Throwback Thursday- TACOS, BABY!!!!

Just another summer day livin’ the dream! The girls and I had a great day. First, we all slept until 9 am. HEAVEN! Then we lounged around in our jammies; I drank 3 cups of coffee, and they ate an obscene amount of frozen waffles and french toast sticks.

Then we pried ourselves off the couch and got dressed. I put on my best yoga pants and we headed off to the gym. I took a lovely Bodyflow class (Thai chi, yoga, and Pilates). Then we hit Walmart for a few essentials. I am not even kidding when I say I actually enjoyed my time at Walmart! Usually I hate going; the line is long, someone has trouble with their payment, there is a price check gone awry, etc. Not this time. Smooth sailing.

Then we hit the pool. I love going to the pool and relaxing. Today there was no one there for about an hour and a half. We swam, jumped in, played, and floated around without a care in the world. Then only one family joined us, so it still was pretty awesome.

Tonight, we had something that I know we can all get behind; TACOS! I have made tons of tacos in the past. Tonight was strait up beef and beans with all the fixings. I love a good taco bar. Everyone can add what they want and no one feels left out. Here are some things that I always have on hand to make the perfect taco night; protein (beans, beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, steak, tofu), veggies, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado or guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce, salsa, and hard and/or soft tortillas.

I usually make my own chili seasoning to add to my meat or veggies. I never really measure, but I usually do a combo like this (more or less depending on your preference); 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano. But if you buy one of those packets for a fast and no nonsense taco night, I won’t judge. I have bought them, too! It is your life, so do what you want!

Tonight Rucks, Becca, and I had a gordita. Hard shell with all the fixings inside a soft tortilla spread with beans. Katie opted for a soft taco/burrito. Rucks likes Taco Bell hot sauce; I like Cholula. Becca and I like avocado. Katie and I like sour cream. Becca is a refried bean fanatic, so I let her pick out the kind she wanted. She picked vegetarian refried beans, and we all decided that we can’t taste a difference and we are saving like 5 grams of fat.
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Weekend Wrap Up, Taco Night, and Meal Planning

I can’t believe another weekend is coming to an end! Why does it always have to go by so fast???
Our weekend was pretty awesome. The girls went to their grandparents and had a blast! The hubby and I went to a cabin in the mountains with a few of our best friends. It was super relaxing and lots of fun.

We went to Helen, a cute little tourist town, with lots of shops and restaurants. We went to a little restaurant on the river and ate outside. The rain held up for the day and it was so beautiful. After that, my friend and I got a tattoo. I never really considered getting a tattoo, but after Lizzie passed away, I decided I wanted to get a small one in her memory. I decided I wanted it to say Lulu, my nickname for her. I got it on my wrist, so I could see it all the time and think of her. My friend decided to get one as well. These friends are so close, they are like uncles to the girls, so it was very meaningful to me that he did this. They are perfect.
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Later that afternoon and evening we played lots of board games and had a blast together. I made everyone tacos for dinner, and they turned out perfect. I made ground beef, shrimp, and salmon for a bit of variety. I basically just put my homemade taco seasoning on all 3 proteins.
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/07/23/homemade-taco-seasoning-mix/

I added it to the beef and cooked that first, since it takes the longest.
Then I added the rub to both sides of the salmon. I added the salmon, skin side down, to a cold pan with a bit of olive oil. This helps the salmon get a crispy skin. If you put it in a hot pan, the skin will most likely shrivel up and separate from the fish. I cooked the first side the longest, about 5 minutes, then flipped it and cooked it about 3 minutes on the second side. You still want it to be a little pink in the middle, so if it starts to turn white, it is overcooking.

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I added some shrimp to a bowl and massaged it with the taco seasoning. Then I added a little more olive oil in the pan with the salmon . I finished cooking the salmon and shrimp in the same pan. Less dishes!002

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Here is what is up for the rest of the week… Cleaning out the fridge and freezer and trying not to go to the store. We will see how long that lasts =) See ya later tonight for a new chicken dish!

Sunday- Moroccan Chicken and Couscous with a veggie
Monday- Veggie Fritatta
Tuesday- Fish Sticks, mac and cheese, veggie
Wednesday- Bean and Beef Burritos
Thursday- Miss Mandy over for dinner- Chinese?
Friday- Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

The Tale of Two Tacos

We finally ate those damn tacos! They were delicious!
Here is the link to making your own taco seasoning.
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/07/23/homemade-taco-seasoning-mix/

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Last night I had planned on making patty melts, but there was just too much food in the fridge that we needed to eat up and it was just us girls for dinner (Daddy had a hockey game). For the girls- well, they wanted french toast sticks and Annie Spaghetti O’s. Random, but ok. I made myself a nice big taco salad with the leftover taco meat. We still have a box of taco shells in the pantry, but I think they will sit there for awhile until the taco craving strikes again or I find something else creative to do with them. Any ideas?
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