Need A Fajita?

Sometimes I just need a fajita.  The weather here in central New York has been unusually warm this week.  A little summer fake out if you will.  A perfect time to bust out the grill!  We had fajitas the other night and got to thinking...why go out to an overly salty chain restaurant and spend too much money when you can make this dinner just as well (or better) at home for a fraction of the price?  Don't get me wrong, I love to go out to eat but for me it's a treat, once every 3 or 4 weeks (sometimes more) or so.  We eat in to save money and often it's much better for you. You don't need a recipe.  Just a few key ingredients.

Now, I am aware that red, yellow and orange bell peppers can be a little expensive, however, considering that you only need about a half of each pepper for fajitas, you will have plenty left over to make other meals during the week.  Slice them into strips with an onion or two and either saute in a skillet on the stove or on a pan on the grill.  We used the stove this time.

While you're cooking peppers and onions and grilling a steak or chicken breast (just season with some salt and pepper and maybe a squirt of lime), you can warm your tortillas in some foil in the oven at about 200 degrees.  If you like a little yellow rice (seasoned) start that too.

Meanwhile you can chop up what my clever 9 year old calls "the details".  That would be your tomatoes, avocados, cheese and limes if you choose.

We always like black beans with our fajitas (or tacos or burritos) so we warmed some up with a chopped up summer squash (just to mix things up a bit).  Throw it all in one skillet so you can eat family style and limit the number of dishes you dirty.

This fiesta was just as tasty (and far less salty) than any you will get in a restaurant and WAY cheaper.  We did the math.  When figuring out the price per person we definitely rounded up and since we got a really great deal on this steak we even doubled the price so it would be more realistic to what you might find. 

Steak Fajitas at Chili's with rice and beans are $14.50.  There are 4 of us so that would be $58.00.  That of course is not including tax, tip and over priced beverages.  I think everyone had at least two (Hayden had his without tortilla's because he can't bite into them with all of his missing teeth).  Our fajita dinner was under $6.00 per person (details and all) and yes, there were leftovers.  You can't beat that!  I will bet that I saved a bunch of calories and sodium by eating at home too.  Give it some thought the next time you need a fajita.