Taco Stew

This taco stew is the recipe most requested by anyone who knows my mom and now you can try it too! It’s like taco soup but thicker like a chili.

Taco stew is an easy weeknight dinner recipe that the whole family loves. We love to top it with our favorite taco toppings and everyone can totally customize their own bowl. 

So I call this a stew because I add potatoes, carrots and peas to it. That totally qualifies as stew, right?! It’s a little more hearty and chunky than our Instant Pot taco soup or even our taco ground beef chili.

Ok, back to the toppings…there’s something about the Fritos and the soup. I’m serious. I never, and I mean never, think to buy Fritos, but they are a total necessity for topping off the taco stew. I think it’s that crunchy corn taste that works so well with everything.

Ingredients for Taco Stew

I love that this recipe is mostly a pantry meal. It is so nice when you’re on a tight budget or just don’t have time to get to the store. It also cannot be easier! Here is what you will need:

• Yukon Gold Potatoes: yukons have the best flavor and keep the best texture when added to a soup or stew – you could also use red potatoes as a substitute
• Carrots: peeled and cut into bite size pieces
• Onion: just a yellow onion works great
• Hamburger: 80/20 or 85/15 works great – if you want to go a little healthier, try ground turkey or chicken
• Frozen Peas: just toss them in frozen, and they’ll be heated through in no time
• Diced Tomatoes: you can use any brand you want
• Tomato Sauce: any brand works great
• Taco Seasoning: you can use a store bought packet or make your own
• Corn: just open a can of corn and toss it in, no need to drain
• Chili Beans: pinto beans or black beans also will work great, undrained
• Kidney Beans: no need to drain these either

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe at the end of the post. 

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Oh, my sweet HEAVEN. Cornbread waffles piled high with BBQ pulled pork and tangy coleslaw have been some of my favorite bites this year.

Cornbread Waffles

The waffles stay incredibly crispy on the outside while fluffy inside. I’ve made these cornmeal waffles more than a few times now and no matter how you serve them, they’re a winner.

My family really loves waffles and over the years, I’ve picked up a few tips that make them easy to make and serve.

Waffles are like a bread or a biscuit in our household. My kids top them with everything from savory to sweet. A fried egg or sausage gravy is delicious on a cornbread waffle. Slather your waffles with honey butter for a sweet snack.

If you are planning to freeze extra corn bread waffles, take 30 seconds to a minute off of the cooking time, or if you have the option set your waffle iron to a “lighter” setting. This gives you the option of popping them in the toaster to reheat and not get overly crispy.

Cornmeal Waffles

You’ll need just a handful of basic pantry ingredients to make corn meal waffles.

• all-purpose flour
• cornmeal
• kosher salt
• baking powder
• sugar
• milk
• eggs
• melted butter

It’s easy to swap out the ingredients here to make these waffles gluten and/or dairy free. Brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch substitute nicely for the all-purpose flour in this cornmeal waffle recipe.

To make dairy-free waffles exchange the milk for almond milk. Rice milk is a good choice too, as it is mild in flavor and it’s unlikely anyone will notice the swap.

Cornbread Waffles Recipe

Make your next waffle recipe with cornmeal and you’ll be thanking me soon for a whole new way to

Interested in switching to safer products? In this post, I’m sharing ingredients to avoid in your beauty products and why it matters for overall health.

I’ll be honest, my journey to switching to safer personal care and beauty products began long after my health journey started. I’ve dedicated much of my life to fitness and eating well, but it wasn’t until more recently that I learned what I put ON my body matters just as much as what I put IN my body.

Lack of Regulation

Unlike the food industry, the beauty industry is unfortunately highly unregulated. The last major law regulating this multi-billion dollar industry was passed in 1938 – that’s over 80 years ago! Since then, thousands of chemicals have been introduced and companies can get away with sneaking toxic and potentially harmful ingredients into their products. Asbestos in makeup!? Scary!

My journey of switching to safer products for myself and my family and been slow and steady. I am so grateful I linked arms with Beautycounter a few years ago because it’s been an immense source of education and resources (not to mention, the community aspect and prosperous leg of my business).

As for regulating personal care products, the European Union is leading the way banning around 1,400 ingredients; Canada restricts around 600… and the United States, a measly 30! The FDA currently does not have authority to regulate what’s in our products, so it is really up to us individuals.

Once we know better, we can do better; by purchasing products with safer ingredients, we are voting with our dollar.

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Green Chile Carnitas are the perfect combination of two of my favorite savory things. It’s tough to find a combo that beats pork and green chile in my mind.

Carnitas are cooked until melt in your mouth tender; then roasted at high temperature until the edges caramelize.

Green Chile Carnitas

Deliciously seasoned pork carnitas are something we make as often as possible. Carnitas are delicious on their own but they become the star of so many dishes from salads to tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and countless other meals.

The crispy chopped bits of pork make the most delicious tacos. The meat is already full of flavor and perfect when topped with cilantro, onion, cheese, lime, and pico de gallo.

The beauty of this recipe is you can use the pork shoulder or a pork butt. I love finding them on sale at the grocery store and turning them into carnitas of all kinds.

My usual go-to recipe for carnitas is unique as it does not use traditional Mexican spices, but is deliciously flavored with citrus, onions, and salt and pepper.

Green Chile Pork

You’ll need these ingredients to make this recipe:

• boneless pork shoulder or butt roast 
• onion 
• ground cumin
• granulated garlic or garlic powder
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• chopped green ch

PB&J protein smoothie

You know how a song, smell, or a bite of something can take you back to a moment? That’s what this PB&J smoothie is going to do for you too! Right back to being a kid eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but better.

This one is packed with about 25g of protein to build lean muscle and burn fat, healthy fats to curb cravings, and an immunity boost we could all use right now!

And the best part? It will talk you less than 2 minutes to make!

PB&J Smoothie Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen strawberries (or other berries you love)
• 1 cup unsweetened oat milk
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 scoop LSF Vanilla Plant Protein or LSF PB Plant Protein
• 1 scoop LSF Wing Woman Immunity Boost

Smoothie Directions

Add all ingredients above in the order listed to a blender. Blend on high until smooth and enjoy!

Get Your Peanut Butter On

This smoothie is honestly great ANY time of day. It has a perfect balance of healthy fats, carbs, and proteins so you can’t go wrong. I love making this one for breakfast (maybe throw in some spinach for greens you won’t taste!), but it also makes a perfect post-workout snack too!

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