Weeknight California Nachos

These Weeknight California Nachos have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EverydayEffortless #CollectiveBias

I am a huge fan of homemade nachos; they are easy, cheesy and a surefire hit with my kids. I also like that ingredients can be switched up to make for a new nacho-experience every time! During the activity-packed, busy days of summer nachos are one of my favorite meals to whip up in a snap. They can be popped in the microwave for quick cooking {that doesn't heat up the kitchen} and can be personalized to suite each person's tastes. I tried a new twist on this family favorite of ours earlier this week and created these delicious Weeknight California Nachos. Not only do they taste awesome, but they only take about 15 minutes to prepare + cook. If I can make a quick dinner that makes everyone happy - it's a keeper in my book!

I was inspired to make these Weeknight California Nachos by a new product, Birds Eye Protein Blends {California Style}. The blend consists of whole grains, lentils, peas, broccoli and shelled edamame - fully cooked and packed with protein at 13g a serving! For one, I thought the flavors would taste fabulous as a stand alone dish - but I was also thinking that this blend would add so much delicious flavor, color and protein to a batch of homemade nachos. Plus, it's really appealing to have all of these ingredients ready in just a matter of minutes by using the microwave - cooked perfectly in the bag they're sold in.

And then to make things really easy on myself I used Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Fillets. Sometimes I use rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken for my quick chicken needs - but I recently found that these Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Fillets are another awesome option. I was really sold on the fact that they are 100% all natural, with no added preservatives, hormones or steroids. These breast fillets can be heated in the microwave within a matter of minutes, making them perfect for a quick mealtime solution or last-minute meal ideas.

Although nachos don't necessarily need a recipe, I've included the amounts that I used for mine below. In addition to the chicken and protein blend in these Weeknight California Nachos I also included tomatoes, red onions, black olives and fresh cilantro - all held together with gooey monterey jack cheese. Feel free to play around with the ingredients and make these nachos yours! {there is a ton of fresh produce at the market this time of year to choose from!}

Weeknight California Nachos
{PRINTABLE RECIPE}
Ingredients
1 cup Birds Eye Protein Blends {California Style Blend}
12oz tortilla chips
1 cup monterey jack cheese
1 ½ cups chicken, chopped {I used Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Fillets to save time!}
1 can sliced black olives {2.25oz}
2 tablespoons chopped red onions
¼ cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Directions
1 Heat Birds Eye Protein Blends according to package. Set aside.
2 Heat oven to broil {skip this step if using microwave}
3 Place tortilla chips on baking dish or oven-safe serving platter.
4 Sprinkle cheese over chips followed by California Style Blend, chicken, olives, red onions and tomatoes
5 Broil until cheese is melted. {or microwave to avoid heating the kitchen up!}
6 Sprinkle with cilantro
7 Enjoy!

I found both the Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Fillets and Birds Eye Protein Blends in the freezer section at Walmart, in the poultry and vegetables sections respectively. There will be a demo at Walmart from 6/25-6/28 from 12-4pm, for participating stores make sure to check out this list.