DIY Salsa Verde Recipe and Benefits of Tomatillos

by Jenny Irvine // October 18, 2017 // No Comments

Taco Tuesday’s with homemade salsa verde is pretty much music to mine (and my kids) ears (or should I say – tastebuds?).

While, I do love a good traditional salsa. After growing and harvesting our first tomatillos on the homestead. It’s now, safe to say salsa verde has won my heart.

5 Surprising Benefits of Tomatillos

Tomatillos are a good source of fiber, niacin, potassium, and manganese
Tomatillos contain 20% of the daily recommended value of vitamin C
They contain a healthy amount of iron, magnesium, and copper
They contain all the right ingredients for optimal health and nutrition – even a healthy amount of vitamin K
Modern science is currently studying the anti-inflammatory properties of the Tomatillo. According to a study performed at the University of Kansas this magical fruit (yes, it is a fruit) contains a plethora of compounds showing great potential in it’s fight against cancer.

What to you say? Let’s dive in and enjoy some salsa verde!

DIY Salsa Verder Recipe

Be sure to comment below and tell us what you think of our salsa! And, check out our homestead kitchen for more recipes sure to please the entire family!

The Best Crockpot Easter Dinner Meal Plan Round Up

by Jenny Irvine // March 17, 2016 // No Comments

I have a little confession – I love to cook. I love good food but, if I can find an easier way to spend less time in the kitchen I am soooo there! And, I may have a slight obsession with my crockpot.

This year we will be changing things up a bit for Easter dinner. We are having friends over for a brunch and Easter egg hunt in the morning {thinking I will be making an egg bake breakfast casserole and my caramel french toast bake.}

But, what about dinner?

I was racking my brain trying to figure out how I could entertain in the morning and still pull off a somewhat traditional Easter dinner for my family and then, it hit me – my trusty old crockpot. Yep, I am pretty much over the moon excited we are going to have the best crockpot dinner ever and guess what, it’s going to be cooking while I hang out with our friends and family. Everybody wins!

{Oh, and if you only have one crockpot I highly recommend getting a second as it’s worth it’s weight in gold. We have 3 different sizes and I love them all!}

So, here’s the scoop for;

The Best Ever Easter Dinner Crockpot Meal Plan

I am excited to try Life in the Loft House‘s Crock Pot Maple Brown Sugar Ham recipe – we are big maple syrup fans so this just sounds divine. A brown sugar rub, with a maple syrup and pineapple glaze cooked on low while I play with the kids – yep, I think I can do this.

Moms with Crock pots shared an awesome looking green bean casserole recipe – we will not being using bouillon cubes as most are not gluten free. But, we will sub them out with Better than Bouillon. *We will not be adding our bacon until the end as soggy bacon bits get me every time {gah}.

If you have never made crockpot brown sugar carrots you are missing out – they are so easy!

LifeCurrents Crockpot Corn Dip looks like the perfect side dish or maybe even pre-dinner appetizer. Surely, I know my children can not be the only ones that insist on eating the entire hour before we sit down to a meal, right?!? Frozen corn, cream cheese, cheese, a zip of jalapeño, and spices slow cooked and served with organic corn chips should hold the littles over.

No Easter Dinner would be complete with out some homestead applesauce and I’m thinking these easy au gratin potatoes inspired by Chelsea’s Messy Apron should do the trick…

And, if there is room for dessert after all that food I am thinking a scoop of ice cream from the local dairy farm should do the trick.

Walking Tacos

by Jenny Irvine // July 31, 2014 // No Comments

I’m sure I’ve said it before and if I haven’t- here it is, lunch is my least favorite meal of the day.

With so many food sensitive kids and the constant feeding of my little morning food grazers – breakfast runs into a morning snack- which runs into lunch- which seems to look like a little bit bigger snack. There is so much food served in my house between the hours of 7:00AM to 1:00PM there truly are days I wonder if I’m running a house or a food service company. Since lunch is at the tail end of it all- basically, it is the meal that gets the end of my energy, and lets face it Momma is ready to throw in the towel by then.

So I’m constantly searching for an easy way out or a quick serve solution – walking tacos my friend have won my heart for this reason.

Yes, they are not going to win an unprocessed, healthy living award but they taste good, are quick, easy, budget friendly, gluten free, and kids love them. So give it a try for a special treat- your kids will thank you- and heck, even healthy families can cheat sometimes.

walking tacos recipe, mexican food, gluten free, kid friendly, lunch ideas

Walking Taco Recipe

Serving 4

Ingredients;

1 lb lean ground beef (turkey or chicken work great too)

1 once of your favorite taco seasoning

4 (2.5 ounce packages of corn chips)

2 C, shredded lettuce

1 C. shredded or diced cheese

1/2 C. diced tomatoes (we only had cherry at the time)

1/3 C. salsa

1/3 C. sour cream

Directions;

Place ground meat in skillet on medium/low heat. Cook and stir until browned and cooked through. Drain any access grease. Add taco seasoning and prepare as directed.

Now, comes the fun part. With the bags unopened, carefully crush the corn chips (just slightly-do not turn them into corn powder). Carefully open the bags and begin assembly. Divide the ground meat evenly into all the bags and begin adding all of your favorite ingredients (lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa)

Serve in the bag with a fork- and to make them extra kid friendly I like to put my kids in a mug to prevent the bag from tipping/spilling over while scooping.

What is your go-to lunch for your family?

Printable Recipe