Okay, is anybody else drowning in work out there?! Honestly, I feel like I have been going NON-STOP since Labor Day. Sometimes working two jobs is awesome since I love both of them, but sometimes it is NOT the business because I just Don’t. Have. Time.

I hit a new low this week, and ordered my shampoo and conditioner online. After three weeks of using hotel sampler bottles and running my stash dry, it was time to face the facts that I was just not going to make it to the mall anytime soon. And although I try to shrug this off, when I say “I’m fine”, what I really mean is “my hair is 80% dry shampoo and I’m on my third cup of coffee before noon”. So I ordered some shampoo with a side of de-puffer eye cream to hide the bags under my eyes and kept going full speed ahead.

I guess what I’m trying to say is…. life is hard, and I FEEL YOU. Setting aside time to take care of yourself is a job in and of itself. Cooking a well-balanced meal 5-7 nights a week is sometimes as unrealistic as getting your oil changed regularly. And although I love diving into a dish that I’ve put multiple hours into perfecting, there are some days when I just need to whip up something quick and on the fly. If it’s got some nutritious components in it then that’s bonus points, but usually my priority is just prepare something and eat in 20 minutes or less.

That’s where this recipe comes into play. Work is BONKERS right now and I would not say that I’m thriving, but I got an offer to go to the Packers game this weekend and a girl just does not turn that down, no matter how busy her life is at the moment. So after a 13 hour work day yesterday, I had about 4 hours to get my life together, buy some groceries, and whip up a tailgate snack before heading up to Green Bay. Knowing I was strapped for time and needed to port this sucker in the car for a few hours, I grabbed some corn tortilla chips and all the veggies in all the lands, tossed them together and called it a day. Dabbed on the de-puffer cream and loaded up the car, Wisconsin-bound.

Cowboy Caviar

Ingredients:

• 1-15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-15 ounce can corn, drained and rinsed
• 4 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced (optional)

Vinaigrette: 

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together black beans, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and jalapeño.
2. Gently stir in cilantro and avocado.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients.
4. Pour vinaigrette over the bean mixture, and mix until well coated.
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to set. Serve and enjoy!