Make-Ahead Fajita Chicken & Rice

One of our financial goals this new year is to spend less money on eating out, and to focus on making more of our own food. So for Christmas, I got Mark a week's worth of microwaveable glass containers for him to pack his lunch each day for work.

And today to get him started, I whipped up some Fajita Chicken & Rice.

I thought I'd write down the recipe in case he likes it and one of us decides to make this little kitchen experiment again. Here are the ingredients:

1 lb. boneless/skinless chicken tenders
Weber chipotle marinade
3/4 cup white rice
3/4 cup Uncle Ben's Spanish rice
1 can black beans
1/2 red onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 limes, cut into quarters

Marinate 1 lb. boneless/skinless chicken tenders in about 1/4 pack of Weber Chipotle marinade (mixed according to package directions, adjusting for amount used).

In a rice cooker, add:
3/4 cup white rice
3/4 cup Uncle Ben's Spanish rice
2 cups water

When the rice is cooked, add:
1 can black beans, drained

Meanwhile, chop into thin strips:
1/2 red onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper

In a saucepan with olive oil, cook vegetables until slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Then cook chicken until cooked through.

Arrange rice & beans mixture, then the veggies, in the large section of the dish, and 2 chicken tenders with lime wedges in the small section of the dish.

Beans and rice, rice and beans... here's to a fresh start that's as healthy on the waist as it is on the wallet.