Easy Weeknight Dinner: Leftover Enchilada Casserole, Homemade Coleslaw, and Spicy Guacamole

Tonight, I made a really easy dinner for a very busy weeknight. I work in the office on Monday's so by the time I picked up the baby from daycare and got home and nursed her, I had a very short window for meal prep. Thank goodness I planned ahead for the busy week. I made Enchilada Casserole last night for dinner, which makes 6 servings and tastes great for leftovers. I love the concept of "planned-overs," a trick that I often use to make the weeknight even easier. You can pack up servings of this casserole in individual containers so it's easy to grab-and-go or reheat for a meal at home.

To fresh it up from last night's meal, I made Coleslaw with Homemade Poppy Seed Salad Dressing. Last night, I took the extra few minutes to quickly make the salad dressing and set it aside to use tonight. The coleslaw is super simple and has just a couple ingredients. To make the coleslaw, I shredded a small head of (cored) green cabbage, 2 shredded carrots, and about 1/2 cup of Homemade Poppy Seed Salad Dressing, with a dash of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Don't be this girl...Yesterday, I was at the grocery story and I saw a women with a bag of avocados and a Guacamole seasoning packet. I thought "WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!" My goodness! I never waste money on those things. Instead, I use fresh ingredients and spices on hand to achieve an even-better result. I buy a lot of avocados and eat them with turkey sandwiches, eggs, tacos, burritos, etc. I whipped this up and it was so good, that I couldn't even take a picture! There's only a few dollops left for my eggs in the morning. Next time I'll take a picture for the blog. Here's the recipe so you can make authentic Mexican Guacamole adapted from my mom. She doesn't like heat, but otherwise, she'd really like it.

Spicy Guacamole - Makes enough for1 family dinner
1 large (or 2 small) avocado
2 tbs minced seeded tomato
1/2 large minced, seeded jalapeno (to taste)
1 squeeze of lemon or lime (no fake bottle juices, please)
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tsp red onion, grated
Dash fresh ground pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste) - you need to salt liberally to accent the avocado
Chopped cilantro (handful)

Mash avocado and mix ingredients gently in a shallow-wide bowl (which you can also use for serving - fewer dishes to clean). Do not over-mix. Taste as you go to ensure you don't have too little or too much salt.

A little planning ahead really gives you the edge to be healthier. I don't have much time at night for meals because I have a 5-month old that likes to nurse a lot with her mama since we've been apart all day. I literally throw good stuff together from the seasonal, fresh produce in the fridge and stocked pantry and call it dinner!