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Cuban Quesadillas

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Summertime for moms is a bit chaotic.  Growing up, it was the absolute most amazing time.  No school, pool and water activities, tons of fun, little responsibility.  Even as I entered into adulthood, summertime was still the best experience. I maybe had one or two summer classes to take, easy job, and most days  you could find my friends and I lounging at the pool the whole time.  Easy peasy life.

Then entered motherhood. 

It’s not that summertime isn’t enjoyable, but it’s just…umm, different.  There’s no lounging anymore. There’s constant eye-tracking to make sure your kids are not drowning.  Your kids want to be outside for all 15 hours of daylight time, so you are struggling to balance the housework and keeping them happy.  It’s a hot mess.  Somehow, on top of everything, we are supposed to remember to feed our kid three times a day.  My biggest struggle is finding meals that don’t have to be cooked long (or at all) during the summer, because there’s nothing worse than a hot kitchen to set off your irritability.  I have to remind myself almost weekly that it’s not that difficult.

Stop overcomplicating summer meals. 

Really, why do we do this? Kids aren’t that picky. I’ve found some of the most eaten meals are when I put some Deli Meats on their plates (sans bread), a handful of shredded cheese, and a cup of fruit.  Seriously, that’s when they eat the most.  Unfortunately, Andrew isn’t really a fan of plates like that, so I try to build off that.  One of our favorite things is building quesadillas. They are so fun and versatile, need little cook time, and everyone loves them!

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With back-to-school chaos right around the corner, I have to remind myself to take it just as easy in the summer as I do when we adjust to back-to-school time.

Recently, I got the idea to put toppings for a cuban sandwich into a quesadilla.  Cuban Quesadillas! The result was incredible and I can’t believe I didn’t do it before.  We had leftover cuban pulled pork and I ran to Wal-mart to grab some Eckrich Deli Meats sliced honey ham and salami. Then, I added swiss cheese and pickles stuffed between tortilla shells.  We served it with my honey mustard BBQ sauce.  It was perfect!  And our girls gobbled it up too!

Get it fresh!

One thing about making these cuban quesadillas –make this with freshly sliced Deli Meats and not pre-packaged.  I promise you the difference is noticeable! We grab Eckrich Deli Meats from the Wal-mart counter, which is super easy when shopping for everything else we need. Eckrich prides itself on flavor and tradition, while remaining affordable for all.

Here’s the recipe for our Cuban Quesadillas!

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Cuban Quesadillas
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • Eckrich Honey Cured Ham
  • Eckrich Genoa Salami
  • Cuban shredded pork
  • sliced dill pickles
  • sliced Swiss cheese
  • Tortilla shells
  • Honey Mustard BBQ sauce
Instructions
  1. Lay tortilla flat.
  2. Layer Swiss cheese, all three meats, pickles, and more cheese on top of tortilla.
  3. Top with another tortilla.
  4. Cook 2-4 minutes on each side over medium heat until golden brown shell and cheese is melted.
  5. Serve alongside Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce.

Jerk Chicken Quesadillas

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These jerk chicken quesadillas are the perfect summer lunch or dinner recipe!

I really hate to admit it, but before Andrew and I got together, I had never had jerk chicken before.  Shoot, I had never had jerk anything before. Now, it’s a staple at any family function with Andrew’s family and I’m in love.  Admittedly, I was a bit nervous before trying, because I’ve heard jerk can be insanely spicy and while I like spice, I didn’t like my mouth on fire. Luckily, jerk, to me, is the perfect balance.

For the longest time, I was terrified to even attempt to make jerk.  I mean Andrew’s parents are Jamaican.  How do I even compete with that?  When I first made jerk chicken pizza, Andrew laughed.  Before he even tried it, he said there was no way that it was going to taste anything remotely like jerk chicken he was used to eating.  Much to his surprise, he loved it.  We’ve made that pizza so many times.

Then, one day, my friend was like, “OMG, you need to make jerk chicken quesadillas”, and I was all, “OMG, we do.” You guys…

JERK CHICKEN QUESADILLAS. 

Life happened and we’ve ended up pushing off this jerk chicken quesadilla recipe forever, but….BUT….here it is. And it was just as magical as the pizza. Maybe even more so. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy wrapped into a delicious flour tortilla and then grilled to perfection. I love that they are handheld pockets of tastebud joy. Added to the fact that both my children actually loved them and that’s the perfect combination of a win-win in our house.  These will definitely be going into our menu rotation ASAP.

