Taco Soup

I love soup and I love tacos, and so by default I love taco soup.  The recipe I use is so quick, easy and delicious.  I got the recipe from my old boss when we lived in Sherman, and I have tweaked it to my liking.  I hope you enjoy it as well.

Ingredients:

I lb. ground beef (I have used 93/7 and 85/15, so anything will work)
1 can sweet corn (I get no salt added)
1 can ranch style beans
1 can diced tomatoes (I get no salt added)
1 taco seasoning packet (I use low sodium versions)
1 dry ranch dressing packet
1 cup of water (optional)

Start by browning your ground beef and drain off grease.  In a big stockpot combine the rest of the ingredients (with their juices from the can) and start simmering.  Add your ground beef and simmer (stirring occasionally) for around 30 minutes.

Depending on how thick you like your soup, you could leave it as is or you can add in the water to thin it out some.  I like my soup with a "brothy" consistency so I add in the cup of water during the simmering process.

My girls and I like our tacos topped with cheese, so we sprinkle on a little cheese on the top of my soup, but that is up to you.

That is it!!  Quick and easy!

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do!!

 

GIVEAWAY TIME

Yes, it has been a long time since I had a giveaway, but I just couldn't resist when I was contacted.

I am giving away something fun for the whole family, brought to you by Hidden Valley!

Now I know some of my true friends are gasping in horror since I don't eat regular ranch dressing, although, I do cook with it in my stepmom's chicken and rice recipe and my delcious buffalo dip {that is sinfully addicting}.  Plus, I have fallen in LOVE with the seasoning packets!!  They are so good on everything from pot roast {a family favorite} to popcorn!

Use Ranch dressing instead of mayo or sour cream to spice up your tacos or chicken salads and use the seasoning packets to pack a punch of flavor to marinades or breadings. 

Mix up your week night routines with Hidden Valley!  I know I have, and my family loves it!


Now onto the fun stuff:  the giveaway!!

Hidden Valley is giving 3 lucky winners Family Movie Kits!

The kits include:

One-month Netflix Membership
Popcorn Popper {A super cute 50s style air popper}
Popcorn Bowl
Individual Popcorn Holders
Popcorn
Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Packets
Recipe for Hidden Valley Ranch Popcorn

How to enter:

• Be a follower of my blog
• Tweet about this giveaway
• Facebook about this giveaway
• Pin this giveaway
• Follow me on Pinterest
• Follow me on Instagram @MamaVsqz
• Leave me a comment letting me know your favorite recipe with Hidden Valley Ranch, so I can get some new ideas.

Leave a separate comment for each item (and the web link for Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest), plus your email address so I can reach you if you win!  That is all and you will be entered to win 1 of 3 Movie Night Kits!!

Contest ends Saturday Nov. 3rd, winners announced Nov. 4th!!

My first vlog!

The time has come!

My first vlog!

Please be kind, I am very nervous to post this!!

Here goes nothing....



Oh How Pinteresting

I am linking up with the Vintage Apple for this week's Oh How Pinteresting.

Feel free to link up with her as well.

 

Funny Pin:

 I laughed so hard!

Yummy Pin:

Helpful Pin:

I have been doing these stretches the past few nights, and they truly help!! 
It's a MUST read!

Crafty pin:

I hope you like my pins, and check out my pinterest page!

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin muffins were the big hit on Pinterest this weekend, did you see them?

It is super easy, really cheap, and a lot healthier than regular cupcakes.

I already had pumpkin on hand to make pumpkin bread, but decided to make these instead.

I had no idea that they would be such a huge hit with my kids.

They absolutely loved them.

Here is the process {It's So Simple}

Get some canned pumpkin and cake mix, you can use any that you like. 
I saw spice cake and chocolate cake being used as well as yellow cake.

Pour just those 2 ingredients into a bowl.

I used a hand mixer, but you can use whatever to mix up the batter till smooth.

Let your little one taste because he is so excited that you are making "CAKE"

Divide up into muffin tins.
{Please excuse the gross look of my pans!!}

Let your oldest taste as well.

And because there are only 2 beaters, let your middle child have the bowl.

Cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes {more or less depending on how big you make your muffins}. 
I think ours could have used 5 more minutes, even though the tooth pick came out clean.
Just use your best judgement when baking, everyone's ovens are different.

Let them cool and try not to devour the whole batch!
We did not add any frosting, but you certainly can!!

Enjoy!!

If you make these, please let me know what you think!!



Our Big Move

I am so sorry I have been MIA all month long, we have had some crazy big changes that took place out of no where...

We moved 6 hours away from where we were, the Dallas/Fort Worth area, to Lubbock, home of Texas Tech.

