why the bumpy stretches are worth it. And, hopefully, like us, as the years go on in marriage (and I know ours is just a short [almost] 4 years) that those moments will continue to grow and outnumber the bumpy stretches.

I'm sure it's not all smooth sailing ahead, and I'm sure no marriage ever reaches the point where it's all easy peasy, but I know that no matter what God sends our way, we're ready. We're rooted in Him, and look forward to growing closer to Him and closer to each other through each long and bumpy stretch of the ride. Happy trails.

15 Tips to Pay Down Debt

When we first got married, I told Jordan that I was the Nazi of his wallet. Always spoiling his (spending) fun. These are a few mentalities that helped us pay off $90,000 worth of debt in about 2.5 years:

1. Think of the money you're earning as not your money...b/c it's really not your money. You spent your money, and now you're in debt to someone else (either student loans, mortgage, credit cards, etc). Get out of debt as fast as you can.
2. If you don't follow a budget, make one. 
3. If you have "extra" money at the end of the month, that doesn't mean you should go shopping or go out to dinner...put that money towards your debt. The more "extra" money you pay on your debt, the more money you're putting towards the principle amount (which is really how you get out of debt - by paying off the principle and not just the interest).
4. It's not your money. Pay off debt as fast as you can.
5. Always ask yourself, is this a want or a need?
6. Choose free entertainment.
7. It's not your money. Pay off debt as fast as you can.
8. Drive your car till it dies. You don't need that new car right now. 
9. It's not your money. Pay off debt as fast as you can.
10. At the grocery store, shop (and cook from) the sales ads. You don't need to eat out all the time.
11. It's not your money. Pay off debt as fast as you can.
12. You don't need to be like everyone else. Just because your friends can afford x, y, z, doesn't mean you can. 
13. Every dollar counts. Yes, the $10 frozen pizza probably tastes better than the $2 one...but does it taste that much better? If you buy 10 frozen pizzas, that's either $100 or $20. How would you rather spend your money? (After you're out of debt, eat as many $10 pizzas you want.)
14. It's not your money. Pay off debt as fast as you can.
15. Keep your eye on the prize. Paying off debt isn't easy, and it's not fun. But it is worth it. You will be able to do so much more when you're out of debt. 

We're not out of debt yet, either, and so the battle continues for us. Take control of your debt. Don't let your debt control you. If we can do it, you can do it, too.