Creamy Avocado Taquitos

Most nights my husband request mexican for dinner.

How about lasagna?

-Never

Garlic Pasta?

-Gross

Juicy Burgers?

-Had that for lunch

Chocolate Cake?

-Heck No

Something with salsa and cheese?

-Yes, now you’re thinking…

On top of that I’ve now got a 2 year old who learned that she can open the fridge door and pull out anything she would like, and now demands I serve her raspberries and chocolate milk on an hourly basis.

Sometimes I feel like saying, “You know what, if both of you don’t knock it off I’m going to bake a chunk of tofu and serve it to you with a side of ketchup!”

But of coarse I am the most patient and loving wife and mother there ever is…

So I make mexican, with a side of raspberries, and glass of cold chocolate milk.

Printable Recipe Here: Creamy Avocado Taquitos 

But if you see me posting a recipe in the future for baked tofu & ketchup…you will now know how that came about.

Birthday’s & Mother’s Day 2013

Everything about this past weekend makes me happy! First celebrating the hub’s birthday with sugar and terrifying jumps off of buildings, followed by cuddles with my two baby girls. I couldn’t ask for a greater blessing than to be the mother of my daughters. Sometimes life isn’t the way we always expect it, but when I remind myself how truly blessed I am to share my life with my beautiful healthy family I can’t help smile and be grateful for what my Heavenly Father has blessed me with!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

 

 

Guacamole Kale Salad

87% of people in the world think kale is the most disgusting food there ever was.

(Note: This study is not accurate. I made it up.)

The average person doesn’t consume kale even on a weekly basis…or so I’m assuming. And quite honestly, I didn’t even know kale existed until I started getting into healthy eating. And when I first learned about kale I thought it was that fake looking lettuce they put on your plate when you ordered stake at a restaurant. Is that kale? I’ll never know…

Luckily for you (and me), I was devoted to finding a kale recipe that people could stomach without realizing they were eating…kale. (I’m an excellent writer and convincer aren’t I?) Everybody loves guacamole. And for those that don’t, you probably should see a therapist. Make that guacamole chunky and full of flavor, and you can find yourself singing, “Ay Ay Ay!” Turn that guacamole into a dressing to disguise an unappealing lettuce and well…

That my friends is how you should consume kale.

And if not…you should probably hang out with that person who hates guacamole. You guys would be perfect together.

Printable Recipe Here: Guacamole Kale Salad

I’m pretty sure after eating this salad, those 87% will change to 10%. (The 10%-ers are the people who hate everything that taste delicious.)

:)

Have a great rest of your week! Be back soon!! :)

Morning Metabolism Booster Drink-Plus Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

Most of my mornings begin the day before.

Usually around 11:30 p.m. I hear a faint cute little cry coming from Sweet Pea’s bedroom.

Just Kidding.

It’s the loudest ‘I’m totally pissed off mom, you better come and get me right now’ kind of scream. It’s usually about the time my head hits the pillow and I close my eyes when this comes about.

It’s lovely.

Since I’m neither a coffee drinker, soda sipper, or Monster Energy drink consumer, I needed something that would make me feel like a SuperStar! Of coarse a nice tug of my long hair and a drizzle of baby drool on my face at 5:30 a.m. is one way to get me out of bed quickly…But let’s not go there shall we?

Consuming 1 Tablespoon a day of Apple Cider Vinegar is a great way to kick start amazing health benefits. If you are like me, you may have noticed the vinegar by itself is well…not very tasty! So here is a great way to get in that ACV, along with a zing from a little bubbly to wake those tired eyes right up!

Morning Metabolism Booster Printable Recipe Here: Morning Metabolism Booster

Oh, and if you don’t share with a certain someone you are most likely to hear more loud & angry shrieks followed by the entire house being awake at that awful hour. This makes for a such a pleasant morning…

So whatever you do…Share. :)

5 (Surprising) Things You Might Not Know About Me

I thought it would be fun to take a little time for us to get to know each other! I’ve seen a few other friends, bloggers, & people on instagram share random facts about them and I love reading them! So I thought I would share 5 random things you might now know about me…

And in return, I would love to get to know YOU guys more! Please share in the comments 5 random facts about you! Or just say hi and tell me your name :) ! I would love to get to know each and every one of you!

