The end of the school year is quickly approaching and I feel like my organizational skills are in a downward spiral. Food menu planning is sporadic at best, our calendars are jammed full of activities, get-togethers, parties, volunteer activities, the list goes on. All fun stuff, just a lot all at once.
This week my body has been mad at me for having so much going on – and I could tell. I’ve had a dull headache for two days that turned into a full blown migraine late last night that kept me awake until 3am.  I haven’t been eating right, I’ve been working out too hard, too fast, and not re-fueling enough with the RIGHT FOOD.
There are no short cuts in life.
Today I took 6 hours to do nothing. Not a single thing. I couldn’t. If you’ve ever had a migraine you know how debilitating they are. Light sensitivity, nausea and throbbing neck and head kept me down for the count. Luckily, I have a very loving son with wonderful bedside manner helping me, and offering me little snacks and snuggles all day long. He is wonderful.
So this week, to get back on track, I made this amazing little meal that’s a total Chipotle knock-off. I found it from another blogger, Damn Delicious, and tweaked a bit to fit my family. Hope you love it too – we had 4 clean plates, and I’m pretty proud of that!

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tbsp for sauce
• 1 pound boneless/skinless organic chicken, cubed small
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.25-ounces) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 cup pico de gallo or 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
• 4 scallions to garnish each plate
• Black olives (kids love em)

Chipotle Cream Sauce (for the grown-ups, it has a kick!)

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions

1. To make the chipotle cream sauce, blend together Greek yogurt, chipotle pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil, and lime juice; set aside. (I used my nutribullet or smoothie blender to get a nice puree)
2. In a non-stick sauce pan, make the rice according to the directions on the package. I like jasmine rice, so I needed to account for the 15 minutes it takes to simmer.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan with high sides. Add chicken cubes and chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, onion powder and paprika; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Cook until chicken has browned, about 5 minutes. If starting to stick, add a 1/4 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock.
5. Divide rice into plates and top with seasoned chicken, beans, corn and tomatoes. Drizzle with chipotle cream sauce, if desired.

Yield: 5