Turkey Tacos!

I am on day 6 of gluten free month and I was craving tacos for dinner.  Don't you HATE it when you have a craving and can't think of anything else until you finally get to chow down?!  Luckily for me, I've been craving fairly healthy things lately. :)  I have done turkey tacos, as apposed to beef tacos, for a long time and they are SO good!  You can do chicken tacos too, but turkey meat is a little cheaper than the chicken breasts I buy and there's always left overs for lunch the next day.  It was super easy to make my recipe gluten free too!  Let's break it down:

The Meat:

1.  Brown 1 pound of ground turkey.  (Well...you don't really brown it.  It turns kinda white-ish)

2.  Add a few tablespoons of salsa.  You can add as much as you want really.  I usually buy fresh medium salsa and put it in my food processor and then put it back in the container to use when I need it.  I love the taste of salsa but can't stand it to be too chunky, so blending it up a bit makes it perfect!  I still get the taste I love without all the chunkiness. (Is that a word?)

3.  (Optional) Add about a half a pack of chicken taco seasoning and about 1/3 cup of water.  You can add an entire pack of seasoning and the 1/2 or so of water that it calls for (depending on the brand you use) but you really don't need that much.  It tastes just as good with only a half a packet and you get less sodium.  Plus, the salsa you added gives it a lot of flavor, so feel free to use less than half a packet or none at all!

The Tortillas:

1.  I used corn tortillas that I found at Target because I'm on my gluten free month.  Feel free to use any kind you like!

2.  Spray a pan with some sort of cooking spray or add just a little of your favorite oil.  I bet coconut oil would be good, but I was out.

3.  Heat the pan on medium heat.

4.  Add tortilla and heat a few seconds on each side.

The Guacamole:

1.  Use 1-2 (or more) avocados.  I used one large one for Matt and I and it was just enough.  Guacamole doesn't keep well in the fridge, so you really shouldn't make more than you're going to eat right away.

2.  Add the fresh salsa of your choice (see the meat step 2)

3.  Mash with a potato masher or a fork

4.  Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and lime to taste.  I don't measure exactly how much I use, so I can't be super helpful with that.  I just add a little of each and taste and add more as needed.  You can also add a little cilantro if you have it.  I add more garlic than most people probably would, but I LOVE GARLIC!  So, sue me.

Assembly:

1.  Spread a little guac on the tortilla

2.  Add a little of the fresh salsa

3.  Add meat

4.  Load it up with whatever greens you like!  I normally use romaine lettuce, but I was out so I used kale instead!  It was just as good.

5. (Optional)  Add shredded cheese!  I was out of cheese so I didn't use any tonight, but I normally add a little.

Dinner was SO good!  I also had a little chips and guacamole and salsa with my meal.  I found some amazing organic blue corn (gluten free) chips at Target that we inexpensive and super yummy! 

I love that I can still get my Mexican food fix without being super unhealthy! 

Bon Appetit!

Missy Picky Pants

Before and After....so far!

Here are a couple side by side before and after pictures!  I I still have a long way to go, but it's awesome to see the progress so far.  It helps keep me motivated to keep going!

 

Day 1 of 30: Gluten Free!

I started my gluten free month today and it's been pretty easy so far!  I know it will be challenging at some point, but today was great.  I had a super yummy lunch and Matt enjoyed it too!  I made a batch of quinoa.  It's super delicious!  Here's how I make my quinoa.  It's super easy! Super, super, super!Let's break it down:

1.  Use 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of liquid.  I used low sodium chicken broth.  You can use veggie broth too!

  2.  Combine the quinoa and liquid, and add any seasonings.  I use a lot of garlic and herb and a little garlic salt.  Go crazy and add whatever sounds good to you!

3.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  (Sometimes it needs a minute or two longer)

4.  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

5.  Serve and eat!

The quinoa I made today is a combo of red and white.  I had red and bought white so I just mixed them together.  I can't taste a difference between the two.  Today, I ate some on it's own with roasted asparagus and also added some to my creamy tomato soup.  SO good!

Bon Appetit!

Missy Picky Pants

Asparagus is delicious!

One vegetable that I now enjoy that use to make me gag is..ASPARAGUS!  It's actually really good if you cook it right.  I'm sure most "normal" people would like it steamed or plain or some weird way, but I found a way to cook it so that it tastes super yummy for all the picky eaters!  Let's break it down:

1.  I like to find skinny ones because they cook faster and get more crunchy.  I like them to be extra crunchy.  If you don't, don't cook them as long.

