Friday, February 7, 2014

Taco Lettuce Cups

I may or may not have an obsession with lettuce wraps, cups, bowls, etc.  When you are trying to live a gluten free lifestyle and really want tacos, using lettuce in place of taco shells is the best thing you can do!

I use very fresh, crispy, cold lettuce.  It doesn't really matter what kind of lettuce you use, I am just partial to butter lettuce.


What You Need: 
  • 1-2 lbs lean organic ground beef or bison
  • 1 head of organic butter lettuce (washed well)
  • 1 can organic black beans, drained
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1 jar organic salsa
  • 1-2 T organic taco seasoning (GF and MSG free), or make your own by following this recipe
How It's Made:
  • Cook beef until no pink remains, drain meat if needed
  • Add seasoning and a little water if needed
  • Thoroughly wash lettuce and break apart leaves
  • Scope one spoonful of meat mixture onto lettuce cup
  • Add some black beans, avocado and salsa to the top of meat mixture
  • Eat and enjoy!
We eat cheese only on occasion, but if you are not sensitive to dairy you can top your lettuce cups with a little organic shredded cheese.  Round out your meal with a side of organic rice seasoned with a little taco seasoning and salsa.

Happy Eats,
Christin

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Kitchen Fail! Are Blueberry Muffins Supposed to be Green?


I had this grand idea that I would make a whole bunch of muffins during the weekend, freeze them, then serve them to my kids for breakfast or put one in their lunchbox for a healthy sweet treat.  

Well, as they say, "The best laid plans...FAIL!".  Okay, I'm not sure how it really goes, but I do know this, I CANNOT BAKE!!!  I have tried to make from scratch so many different sweet treats.  Cookies, breads, cakes, and now, muffins.  My gingerbread cookies looked like they were blown up in a battle.  My sugar cookies came out with a fortune cookie texture (turns out, baking soda is very important).  My muffins came out green and tasted like slightly sweetened cardboard.

I could go on and on about my failures as a baker, but I think you get the idea.  So, want to see what these awful muffins looked like?

  
I made about 2 dozen of these mean green muffins.  They are blueberry muffins and apparently using fresh or frozen blueberries will turn batter green if any juice gets out.  

These muffins were gluten free (of course).  I used almond flour and made the muffins according to the instructions on the website I found the recipe on.  All was fine until it came to adding the sugar.  I still have normal white sugar in my house, but we no longer use regular sugar.  We have been using coconut sugar for everything.  Coconut sugar is expensive and doesn't come in very big packages.  I didn't want to use up all my coconut sugar for these muffins so I decided to use the Stevia I had bought.  I never use Stevia, but it is allowed on my diet so I thought it would be fine.  Talk about gross!  I wish I wouldn't used my trusted, never fails me, tastes delicious,  coconut sugar!

The Stevia gave my muffins a very strong artificial sweetener taste.  I couldn't stand it.  I even had my boys try the muffins and they spit them out.  I tried to give the baby one and she made the most disgusted face I have ever seen.  It was bad people!  

They quickly went into the garbage can.  I have given up on ever being a professional baker or even a normal mommy baker.  From now on all baked items with have to be pre-packaged (gluten free of course).  I may try to make these again in the future.  I think I'll leave out the blueberries and go with a safer fruit like bananas or apples.  And I'll definitely stick to coconut sugar or regular sugar next time as well!

Have you ever failed in the kitchen?  I'd LOVE to hear your stories!   Oh, and if you have any good GF muffin recipes, please share them.  I am bound and determined to get back on the baking saddle!

Happy Eats,
Christin