Ohhhh Lettuce

I dislike lettuce. I dislike lettuce a lot. For no real particular reason, I just never have. When I order a salad I normally ask if I can just have tomatoes and cucumbers. However tonight I wanted chicken tacos so I set off to lovely Pinterest for ideas. Of course every one had them using lettuce as the shell. My 9 year old daughter was all for this, my 5 year old son said "I'll just have chicken" and Keith was again working and wasn't going to be hungry, so off to the store we went to buy lettuce. 

I made our own taco seasoning to marinade the chicken in. I was shocked at how easy it was and enjoyed being able to modify it. I'm also not a big fan of package store seasoning and loved being able to substitute the chili powder for a few twists of the red pepper flakes. (I'll be sure to come back and add the recipe I used). Since Keith wasn't home to grill the chicken I had to resort to baking it. I set the oven at 400 and kept an eye on them. While waiting I cut up the tomatoes and acacados (my two favorite things!!!). Then the challenge became more of keeping myself and my daughter from eating that before the tacos were ready. 

I have got to say as a lettuce disliker that these were delicious!! 

Holiday Season

We may have picked the wrong time of year to start this but oh well, we're troopers (for the most part). 

I was nervous with our first holiday party not knowing what I would be able to eat and being afraid I was going to starve. Thankfully there was shrimp cocktail for a appetizer, beef, ham and broccoli so I was all set. It was also nice to not waking up in pain the next morning.   

The next gathering was at our house. Then I was afraid of only making things others might not enjoy although it was food that was making me feel better. For appetizers we had a vegetable platter, fresh pineapple chunks and scallops wrapped in bacon. We made bell peppers and onions sautéed and wrapped a balsamic marinaded steak around them. I also prepared a marinated chicken as an option for others as well. For sides we had a broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix with light cheese, corn and rice. Turned out everyone enjoyed it and I was worried for nothing. 

The Start

Keith recently came to me expressing how he wanted to do an extreme primal diet to try to lose 35lbs. I don't really do diets as I am naturally thin (even after having 2 kids) and had always been able to eat what I want. Then I turned 31. I all of a sudden became allergic or sensitive to many things and started having digestive issues including pain when eating certain foods. Eventually the day came where I had to say "enough is enough" and had to cut out the foods I love dearly. That brings us to now where we go back to the primal diet Keith had mentioned however that was too drastic for me so we have now embarked on trying a modified Paleo diet as many recipes call for almond this or that and I am very allergic to them. I also still enjoy my rice, potatoes and a cookie every now and again.

Keith and I love cooking together. We try to have cook together date night as often as possible and it's something our friends on Facebook and Instagram have looked forward to. I mean we go all out making better then restaurant meals, however it is no longer working for our stomachs (or waste lines). 

The first meal I made was simple as it was an experiment and Keith was working late. I cut up a pound of chicken tenders into cubes after trimming the fat off. Then in a large pan I added a 1/2 inch to an inch of chicken broth and added some ground pepper. Once that came to boil I added the chicken, cooking each side until done. While those were cooking I steamed broccoli and started hard boiling eggs. I must say, for a simple meal it was still delicious. (And don't mind the paper plate as we are waiting on a new dishwasher and the less dishes the better)