Do me one favor before you grab this recipe.  Do not.  I repeat DO. NOT. YOU. EVEN. DARE. try to make this recipe with marinating the chicken for at least 8 hours. Make this ahead a day or two but don’t try to do it for less. Pretty, pretty please 🙂

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Jerk Chicken Quesadillas
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
Marinade
  • 3 tbsp Jerk chicken seasoning
  • Juice from 1 Lime
  • 2 tbsp Pineapple Orange juice
  • 1 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
Quesadillas
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Red onion diced
  • 1 Green pepper diced
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple diced + 2 more 1/2 inch slices
  • 10 inch tortilla shells
  • plain Greek yogurt optional
  • lime wedges optional
Instructions
  1. Mix all marinade ingredients together, except chicken, and whisk until well combined.
  2. Add chicken and combine well.
  3. Add to ziplock bag or tightly sealed container and refrigerate overnight (at least 8-12 hours).
  4. In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute half the peppers and onions for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add entire container of chicken mixture.
  6. Chop the 2 pineapple slices into large chunks and toss into skillet.
  7. Cook chicken thoroughly, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
  8. Remove from heat. Remove large chunks of pineapple.
  9. Assemble the quesadillas by evenly spreading out the chicken mixture, red onions, green peppers, mozzarella cheese, and diced pineapple,
  10. Once assembled, in a clean skillet, cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until the tortilla is golden brown and cheese has melted.
  11. Serve with lime wedges and plain Greek yogurt if desired.

Enjoy!

Snack Quesadillas

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Snack-Quesadillas-recipe

If it’s in the house, my kids would eat potato chips and chocolate all day long. What kid wouldn’t, right? As a parent, though, I yearn to make sure they are getting a healthy, balanced diet…even if that means in moderation we throw in a little sugar from time to time.  We’ve been making snack quesadillas for a long time now.  Honestly, before I even had kids I made them.  But now, it’s a three way bonus. They are healthy (usually), the kids enjoy them, and Skibbles, our toddler, is at the age where she can just about make them herself.

how to make snack quesadillas

On periscope last week, we made a peanut butter and banana quesadilla that was a huge hit with many of our viewers (WATCH THOSE SNACK QUESADILLAS MADE LIVE). As soon as that scope was over, I knew I had to get some of our other ideas up and in written form to share with all our friends that aren’t over there.

One of the best things about these snack quesadillas is that kids are free to pick the toppings. As parents, we all know that when kids pick they are more likely to eat what they are making.  It’s one of the reasons we love the Mini Chef Mondays series so much. Skibbles, and now Baby, are much more likely to eat what we’re making because they are involved. It’s as simple as that. And who doesn’t love a kid that isn’t throwing a fit about what you’re feeding them?

kids snack quesadillas

We’re so excited to share four of our favorite snack quesadillas with you today. We also can’t wait for you to come up with some of your own ideas and share them with us. We are always looking for new ways to switch up the girls’ food choices, so please share in the comments below.

snack quesadillas

Also, this would make for an amazingly simple and fun snack bar at your next party or get together.  When we are home, we just use a skillet, but I can see this being super fun with some griddles on the stove or grill too!

Snack-Quesadillas-Banana Snack-Quesadillas-Blueberry Snack-Quesadillas-marshmellow Snack-Quesadillas-PBJ

As always, we hope you enjoy!

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Snack Quesadillas Four Way
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 banana sliced
  • handful of chocolate chips
  • 2 small flour tortilla shells
Blueberry, Peanut Butter, and Yogurt
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 tbsp plain Greek Yogurt
Smores
Banana Peanut Butter & Jelly
Instructions
Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate
  1. Spread peanut butter on one side of both tortilla shells.
  2. On one side top peanut butter with banana slices and chocolate chips.
  3. Top with remaining tortilla shell
  4. Cook over medium until golden brown. Flip. Repeat. Eat.
Blueberry, Peanut Butter, and Yogurt
  1. In a small bowl, heat peanut butter for 10 seconds in microwave
  2. Add yogurt and mix until well combined.
  3. Spread peanut butter mixture on one side of both tortilla shells.
  4. On one side top mixture with blueberries.
  5. Top with remaining tortilla shell
  6. Cook over medium until golden brown. Flip. Repeat. Eat.
Smores
  1. One on tortilla, add chocolate chips and marshmallow.
  2. Top with remaining tortilla shell
  3. Cook over medium until golden brown. Flip. Repeat. Eat.
Banana Peanut Butter & Jelly
  1. Spread peanut butter on one side of one tortilla shell.
  2. Spread jelly on one side of other tortilla shell.
  3. On peanut butter side add banana slices
  4. Top with remaining tortilla shell
  5. Cook over medium until golden brown. Flip. Repeat. Eat.

Snack-Quesadillas

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Be sure to check out each of their Mini Chef posts as well!

    1. Pineapple Lemonade Popsicles // Courtney’s Sweets
    2. Homemade Magic Shell // Momma Lew
    3. Veggie Flatbread Appetizer // Finding Zest
    4. Snack Quesadillas // We’re Parents
    5. Healthy Toddler Snacks F is for Fish // Eating Richly
    6. Olympics Chocolate Pretzel Bites // Giggles, Gobbles and Gulps
    7. Peach Tiramisu // Vegging at the Shore
    8. Real Fruit Healthy Slushies // O’Boy! Organic
    9. Olympic Themed Fruit Salad // My Mini Adventurer


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