on southwest taco salad...

This Southwest Taco Salad is superb. There are quite a few ingredients but it's worth it! When you take a bite all those flavors come together to equal nothing sort of amazing. I cooked up enough ingredients so that I could have this salad every single day for one week and I was okay with it. That good, I swear.

Now if you have a husband like mine who has no problem eating salads but wanted a little more matter well all you have to do is combine all these ingredients into a taco shell or tortilla shell. That's what I did for him and he was happy. Honestly speaking that's really not much different but in a man's mind it's not a salad soooo... Also you can hold the meat or enjoy it with ground beef or chicken. Usually we do the chicken route but for the sake of doing something different we did ground beef. I'm not a fan of beef but ground beef in a taco or taco salad like this is alright.

It's one of those salads that are hearty enough to be a meal which is great because in the end you are full but feeling great about what you just consumed! Guilty free my friends. If that isn't a winner then I don't know what it.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or chicken breast, chopped
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoon taco seasoning 
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup cooked Spanish rice
1 tomato, diced
1 bunch lettuce 
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
hand full of crushed tortilla chips
cilantro lime dressing 

Directions:
1// Saute ground beef or chicken. Add 1/4 cup water and taco seasoning. Heat until meat is cooked all the way through. 
2// Assemble salad starting with lettuce. Then layer rice, black beans, ground beef/chicken, tomato, cheddar cheese and cilantro lime dressing drizzled on top with crushed tortilla chips. Yum!

*find recipes for Cilantro Lime Dressing (here) and Homemade Taco seasoning (here).  

Enjoy!!

on homemade taco seasoning...

We love to make tacos or some sort of Mexican dish at least a couple times a month. Or nachos. Ohhhh, we love nachos. You know those little taco seasoning packets that we all buy at the grocery store whenever we plan on making tacos? The ones that you sprinkle over your beef or chicken, well, no need to spend your dollars on them any longer. You can make your homemade taco seasoning right in your own kitchen. Cool right? I think so, only because who the heck knows what is in those packets and most the time the sodium levels are sky high. So next time you plan on making tacos just use this recipe. It will even taste better!!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper 

Simply mix all seasoning together. This makes about 1 oz (2 tablespoons) taco seasoning. Personally this amount is perfect for 1 pound of beef or chicken but if you wanted more just double this recipe. This seasoning keeps in a air tight container or even a Ziploc bag. Easy.
Moral of the story? Make this taco seasoning. A) Because it's way more delicious that anything else and B) Because all these spices are already in your kitchen so really you have no excuse. 

Enjoy!

ps: next time you make a traditional taco substitute lettuce with fresh cilantro. holy smokes!

on currently...

Watching// My new current obsession, Breaking Bad! Stumbled across it on Netflix with all four season and so now both Bobby and I have been plugging away episode after episode. At first I wasn't sure about the whole high school chemistry teacher goes meth cooker but in all seriousness it's awesome. It has become something that we watch when we have nothing else to watch. And boy is Bryan Cranston, who plays high school chemistry teacher/ meth cook, a great actor. Great show! Also I've still been keeping up with The Following which has turned into one of my favorite shows. I'm starting to become somewhat disappointed with how the current season of The Walking Dead is going. And last but not least, did you tune into Bates Motel last night? Oh. My. God. Can not wait for this story to unfold. 

I'll stop there because I can go on forever...

Reading// I just finished a book called Wait For You by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Okay, so after reading so many books I always have to throw in a contemporary romance. This book was good. Not great but I'd recommend it to anyone who is into that sort of thing. I mainly say it's not great because it's a story that has been told and at times was very predictable. The fact that it was a story that's been already told was not what bothered me because heck, stories are always retold but I think it lacked energy. But all in all in my mind a book is always good when the author get you all hot and bothered by the lead guy. I mean, helloooo, Cam is gorgeous and he's basically without a shirt the whole book :) 

Now I'm just waiting patiently (hurry up, hurry up!) for J.R Ward's newest book from the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series Lover at Last. Squeal!!! I've been waiting what seems like a million years. Highly recommend this series to anyone who loves sexy hardcore vampires.

Listening to// Passion Pit. It's been on repeat. I pretty much love everything from Passion Pit. It's so versatile, I can be dancing to it in my kitchen while making dinner or listening to it while in deep thought about my writing. Good stuff. 

Do any of you have the app Shazam? Love it! My favorite is when I'm watching a show or movie and a song comes up that I absolutely love but don't now what it is and SHAZAM! Now I do. 

Thinking about// the future. I'm huge on doing what you love in this life. I think a lot of people in this world take life for granted. We only have one and why not make the most of it. With that being said I also strongly believe that every accomplishment begins with the decision to try. If we don't try at what we want how do you know you can. I always try to inspire everyone to do anything and everything you want and even if the journey is great or hard to see now it becoming a reality. How will you know you can if you don't try? Fear is a big obstacle but get rid of that fear and what do you have? Freedom. This life if ours and we have the freedom to do what we want with it. Don't let life pass you by and be the one to cling on to what could of been. Get out there and do it! 

Loving// that Spring is almost here. Although it's hard to picture at times like today when the weather is beyond crappy but it's almost here and I can not wait. I crave to be outside more and excited to start a new garden. Having a four year old and being stuck inside can be challenging to say the least! Bring on the sunshine and bright happy evenings.

Sebastian is// amazing. The kids is growing like a weed. Sometimes he'll catch me looking at him with that crazy mommy gaze (you know, the one with tears in my eyes) and he'll just be like what mom! And I'll snap out of it and start spewing off how much I love him, how big he is, just stop growing will you!, and so on and so on and he'll be looking at me with a blank glazed over look and will simply say Alright mom... I swear my life can me a sitcom. The kid is a love muffin and I always want to eat him up. Wait, what. 

