Crock Pot Taco Soup

On Saturday, my husband was gone all day river rafting. Which, I actually didn't mind, because it was the first time I'd been home in three weeks, and I had a lot of stuff that needed to get done! Laundry, scrubbing the kitchen floor, cleaning the bathroom, cleaning our bedroom, and the dishes were piled a mile high. I love my hubby, but I can get a lot more done when he isn't home. 

We live in the very bottom corner of Southeastern Utah. It can get really hot very quickly (I have strawberry plants that survived the winter and are already producing!), however, on Saturday, it was a cold and rainy day. The kind of day that I love. It was a perfect day to make a yummy Taco Soup! Which had actually turned into a blessing when my husband came home freezing - he'd been rained on while on the river and hadn't been able to warm up yet. 

Crock Pot Taco Soup

1 pound lean ground beef 

1 packet taco seasoning

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups water

2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

2 15 oz can kidney beans - drained and rinsed

1 can corn - drained

Precook the ground beef and add the taco seasoning packet, following the directions on the packet. Add the garlic and onion to the hamburger and cook until they are tender. Add everything to your crock pot and cook on high for 1 hour, or low for 2 hours. 

I ended up one and a half-ing the recipe, and added a can of black beans instead of another can of kidney beans. I like to put a little cheddar cheese, sour cream, and Fritos in it, however, it is delicious plain, as well. Also, you can use shredded chicken in place of the ground beef. 

Lean and Green

So, I lived in Tennessee for almost two years. In the South, everything is cooked with grease, lard, or some other form of fat. Also, bacon is a main staple. When I bought fresh green beans, I actually had to get on Pinterest to figure out how to make them without bacon - I had never had fresh green beans without. As much as that made my heart die a little inside. Bacon is the most important meal of my day (I am only slightly kidding)!

Again, my husband was the grill master with the chicken. I don't think I will ever get sick of chicken, grilled with a little seasoning. The package of green beans that I bought had the option of steaming in the microwave - I have heard that the microwave kills vitamins (can anyone confirm or deny these allegations?), but my husband was already grilling and the bake option took 30 minutes. Therefore, I compromised and put them in the microwave for a minute, poured them out on a cookie sheet with tin foil, sprinkling garlic, black pepper, and salt on top, and baked them at 350 degrees until they looked good. 

And they tasted good! My husband even ate them! This same husband who refuses to eat anything green, unless it's St Patrick's Day cupcake. 

In other news, I am starting the 21 Day Fix today. I am not sure how well I will follow the meal plans. I have already cut all sugar and white flour/rice out of my diet (I AM DYING!), but I feel amazing already! Onward and upward! Or downward on the scale, hopefully!  

PS Can I just say how much I love my centerpiece? I will cry when the pink flowers wilt.... 

Grilled Romaine Hearts

Okay, I definitely have some explaining to do. Try being a graduate student that commutes 1.5 hours every day to a full-time job, and then have time to keep your house clean, laundry done, have date night, being young women president, and also eat healthy and exercise, and then blog about it. Something has got to give! And lately it's been eating healthy and exercising. I will note, however, that I have tried hard to eliminate processed food from our home, and have loved how great it feels. Being a semi-newlywed (13 months now!), people are always asking when we are going to have a baby. Because I have a sit down job, and have been very lazy lately, I have gotten a chubby tummy. It's awesome not even a little awesome. I have been asked by several people when I'm due, or congratulated on becoming a mom. I'm not pregnant, just fat. And now, I am going to do something about that!

I have decided that eliminating processed food isn't enough. It is a very good start, however, I have still been eating candy and my homemade white bread. It's time to start eating clean. Which, I am not sure I even know what that means, but I am willing to learn! Also, I am going to start exercising, but this isn't the place to talk about that. :)

The other night, I did something that shocked my husband. First of all, I bought salad, and then I made salad for dinner. I haven't really been a leafy green person for awhile, but lately I have loved salad! This time, I bought romaine hearts and grilled them up! It was delicious!

First of all, you need to choose some that look good at the store. Because I live in small town Utah, our local grocery store has little to offer as far as fresh in the veggie aisle. I was able to find some pretty decent romaine hearts, however. When I got home, I washed one really well, and cut it in half. Then, I let it dry a bit. I lightly put some olive oil on both sides, and sprinkled garlic powder on the side with the cut. Then I turned them over to my husband, who will grill anything, even salad. He got the lettuce a little crispy (I think he was trying for an excuse not to eat it), but it tasted great anyway. After it was grilled, I put a little Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese on top.  I am not sure if that is part of eating clean, but I wasn't about to eat plain lettuce!

We ate our romaine hearts with (crispy) chicken breasts that my husband seasoned with some chicken rub. I think it was one of the best dinners I have had for awhile! It was even satisfying! That might be partly attributed to the fact that I ate my husbands romaine lettuce as well as my own.... Silly man. So, there you go. I am not sure on approximate grilling time, but I also read several blogs that say you can roast them in the oven as well.

Maple Bacon Brussel Sprouts & Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon

Okay, I am terrible with both making healthy meals and also remembering to take pictures and remember the recipes to post. Here are two that I just so happened to post to my Instagram feed, and finally decided to share. Both meals were delicious!

This first one is just some bacon and Brussels sprouts and it was absolutely delicious! It is a pretty light meal because I wasn't that hungry at the time. You could always add a side of rice or something to make it a full meal. 

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

3 slices of bacon

A handful of Brussels sprouts washed & cut in half

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbs pure maple syrup 

(you could also omit this if you are being really strict with sugar intake)

a pinch of salt & pepper 

(you could also add some cayenne for a kick!)

Chop up the bacon and brown it over medium to medium high heat with the garlic and maple syrup until just before the desired crispness. Add the brussel sprouts and saute until tender.

Lemon Pepper Salmon

4 oz thawed salmon filet

1 tbs avocado or EVOO 

1 tbs low sodium soy sauce

Squeeze of a lemon wedge

A dash of: lemon pepper seasoning and red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put fish in some tinfoil (enough to be able to fold it up) and add all the toppings. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until it comes out flaky. 

*Note: This picture also included about a tbs of mayo which makes it even more yummy.. and fattening.
I replaced it with the EVOO or avocado oil for a healthier version.