Homemade Taco Seasoning

Check out the ingredients in a commonly used packet of taco seasoning you purchase at the store!

Ingredients

Chili Pepper, Salt, Maltodextrin, Spice, Onion Powder, Corn Starch, Yellow Corn Flour. Contains Less than 2% of: Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent), Sunflower and/or Cottonseed Oil, Natural Flavor, Ethoxyquin (Preservative).

Scary!  What if you could have the delicious taste of taco seasonings and using the spices you have in your cupboard?  There are many variations out there, and each one can be adjusted to fit your family’s taste.  Here is the recipe we think you are going to love!

Home Made Taco Seasoning

1Tbls chili powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp minced onion

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 ½ tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

- Mix all ingredients together.

- Add to 2 lbs ground meat (cooked and drained) of your choice.  Add 3-4 Tbsp of water (more if needed).

Have a favorite taco seasoning recipe?  We would love to hear about it!

Easy healthy Food on the Go: Oatmeal Power Scoops

I love having these healthy, yet delicious, snacks available in the cupboard and in my freezer.  They satisfy my hungry kiddos, and allow me to make my dinner recipes simple or complicated, in peace and quiet when Arleena gets home from school. As always, I like to provide options that are *gluten and dairy free, but feel free to add in the gluten and dairy if you please. 

If you have younger children, make sure that you finely chop the seeds and nuts so there are no big hard pieces that could give your teething child problems.  Also feel free to omit the nuts if you can’t have them and add cranberries, dates or any other dried fruit to add nutrients.  My son Chase loves these and it is so easy to put him in his chair for a quick snack.  

I like to freeze these, then in the morning I can place a frozen Oatmeal Power Scoop in a baggie and put it in Arleena’s lunch.  It is perfect to eat by lunchtime!  If I am being completely honest, I need to freeze them because they are so good they will be gone in a few days if I don’t. 

 

Simple and delicious!!  Just follow these 3 easy steps!!

 

Step 1: Mix dry ingredients, add in wet ingredients. Let sit 5 minutes. Press the mixture, about ¾ full, into your ice cream scoop to make a perfect half ball.

 

 Step 2: Scoop Mixture onto parchment paper to avoid sticking and allow for a super quick clean up.

Step 3: Allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating.  This will allow the cookies to set up completely. 

Have these healthy treats (don’t tell the kids they are healthy) available in the freezer and on the counter for your hungry kiddos when they come home from school!  Enjoy that smile when they are satisfied and you know you have given them something to help them stay healthy!

Oatmeal Power Scoops
Save and Print Recipe

2 cups *Gluten Free Oats (or regular if you can have gluten)

1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

1 cup raw almonds chopped finely

1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (to make toddler safe grind a bit before adding)

1 cup of buckwheat flour

3 TB of flaxmeal (grind up flax seed to make flaxmeal)

2/3 cup of sucanat or evaporated cane juice crystals

2 Tbsp of Pure Cocoa

1 tsp. of baking soda

1 tsp. of baking powder

1 tsp. of sea salt

1 tsp. of ground cinnamon

1 cup of raisins or cranberries (fruit juice infused not sweetened with sugar)

1/2 cup of melted coconut oil or Earth Balance Original

1/2 cup of applesauce

1/4 cup of pure maple syrup or honey

1 Tbsp of blackstrap molasses

5 Tbsp of coconut milk or other non-dairy milk (use regular milk if able)

Mix all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add in wet ingredients and let sit for 5 minutes or until the oatmeal has soaked up all the wet ingredients (it should be a sticky texture). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop and fill ¾ full pushing down the mixture as shown in picture. Scoop as many as you can fit onto your baking sheet since they will not spread as they bake.   Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 min. 

This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies, so it is great to eat  and freeze the rest for a treat on the go.

**If you are new to eating gluten free, please make sure all your ingredients are gluten free by checking the label or calling the company if it does not specifically say gluten free… this includes baking powder!  I know it is a pain but I have a list of safe brands I trust and I stick to them!   

