FOOD

If you are looking for a super easy weeknight meal, this one is perfect! There are many people I know that say its so easy just to throw some pasta in a pot and heat up sauce because they don’t have time. This takes the same amount of time, if not shorter, and its sooo much better for you! Plus, I recently got my BeefsTeakVeg seasoning pack so I have been using that non stop! If you haven’t tried out his seasoning, click on the link below!

Taco Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 tsp Flavor God Spicy Seasoning
• 1 tsp Flavor God Garlic Seasoning
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 head of butter or Boston lettuce leaves, washed

For the salsa:

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 large jalapeno (or 1 small), chopped
• 1/2 tsp cilantro
• 1/4 tsp Flavor God Spicy Seasoning
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/4 cup sliced olives

For the Avocado:

• 1 avocado, smashed
• 1 spoonful of the salsa above
• 1/2 lime, juiceddash of Flavor God Lemon Garlic Seasoning

Directions:

Heat a large pan on medium heat and add in 1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil.

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, both Flavor God Seasonings, salt, cilantro and lime juice.

In a medium bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, Flavor God seasoning, lime juice and olives. Stir together so everything is incorporated, and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

In a small bowl, mash together all the avocado ingredients, and place in the fridge until ready as well.

Place your ground beef in the hot pan, breaking it up a little with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 2 minutes, and start to stir frequently until all the meat is cooked through. This only takes about 6-8 minutes. Once cooked, drain the grease from the beef, and place in a serving bowl.

To assemble, put 1 large spoonful of ground beef on your lettuce leaf, with a spoonful of salsa and a little smashed avocado.

Recipe makes 4 servings

Each serving is 3 lettuce wrap tacos and has 4.15 net carbs

Thank you! visit akitchencafe

Have you seen these yet?! I see a ton of burger stacks from people on Instagram, and its always insane and way too much burger, but it looks cool right?! lol. So I made my own version tonight…I think if I ate the whole thing I would be in food coma, but I am pretty close anyway ha! I think stacking these things, no bun, makes it seem larger than it is though…I mean 1 slice of sweet potato, 1 slice of tomato, 1 scoop of avocado etc etc…filling but not as outrageous as it looks.

Anyways…this week we got back from Paris. Have you been there?! Oh man, what an experience. I absolutely 100% loved Disneyland, it was a lot of fun, and the kids had a great time. Plus, we got some Frozen Elsa and Ana dolls, which are pretty much non-existent these days. Every doll I have found online has been some weird looking version…but we got some really nice barbie-like “Disneyland Paris” edition dolls. I would go back to Disneyland again for sure. As far as Paris the city….I probably would not go back there. I just think it was outrageously expensive, driving was insane and I am pretty sure a lot of them aren’t too fond of Americans lol…then again…who is? So far, the countries we have visited aren’t very American friendly….some are, some aren’t…but that’s life. I was going to review one of the restaurants we ate at TheBesty.com…it was really good. As far as everything else, it fell short. Our apartment rental was pretty bad…it was very old, the windows opened with no railing or screen so not safe for my toddler, no shower just bath tub, and tell me why there was no toilet paper in that place?! lol We had to walk around forever trying to find a store. Not to mention, we left all my hair stuff and makeup at home so we needed a store for that too lol. Our first day was pretty much wasted on running errands.

 I cheated and got Macarons at Laduree…how could I not? The line was out the door, and we waited about 30 minutes, but at least we can say we went there! They were so yummy, and I guess it’s a plus they are made with Almond Flour, right?! Still have a good amount of sugar though! I was OK with it (my weight when I got home wasn’t) but they were good at the time haha! I walked over 40 miles on this trip though!

The Eiffel Tower at night was amazing! It sparkles every hour and was just beautiful! We also went to viator.com and got this hop-on, hop-off, boat tour. It takes the Seine River around Paris, stops at all the major stops every 20 minutes, and we could hop on and off all day long. It made travel more fun, and we didn’t have to deal with the crazy driving.

If you ever go to Paris, make sure to get to Angelina’s for breakfast. The hot chocolate is supposed to be the best, and it was really good, they also have amazing Eggs Benedict. They also have a “boutique” there too with macarons and other pastries. It’s always nice to have a “prix fixe” menu, makes things a little less expensive, and convenient for the kids since they could share most of the time.

