Tag: organic

Crockpot Beef Tacos for Toddlers (or Adults)

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I really think older babies (when ready for solid food) and toddlers should eat just like adults. My husband and I LOVED our beef tacos so why not share with Grady?!?!

What you need to put in the crockpot:

  • 1 lb flank steak
  • 1 small jar salsa
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 4 cloves garlic

Toppings and shell:

  • Avocado
  • Greek Yogurt
  • Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • Deathwish hot sauce (for the adults)
  • Whole wheat soft taco shells 

What to do:

  1. Add the ingredients to the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. 
  2. Shread the beef and cook another 1/2 hour – 1 hour. 
  3. Put it all on a shell with as much or as little of the toppings. I recommend that you drain some of the juice from the crockpot beforehand. 

At the very end I wanted to make sure Grady had enough vegetables so I added some raw carrots. He loved it all!

Enjoy!

      Vegan Wrap w/ Quinoa Bean Avocado & MORE!

      WhyILoveFood5 Comments

      You want a vegan friendly, vegetarian and/or a plain healthy meal? Here it is! Recently, I’ve been making a lot of vegan food; I love it!!  This is so simple and with just 7 ingredients. 

      Here’s what you’ll need:

      • Whole wheat fajita size wraps
      • 1/2 cup Quinoa 
      • Avocado
      • Black Beans
      • Feta “cheese”
      • Swiss chard leaves (or your choice of greenery)
      • 1 cup Vegetable broth 

      What to do:

      1. Heat  small sauce pan on high adding the broth and bring to a boil. 
      2. Rinse the quinoa in a sieve, add to the boiling broth and reduce to medium low heat stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. 
      3. Remove the pan from heat and put the lid on until the rings appear. 
      4. Rinse the beans in a strainer. 
      5. Lay out the wrap, add all ingredients and wrap it up.      

      Enjoy!

        Overnight Oats, Chia, and Then Some

        Overnight Oats, Chia, and Then Some

        WhyILoveFoodLeave a comment

        Recipes for overnight oats are all over the net. Oats are pretty bland, for the most part, so I like to spice it up. The more I put in the better it tastes!  There are so many goodies you can include in your overnight oats including seeds, nuts, and/or fresh and dried fruits. Don’t stop there! You can use any kind of milk and a bit of your favorite sweetener too (just stay away from anything artificial). My point is, don’t limit yourself to just one recipe. Switch it up, put some variety into it and add some flavor!

        This is just a side note but I like making these on a work night so I can grab my breakfast and walk out the door in the morning. Plus they’re a healthy way to start the day!

        Make your own favorite combination out of these ingredient ideas. I would suggest only using one type of oats at a time and one type of milk with or with out yogurt. Put as many fruits, seeds, nuts and sweeteners in as you’d like. Take it easy on the sweeteners too, you don’t want a sugar high. 

        Types of Oats:

          1. Organic rolled quick oats
          2. Steel cut
          3. Regular rolled oats
          4. Scottish oats

          Types of Seeds:

            1. Chia
            2. Sunflower
            3. Pumpkin
            4. Hemp
            5. Flax
            6. Sesame

            Types of nuts:

            1. Almonds 
            2. Cashews
            3. Peanuts 
            4. Pecans
            5. Pistachios 
            6. Walnuts

            Types of Fruits (fresh or dried):

            1. Blueberries
            2. Raspberries
            3. Strawberries 
            4. Cherries
            5. Currants
            6. Pomegranate 
            7. Acai berries
            8. Bananas
            9. Blackberries
            10. Dragon fruit (so pretty to look at and packed with nutrients but not much flavor)

            Types of Sweeteners:

            1. Agave
            2. Raw sugar
            3. Brown sugar
            4. Honey
            5. Maple Syrup

            Types of Milk:

            1. Traditional cows – whole, 2%, or skim (try to stick with organic)
            2. Plain Greek Yogurt in addition to your choice of milk (again organic)
            3. Almond
            4. Coconut
            5. Soy
            6. Rice

            I’ll share my personal favorite combo to give you a better idea. I put 2 Tbls of oats and chia and 1 Tbls of the other ingredients in a mason jar. At the end, I fill it up with milk. 

