On-the-go burritos

Raise of hands, who has no time to cook because their kids are in choir/basketball/theatre/piano lessons/girl scouts or all of the above? Me too. What is it about this time of year that piles up one activity after another (despite my best efforts not to over-schedule)?

Now you know I love to cook, but lately I’ve been running from one kid’s activity to the next after school so that by the time I get home I don’t have much time to whip up dinner. Take my Monday: I came home after watching one child’s basketball game at 5:30pm, checked my email and found out my other’s daughter’s coach had moved up her practice by ½ hour. And could I have her there by 6pm? Yikes.

Luckily I knew I’d have a tight schedule that night (although I wasn’t thinking it would be quite THAT tight). I had put chicken breasts in the crockpot in the morning and all I needed to do was shred them, add some beans, salsa, a little cheese, roll ‘em up in a flour tortilla and I had a tasty chicken burrito. To go. I heated it then wrapped it in tinfoil and my daughter ate hers on the way to practice. (I know, I know, you’re not supposed to let your kids eat that close to exercising…) I was able to sit back and eat mine while I watched her play. Yeah, eating around the table is definitely preferred, but sometimes, it just doesn’t happen. And eating out is only exciting for a couple nights before my kids start asking for something homemade.

So if you’re looking for a quick dinner that packs well–it’s crockpot time! And don’t forget you can shred the chicken and keep it for a few days–or even freeze it. (Then again, it’s so nice to have the whole house smelling good when you get home after a long day.)

Zesty chicken burrito

Prep time: 5 minutes (or less!)

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)

1 onion,  chopped coarsely

1 clove garlic (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)

½ tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. ground cumin (optional)

1 poblano pepper (optional)

1 can pinto beans

About 1 cup cheese (mozzarella or Monterrey Jack work well)

About 1 cup salsa

4-6 large flour tortillas

Directions

1. Place the chicken in the crockpot along with the onion, garlic (you don’t even need to remove the skin, just chop it in half), chili powder and 1 ½ cups water or chicken broth.
2. Cook the chicken on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4.
3. Once the chicken is tender, remove from the crockpot and shred using two forks.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste (and more chili powder, if desired).
5. Drain the pinto beans.
6. In the center of the tortilla place about ¼ cup chicken along with a couple tablespoons of beans, a handful of cheese and a tablespoon or two of salsa.
7. Bring two opposite sides of the tortilla together.
8. Beginning on the non-folded side, roll the tortilla.
9. Heat for 35-45 seconds in the microwave. Wrap in aluminum foil.

Your turn–have any favorite on-the-go meals?