Wonderful things// Big love to you, my millions of readers | People who give me encouraging words | A husband who supports all my hopes, dreams and goals. It's truly a wonderful feeling knowing the person I'll spend the rest of my life with will be by my side no matter what | Good hair days | Co-worker friends and hanging out | Kid movies that don't disappoint | Italian hoagies | My kitchen aid | My French Press. 

ps: quick reminder that Google Reader is no long with us (boohoo) so don't forget to add me via Bloglovin'!

xoxo. 

on cilantro lime dressing...

 

This sauce makes everything delicious! Homemade dressing is one of my favorite things to make. Sometimes you need to switch things up and create a new twist to your everyday dressing. This dressing would be great with any salad, drizzled on fish or even used as dipping chicken fingers or all kinds of veggies. The mixture of cilantro and lime gives you a cool yet fresh taste that makes meals end with a zing! Plus the scent of cilantro and lime together is heavenly. 
This recipe makes about two cups and will keep in the fridge for about a week. 

Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lime, squeezed 
1/4 cup cilantro 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 green onions

Directions:
1// Add all ingredients into a food processor, puree everything together. 

Enjoy!

on the ultimate breakfast sandwich...

Remember the recent post on my The Ultimate French Toast with the secret ingredient well, I made the Ultimate Breakfast Sandwiches. Amazing! Using the same French Toast recipe I made some really kick butt breakfast sandwiches. I swear, best idea I've ever came up with. You've got to try this out for yourself. I always love a chance to be creative with things and of course this allows you to customize your perfect sandwich. We decided to combine bacon, egg and cheese. The combination of sweet and savory is delicious so if you're in the market for your next breakfast idea...you can thank me later!

Well, I'm ready for a relaxing Saturday. Today will be full of checking things off my todo list, baking in my kitchen, creating a meal plan and spending precious moments with Sebastian. Hope you all are doing something you love today! 

xoxo.

on greek turkey meatballs...

I made these zesty Greek Turkey Meatballs the other the night that went great with a lasagna I made. We always have ground turkey in our freezer. It's like a staple in our family. The best part about these meatballs is you can make two meals out of them. Make a batch and have it with a traditional spaghetti or with a lasagna and then another night make some meatball sandwiches. So good! 

Ingredients: 

1 pound ground turkey

2 slices of crusty bread

1/4 cup corn meal

1 egg

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 cloves garlic

1/4 onion, chopped

2 tablespoon oregano

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

salt & pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1// Soak bread with water and then squeeze it out. Add bread along with the rest of all the ingredients in a bowl and mash everything together with your hands. 

2// Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a baking sheet down with olive oil and form meatballs. 

3// Bake meatballs for about 20-25 minutes or until they become golden. 

Enjoy! 

xoxo

on books this year...

I love reading and just like cooking I love to inspire people to read. I get so much joy out of recommending a really great book and having someone read it and totally love it as much as I did. Not only that but I love seeing what others are reading too! I have a notebook that I use just to write down all the books I plan on reading and I cross them off as I go. Nerd much? For sure! Here are some of the books that I've read so far this year...

Under the Never Sky.  This series was recommended to me and I enjoyed it very much. This author takes you to another world with a crazy adventure full of hardship and love. Aria was exiled from her home and now forced into a unfamiliar land. Scared and hopeless she meets Perry, an Outsider who shows here who she really is. Oh and Roar Perry's best friend is my favorite. Very good read.

Little Wolves. This was one of those random picks I found while browsing books on my Kindle. This story takes place in the 80's in the Minnesota prairies full of folklore and mythology. While a man seeks the truth about his murdering son who then commits suicide and a wife of a pastor who also returns to the same small town for unknown reasons. Both stories are intertwined and yes, there's wolves! It's a haunting story about deep dark secrets and about how far people go to reveal them. Must read. 

The Witch's Daughter. A three hundred and eighty-four year old witch meets a teenage girl and ends up teaching her things that she never though she would ever share. This book is full of magic and witchy stories. It took me a little while to get into this book but in the end I was glad I read it. 

So, it's not lie that I am a hopeless romantic. I love, love stories. The sweet happily ever after ones, tragic tearful ones and even the dirty spicy ones. Yes, I said dirty and spicy. Or even a combination of all of those in like, one book! In Hopeless, girl meets boy. Girl falls for boy even though she doesn't want to have the feelings she does but of course those feelings are uncontrollable. Girl ends up finding out boy isn't just a boy she randomly met but a boy with a secret. A secret that involves her. Oh snap! Crazy book. You have to read this book. Like now. I've already hooked two people. A super page turner and I even cried at the end. Yep. Me. Cried. 

Dark Places. Same author as Gone Girl. Gillian's writing style is amazing. Different view points while the time and place jumps back and forth. At first I was a little weird about having things jump back and forth but she does it in such a way that makes you think and wonder. It's almost like a puzzle and each page is another piece that you are trying to put together to figure out this crazy mystery. Libby was the only survivor when her family were all killed, well, except her older brother who killed their mom and two sisters. Or did he? Dark places totally says it all. 

Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors mostly of her books take place in the Pacific North West. Home. My first ever book I read of hers was Firefly Lane. Her books always build up so many emotions in me and I always relate to her stories in some way. Night Road was a beautiful tragic story about a mom who's world revolves around her twins Mia and Zach. Mia meets Lexi who become best friends. They grow up together and all three of them face challenges. And then something happens that chances all of their lives...I can't even say anymore! It's an amazing book. 

Have you read any of these? What are you reading now? I'd love to hear about it!

xoxo.