Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning

The ingredients below are from the nutritional statement from a popular, commercially produced taco seasoning.  Why is there sugar, yeast and corn starch added?  What exactly constitutes 'Natural Flavor'?  Why the 'Caramel Color'? Yikes!  What is in our food?!?

(Ingredients:
Yellow Corn Flour, Salt, Maltodextrin, Paprika, Spices, Modified Corn Starch, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Flavor, Caramel Color (sulfites).)

In my quest to simplify and feed my family a cleaner, healthier, whole foods diet, I decided to try and make my own taco seasoning.  A few bulk spices later, and I had an economical, tasty mix that works well with meat, beans and vegan meat alternatives.  

Homemade Taco Seasoning:
4 1/2 tbsp chili powder
3 1/2 tbsp paprika 
3 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp jalapeno pepper powder
1/4 tsp pink Himalayan fine ground salt

Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl, then transfer to a sealed container.  Keep in a cool, dry place. Makes about 8 ounces of taco seasoning.  

To make taco meat:  brown your meat or meat alternative of choice (about 1 pound), add 2 heaping tablespoons and 1 cup water to the pan.  Stir well and simmer on low until the liquid is just about gone, then serve.  

You can also sprinkle it on or mix it with just about anything you want to have a little zip...rice, quinoa, beans, mix with sour cream or yogurt to make a veggie dip - the possibilities are endless!  I made quinoa the other night and added about 2 teaspoons to about 2 cups quinoa along with some of my homemade veggie stock - the result was delish!  (My partner even tried it on raw, homemade sauerkraut.  Strange I know, but he thought it was 'interesting'. :))

How will you use your Homemade Taco Seasoning?

Little Tips for Healthier Living

Wow, there is so much information to remember for healthier living.  Do this, don't do that, try this, what about that.  Whew!  It's enough to confuse anyone.  Well, to make it simpler, I've come up with a list of Little Tips for Healthier Living that will be easy to implement into your daily life and rewarding for both you and the earth when you do.

I will call this Installment #1, as I am sure I will think of more to share with you.  Also, please be assured I do all of these things in my own home, or I wouldn't recommend them to others.  

Homemade Veggie Stock

1. Use veggie stock instead of oil when sauteing foods.  This will cut down on the oils you consume.  Don't get me wrong, there are healthy fats you need in your daily diet, but sauteing with olive oil (which most people tend to do) is not healthy.  Olive oil turns toxic to your body at high temperatures.  Sauteing with veggie stock both sautes and steams the foods you are cooking, and adds a wonderful, savory flavor.  I make and preserve my own veggie stock using pulp from my juicer, but there are many healthy options available as well. Choose organic and low sodium if available.  My favorite brand (if not using my own) is Pacific.
2. Make your own bread crumbs.  I don't know about you, but I buy bread that has a clean label - usually about 5-6 ingredients.  What I don't understand is why there are 15+ ingredients in prepared bread crumbs.  What are they putting in there?!?  I came up with an easy way to make my own.  Purchase a loaf of whole grain bread (or bread of your choice), toast it to dry it completely, run it through your food processor or blender to your desired crumb size, and store in a sealed container like a glass mason jar.  Use at will and season creatively.  How much easier could it be to make bread crumbs that are 'clean'?
3. Use citrus infused vinegar to clean your home.  Start getting rid of those nasty, chemical-laden cleaning products in your home, and get back to the basics.  Let's face it, vinegar smells kind of yucky, so to make it better smelling, take some lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit peels (or a combination thereof) and put in a glass mason jar.  Cover the peels with white vinegar.  Let soak for 10-14 days, then pour into a labeled spray bottle.  Vinegar is a natural disinfectant, so use this mixture to clean counters, mirrors, toilets, sinks, whatever you need cleaned.  You will still detect a small hint of vinegar scent, but can also smell the sunny citrus.  
4. Substitute unsweetened almond or coconut milk for milk in recipes.  Personally, I am trying to consume less dairy.  I am from Wisconsin, the dairy state after all, but lots of dairy doesn't serve my body well.  So when cooking, I do substitute alternative milks in recipes. Think mac n cheese, creamy soups, french toast, oatmeal, baking, hot chocolate, etc. My kiddos frown on drinking alternative milks, but I do substitute in recipes for a healthy balance. My favorites are So Delicious Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk or Pacific Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk.



