Before
diving into tonight’s recipe, I have to share some recent discoveries with
you. I am starting week four of
consciously making an effort to eat clean and cut as much processed food from
my diet. When I first started, I wanted
to see if I experienced any noticeable health benefits. As I said before, I do not have any specific
food allergies, so this was just a challenge to learn how to cook with new
ingredients and to document side effects.
If I am being honest, last week was a bust for me. I was busy and I was distracted so I did not
take the time to make smart decisions with the food I ate. And I have to say, the side effects have been
much more noticeable than I ever imagined.
I felt sluggish and cranky. My
energy level was not a stable as it had been the past few weeks. Last week, I had a harder time recovering
after a grueling workout and I noticed a very sharp decline in my ability to
focus for long periods of time. If
anything, falling off the clean eating wagon solidified that we have to be
smart about the food we eat. The food we
choose to cook with and consume makes a huge difference in our every day lives. The whole “you are what you eat” thing is not
just a cute catchphrase; it should be one’s life motto. So, with that in mind…. let’s get to
tonight’s dinner.
Beef Tacos
If you
know me, you know I could eat Tex-Mex all day, every day. I love it.
I think my love of Tex-Mex stems from my obsession with avocado and
cilantro. Honestly, not having access to
really good Tex-Mex is my one pet peeve about living in Oregon. Well, that and the fundamental lack of
understanding about Mardi Gras. But that is a story for another day.
Tonight,
I decided to use Danielle Walker’s beef taco recipe and make some
adjustments. Per the self-imposed
challenge to eat as clean as possible, burritos with flour tortillas were not
an option. Instead of having a lettuce
taco, I decided to make a burrito bowl with the amazing cilantro cauliflower
rice from the first recipe I made.
In the
past, Chris and I always cheated when it came to seasoning meat for tacos. By that I mean, we bought the tiny package of
taco seasoning for 50 cents at the grocery store and never really thought twice
about it. According to the recipe in Meals Made Simple, the seasoning for the
meat requires using actual spices and herbs in your cabinet. I expected it to taste exactly the same as
the cheap, pre-packaged seasoning. I was
wrong. The flavor was stronger, richer,
and more complex. Even Chris said it
tasted better, which is huge praise coming from him. Chris likes to keep things really simple in
the kitchen. He doesn’t like a mess
(because he does the dishes when I cook) and he doesn’t like to use 100
different ingredients if you can just buy the mix ready-made. So I was shocked he admitted that taking a
few more minutes to make the seasoning actually enhances the flavor of the dish.
We
topped the burrito bowl with homemade guacamole, which is just about the best
thing in the world. I made the guacamole
the way my mom taught me: avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime, and
salt to taste. So simple. Absolute perfection. The only thing missing from dinner tonight
was a homemade margarita.
 |
| Tonight's dinner. |
Since I
mentioned my mom, I have to wish her a very happy birthday today. For her birthday, she treated herself to the Against All Grain: Meals Made Simple
cookbook and decided she and my dad will cook their way through the book with
me. I’ll be sharing some of her
experiences on the blog.
I am
hoping to start working on a mushroom soup recipe this week! Wish me luck!
-Kim
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