My hubby was transferred over here for his job, and it was a move that came out of nowhere.

We were asked on a Wednesday night if we would be willing to move here, took off Thursday afternoon on a house hunting trip, went home packed up and loaded the Uhaul the following Wednesday.  It was really quick.
We were so very sad to leave our family and friends back home, but we are settling in very nicely to Lubbock.

Here are some pictures from our move so far:

Here is our super cute house!

It has a giant backyard, this is less than half!

Our fridge doesn't fit in the space :(

We went school shopping and took a break with Icee's and popcorn

We are so excited to be close to a Sprout's again.

All of my photos are on Instagram and I would love it if you followed me over there :) My screen name is MamaVsqz!

More stories about the super quick move will come later, but I just wanted to update you on what has been happening in our crazy lives!!

Now to get ready for the first day of school next Monday!

How has your summer ended?

Happy Love Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Do you have any big plans?

A romantic evening with candles, wine, dining out or chocolate??

Nothing like that here ;)

My hubby (being a restaurant manager) will be at work, making sure everyone else's night out is perfect.

Don't feel bad for me though, I never see him on holidays that are big for going out to eat (ex: Valentine's, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc.) so I am used to it.

Plus, we got to enjoy a great date night this past weekend, and he brought me home wine and chocolate last night, so I am more than ok!!

The kids and I had fun yesterday making a Pinterest inspired yummy snack to send to my hubby's work for his staff.

Taking care of couples and the occasional family on a holiday such as today can be draining, so I hope they enjoy the little pick-me-up!!

We started with waffle pretzels, Hershey's hugs, and Valentine's M&Ms.

We preheated the oven to 200 degrees, and used parchment paper on the cookie sheet.

I let the girls unwrap the the hugs, and put them onto the waffle pretzels.

Cook time is 3-5 minutes.

You want the hugs to be shiny and soft, not melted.

Pull cookie sheet out of oven and carefully place the M&M on top and gently press down.

Let them cool off in the fridge, then enjoy!!

The bite is so yummy since it is salty and sweet!!

The girls loved them, and Brayden loved sneaking our M&Ms!

I did send a lot to my hubby's work, but I of course left some here so the kids can enjoy them later!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Valentine's no matter how you are celebrating!!

The yummy goodness of my Banana Bread

If you have been following my blog, you already know that I have become obsessed with baking. 

If you are new to my blog, let me catch you up.....I am obsessed with baking right now!!  You are now caught up :) 

I am a newbie and still learning the tricks of the trade.  My favorite thing about baking is being able to eat what you have just created when it is fresh out of the oven!  I wanted to share my banana bread recipe with you guys, so you can make some as well. 

*Is it sad that I now buy bananas, with the hope, that we won't eat them, so that I can make them into banana bread??  Just curious!

Here's my recipe:

2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup of butter (I only buy Country Crock and I melt it in the microwave 1st)

3/4 cup of brown sugar (packed into the measuring cups)

1/2 cup of cinnamon applesauce (to replace 2 eggs, lightly beaten)

3 to 4 overripe mashed bananas

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and lightly greasing your 9X5 loaf pan.

 

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl cream together butter and brown sugar. 

Stir in applesauce and bananas till well blended.

Add banana mixture to flour mixture and gently stir until just moistened.

Pour mixture into loaf pan. 

Bake for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

My cooking time has been less than 60 minutes both times I have baked it.  I start checking at around 55 minutes and have taken it out around 58 minutes. 

Let your banana bread cool for a few minutes in the pan on a wire rack.

Then take banana bread out of pan and cool completely on the wire rack.

 

This is some yummy goodness that is perfect for breakfasts or snack time!!

I hope you guys enjoy the recipe!!

 

What is your favorite thing to bake??

The easiest and healthiest snack ever!

I absolutely love easy and healthy snacks!

This idea originally came from my best friend, Roxy Brown.

It is so easy and you can tweak it any way you would like!

The original recipe calls for a cucumber and some Italian dressing,

but this time I also added some yellow bell pepper and some cauliflower.

I also use fat free dressing.

Peel and thinly slice the cucumber, the thinner the slices, the better.

Prepare the other ingredients for the bowl if you want.

Now add some Italian dressing.

I use a whole bottle, to make sure my veggies are fully covered!

Before

After

Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

That is it!!  Seriously!

Take out and enjoy your delicious and healthy snack!!

*I have also used red bell peppers!

*The smaller the bites the better!

What do you think??

A-HA Moments from My Week

I have had some A-HA moments in the past few days that I would like to share with you!

