Chicken Fajitas, Guacamole and Reflections

I went to Mexico over spring break, so I when I got back home, I was craaaaving Mexican food. I think because I ate it for a week straight, I was having withdrawls when I was back in Bloomington :) I decided to make homemade guacamole and chicken fajitas. I didnt use a recipe this time (my first time without a recipe!) I felt confident without one because my mom has taught me how to make guacamole before, and because I ate chicken fajitas in mexico, I knew the ingreidiants that went into making them.

For the guacamole, I bought two avocados, tomatos, and onion. I mashed up the avocados, chopped the onions and tomatos and mixed them in, very easy! Then I added salt to taste, I dont like very salty things so I just added a little. My mom always said it tasted better after being chilled, so I put it in the fridge for about an hour and then ate it with some Tostitos corn chips. It was amazing and I felt like I was in Mexico again.

For the Fajitas, I thawed out 2 chicken breasts. Once they were thawed, I let them marinate overnight in some spices like lemon pepper, pepper, and salt to give it a little flavor. I cooked the chicken while also cooking the chopped up peppers (i cheated with this part because normal peppers are too expensive!!) I think this is a great way to save money, and also creates a delicious meal in half the time! You dont have to do as much chopping, but you are getting the same nutrition with the vegetables (a concern that is going on in our world) Once the chicken was cooked I sliced it and added it to the peppers. I layed out 2 corn tortillas, put cheese, the chicken and peppers on and some sour cream! In Mexico, they didnt have the cheese or sour cream, but I added it for a little extra tastiness. The fajitas were delicious and made me miss being in the warm tropical Mexican climate. But the guacamole and fajitas were extremely easy to make! I combined using fresh vegetable (avocados, tomatos and onions) with not so fresh vegetables (frozen peppers) and it ended up turning out great.

I think this is a great way for people to save money, but also enjoy the healthy fresh vegetable that are needed to keep them healthy.
--sidenote: I recently saw a special on the news about people not wanting to eat fresh fruits and vegetables because of their high prices. The special was about how people spend money on fast food because it is cheap, fast, and requires no cooking, baking or chopping. I completely disagree with them, and I think its just an excuse of laziness. Ameica can get all the nutrition they need, without having to spend lots of money on fresh produce. By combining the frozen and fresh items, it saves money and time; but also tastes just as good!
Also I was watching a food special on Oprah the other day, and a man was talking ( I completely forgot his name, but he was an author of a book about nutrition) and he said that he thinks if people took the time and effort of making their own food, and seeing what actually is put into it, then the world wouldnt have such an obesity problem.
He said not to deny yourself of fast food (french fries, hamburgers etc.) but you should only eat that type of food as much as you want to put the effort into making it yourself! I thought this idea was brilliant because making your own french fries takes a lot of effort and time to make, and he said normally you could just drive to McDonalds and have them prepared for you; but if you really want the fries, make them yourself! The more effort that is put into something that you eat, the less you're going to want to make it for yourself.

For the process of cooking, I enjoy it very much. I think its more fun to cook with others or to learn from a teacher and once you gain skills from others you can then come up with your own favorite tastes and qualities you enjoy. I also have learned that I enjoy cooking for other people, and seeing that they appreciate and enjoy what you have made for them. I cant wait to be a mom and entertain and cook for others- I think its one of my favorite things to do!