‘Kids Tea Tuesdays’ has been a popular feature on the blog for some time now, so I’ve decided to shake it up a bit and bring in some fresh blood! We all have our own family favourites, store cupboard classics and frugal food tricks up our sleeves, so why not share yours with us? I’ll be sharing guest posts from fellow bloggers and also any tips, tricks or recipes sent in by you! If you like to get involved, click here to drop me a message.

This week I’m featuring Nicole’s mouth watering Chicken Fajita recipe! Nicole is from across the pond in Maryland, USA and her blog Where The Heart Is, documents her family life and more! I’m so please that Nicole has contacted me from the States as she brings a recipe that I wouldn’t have ordinarily tried with the kids. I may go with a mild chilli powder and possibly omit the jalapeños (and just add them for J and I) but I’m all for trying something new and this looks really tasty! Now, over to Nicole!

Hello, Buzymum readers! I’m so excited that Sonia asked me to guest post for you today! I also have a confession to make: I’ve never written a recipe blog post before. I mean, I read plenty of recipe blogs. I’m always looking for new ideas for dinners to feed my pack of ravenous wolves family. (Oops! Did I say the wolf thing out loud? Don’t tell my kids. They’re actually more like goldfish when it comes to eating. So long as you keep putting food in front of them, they’ll keep eating it. Even if it gets to the point where one more bite will cause their stomach linings to rip and their bodies to explode, they will take that last bite.)

Unbelievably, they’ve also become terribly picky lately! They’re bipolar little goldfish! They want all the food they can cram down their throats, unless it’s something “gross.” (Whatever that means! Everything I cook is delicious!)

I’ve been getting really into Mexican food lately, after spending the first 30-something years of my life totally devoted to Italian. But since my kids are weary about anything “weird-looking,” I try to stick to the basics. I came up with this Chicken Fajita recipe in an attempt to please us all. It’s got plenty of protein and fiber to fill you up, bright, colorful veggies, and it’s versatile. For the kids who don’t like tortillas or toppings (I’m looking at you, Raymond!) just leave those off. For everyone else, you can add on a huge variety of toppings to make it your own. The possibilities are endless.

Also, I’ll let you in on another little secret: I like to save money by bulking up my recipes with less expensive ingredients, like beans and vegetables, and adding just enough meat for flavor, but not so much as to break the bank.

So let’s get to the recipe, shall we?

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, diced
• 3 bell peppers, sliced (top tip slicing method- see below)
• 1 tsp salt (divided)
• 2 tsp black pepper (divided)
• 1 1/2 tbsp chilli powder (divided)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced
• 2 15 oz cans black beans, drained
• Whole Wheat tortillas
• Optional toppings: Sour cream, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole

Method:

• The first thing you’ll need to do is heat a saute pan over medium-high heat, and add a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Let that heat up until it is almost smoking.
• Next, chop your peppers. You can use any colour peppers but I find the green ones are too bitter, especially when cooked. I used mostly red today, but I also had some left-over yellow and orange peppers from earlier in the week that were already sliced, so I used those too.
• Here’s my tip for slicing up a bell pepper quickly and easily. First, chop off the top part, where the stem is. Then, put the tip of your knife inside the pepper, and slice around the inside to remove the seeds and ribs. Now the pepper is ready to chop into pretty little slices, and slice around the stem in the top part to get a few more slices. Easy peasy!

• Next, chop your onion into long slices. I don’t dice it because I LOVE onions and I want to have nice, long, carmelized onions in my fajitas. But if you’d rather hide them in with the chicken so your kids won’t freak out, by all means, dice away!
• Another time saver I use is that I buy minced garlic and chopped jalapeños in jars. (Shhh! Don’t tell my Italian ancestors that I’m using jarred garlic! I think that might be grounds for expulsion.)
• Next, saute the veggies. I always put the onions, garlic, and jalapenos in the pan first. I saute those for about 5 minutes, then I add the bell pepper. That way, the peppers are a little firmer and crunchier. I LOVE soft and carmelized onions, but bell peppers are better crunchy.
• Add in 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 tbsp chilli powder. (TIP: This combination also works GREAT as a starter with tacos. Skip the taco seasoning, and just use chopped red onion, minced garlic, chopped jalapeño, salt, pepper, and chilli powder. It’s SO GOOD!)
• Once you’ve got the veggies and seasonings going, it should look something like this:

• Once the veggies are soft and the onions are translucent, remove them from the pan, but don’t scrape it out. See this stuff? This stuff is good. This stuff is real, real good. You’re going to want to use it to season your chicken.
• Now,  slice up your chicken breast and add it to the pan along with your remaining seasonings and the last 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.

The residue is full of flavour!

Chicken goes straight into the seasoned pan.

• Scrape up all that good stuff from the bottom of the pan and mix the chicken around with it. Saute until it’s cooked through, about 8 minutes.
• Add the beans and cook until heated through (about 2 minutes).
• Finally, add the veggies back in, and just saute for another minute or two to make sure all of the ingredients are hot.

• You’re ready to serve! Scoop about a cup of the meat and veggie mixture onto whole wheat tortillas. Eat it plain, or top with any number of yummy things: Shredded cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream. The possibilities are endless! I just use Pace Picante Sauce because it’s my favorite, but you should make it your own. Hopefully, it will please your picky eaters like it pleases mine!

Enjoy!!

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments below and if you’d like to see more of Nicole, you can also find her on:

• Twitter: @NicoleRoder1
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheretheheartisblogger

The most popular Kid’s Tea Tuesdays recipes this week were:

• Chicken & Chorizo Paella
• Very Veggie, Beef Chilli with Crispy Tortillas
• Ultimate Baked Ham

Why not give one a go this week and let me know how it goes down with your family?

Have you got a family favourite that you’d like to share? Click here to send in your recipe and I’ll post my favourites over the next few weeks!!

Click here for more quick, cheap and healthy dinner ideas and follow my blog for regular Kids Tea Tuesdays! xx