Finding a Balance & [man healthy] Nacho Pie

Hello! Yesterday I finished my first and second days of school for the Fall semester… and let me tell you, I’m already swamped. (Sorry for the word-heavy part below… Scroll down for the recipe!)

I’ve actually been getting kind of nervous about what’s going to happen with the whole blogging thing during this semester and I want to talk to you about it. Blogging is a huge part of my life and something that I’ve invested a large amount of time in over the past two years. I’m worried that if I don’t blog as much as usual, or if I have to take a break because of schoolwork (Six classes?? I’m going to be BUSY!), that I will lose my followers and subscribers and, after I graduate, I will have to spend a lot of time rebuilding what I will have inevitably lost over the next three and a half months.

Another part of this issue is that I LOVE blogging. I’m an English major and I’m a writer. That’s just who I am. This blog isn’t only the base of what I hope will eventually become a real business for me, it’s a hobby that I’ve chosen because of the cognitive and emotional benefits I get from it. Writing these blog posts gives me a release and it relaxes me. Cooking new recipes, sharing those recipes, and talking about everything I’ve been up to in the healthy living world is fun and something that really makes me happy. It also allows me to get tons of practice writing, which is an awesome opportunity that I want to take advantage of as much as possible.

So, beyond just losing some of my readers, I’m having a hard time dealing with the obvious conclusion that it’s going to be very difficult for me to try to balance going to classes, homework, cooking, and the shopping for/cleaning of Brent’s and my apartment, while still keeping up with the blog. I’ve talked about my anxiety issues before, and that is part of what scares me… If I don’t have time for blogging this semester, that means I’m not going to be getting the creative outlet and release that I so desperately need. Will I be able to function without blogging? Is it even safe for me to try?

I’m trying to find a solution that will solve all of these issues, but I’m pretty sure that’s not possible. I’m going to have to relax a little bit on my work for the business side of the blog and instead use the little blogging time that I will have to post quality content and get this “release” that I’m talking about.

I think that all of this means that I’m only going to be able to post 2-3 times per week for the next couple of months. I’ll be extremely sad to lose any of my readers because of this and, I’ll be honest – it will hurt to see my stats go down. But knowing that I will be able to come back even stronger in December is what is giving me hope right now. It’s my last semester of college and the most important thing right now is my grades, not the blog. But the blog is a big source of happiness for me, so I won’t be cutting it out of my life completely. I very much hope that all of you will stick around with me for the next few months until I can come back in full force

Especially stick around for next week… I have TWO awesome giveaways coming up to celebrate Biting Life’s TWO year birthday!!

After all of that being said… it’s recipe time! Tonight I came up with a pretty awesome concoction that I’m going to call “Nacho Pie.” And it’s definitely a [Man Healthy] creation.

Nacho Pie

(recipe by Miranda Mowbray, Biting Life)

Ingredients (serves four):

1lb lean ground turkey breast

1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeño, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Canola Oil

Salt and pepper

Chili Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Onion Powder

Ground Cumin

1/2 cup salsa (I used “medium”)

1 can reduced-fat refried beans

2 cups reduced-fat Mexican blend shredded cheese

Tortilla chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Sauté ground turkey with canola oil and minced garlic in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Stir meat with a spatula, breaking up into small pieces as it cooks. Season with spices to taste.

And green bell pepper to pan. Once meat is cooked through, add salsa and continue cooking for a few more minutes.

Prepare an 8×8 baking pan with tinfoil and cooking spray.

Place one layer of tortilla chips on the bottom (the circle ones work best, but I just broke my large triangles in half).

Cover chips with the refried beans (spreads better if heated first).

Pour the ground turkey mixture over the refried beans and top the pie with the shredded cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with extra tortilla chips on the side for scooping. Enjoy!

Healthy Goals Checklist

1. At least 100g of protein. Check! I got 123.7g yesterday – wow!
2. At least 25g of fiber. Check! I got 25.5g yesterday.
3. At least 4 servings of fruits/veggies. Check! I got five servings yesterday.
4. No more than 1 treat. Check! I had some cereal after dinner.
5. Between 70-100 oz. of water (changed this one slightly because I’ve been having trouble with it). Check! I got 72 oz. today.
6. Exercise and/or stretch. Check! I stretched before bed.