Paleo Burger Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 handfuls Spinach Leaves
• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef*
• 1 tsp Flavor God Garlic Seasoning
• *1 tsp Flavor God Spicy Seasoning
• 1 small Sweet Potato, peeled and sliced
• 1 Tomato, sliced1 Onion, sliced thin
• 1 Avocado, mashed
• 4 Eggs
• 4 pieces of Bacon, cooked until crispy

*If you do not have Flavor God Seasonings, they are Paleo and low in salt so they are a great thing to have, but you can sub with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes and onion powder.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Drizzle a little olive oil on your sweet potato slices, and season with a little salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and let cook until tender. Should take about 35-40 minutes depending on thickness.

Heat a small pan on low-medium heat, and add 1 Tbsp butter (I use Kerry Gold) with your sliced onions. Saute stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes until tender and golden brown.

In a mixing bowl, add your ground beef and Flavor God seasoning. Mix together with your hands and make 4 burger patties.

Heat a large pan or grill pan on medium heat, and add a little butter or coconut oil. Once hot, place each burger on the pan, and cook on each side for about 4 minutes. Make sure not to press the burgers down because the juices will run out and they will become dry. If your pan is hot, you can sear the outside and cook the inside…4 minutes on each side should make them medium, but it depends on how hot the pan is and how done you like your burgers.Once the burgers are cooked through, remove from the heat.

By this time, you will also want to remove the onions from the pan. In the same pan the onions were in, crack your eggs and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side…you can cook through or keep them runny, it is up to you.

I know it seems like a few steps, but its not that bad. I cooked everything in 45 minutes.To assemble, put a handful of spinach at the bottom of your plate, top with 1 slice of sweet potato, 1 burger, a spoonful of onions, 1 egg, 1 slice of tomato, spoonful of avocado mash and 1 piece of bacon!

Recipe makes 4 servings

Each serving has 7 net carbs

Thank you! akitchencafe.com

B lived in the Dominican Republic for a couple years while he served a mission for our church and loves to make some of the food for us. We have favorites and this drink is definitely one of the them! It’s super creamy and filling, I love a little cup of it for breakfast. (Or as a treat any time.) We’ve always made it with lime juice, which is super delicious. This time, we had a bunch of oranges in the fridge and B decided to do a mix of the two juices. Yum did they go together well. Feel free to do 100% lime or orange, or a half and half mix. Either way, it’ll be great.

Prep time: 35 minutes

Servings: About 8 cups

2 cans organic evaporated milk

2 cups lime or orange juice, or a mix of the two

1 1/4 cups oats

2 cups water

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups ice

-In a pitcher, combine milk and sugar and put in freezer. In a bowl, soak oats in the water for 30 minutes.

-After 30 minutes, pour oat/water mixture into blender and process until smooth.

-Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer.

-Stir together the milk, oat water and juice.

-Store in the fridge. Serve cold, over ice.

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I’m so excited to feature my first guest blogger! Brianne at NATURAL GIRL MODERN WORLD (love that) and I crossed paths on Instagram. I like to browse through my followers because I’m interested to see what kind of people I’m appealing to, and that’s where I noticed Brianne’s catchy name. As you can guess, our philosophies follow pretty closely with each other. Fresh, home-cooked, real food. It’s so fun to meet like-minded people that have the same passion as you! Anyway, I won’t talk your ear off. Moral of the story is that Brianne is super talented- her photography is BEAUTIFUL and her food looks delicious! This recipe for biscotti is at the top of my fall baking list (once Texas decides to change seasons :/)! You guys- meet Brianne!

Pumpkin Pecan Biscotti

Crisp, crunchy pumpkin pecan biscotti drizzled with dark chocolate. Perfect for dipping into your favorite tea or coffee as a mid-day snack or dessert. Fall flavors at their best! Vegan.

Thanks for the introduction Dafni! Beyond excited to be on this stunning blog. Dafni and I have such a similar approach to food, I couldn’t help but get excited the first time I stumbled across her site. I love how vegetables are front-and-center in her recipes, and how everything is quick and simple enough that you can do it while “wrangling 3 kids”.

While I don’t have 3 kids (just 2 mischievous kittens), over at NATURAL GIRL MODERN WORLD, I also blog about healthy and nutritious recipes. Ones that are practical and accessible so they can work within your life. I’m a professional eater at heart, but during the day I work a full-time job. I didn’t want life to be an excuse for neglecting my health, so over time, I’ve developed a knack for preparing delicious weeknight meals that can also double up as nutritious meals / snacks the next day. Eating healthy doesn’t have mean hours in the kitchen! I wanted my recipes to be as inclusive as possible, so all are vegetarian and many are gluten-free and vegan. And, because I’m all about striking a balance – you’ll find plenty of tasty dessert / treat recipes on my blog as well!