1. I have been trying to conform my blog into something it is not.  I follow some blogs that are big into product review, giveaways, and such and I have been trying to mimic Thoughts from Tiffani into one of those blogs.  Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the blogs I follow, I just don't feel Thoughts from Tiffani fits into that kind of category.  I think I have been trying to force something that is not there.  I will still host a giveaway or do a product review if something pops up, but for now I think that Thoughts from Tiffani is going to go back to just being a lifestyle blog about my actual thoughts on life.
2. I have been a very bad mom.  I have been checked out and uninvolved with my kids lately.  I realized how bad it had gotten when I reread my I Must Confess.... post.  I really need to get them out from in front of the tv, being more active, and having more fun.  They deserve so much more than I have been giving them lately. 
3. I watched Joel Osteen this morning, and his message was simple.  Keep the faith in God, don't give up on your dreams and goals when things get tough, and God will reward you.  When the going gets tough we tend to lose our faith in God, but that is when we should be relying on God the most.  I needed to hear that message this morning.  I have gone through a lot lately, and I know that if I keep the faith, keep my eyes and heart close to God, that he will get me through.  God has a plan for me, and I need to look to him for guidance!
4. If you eat like crap, you will feel like crap.  I was involved with my group of friends in a Biggest Loser contest, and I was eating great, working out, and feeling better.  I have gotten way off track and gone back to my old eating habits {fast food, quick fix meals at home, unhealthy snacks}, and while I have not put on any extra weight {surprisingly}, I feel the effects that it has put on my body.  I am moody and sluggish, my tummy has been upset for days, and I am not sleeping well.  The "food" that I am putting in my body is not fueling it at all, and I have to put a stop to it!  It is so darn easy to go back to bad habits, but I am bound and determined to change.  I have to for my total health and the health of my family.  I need suggestions, meal ideas, recipes, tips on healthy cooking, anything you are willing to offer, I need it!!

These are my A-HA moments from the week!  Did you have any??  

Adventures in Cooking

This past week, I made a menu plan, and for the first time, mostly stuck to it!  I may have changed around what I was going to cook on a certain day, but I have not once strayed away from my original menu.  There have been some failures, but over all I would say it was a success.  So much so that I will continue in my menu making! 

It was nice to get up knowing what we had in the house for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, yes I made a plan for all 3 meals every day!!  Let me give you a brief overview of how I was before.  Get up, do nothing all day, and go to the store anywhere from 3 pm to 5:30 pm for that day's dinner!!  Yes I was that bad.  I was making 6 to 7 trips to the store a week, if not more!

I have changed my ways.  I make a plan, we stick to the plan, and in return I know what we have in the house and I am a lot less stressed.  It has been great this past week.

All of my recipes came out of a Low Cal/Low Fat cookbook I got from my grandma's house after she passed.  A few of the things I made this week were homemade mac and cheese, homemade pancakes, honey pork chops, citrus ginger chicken, and homemade calzones.

Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Ingredients for Citrus Ginger Chicken:  Low Sugar orange marmalade, ground ginger, lemon zest and juice *supposed to be lime but I had lemons on hand

Trim Chicken

Supposed to be grilled, but I baked mine since hubby wasn't home.
Just baste with the marinade as it is cooking away.

Pan frying carrots with some lemon juice.

 

Pan frying some sugar snap peas with some lemon juice.

I finished off the peas and carrots in the steamer.





Dinner on Thursday night!!!



Homemade spinach and cheese calzones.  So yummy!!!

Brayden enjoying momma's homemade pancakes

I am looking forward to making this week's menu!  Any suggestions???

Pillsbury Brownie Minis

I am majorly addicted to sweets.  I can probably eat a whole tray of brownies in a few days, and it will not faze me (well, except the mass amount of guilt that I will incur with every bite).  I ran across Pillsbury Brownie Minis in Wal-Mart, and I had to give them a try.  The box comes with 2 packages of brownie mix and 2 mini trays, all you have to do is add water.  So simple!!!

Mix according to the package, and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes.

Allow the brownies to cool for a full 10 minutes before serving.  This was honestly the hardest part, because I wanted to dive right in!

Please ignore the grossness of my cookie sheet!!!

The Brownie Minis can be stored in a plastic bag or container, if they make it that long!  I was so surprised at how rich and decadent these little guys were.  I thought that I would need to eat the tray to satisfy my sweet tooth and it was quite the opposite.  I only ate one (right then anyways) and I made sure to savor every tiny bite that I took.

The great thing about these little guys is they only have 4.5 grams of fat at 150 cals for every 2!

I was very impressed with Pillsbury Brownie Minis, and I still have another tray that I can bake!  Try them out and let me know what you think!!

**And if you are looking for a way to make these more diet-friendly, then you should check out the weight loss system, Sensa!**