So here it goes…

1. I love Hip & Rap Music.

Booty Booty Booty, To the Window…AND the wall…Shake Yo’ Salt Shaker. I’m not proud of it, and I hate to say that when I get a chance to be alone in the car I turn it all the way up. For some reason I think I’m a gangsta. Of coarse I love a good Taylor Swift song here and there, but if you catch me on the treadmill or cleaning the house with some earphones…You can now take a guess as to what I’m really listening to.

 

2. I (Sometimes) Get Embarrassed & Don’t Tell People I Have A Blog.

I love this blog, and I’ve never been more passionate about anything…But back when we were in California, I felt like I lost friends because they found out I had a blog. Some people would kind of make fun of it, and throw jabs here and there. Weird as that sounds, but I think only bloggers might understand this one. People assumed that I was a complete health nut and had this perfect life, and my kids were perfect angels who ate kale on a daily basis. This is obviously not how my life is :) .  So from now on I usually only tell friends if they ask about it. And the ones that are my true friends have been my biggest supporters, and I love them for that! :)

3. I don’t always eat healthy, and neither do my kids.

If there is a fancy dessert shop, a bag of chocolate chips, or my husband brought home fries, I will most likely never say no.

I love all things food and I enjoy exploring new places, and eating all flavors. I usually won’t eat a whole cupcake but I will definitely have plenty of bites. I would say that I eat healthy 90% of the time, and the other time I enjoy life. The same goes for the girls. I know that they will always understand the importance of healthy living, and part of that is to enjoy a cupcake here and there! Boo is 100% on board with this…

4. I can’t decide whether blonds or brunettes have more fun?

But I can tell you which is more expensive. (Blonde, because I have to die my jet black hair lots of times to stay at the darn color.)

Maybe you can help me out, and while we are at it, let’s talk about how I want to cut my hair super short. Right now my hair is long, think Rapunzel status. Oh, and it’s thick like horse hair! I love to style it, but let’s be honest. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

5. I love to laugh, be sarcastic, silly, and a lot of times I’m not very smart.

All those things go together right?

One thing my husband is always telling me is that I make him laugh. Whether if it’s because I put liquid dishwashing soap in the dishwasher, or if I start freak dancing in the middle of  store. I keep that man on his toes. :) Life is too short to not laugh on a daily basis!

And if your wondering where this picture comes from, it’s back in the ol’ college days where our dorm neighbors got super mad because we (I) was always listening to FerGie really loud. (See #1). So I thought it would be funny to make shirts that said I Heart FerGie and where them around, to mock them. Aren’t I kind? Little did I know, joke was on me because I’m not bright…and apparently can’t spell FERGIE. I love Ferie, whomever they may be.

 

NOW, it’s your turn friendlies! Share some things about you!

 

Summer Salmon Salad w/ Honey Dijon Dressing

Can we talk about something for a moment?

I’m not a fan of fish. I like to look at most of them when they are alive, and in high school I DID want to work at Sea World, but seriously…chills.

I will never understand how my husband can order fried calamari. It comes to the table with it’s body shape still in one piece, legs and all!! Like, hello little octopus, let me dip you in nasty marinara and chew your tentacles right up. Oh how incredibly delicious, don’t you just love tentacles!!??

Don’t ever do that again husband…never. Nothing good will ever come your way following a dinner like that.

But alas, I’ve given salmon a few chances, and although I admit it’s still hard for me to swallow at times, the more I dress it up the more I can handle it.

Unless the butcher gives you the salmon that has the black shiny scaley skin still attached, basically reminding me that it’s a fish.

Don’t ever do that again butcher. Never.