Citrus Vinegar

5. Make your own lotion bars.  Most commercially produced lotions are full of mystery ingredients that are not good for you.  I have a pact with myself - I try not to put things on my body that I wouldn't put in my body.  Your skin is your largest organ, and it pays to keep it healthy too.  I use this recipe to make my own lotion bars, with one small addition - I add about 15 drops of tangerine essential oil to make them smell prettier.  This recipe is cheap to make, and literally takes about 10 minutes to do, not including the hardening time.  The boys use them too, and love the heart shape mold I have.  I hope you enjoy the blog writer's humor as much as I do!

Here is a challenge for you...try at least 2 of these in your own home, and post your results in the comments.  I would love to learn from your experiences, and can't wait to hear from you.  Happy New Year!

To Organic or not to Organic, that is the question!

There is a lot of news around the web and beyond about how organic fruits and vegetables are not any different from commercially grown produce.  Hogwash, I say! (I don't think I've ever said 'hogwash' before, but this certainly warrants it!)

Did you know that...

• 98% of commercially grown apples have detectable levels of pesticides?
• Domestic blueberries tested positive for 42 different pesticide residues?
• 78 different pesticides were found on lettuce samples?
• Every single nectarine the USDA tested had measurable pesticide residues?
• As a category, grapes have more types of pesticides than any other fruit with 64 different chemicals?
• 13 different pesticides were measured on a single sample of celery and strawberries?

How are these not different from organic produce, which have none of this?  What is all this stuff that is put on our fruits and veggies?!?

Thanks to the Environmental Working Group for this information.   

The EWG has also put together a handy list of produce that should  be purchased organic - the Dirty Dozen, and some items that have very low detectable pesticides that are okay to purchase commercially - the Clean 15.

Here is a link to the handy, printable list.  I use this each and every time I go to the market.  I do try to purchase mostly organic produce, as I believe that is best for my family.  However, there are times when some items are cost prohibitive, or simply not available.  

If organic produce is out of your price range, consider visiting your seasonal farmer's market.  Many producers do not use sprays or other pesticides, be sure to ask!

Coffee Alternative?

In my quest to drink less coffee, I made an amazing discovery!  Teeccino! 

What is Teeccino, you ask?  Only the best tasting, non-caffeinated coffee substitute there is.  Wait, I wouldn’t even call it a substitute; it’s in a class all on its own. 

Teeccino is roasted and ground to brew just like coffee, but without caffeine, acidity and that oh-so-lovely intestinal irritation.  My favorite flavors are Chocolate Mint – which tastes like a minty dessert, and Caramel Nut, which has such a wonderful aroma; you know it’s going to taste like heaven in a mug. 

I drink coffee for the taste, not for the caffeine (although on a recent road trip, I did drink it for the caffeine).  So the fact that Teeccino has a stronger, coffee like flavor, is perfect for me.

I buy it in the teabag style, as I usually only drink one mug a day.  It is recommended to steep the bag for 3-5 minutes, but I steep for at least 5 if not 6 or 7, in order to get the stronger flavor I enjoy.  Add a touch of raw, local honey and/or a bit of coconut milk, and I have myself a satisfying, tasty morning (or anytime) beverage!

Click here for more info, or to order your own:  http://teeccino.com/

Christmas cookies bring families together

Family.  Some get along great, some not so much, but family is family, at least in my book.  This weekend, I had the opportunity to take my boys to my mom’s to decorate Christmas cut out cookies.  All five grandsons were there, ranging in age from 2 to 11.  Mema had baked the cookies ahead of time, so all the boys needed to do was decorate them.  How much fun they (read: we) had!

