“Growing up, I knew dinner was ready when the smoke alarm went off. My mom was a very honest woman. She never pretended to enjoy cooking, but my two sisters and I never missed a meal,” said Chanté Bias. “My mom simply gave each of us a cookbook, and we would laugh, learn how to cook, and listen to good music! Cooking teaches patience. The dinner table growing up was always a place of peace.”
Chanté is an Empowerment Engineer, also known as a preschool teacher, at Coastal Kids Academy in Daphne, AL. When she isn’t at work, Chanté loves to spend time with her three daughters, Madison, Morgan, and Madalena.
“My three children range in age from seven to 23, so mealtime can get interesting. We try to establish daily, weekly and monthly family traditions,” Chanté shared. “Each day I set a timer for a chore to be done together and for us to read together before bedtime. Each week, I let my seven-year-old pick a movie or a fun cookie recipe for us. Each month, we try to travel to visit a family member or friend.”
The simple things mean the most to Chanté. In fact, she lives by a quote she heard during a sermon at church that says, ‘The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things.’ She believes that the everyday moments make the biggest difference in our lives if we pay attention to them.
“The recipe I am sharing today is a simple Chicken and Sweet Pepper Quesadilla. I decided to share this particular recipe because my now senior daughter is heading off to college,” shared Chanté. For the last few months, I have been encouraging her to share in mealtime food prep. There are so many dorm-friendly, easy, quick, and minimalistic meals that you can create out of a quesadilla—which is her favorite food at the moment.”
This was also a dish that Chanté remembers eating years ago with her own mom.
“This dish, like all meals, is prepared with love and laughter,” she said. We laugh a lot in our kitchen, but the jokes end when it comes time to wash dishes and clean up!”
Chicken and Sweet Pepper Quesadillas
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 4 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 diced sweet peppers
- Shredded cheese (sprinkle your desired amount)
- 4 Large flour tortillas
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasonings
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- Dash of cayenne pepper
Directions:
- In a bowl add seasonings to dice chicken.
- Pour 2 tbsps of avocado oil into a pan on medium-high heat.
- Add chicken mixture to the pan.
- After the chicken has sautéed for five minutes, add the chopped sweet peppers and sauté for an additional five minutes.
- Remove the ingredients from pan.
- Using the same pan, add 2 tbsp of avocado oil to the pan and add a flour tortilla in the pan and sprinkle with cheese.
- Add the chicken mixture and fold the tortilla in half and heat on both sides.
- Remove the quesadilla from pan.
- Repeat the steps for the remaining chicken and pepper mixture.
- You may slice and serve with guacamole or a side salad.
Author: Gabriele Jones
Gabriele has been married to her husband Daniel for 16 years. Together they have three incredible children - two boys, ages 15 and eight, and a sweet girl who joined the family last summer. She is a full time Pink Cadillac Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. When she isn’t spending time with family or building her business, she supports her husband who is the Lead Pastor and Planter of Forward Church in Foley.