Printable Recipe Here: Summer Salmon Salad w: Honey Dijon Dressing

Honestly, I ate the whole salad. The dressing soaked right into the cooked salmon, taking any sort of ‘fish taste’ away that it contained! My husband also ate the WHOLE dinner, which is like, “Can I get a hallelujah?!”  He is NOT a fan of salad, or greens, or anything that wasn’t made from a red headed clown wearing too much lipstick. But I figure he’s ordered more than my liking of fried octopus, so he can eat a salad or two. And PLUS…He ended up loving it.

But this doesn’t mean I will like fried calamari if I were to try it ok…

I don’t do tentacles. Ever.

 

Tomato Basil Quiche w/ Whole Wheat Pastry Crust

“Mom, where are my glass slippers?!”

“I don’t want to wear this dress I want my pink tutu! Where is my princess dress?!!”

“I need your pink lipstick mom!”

“Don’t kiss me mom, you will ruin my lipstick!”

“I want my hair like this mom, like Sleeping Beauty. Long and beautiful.”

“Mom can you do my makeup? I don’t want to wear blush, I just want you to put some on my eyebrows…”

” Mom, I just only want to have chocolate milk. That would make Jesus very happy if I drank chocolate milk.”

“I like this egg pie mom, it’s making my belly very full!”

“Mom since I ate my dinner can you put pink lipstick on me, I want to look like a princess.”

Printable for Tomato Basil Quiche

If only she knew that no amount of pink lipstick or eyebrow makeup would ever make her more of the beautiful princess she already is!

 

Getting Outside & Chocolate Fudge-sicles! (W/ a Secret Veggie Inside!)

Sometimes we get stuck in a mommy-rut…

Dishes, laundry, potty-training, needed to shower but needing to workout, cooking dinner, etc etc…It’s easy to say, “Who has time to leave the house and play?”

I was totally inspired when I was reading THIS post from Missy’s blog Pink Pistachio, about getting out with our children at least once a day and playing! Too many times it’s easy to stay home and turn on a movie while you finally tackle that laundry. It’s easy to serve a quick lunch on your dinning room table, instead of a picnic outside, so you can get those clean dishes put away.

And sometimes…You just haven’t showered and the outside world should definitely never ever see you with greasy dirty hair.

It’s easy to say, “Oh, but we were outside today! We went on a walk” A walk in the stroller, while one kid slept and the other dabbled on your phone…

Exercise and play time is JUST as important for adults as it is for kids.

Whether it’s a picnic outside, a train ride at the mall, throwing pennies into a fountain, or simply drawing chalk on the sidewalk…Step away from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or if you are like us it’s all about the movie Tangled, and say hello to the outside world and Play!

Who knows…You toddler might be so excited and full of energy, they may go crazy and full out dance in the middle of H&M for everyone to see!

Then when you come home you can laugh, be silly, and stuff your face with chocolate ‘fidgesicle’ popsicles!

Chocolate Fudge-sicles
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 3-4 large popsicles
 

Similar to the original fudge-sicles where eating one is just not enough. Only difference, these aren’t pumped with sugar…and they contain beets! Great way to enjoy a sweet treat, and eat some veggies all at the same time!
Ingredients
  • ⅓ c. non dairy milk, or other milk of choice
  • ⅓ c. greek yogurt
  • ¼ c. honey
  • ¼ c. steamed beets
  • ¼ c. cocoa powder
  • 1 banana

Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a blender, poor into popsicle molds, then freeze in freezer until done. (may be a few hours or overnight!)

We recently added a new member to out kitchen family, the Zoku Pop Maker! Reason number 457 why we love it:

It makes popsicles under TEN minutes! It’s perfect for those impromptu, “I want a popsicle’ moments!

Another bonus to getting outside and playing:

A long nap afterward…

Of coarse followed by a 10 o’clock bedtime.

Now…Go outside and get some fresh air!

 

Sunday Activities & Cupcakes-Egg Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free Vanilla Cupcakes

I declare that every Sunday should be spent like this from now on…

A day full of long naps, sweet cuddly baby, princess dress ups, mommy please do my makeup, walking around the LDS temple, and filling our bellies with cupcakes.

Vanilla cake Printable, Chocolate Frosting Printable

Homemade Whole Wheat Cake Flour Printable

Homemade Powdered Sugar-natural Printable

Have a great week everyone!!

