Spicy Buffalo Black Bean Tostadas

It's true that necessity is the mother of invention. I found myself in need of lunch this afternoon. I also found myself with a nearly empty refrigerator, and a napping child....therefore a trip to the store just wasn't going to happen. (We all know it would have a been a trip to Chipotle, anyway.) So, a big thank you to my favorite kid for forcing me to look outside the box and come up with what turned out to be a very yummy, healthy lunch.

So what did I have on hand? Well, corn tortillas, black beans and red hot sauce. From that base, I expanded a little. Here's the recipe:

Spicy Buffalo Black Bean Tostadas

-2 corn tortillas

-cooking spray (about 1-2 seconds on each tortilla)

-sea salt

-1/2 avocado, mashed

-1/2 cup black beans

-Franks' Red Hot Wing Sauce

-1/2 cup romaine lettuce

-4-5 chopped cherry tomatoes

First I sprayed two corn tortillas with the cooking spray, and popped into a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes. They crisped up perfectly! I just found a recipe like this for tortilla chips on Pinterest, which is what made me try it like this. It really turned out great! 

Once you've got your tortillas all crispy, spread your avocado evenly over both. Top with black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and hot wing sauce. 

This was extremely simple and VERY filling!! I mean seriously, just look at all this food! (No, I did not eat an entire container of hummus. I had exactly 2 Tbsp left in the container). 

Nutritional Info: Calories: 370 Fat: 14 grams Carbs: 48 grams Protein: 13grams

(Information from myfitnesspal.com) 

Spicy Tuna Pita

I made up the YUMMIEST tuna sandwich I think I've ever made for lunch today. It really started with the idea of doing an open-faced tuna sandwich. I skipped the mayo entirely, so I could have my yummy pita bread. :) I added lots of flavor with the delicious hot cherry peppers found in the deli section. If you haven't tried these yet...go buy them right now. I add them to almost everything, and they add so much flavor! Not to mention, at 5 calories a serving you'll hardly notice it in your calorie intake.

This recipe is so easy! I can't stress just how easy it was to put together! It was also very filling. You can thank the pita bread and hummus for that. :) 

Spicy Tuna Pita

-1/2 can (about 2.5 oz) of albacore tuna in water

-1 tbsp mustard of your choice

-1 Tbsp hot cherry peppers

-2 Tbsp roasted red pepper hummus

-1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

-3-4 kalamata olives, diced

-1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes

-1 soft pita (white or wheat)

-more hot cherry peppers for topping (optional)

In a bowl, I mixed the tuna, mustard and hot cherry peppers. Trust me, you won't miss the mayo! Spread the tuna mixture on top of a pita. Crumble goat cheese over tuna, and broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt. It won't take long, so keep an eye on it. 

Top with diced olives, tomatoes, hummus and cherry peppers. Delicious!!

Calories: 471, Fat: 17grams, Carbs: 43 grams, Protein: 31 grams

Pinspiration! Living Room Mantel Redesign

I'm an avid Pinterest fan...okay, that's an understatement. This is how I really feel about Pinterest.

....or endless hours of college football.

I digress.  Since taking down all of the Christmas decorations, I've just felt like my living room mantel looked....well, naked. Perhaps I feel that way because I'd gotten used to the grandiose of Christmas decorations sprayed all over the room, but it just felt like something was lacking. Unfortunately, I 'm terrible about taking before pictures...but picture an empty mantel with a black mirror on it. That was it! You're not missing much.

I came upon this little ditty on Pinterest, and I thought...now THERE is something I can recreate! Here is the original pin from camilleroskelly.com.

I had everything. I changed a few things here and there...but here is my finished product! What do you think?