Mexican Chicken Salad

This is the perfect use of leftovers from taco night. I mixed up shredded chicken with part mayo and part avocado before adding corn and black beans. Customize it with any add ins from the leftovers!

It is great scooped up with chips or on a roll! It even keeps pretty well.

Mexican Chicken Salad
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1 small avocado
2 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup black beans

Directions:
Mix together the chicken, avocado, mayo, and taco seasoning. Gently mix in the corn and black beans.

Serve with tortilla chips or on a bun. Top with pickled onions or jalapeños or cilantro or tomatoes and spice it up as you like.

This was so good. I refrigerated a portion to see how it was the next day – survey says: yup! It was good! I squeezed some lime to wake it up and loosen it up. The avocado isn’t the same green the next day, but the whole thing didn’t look as sad as old guac.

October 2023 Recap

October felt like a month where we were in our groove. We had gotten more used to aftercare pick ups, all the soccer practices, weekend plans, and what we need to be ready for it all. We are psyched for Halloween.

I made a Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

We had an impromptu Ranch-Off testing out 3 ranches to dip. The “restaurant-style” packet is way better than the regular. I don’t know why. Tell that to my very large canister of dry ranch mix. 

The Three Bite Rule - Wingstop Dupe Ranch-off

Lastly, I made a butternut squash and bacon tart. I loved it having lots of squash and only enough egg to hold it together. It is sweet and salty and perfect. 

Next month I’ll share a lunch idea and an app. I’m not sure what else. Next month brings my blogaversary and new goals. It will wrap up soccer and bring a new routine.

The Big Kid: 
He’s very into sports cards, stats, and teams. The soccer season wraps up soon and it has been fun to see his group. I love picking up from aftercare and kids saying bye or getting to local fall events and him finding his friends. There’s a new ga-ga ball court at school and he’s obsessed.  

The Little One: 
She got very good at taking the world’s most awful-smelling antibiotic (we mixed with chocolate syrup for the win!). She has a best buddy in kindergarten who we hear about daily. We met this little one at a back to school playground meet up and while you can’t judge a book by its cover, C definitely zero’ed in on a long braid and dress. All the kids love seeing one another at soccer or wherever. 

Goals:
Year of workwear! I grabbed some fall-colored tops for family photos
Salads or side-dishes: I made some soft cornbread and seriously, this is the only one to ever make. 
prep ahead bfasts or lunches for weekdays: I prepped some savory waffles – like this but with bacon and cheese; and I had the butternut squash and bacon tart as lunch a few times. 
Monthly dates: Stars aligned last minute for an unplanned date for Mexican at Casa Loca. 
Declutter/cleaning: Now that we’re into the next season of clothes, the kids needed to pass off ones that don’t fit. 
Workouts as a routine: I’m now onto a long kickboxing one I’ve done several times.  
What I’m reading: I read Remarkably Bright Creatures and Hello Beautiful.

Butternut Squash & Bacon Tart

I’ve decided this is maybe a tart and not quiche based on the filling ratio. There is lots of butternut squash and bacon and just a little egg and a tiny sprinkle of cheese. The squash and maple syrup make it sweet and the bacon provides the saltiness.

Butternut Squash & Bacon Tart
Ingredients:

pie crust
~2 cups chopped butternut squash (not quite half a squash, cut into bite size pieces)
~4 strips of bacon
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons maple syrup
3-4 eggs

Directions:
Roast or air fry the butternut squash until cooked through and crisp on the edges.
Par-bake the pie crust in a sprayed pie plate.
Pan fry the bacon until crisp, drain, and chop.
In the pie crust, assemble the tart with butternut squash, bacon, parmesan, and drizzled maple syrup.

Whisk the eggs together and pour over the tart.
Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!

This was really good. I had it for about 4 lunches and a breakfast. The squash makes it really filling and the remainder is the equivalent of less than one egg per serving and less than 1 slice of bacon for each serving. I piled some lightly dressed arugula for a fresh and peppery punch. It freezes well too!

Ranch Dip Off

Wingstop has the best ranch ever. I made a dupe and then served 3 kinds to see how they stack up. My favorite was the Wingstop-like one. They’re just a touch different and each have their place.

The Wingstop copycat is the most flavorful- and the most drippy. That one was most adults’ fav. I made one made of a dry mix, as directed – that one ends up the most tart from the sour cream. I also served some from the bottle, which is the sweetest- that was some kids’ fav.

The Three Bite Rule - Wingstop Dupe Ranch-off

Wingstop Ranch Copycat Dressing
Ingredients:

1 cup Hellman’s mayo
1 cup buttermilk (reduce this for thicker dip vs dressing)
2 packets Restaurant-Style ranch mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
1/2 cup sour cream (optional, to add later)

Directions:
Mix together the buttermilk, mayo, ranch mix, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk together and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

The Three Bite Rule - Wingstop Dupe Ranch-off

Taste and add sour cream, if desired for thickness. I thought thicker would be good and it is flavor packed so some sour cream mellows it out just a bit.

The Three Bite Rule - Wingstop Dupe Ranch-off

This makes a lot but it is so good and has a million uses or the recipe could be halved. I envision this being our go-to.

Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

Breakfast in any form is the best. We love bacon on pizza so I leaned into the pizza vibe finishing it with hard boiled egg. The crust got brushed with butter and everything bagel seasoning.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust
Ingredients:

pizza dough
~3-4 tablespoons tomato sauc
~1/2 cup crumbled bacon
~1 cup mozzarella
2 tablespoons butter, melted
~3 teaspoons Everything Bagel Seasoning
2 eggs, hard boiled

Directions:
Preheat the pizza oven or pizza stone.
Top the dough with sauce, bacon, and cheese.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

Cook through until crust crisps and cheese melts.
While the pizza cooks, melt the butter and then peal and chop the eggs.
Out of the oven, immediately brush with melted butter and sprinkle on the everything bagel seasoning.
Sprinkle on the egg and some salt & pepper.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

This was a fun pizza. The eggs aren’t all that attached but I wanted to give them a go. All the flavors are there. A personal pizza with a runny yolk would be good too – we just always have hardboiled eggs around.