The 2 year olds needed a bit of help.  I helped my one nephew, who can be a handful, yet he was an angel with the cookies!  He had a blast choosing the frosting colors and shaking the mounds of sprinkles on the unsuspecting cookies.  He got a special kick out of me dipping a broken piece in frosting and feeding it to him.  The silly grin of his was priceless when he had to take his nuk out first to eat the cookie tidbit.  The other two year old got immense pleasure from sticking his little hand in the colored sugar, then making us wipe it off.  My boys made their ‘ultimate cookies’, which had at least a half inch of swirled frosting, in all colors, and so many sprinkles they looked dusted with colored sand. 

And of course, being boys, the conversation centered on bodily functions, when they were going to get to eat the cookies and what toys they wanted for Christmas.  This is to be expected, and from experience, I know this doesn’t ever go away as they get older.   When we finished, the boys even pulled out the broom and vacuum to help take care of the sprinkles on the floor.

The holidays are a special time of year, whether you have a close family or not.  There is some sort of magic, goodwill and peace in the air.  My hope is that I can create and hold this magic all year long, for me and my family.  Who needs a holiday to be peaceful, grateful or giving?  Who should need a reminder that family is important, and that we should be gracious to others?   Gratitude for the blessings we have been given, and sharing love and peace all year long is something I am striving to do myself, and to also set an example in for my boys.  I believe this world needs more loving and peaceful people, don’t you?

Twitterverse?

After much, very deliberate avoidance, I have joined Twitter.  

Why, oh why?!?  To help get my business in front of more people, to keep up with others in the health and wellness field, and to learn new things.  Plus it just seemed like the thing to do.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet.  I'm technology literate, but it's so fast moving, seems to require constant vigilance, and I want to get the right followers.  The agony!

If you want to join me in the agonizing yet fun Twitterverse, please follow me:  @healthmattersfw
Hopefully I will keep you entertained, and maybe you will learn something new or possibly even be inspired. :)

Happy Tweeting!

New Year's Resolutions

It's really never too early to start thinking about the things you want to accomplish in the new year.  I know, I know, a lot of people make these totally unrealistic resolutions, and then feel awful about themselves when they fall short of their goals.  Guilty!  Sometimes I just get a little too ambitious and am unable to fit it all in between all the regular things I am doing each day, week, year.

It doesn't have to be that way.  It is possible to make achievable resolutions and goals for yourself.  Think about the top three things you want to do this year.  Whether it is for yourself, your family, your career or your relationships, if you can break the goals down into realistic pieces, the resolutions won't seem so daunting, and you'll find it is harder to talk yourself out of trying to achieve them.

I will share some of mine with you:

1. Limit coffee consumption to just once a week.  First I will go down to 3-4 times a week, then 2-3 times a week, then voila!  I will be at once a week!  Nothing against coffee, I enjoy the taste and the slight buzz I get,  plus there are a few health benefits, but it doesn't serve my body well when I drink it every day.
2. Weave more spirituality and meditation into my yoga practice and my daily life.  Whoa, this is a good one!  I practice yoga about 5 times a week, and I am happy with that, but I want to learn how to interlink the spirituality aspect by mediating regularly.  I also want to learn to meditate more effectively, and am going to start with some guided meditation CD's.  
3. Add 1 vegan meal a week into my family's menu.  I will admit, this one is a rollover from last year.  It's hard to be mindful of cheese.  We love it in our house - we are Wisconsinites, after all!  Finding easy and tasty dishes will be key here, and I have many awesome recipes tagged on Pinterest and allrecipes.com.  

There you have it, my top 3, all broken down with steps to achieve them.  That wasn't too hard, right?

I'd be interested in hearing about your goals and aspirations for 2013.  Please share!

www.healthmattersfamilywellness.com