            • Quick oats
            • chia seeds
            • sunflower seeds
            • pumpkin seeds
            • flax seeds
            • almonds 
            • fresh blueberries
            • dried cherries
            • agave
            • organic milk
            • Greek yogurt

            P.S. All of my ingredients are organic even though I don’t always say it and highly suggest you do the same.

            Enjoy!

                Start The Day Off Right | Breakfast Sandwich

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                Farm fresh, organic eggs are simply the best! They’re even better if you mix them with the right stuff. These items are the makings of my favorite Sunday breakfast. 

                 
                What you need:

                • 2 eggs
                • 2 slices of Fresh Whole Grain Bread
                • Avocado
                • Your choice of greenery, butterhead lettuce is shown
                • 1 Slice of Cooper Cheese
                • 3 Tbls Greek Yogurt
                • 3-5 Dashes Hot Sauce
                • All-Season Salt
                • Black Pepper
                • Garlic Powder
                • 1Tbls Olive Oil
                1. Make the sauce. In a tiny dish, mix the yogurt, hot sauce, garlic powder, all-season salt, and pepper. You choose how much hot sauce to use. Deathwish is my absolute favorite and made from habanero peppers and cayenne, so, this is really spicy.  It should like like this…   
                2. Mash the avocado and spread it on one slice of bread. Spread the yogurt sauce on the other slice of bread and top with lettuce.         
                3. In a nonstick pan, coat olive oil and heat the pan on medium high heat. Crack the eggs into the pan. Cook on one side until the whites are almost cooked through.    
                4. Flip the eggs and put 1/2 slice of cheese over each egg. Cover and turn off the heat.    
                5. Put the eggs on the bread, put the top on the bottom and slice in half.       

                Enjoy!!

                Bean, Quinoa, and Kale Salad

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                What a tasty dish for Summer! It’s light, nutritious, and filling at the same time. I decided to make this after reading about switching out one or two meals a week to vegetarian. You will save a few dollars on your grocery bill and you still can get all the vitamins and nutrients if you choose the right products for the meal.  I, of course, want to be sure my family and I are getting enough protein if we were leaving out the meat. So, I loaded it with beans, quinoa and kale. Believe it or not, raw kale has 3g of protein in one cup.* 

                Here is an article about all the great benefits of quinoa:

                http://www.forbes.com/sites/juliewilcox/2012/06/26/7-benefits-of-quinoa-the-supergrain-of-the-future/

                This recipe makes A LOT! That’s usually how I roll lol. What’s good about making A LOT is that it saves time for me during the week. I can bring some to work for lunch, have it as a quick dinner at night, and it’s an easy meal for me to send to daycare for my toddler! He loves it by the way 🙂

                 
                Ingredients:

                • 3 stalks of kale, chopped
                • Cilantro, chopped fine (about 1/4 cup)
                • 2 Corn on the Cob
                • 1 Red Pepper, chopped
                • Juice of 1 Lime
                • 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
                • 1 cup Uncooked White Quinoa
                • 2 cans Black Beans
                • 1 can Cannellini Beans
                • 1 can Pinto Beans
                • Salt
                1. Prepare the corn. Clean off the husks and boil in a large pot until corn is soft. Remember to salt the water. 
                2. While the corn is cooking, chop the pepper, tomatoes, kale, juice the lime,  and rinse the beans in a strainer with cold water. Place all ingredients in a large bowl. 
                3. Remove the corn, set aside, and let cool. Using 2 cups of the same water, cook the quinoa until all the liquid is absorbed. Put a little more salt in the water. (Tip – Don’t boil the quinoa. Let it simmer on low for 10 minutes while covered. Remove from the heat and let stand another 5-10 minutes until you start to see the rings). Once done, add to the other ingredients. 
                4. Cut the corn off the cob and add it to the other ingredients. 

                Once it’s all mixed, I stored portion sizes in snack and sandwich size ziplock bags and then put them all into a freezer bag. Organization is key for me! I also save some for the next day or two. If you do the same, I suggest adding a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil. It will be a little dry if you don’t. 

                Enjoy!

                *Source