Baked Southwestern Eggrolls

This one was requested for dinner last night from my hubby, so I obliged him.  This makes a ton of eggrolls so they are great for a snack for parties.  I made about 20 last night so I had leftovers for lunch.  They are very hearty and it's a meal in an edible wrapper!

I recommend using this brand of eggroll wrappers:

They don't have too much flour on them, and they get the perfect amount of crispy when cooked. 

Ingredients:
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package frozen spinach (10 ounces)- thawed and squeezed dry
1 16 ounce container of On the Border Medium salsa
2 Cups of corn (I've used both canned and frozen - no preference)
1 Can of black beans (15 ounces)
1 4 ounce can of green chiles, drained
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/4 t. ground cayenne pepper
1 package of eggroll wrappers (usually found in the produce section)

Heat a skillet on the stovetop to medium heat.  Add the 2 chicken breasts and entire container of salsa and simmer the chicken on both sides until thoroughly cooked.

While the chicken is on the stovetop, combine the rest of the ingredients (other than the eggroll wrappers) in a large bowl.  Mix well to blend.  When the chicken is done cooking, mince the meat and add the chicken and salsa into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.  Mix thoroughly and it will look something like this:

Now it's time for us to roll!  Lay the eggroll wrapper on the counter with one of the corners pointing towards you.  Place about 1/4th a cup of the filling in the center and then mold into a rectangular shape.  Pics below:

Take the corner closest to you and fold up and roll a tad.  Then you will fold in the sides, and keep rolling until a small part of the remaining corner is free.  Dip your finger in water (I keep a small bowl on the counter to dip freely) and brush it on the free corner.  Then finish rolling.  The water helps seal the corner. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the sealed eggrolls seam side down on the sheets and lightly spray the tops of the rolls with the cooking spray.  Bake for 16 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through the baking. 

The eggrolls will come out of the oven piping hot and will retain their heat for quite awhile, so I recommend letting them sit for about 10 minutes before you start eating.  I serve mine with ranch dressing with some fresh jalapeno diced and mixed into it.  The cool of the ranch pairs nicely with the spice of the eggrolls! 

My Operation Simplicity

I'm inspired people.  Ever heard of a simplicity cleanse?  It's not lower intestine related like my BFF Brandy thought.  Here's how that text message conversation went:

Me:  I'm going to do a simplicity cleanse.

Brandy:  Never heard of that one.  If you want a REAL cleanse, go get a colonoscopy.

Something to that affect.  After I explained what it actually was we both then LOL'd and actually laughed aloud in fits for about 5 minutes.

Anyway, Simplicity Cleanse.  I found out about this from my favorite Better Homes & Gardens magazine (it really is the best) December 2011 issue.  Check out this blog operationsimplicityblog.com.  Joslyn Taylor is the creator and author and she had 2 goals in mind for 2011:

1)  End 2011 with less stuff than she began with
and
2)  Only purchase items she intends to keep for 5 years

I totally "get" her.  She kept buying and buying stuff (clothes and items for her house) that she didn't Love and didn't utilize.  So she decided to completely change her way of life.  During  her experiment she realized that buying higher quality items, gives you more value.  For example instead of buying 3 pairs of shoes from Payless, she would "invest" in a higher brand shoe which in turn will last longer.  Look for things with VALUE is what she impresses.  Try to stay away from buying items that are "trendy" and will be out of style in a year or so. 

I love this idea.  I was looking for inspiration to scale down my wardrobe as well as the amount of stuff we have in this house.  Now that I don't need my work clothes, I will be getting rid of a lot of pieces that I just won't wear anymore.  Hopefully some of my favorites I can integrate in my everyday ready to wear clothes.  I'm looking to scale down my wardrobe so that every single day of the week I can go to my closet and love what I'm putting on and not have to think about it.  If I have to scale down to only 10 outfits....then so be it. 

I also need to be cognizant of getting rid of clothes that may not be appropriate for an almost 30 year old Mom.  It's time to be less trendy and buy items that I don't see all the college kids in town wearing.  I really hate seeing 50 and 60 year old women dressing like their daughters with knee high boots, rhinestone jeans and such.  Ick.  I will not be that Mom. 

As for the house....UGH.  I still have boxes I haven't unpacked from the move.  We have A LOT of stuff.  All of us do:  Joe, Evelyn, the dogs, and myself.  It  needs to go - I don't want to be a pack rat anymore!!!  In the Dallas house we had tons of built in shelves all over so I had tons of tons of, for lack of a better term, Crap to put on said shelves.  I don't love it, I hardly like some of the things, but it was better to have something up there than nothing at all.  Well, we don't have any built ins in the new house, so low and behold that's an easy out for a lot of stuff. 

This is not going to be an easy project, and it will not all be done in one swoop.  I went through the closet last night and took out like 10 items.  It's a start, but I definitely have more work to do. 

So, I have created some action items to assist me in my Operation Simplicity:

• Try on every single article of clothing I own and take a picture of me wearing it.  If I don't love it - I'm getting rid of it.  If it doesn't wear well on me - I'm getting rid of it.  If I'm on the fence about anything, I will call in a jury of my peers (Laura and Brandy since they live close) and force them to watch me try on everything and give me a "yay" or "nay".
• Go through the house room by room and get rid of everything I don't love.  BUT, before getting rid of it - think if perhaps I would love it somewhere else in the house or maybe in a different color.  It's amazing sometimes how a quick spray paint job can completely change an object. 
• New purchases:  Never buy anything new without "sleeping on it" whether it be clothes or a couch.  If it's clothes - take a picture of myself in it; if it's a houseware make sure it's returnable if I get it home and don't like it. 

Alright friends, I'll keep you updated in my progress.  I'm going to start working on my closet today.  Wish  me luck!