Who's ready for 2018??

I know it is only December 4^th but I am already thinking of the new year. This is not a normal blog post, no recipes or food hints. I wanted to share a little more personal post. 

As 2017 comes to a close, I think back to everything that has gone on through the year. There have been ups, downs and all sorts of directions. I am coming closer to completing my Masters in Nursing and with that comes fear. Yes, I said fear. Most people would be happy to have another degree under their belt, but it is easy when you know the direction of your life. For the first time in my life, I truly don’t know what direction I want to go. To quote the show Monk it is a “blessing and a curse.” Nursing gives me so many options but that isn’t always good. I want to do so much and it can be very confusing. So, as I look into 2018 I pray that God directs my path just like Proverbs 3:5-6 says.

            Through the stress of school, life and work I have struggled with some personal health issues. Sadly, over the last year I have gained almost 40 pounds. It has been a struggle that has been hard for me to deal with. I am a big stress eater and that doesn’t help any. One of the biggest challenges I have faced this year is discovering that  I am allergic to raw fruits, vegetables and nuts. I started allergy shots which will take anywhere from 3-6 years to complete. Like anything they have had their ups and downs. Things I used to love to eat, I can’t. It has been a pretty big adjustment for me. I am determined to overcome my allergies and still find ways to eat healthy. As 2018 approaches, I am going to sound super cliché and say that I am going to work to be the best version of me. But I really mean it. My goal is to work hard and become a healthier version of me. If anyone has any meal prep ideas I would love to hear them!

            2018 is going to be the year that I say good-bye to negativity and hello to positivity. I want to be happier, healthier and closer to God. I want to focus on the positives of life and be thankful for the journey that God is taking me on. I want to meet new people and join a church. I want to overcome my struggle with anxiety and learn to be comfortable in social situations. I want to lose all the weight I gained and develop healthier habits. I, of course, want to continue my food blog and work harder on that. I want to truly get out of my comfort zone and do things I would not have done in 2017. I want 2018 to be more about self-care. Take the time out for myself and be stronger. Focus on the plan that God has for my life and grow closer to Him. 

            So, thank you 2017 for teaching me more about myself, my strengths, my weaknesses and what I need to work on in 2018. Thank you for the memories, the heartaches, and the smiles. Thank you for the many laughs, tears and headaches. Thank you for the highs, lows, successes and defeats. I can only hope that 2018 gives me more laughs, less tears, more memories and of course smiles. I want to be able to look back at 2018 and say that was the best year yet. So, here’s to 2018. Let’s do this! 

Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos

For some people Tuesdays mean tacos! For me... everyday can be taco day! The other night I made some of the best shrimp tacos with a chili lime sour cream!  In my recipe I use bell peppers, but since I am not able to eat the raw peppers, I added them into the pan with the shrimp to cook them down. The peppers add a nice light flavor to the shrimp and a little freshness.

 

Now for my seasoning, I used the Chili Lime seasoning from P.S. Flavor. I first discovered P.S. Flavor while at Disney's Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. Pam and her daughter Nicole are the owners and create amazing seasonings! They share recipes and suggestions for using all their seasoning.  When I made my chili lime sour cream, I added some of my P.S. Flavor seasoning! I also tossed my shrimp in the chili lime seasoning as well! It was so good! I will post the link to the website so you can check P.S. Flavor out!! 

Hope you enjoy this shrimp taco recipe! 

-Simply a Girl and Her Home

Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp:

1/2- 1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp

1-2 tbs chili lime seasoning (to taste)

Chili Lime Sour Cream:

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp chili lime seasoning

Juice of 1/2 lime

Taco fillings: (optional)

Tortillas

Corn

Lettuce

Cheese

Directions:

1.  Toss shrimp in chili lime seasoning. 

2. Heat skillet at medium. Cook shrimp until pink and firm.  **

3.  While shrimp is cooking, start the sour cream. 

4. Combine sour cream, seasoning and lime juice until blended well. 

5. Once shrimp is done, place them in a bowl and set to the side. Take your tortillas, and heat them in the same skillet (doing this add some flavor to the tortillas)

6. Make your tacos how you like them! Enjoy! 

 

** If you are going to use bell peppers, then slice them thinly and cook them a little before adding the shrimp to the pan**

New Beginnings

Hello everyone!!

           I'm back! I know I have been gone for a while! A lot has happened the last few months...I started my Masters program for nursing, working a lot, and some various health issues! One of the biggest health issue that I have been dealing with is being diagnosed with Oral Allergy Syndrome. For those who are not familiar with OAS, I am basically allergic to the pollen of raw fruits, vegetables and nuts. I really like fruits, vegetables and nuts and I can't eat them unless they are cooked! It has been a little bit of a challenge, but I am learning to adjust. I have been researching recipes for people who suffer from OAS. I am hoping to share the recipes I find with you!
    As far as my house goes, I am working on completely redoing my backyard and getting it ready for the Fall!! I don't know about you but I am extremely ready for Fall.. pumpkin spice, the scents and of course the cooler weather! Last month, I sat down and planned out my backyard. I am going to add a small wall around my plant beds, re-cypress mulch, and add some more tropical plants!

