My family loves this Fiesta Mexican Beef Bowl. It is quick, versatile, and tastes great! It can be served over rice, on tortillas, or over cauliflower rice. My boys never refuse these leftovers.


1 lb ground beef (you can substitute ground chicken or turkey too)
1 - 14 oz can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper chopped
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder


Instructions:

Add ground beef, onion, garlic, and green pepper to skillet. Brown the ground beef till it is fully cooked. While it is cooking, I blend my diced tomatoes till smooth in my Vitamix Blender (any blender or immersion blender will work for this). Remove the pan from heat, and add in blended tomatoes and all spices. Return to heat and reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Enjoy over rice, tortillas, or cauliflower rice.

Check out my recipes for Wrap It Up Tortillas, Instant Pot brown rice, or Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.

This is a family favorite. Let me know what you think!

Blessings,
Bridget

I am a affiliate with Amazon and a personal Prime Member. I simply love Amazon, they are quick and convenient. If you purchase through my links I would greatly appreciate it as it compensates me a small amount for my time in recommending products to you. This allows me to continue to create great recipes and recommendations for you. Thank you for supporting my blog in this way! 😊

Happy Groundhog's Day!

Since my kids were little we have always enjoyed Groundhog's Day. We always watch Phil, awaiting his weather prediction. I love the tradition and how formal they make the event.

Pinterest has all kinds of crafts and food ideas to celebrate the fun. I wanted to share my clean eating version of the fun. My pancake recipe is dairy free, egg free, and corn free.  Perfect for those who have food allergies or sensitivities.


Here is what you will need to make the pancakes.

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/4 cup coconut milk or almond milk
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 cup warm water
3 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions:

Combine the 1 tbsp flax seed with the 1/4 cup warm water; then set aside for at least 5 minutes to make flax egg.

Add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, sea salt, maple syrup, coconut or almond milk, coconut oil, and flax egg together until mixed. Do not over mix. I love using a cast iron skillet for making these, as it cooks them perfectly without sticking.  For the groundhog drop a small circle of batter on the pan, followed by two smaller circles at the top for the groundhog ears.  Then make two more smaller circles next to the groundhog these will be for his cheeks.

Once complete you are ready to assemble your groundhog. Use what you have on hand to make the eyes; I used blueberries. I used a half of a raspberry for his nose and a few small slices of apple for teeth. Stack the cheeks on top of the groundhog head, followed by the blueberry eyes, raspberry nose, and apple teeth. Dried fruit is a good option too. You could use raisins, dried cranberries, or coconut strips. Either way your kids are sure to be delighted with this fun breakfast! I know mine were.

Building memories and starting traditions with your family is what it is all about. Isn't it? I feel good knowing that I am helping my kids make healthy choices when it comes to food.

I would love to hear how you celebrate this fun day with your family. Comments are welcome. 😊

Have a great day even if 'ole Phil did predict 6 more weeks of winter. 😜

Blessings,
Bridget

While at my local health food store, I came across a product that sparked my curiosity, Teeccino. I am a tea lover and my husband is a coffee lover. Wouldn't it be great to have a beverage that we both could enjoy?  We gave it a try and now we want to share it with you!



 Well the truth is, Teeccino is neither a coffee nor a tea.

We tried the Vanilla Nut Roasted Herbal Tea Bag. Upon opening the envelope the smell was divine and we couldn't wait to try it. The first time we tried it, I steeped it for about five minutes which resulted in a stronger more coffee like tasting beverage. As a tea drinker it was a little strong for me. My next try I steeped for about 45 seconds and reused my tea bag to make a total of three cups of tea for myself and two boys. The result was a wonderful, delicious cup of tea/coffee. We added a little honey and some almond milk and we all agreed it was a win win in our book. It definitely met our expectations as far as taste was concerned. I paid $3.99 for a box of 10 tea bags. I felt that it was a fair price for what I received as each tea bag is packed with flavor and our family was able to enjoy multiple cups from just one bag.

We are looking forward to expanding our collection of Teeccino and our next stop will be the Maya Chai Tea Bags, Chocolate Raspberry Tea Bags,  French Vanilla Tea Bags, or Maya Chocolate Tea Bags.

One of my favorite snacks are Coconut Date Balls. They are sweet, delicious, and super easy to make. They make a quick pick me up between breakfast and lunch, and are a prefect snack to add to packed lunches.

Did you know dates are good for you too? According to Dr. Axe's website they decrease cholesterol, help constipation, boost energy naturally, reduce triglyceride levels, boost bone health, and are a natural alternative for sweetner. They are also loaded with vitamins. Check out his article here.

These date balls are so easy; they will be your new favorite too.


Here is what you will need:

Food Processor
1 cup organic medjool dates (with the seed removed)
1 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut

Instruction:

Remove seeds from dates. This is real simple just slice in half and remove seed. Add 1 cup of dates with the seeds removed to the food processor.  Process on low till it looks crumbly. Add 3/4 cup of shredded coconut to food processor.  Continue to process until it looks like a dough ball. Add remaining shredded coconut to a plate. Remove enough dough to make a one inch size ball. Roll into a ball and roll into remaining coconut. Continue until you run out of dough.

Eat and enjoy! This is a snack that I can give my kids that they love, and it is good for them. I love packing them in their lunch with these bright silicone mini muffin liners. They are great for separating snacks and make their lunch look fun!

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. They do get harder in the refrigerator, but if you let them set out for 5 or 10 minutes they will return soft.

Let me know if you love them too!

Blessings,
Bridget

Okay, I'm back with another Vitamix recipe. I told you the Vitamix could do some amazing things. Did you know it could make delicious hot soup? I didn't but, when I found out it was my next stop.

Today I am sharing a recipe I from Practical Stewardship for Blender Tomato Basil Soup. I made a few little tweaks to this recipe to suit my families palate, but overall this was an easy and delicious recipe.  Congrats Sonja for creating this delicious recipe that is now a family favorite.

You can find Sonja's original recipe here. Below you will find my tweaks.


Here is what you will need:

1 29 oz can of organic diced tomatoes
1/4 onion
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
10 large leaves of fresh organic basil
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tsp organic avocado or coconut oil

Instructions:

Add 2 tsp organic avocado or coconut oil to small skillet over medium low heat. Saute 1/4 onion till softened, then add 4 cloves of minced garlic. I like this garlic press it has made my life so much easier. Just add the unpeeled clove and press. It is quick and easy! Saute garlic for just 1 minute. Add mixture to your Vitamix.

Add diced tomatoes, salt, oregano, fresh basil, and almond milk to the Vitamix.  Start on the first setting and increase to the highest setting. Blend for 5 to 6 minutes until the soup is hot.  Pour into bowls and serve. This makes about 3 cup servings.

I like to serve mine with homemade biscuit croutons. Use my biscuit recipe found here. Slice one biscuit into bite size pieces. Add 1/2 tsp organic italian seasoning and 1/8 tsp salt to biscuits. Bake at 350 on a baking tray lined with parchment paper for 10 to 12 minutes.

This recipe is super easy and my boys loved it. Let me know what you think and stop by Practical Stewardship and share your comments with Sonja too!

Blessings,
Bridget