2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3.  Rinse the asparagus and cut off the bottom part.

4.  Place them on a foil lined baking sheet.

5.  Drizzle with olive oil (or any oil that you prefer).  I rub them around in the oil to make sure they are completely covered.  You don't have to use a ton of oil.  A little goes a long way.

6.  Sprinkle with whatever seasoning you want.  I used a salt free garlic and herb and then a little garlic salt.

7.  Place in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.  It really depends how crunchy you want them and how thin they are.  I would check after 15 min and then put them back in for 5 minutes at a time.

8.  EAT!  I love them with a piece of grilled chicken.  I use the same seasonings on the chicken and cook it on the Foreman grill.  Delicious!

Bon Appetit!

Missy Picky Pants 

Crock Pot Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal!

I purchased steel cut oats a while back and finally decided to attempt to cook them.  I found a crock pot recipe online and did my own variation of it. Maybe I should have stuck to the original recipe!  It didn't taste horrible, but it definitely was off.  Here's what I did and I'll let you know what I would change.  Let's break it down:

Here's what I used the first time around:

Ingredients
3 cups steel cut oats (also called Irish oats) 

1/3 cup brown sugar
8 cups water

4 cups fat free milk

2 tsps cinnamon
1 apple peeled and diced

Honey for drizzling



1.  Spray the crock pot with cooking spray to avoid a disaster clean up later.
2.  Throw everything except the honey in the crock pot, stir, and cook on low or warm for 8-12 hours.

3.  Drizzle with honey.  That's it!

So, that is what I did last night.  I woke up this morning to some beautiful looking oatmeal!  It wasn't gross, but it could definitely use some tweaking.  Here's what I would change:

1.  I would add a little more brown sugar.  Maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup instead of 1/3.  The original recipe called for 1 full cup and I was trying to be healthy.  If it's still not sweet enough, add a little Truvia (Stevia).  That's what a did this morning and it was fine. 

2.  Get rid of the honey.  It made it taste weird.  I enjoy honey, so this surprised me.  If you're into honey, maybe try a little and see what you think!

3.  Add more apples!  I only used one because I only had one.  I would add like 3 or 4.  The more the merrier!  The original recipe said to add the apples about an hour before it's done and I made the mistake of adding them in the beginning, but it didn't matter.  So, you can do it either way.

4.  It had too much cinnamon.  That's all I could taste.  I would do just 1 tsp.  I think it would be more than enough.

SO..here is my revised recipe.  I haven't tried it this way yet, but like I said..the first way wasn't horrible either, so I don't think you can really go wrong. 

Revised recipe:

Ingredients
3 cups steel cut oats (also called Irish oats)
1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar (It's your call. You can use up to 1 cup)
8 cups water
4 cups fat free milk
1 tsp cinnamon
3-4 apple peeled and diced


1. Spray the crock pot with cooking spray to avoid a disaster clean up later.
2. Throw everything in the crock pot, stir, and cook on low for 8 hours. That's it!

Also, if you don't want or need this much, you can cut the recipe in half.  I wanted to make enough to last Matt and I all week.  Do you have a good steel cut oatmeal recipe you'd like to share?

Bon Appetit!
Missy Picky Pants

Gluten!

I know many people who have gone gluten free for one reason or another and I have been considering trying it to see if I could live without it.  It seems super hard, but I think I can do it.  I have always been told to use whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole wheat EVERYTHING!  But maybe that hasn't been very good for me.  I could be sabotaging myself even though I think I'm eating healthy.  I did a little research online and I didn't realize how many items contain gluten!  Who knew that my mouthwash or medication could have gluten?  Craziness!  I will definitely have to check those labels.  I think those little things will be easy.  I was thinking that giving up bread and pasta would be super hard, but I feel like gluten free items are more readily available at the grocery store than they have been in the past and they're really not that expensive.  I've even seen gluten free pasta and bread at Walmart at a decent price.  SO...I'm going to try one month gluten free!  I don't know if my husband will be on board, but we'll see!  I am going to start next week on Monday, June 17th.  That will give me time to get rid of the whole wheat pasta and bread I already have and do a little shopping!  Anyone have any tips?!  Want to join me?!