Take this recipe for instance: Pumpkin Pecan Biscotti. This scrumptious treat is perfect for dipping into your favorite coffee / tea (mid-morning coffee break? yes, please!). And not only is it packed with pecans and drizzled with dark chocolate, but I also made sure to load it up with healthier ingredients than you’d find in normal biscotti-fare (like coconut oil and spelt flour). The end result is a decadent treat loaded with ingredients you don’t need to feel guilty about!

If you’re not familiar with baking biscotti, I’ll tell you now, it isn’t nearly as intimidating as it seems! I’ll take you through it step-by-step, and trust me, you’ll be cranking out biscotti in no time. Biscotti is great because it keeps well for 1-2 weeks and is sturdy enough to pack as a snack on-the-go. Now you can have delicious, healthy fall treats at your fingertips any time of day!

Who else is craving some fall baking? Try this over the weekend! Let me know how it goes – I’m Dafni from A Kitchen Cafe.

I’m a total breakfast person and can eat it any time of the day. Breakfast is the best because it’s the most versatile meal. It can be sweet, it can be savory. Vegetables, proteins, fruit, cakes, pastries, breads… Love that. Sometimes I want a big omelet with tons of veggies, sometimes I want a pastry with some fruit. Or pancakes that almost taste like a macaroon. These pancakes are gluten free, sweet and delicious. We had them for dinner recently and I really liked them with a tart homemade raspberry jam instead of maple syrup because I didn’t want so much sweetness. But then I had them with syrup the next morning. Really, really good.

Prep time: 2+ hours

Cook time: 25 minutes

1 cup gluten free oats

1/3 cup flour (oat or almond for GF, regular if not)

1/2 cup finely shredded coconut

1 14 oz can coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 organic eggs

1/4 cup real maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp pink himalayan salt

-In a bowl, combine coconut, oats, coconut milk and vanilla. Allow to soak for at least 2 hours to overnight.

-In a blender, combine all ingredients and add in soaked oats. Process for 10 seconds.

-Heat a pan over medium high heat but reduce to medium low to cook. Grease your pan with organic butter and cook pancakes until edges start to bubble and look cooked, 4-5 minutes per side.

-Serve with fresh jam, fruit, yogurt, pure maple syrup or whatever else sound good!

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I don’t like traditional chicken salad. I don’t like a lot of mayo and I don’t like mixing fruits and veggies. But I do like the convenience of chicken salad sandwiches for a picnic or trip to the lake. So I came up with this recipe- my version of chicken salad.

Prep: 15 minutes

Serves: 6-8 (Depends how you serve it. It’ll go farther on sandwiches.)

6 chicken breasts, grilled

5-6 scallions, diced

3/4 package bacon

1 1/2 avocados, cubed

2-3 tablespoons organic or homemade mayo

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 and bake bacon on a cookie sheet until slightly crispy. When finished, transfer to a lined plate and blot excess grease. Finely chop.

Grill the chicken (I used garlic, salt, pepper and onion. Pretty basic.) and let rest. Cube when cooled.

Dice scallions and cube the avocado. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add mayo. Start small and add more if you need to. I don’t put very much at all, as you can tell in the photo. Just enough to give it a little moisture. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Tks Akitchencafe.com

I love making cookies, but I LOVE making healthy cookies! Seriously, it’s so awesome to be able to make treats that are just as healthy as our snacks and meals. My girls and hubby love it, too, cause that means they get them a lot more often! These cookies are packed with protein from almonds and antioxidants from the cinnamon. Super yummy and one of our favorite cookies!

Prep: 10 minutes

Bake time: 7-9 minutes

Servings: approx 15

2 cups almond flour (or meal)

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup coconut oil, softened (this is my favorite brand)

2 tbsp honey

topping:

1/3 cup coconut sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

In a blender, combine flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Pulse in the coconut oil and honey.

Roll 1 1/2 tbsp scoops into a ball and then roll through the topping. Put onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten with a cup.

Bake 7-9 minutes and let cool. They may not seem done at the end, but they’ll firm up. If you REALLY don’t think they will, throw them back in for an extra minute.

Cook more here. Tks so much, see aslo my blog.