Happy Friday! I am so frazzled today. I had so many things I wanted to get done today and all I’ve managed is hanging out with a friend, booking Annie a boarding claim in a few months, and taking a nap. The weekdays just go by WAY too quickly. But I’m determined to get this post written this week!
Eat
- On one of the many days the boys didn’t have school this month, I decided to try out this Crispy Chipotle Chicken Taco recipe. Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve ever made (or eaten) a taco with ground chicken. And they were really good! Shepard actually said it was the best taco recipe I’ve ever made. I normally have issues with the texture of ground meat, but even though this didn’t look the most appealing, it was still really tasty. I didn’t add the onion to the meat or the cilantro at the end, but added a bit of a cornstarch mixture to thicken it up a little bit more – it was still super juicy and messy, though. (The leftovers were much thicker.) The cilantro lime ranch was a great addition. I didn’t even need any extra hot sauce (which is kind of sad lol) because the meat itself was so spicy.
- I’ve always wondered how restaurants or specialty places make such pretty looking granola, when my oats always seem to come out of the bag in a pile of dust. At Target last week I happened to see this tucked away bag of Bob’s Red Mill Extra Thick Oats and admired how beautifully perfect each oat was (lol). I used it to make granola the other day and it turned out so great! I’m not sure I’d use these thick ones in oatmeal, since I’m pretty picky about oatmeal to begin with. But I’ll definitely be using this style for granola from now on.
Cook With
- Okay, so I’ve never been an onion eater – unless it’s in the form of a thin and crispy onion ring or straw. But lately I’m kind of obsessed with a good oniony flavor in a lot of my foods. I’ve been using this Spice House Toasted Onion and it is AMAZING. The smell alone is practically intoxicating. In the last few years I’ve really focused on buying higher quality of the spices I use most often and it really pays off. This is a million times better than a generic cheap regular onion powder.
Drink
- I bought this Milk Thistle Tea last fall when I was trying to change my liver values quickly and was just getting into drinking tea (now I drink it all the time!). I’ve since purchased MANY different flavors of tea, but this is one of my all time favorites. The flavor is sweet and delicate and I genuinely really like it.
- My tea drinking adventure really started with trying to incorporate GREEN tea into my daily routine. But I was quickly sidetracked by so many other delicious flavors. One of my friends highly recommended this Tazo Zen Tea, though, so I picked it up last week and I actually love it! I’m not a fan of spearmint, so I had my doubts, but it’s really quite delicious. And comes with all the great green tea health benefits. I’m glad to have this in my daily arsenal of great tea choices.
Candle
- So I had plans this month to reread The Hating Game on Valentine’s Day as an act of self care. I decided to go ahead and buy myself this accompanying Joshua Templeman candle to light while I read as kind of a joke. I’ve had it on my wish list for ages, but was a bit unsure of the scent combination. I’m so glad I bought it, though, because it smells delicious! Coffee is the strongest note coming through, but the others really round it out to a beautiful and non offensive scent.
Read
- So I haven’t technically finished this one yet – I’m about 1/3 of the way through. But I love it SO MUCH that I feel confident calling it a favorite. I’ve been trying to be super intentional about the nonfiction books I start my day out with this year, prioritizing a good chunk of time every morning to this bit of personal development. This particular book jumped out at me at the perfect time since I’m basically going through the same thing – trying to change my life for the better with as many tools as I can find. I would highly, highly recommend picking up your own copy of Buy Yourself the Fucking Lilies by Tara Schuster. I don’t think you’ll regret it!