 

 

Brussel Sprout Burgers w/ Strawberry Jalepeno Salsa & Balsamic Reduction-Making Healthy Eating More Enjoyable

Sometimes us healthy eaters can feel a little left out…

While all our friends, or husband, sit with their big plate of carbo-licious creamy cheese pasta or a huge juicy burger, fries, and a milkshake…We can’t help but want to ‘accidently’ spill their drinks on them so they have to run to the bathroom giving us the opportunity to scarf down their food like we’ve been traveling through the desert for days and we just want to dip one of their fries into that chocolate milkshake for goodness freakin’ sakes!….

(Ahem…This usually only happens once a month during a certain time…)

Like I said, eating healthy sometimes makes people feel like they are missing out on delicious food and that is why I believe it’s extremely hard to really stick with eating what’s good for us. It seems as if eating healthy is hard to branch out of the traditional, “I’ll have a salad, hold the crutons, cheese, and anything else on the salad that taste delicious. Please.”

Or how about a plate with vegetables, rice, and grilled chicken? BOOORRIINNGG!

If I had to eat that everyday, I would probably give up all hope and hit the nearest In N’ Out driveway!

Let’s not be afraid to add flavor, try new things, and flirt with fun fresh ingredients! There is nothing wrong with chicken, rice, and vegetables. BUT…they would taste even better if that chicken had a mango salsa with herbs, the vegetables were roasted with coconut oil and spices, and the rice was a coconut curry flavor?? Am I right people??

Trust me, I know how tempting fries and a shake are coming out of the drive through window…

So stop what you are doing and go get them…

Hahaha…I kid I kid…

What I mean is, get in your kitchen, get creative, add flavor, and learn to love eating healthy. No more boring. Ever.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Brussel Sprout Burger w/ Strawberry Jalepeno Salsa and Balsamic Reduction
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 5-10 burgers
 

Ingredients
  • (For the Burger)
  • 2 c. steamed brussel sprouts
  • 1 can navy beans drained and rinsed
  • ½ c. oats
  • 1 egg beaten
  • ½ tsp. paprika
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 TB. dried parsley
  • 1 tsp. dried dill
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. onion powder
  • salt & pepper
  • (For the Salsa)
  • 2 heaping cups strawberries, leaves removed
  • 2 jalepenos, stems & seeds removed
  • 1 large bunch cilantro
  • zest and juice of two lemons
  • 2 TB. coconut or maple sugar
  • salt & pepper
  • (For the Balsamic Reduction)
  • Balsamic Vinegar-about 1-2 cups (Note: If you have a really good balsamic vinegar that’s thick, then just use about 1-2 TB per burger)

Instructions
  1. (For the Burger)
  2. Place all burger ingredients into a food processor and pulse until fully combined. It doesn’t have to be completely pureed. (This can also be done by mashing the beans with a fork, finely slicing and chopping the brussel sprouts, then mixing it with the other ingredients.)
  3. Form into patties and cook on a skillet on medium-low heat coated with coconut oil for 5 minutes on each side.
  4. (For the Salsa)
  5. Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until salsa consistency.
  6. (For the Balsamic Reduction)
  7. Add Balsamic vinegar to a pan over the stove heated at medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3-5 minutes. The balsamic will begin to thicken and reduce. Don’t overcook.
  8. (To Assemble)
  9. Add burger to buns, top with spinach, goat cheese, a lot of salsa, and drizzle with balsamic. Eat and Enjoy!

The salsa is Ahhhhmazing! I’ve been dipping salty chips in it all day :) !

As for the balsamic reduction, I will be adding this to a lot of meals that I make! It’s one of my favorite flavors! :)

Oh, and don’t think that I am hating on dipping fries in milkshakes. By all means do try this, and enjoy life! :)

Now get your creative buns in the kitchen and add some flavor to that dinner!

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I would like to add that my heart goes out to the families, victims, and the community due to the tragedy in Boston yesterday. I will be keeping my eyes and ears open to things that I can do to ease the burdens of those going through this hard and trying time.