Hope you enjoy this fast and healthy treat!! I would love to know what you think!

Being Healthy Is NOT As Hard As I Thought It Would Be!

From a Healthy Edge Graduate: "Just as you are doing right now, I’ve read a lot of “Health Success Stories”.  To be honest, when I read them before embarking on my own journey, I always felt inspired…but still thought I wouldn’t be willing to do what they had to do to gain success.  Most stories left me thinking, “That’s great, but I don’t have that kind of willpower around food,” or “I’m too lazy to really do that kind of activity,” or “I’m not a runner,” or “I like what I eat too much to give it up.”   To me, being healthy seemed not just HARD, but like something I could never work into my lifestyle.  We are led to believe it’s hard to get healthy by companies advertising “Easy Weight Loss” programs or “Just take this pill”—always looking for the “quick answer”.  I knew I didn’t want to count points, count calories, buy someone’s prepackaged “food”, or do anything I wasn’t willing to do for the rest of my life. 

I was lucky enough to have my employer sponsor my health journey with the Healthy Edge program at a point in my life where I had finally gotten honest with myself.  I was a ballerina when I was young and never had issues with my weight until college, when I got busy and inactive.  I had many excuses why I stopped moving and kept eating food that didn’t serve my body well.  By the time I had all three of my children, I was obese and “TOO BUSY” to work out.  I woke up every day feeling like a skinny girl in a fat suit.  I found myself making choices based on avoiding effort and exercise.  I found myself indulging in the kinds of foods that led me to see my blood sugars rising, my blood pressure rising, and my cholesterol rising.  I was 40 years old and saw nothing but downhill ahead for my health.  Just before beginning the Healthy Edge, I’d gone snowshoeing with my family and was grateful when my 8 year old wanted to turn around early because I was not sure I could make it any further.  This was not the life I wanted.  I wanted to break the cycle in my family and create a different experience for my children.

Here’s what I wish I would have believed years ago:  being healthy is NOT as hard as I thought it would be.  Being healthy is making one choice at a time—just like making unhealthy choices.  I do not eat food I do not want to eat.  We have explored many, many healthy foods and we decide what we like.   It does take some effort to plan and prepare the food we want to eat, but that effort pays off every day.  I no longer crave carbohydrates— something I never thought possible—and that was after week 1!  While I don’t always “want” to work out, I know I feel better each day I do.   The best part of this journey has been how I feel—FULL OF ENERGY!  I know I will never go back to old habits because I love my new habits and how I feel.  

Thank you to Amber and her team at the Healthy Edge!  Because you helped me believe it was in me to do this, my whole family now leads the healthy lifestyle we’ve wanted.  Five months after beginning our journey, my husband and I have released 110 lbs.  We took a 10 mile hike with our kids and kept up with them the whole time.  My husband no longer takes medication for his blood pressure or cholesterol since both are controlled through lifestyle.  I am no longer “borderline” on my blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels—I’m in the normal range.  I received the tools I needed to make changes for our whole family for a whole lifetime.   

If you are reading my story and are feeling the way I used to feel, “Great for her, but I could never do it,” please know that I was there too.  Begin your healthy journey from wherever you are today.  Take the next step and the one after and the one after that.  If I could do it—you can too.  You can love a healthy lifestyle more than what you have now and the tools at the Healthy Edge will teach you how."  ~Jennifer

The Healthy Edge is hosting a Total Body Makeover Challenge beginning January 11th.  Experience the Healthy Edge through the support of a coach, in a group or through a self-directed program.  To learn more please visit The Healthy Edge Total Body Makeover page or join us for a FREE informational webinar on January 5th (register now) or January 8th (register now), both at 6:00pm PST.  All registrants will be emailed a recording of this call.  

If you have any questions please contact support@getthehealthyedge.com