Absurdity, green beans, chicken, and bananas - it all comes together

I had a realization recently.  I LOVE absurdity!  Anything that's wacky, ridiculous, and way out there in left field - these are the things that can make me laugh even on the most difficult days.  And I love to laugh :)  I guess I just had never thought about it much before, but the other day I was trying to describe one of my favorite TV moments to someone and the best thing I could say about it was that it was completely absurd. This is why I love movies like Airplane!, Monty Python, and any Earnest movie ever made. (Although Earnest Saves Christmas is the best).  It's why I love shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Raising Hope. Characters like Michael Scott, Burt Chance, and Andy Dwyer don't come along every day.  And let's face it - Maw Maw is in a league of her own.

Real life is just hard sometimes, you know?  So, it's good to leave it behind and enter the world of "anything can happen" and "that just happened".  To laugh at the awkward moments and the zany schemes, knowing that it will somehow all work out in the end - it's a beautiful thing. 

In the times I haven't been reveling in absurdity, I've worked on a couple of recipes I thought I'd share.  Two of them are ones I kind of did on my own (and, yes - they turned out okay!).  The other is from one of my favorite blogs, nomnompaleo.com

Here's the braised beans with tomato and onion.  I was surprised at how easy this was, as well as how tasty it was.  I never really thought about those three things going together, but it worked!  Unlike the orange carrot soup disaster!

Then, I fried up some "chicken fajita filling" - since I wasn't going to eat the tortilla part, I just forked up the chicken and veggies.  I remember not liking peppers in the past, but I really like this dish.  It was also super simple (bonus!).

My second creation was what I'll call "banana nut cookies".  I actually got the idea for the recipe from a post that I've seen floating around Facebook. It wasn't Whole 30, so I made a couple of adjustments and added in a little extra sweetness with some Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips :)

Okay - both of these recipes are super specific.  So, pay attention and follow them to the letter!

Chicken Fajita Filling

Ingredients
- 4 cooked chicken breasts ( I roasted mine)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 onion
- a few dashes of chili powder
- a few dashes of paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the peppers and onion into whatever size looks good to you
2.  Cut the chicken into bite size pieces
3.  Heat the coconut oil in a pan
4.  Throw in the peppers and onions for a few minutes
5.  Throw in the chicken and spices
6.  Let it all simmer together for about 10 minutes or so
7. Yum :)

Banana Nut Cookies

Ingredients:

- 3 mashed, ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup apple sauce
- 2 1/2 cups crushed almonds and cashews
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- some (as much as you want) Enjoy Life chocolate chips

1.  Use a food processor to make your almonds and cashews kind of like a powder.  (They are being used as a substitute for oats - so think that consistency)

2.  Dump all the ingredients in a bowl and mix it up

3.  Place the "dough" on a cookie sheet in cookie-like shapes

4.  Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.  (I think mine took closer to 20)

They come out still a bit soft - but they're good :)

So, how's that for specific?  Just remember, the most important part for both of these is the "throw it all together and mix it around" part. :)

Music of the week:  Despite the fact that I have been listening to all kinds of other music, the Frozen sound track has been firmly stuck in my head at all hours of the day and night.  It seems to have become my brain's default setting.

Until next time, my friends.... Let It Go, Let It Go - no, no - I mean, Live Well!

Becky