Stay tuned for pictures! More recipes and DIY projects!!

Learn more about OAS here!

-Simply a Girl and Her Home-
 

Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Tacos with Ranch Slaw

Happy March everyone!

I want to apologize for not posting in ages! It is crazy how quickly life can change in the blink of an eye! I started my Masters program in August and a few new things at work, so needless to say it was busy! Now that things are starting to settle down a little, I will be able to post more!

To start the new year out I thought I would post my Slow-Cooked BBQ chicken taco and ranch slaw recipe that I made a couple of weeks ago! I completely made this whole recipe up one day and it turned out to be amazing so I thought I would share it!

I slow-cooked the chicken, which made it very moist and tender. I started it in the morning and left it on all day in my Crockpot, so it would be an easy dinner if you are working or simply cleaning the house.

If anyone tries it and has new ideas or changes something, let me know! I love to know how everyone makes these recipes their own!

Enjoy!

-Simply a Girl and Her Home

Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Tacos with 

Ranch Slaw

BBQ Sauce Recipe:

1 1/2 cup Ketchup
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs grape jelly
Apple cider vinegar to taste
Chili powder to taste

1. Place all ingredients into medium sauce pan.
2. Heat until all ingredients are well blended.
3. Set aside

* I would frequently taste the sauce and add more ingredients as needed*


Slow-Cooked Chicken

4- boneless, skinless chicken breasts**
BBQ sauce from above

1. Put chicken breast in slow cooker and add sauce on top.
2. Mix chicken with sauce. Make sure the chicken is well coated with the sauce.
3. Cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 6 hours.
4. After the chicken is cooked, temp should be at 165°, take chicken out of the crockpot and shred on a cutting board. ***

**I used frozen chicken breasts for this recipe. You can use thawed chicken, but I would cut the time down by at least an hour. **

***I let excess sauce drip off the chicken before I put it on the board. As I shredded the chicken, I would add some sauce and mix it in.***


Ranch Slaw

1 bag of shredded lettuce
1/4 ranch dressing
1 tbs mayo
Onion powder to taste
Apple Cider Vinegar to taste

1. Mix ranch, mayo, vinegar and onion powder in a large bowl. Taste and add ingredients as needed.
2. Add shredded lettuce to dressing mix.
3. Set aside.


Now to put it all together!! I caramelized one onion as a topping too!

1. Take a tortilla and add the shredded chicken.
2. Layer on some caramelized onions.
3. Top with Ranch Slaw.
4. Get the napkins ready and ENJOY!!

Happy Fall Y'all!!

So tomorrow marks August 1st, which in my book is the beginning of Fall! I know that to a lot of people, especially us Floridians, it won't feel like fall because it is still 1,000° outside! But really August is the beginning of kids going back to school, pumpkin everything and the holiday season in general! I thought that my first post for the 2016 Holiday Season would include a new little recipe that I came up with yesterday while experimenting in the kitchen. 

My new wreath I made for the Fall!! 

It is a little bit coffee cake and little bit spice cake. This cake would be wonderful for breakfast with some friends, or even as a dessert with ice cream after dinner! Eat it warmed-up or just as it is.  And here is the biggest surprise... ready for it...? Its Gluten Free!! You really would not even know it! Now, if you don't want to make it gluten free, then you can use regular AP (all-purpose) flour! 

Hope you enjoy making this cake as much as I did! 

-Simply A Girl and Her Home

Just before cutting it! 

Kym's Cinnamon Spice Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 1/2 cup flour (gluten free or AP)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp All-spice

1 tbs cinnamon

Topping: 

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cinnamon

All-spice and nutmeg to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven 350°. Grease a spring form pan. If you don't have a spring form pan, a 13x9 or loaf pan will work. 

2. Stir together: flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl. 

3. In another bowl or mixer, mix sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla until blended. Slowly start adding in the dry ingredients.  Lastly slowly blend in the vegetable oil. 

4. In a separate bowl, mix all of the topping ingredients. 

5. Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle the topping mixture on the top. Take a knife or toothpick and swirl the topping mixture into the cake batter a little. 

6. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick clean.*

7. Let it cool and Enjoy! **

* Toothpick clean: insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, if the toothpick comes out clear/clean, then the cake is done. If it is still a little sticky in the middle then put it in the oven for a couple more minutes. 

**Optional glaze:

 If you want to add a little more sweetness to the cake, take a little bit of confectioners sugar and either water or milk until a glaze consistency. Drizzle over the top of the cake and enjoy!! 

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Bites

A long time ago I learned a recipe for a fruity angel food cake. It was an easy low-calorie dessert that we used to eat all the time. I decided to make it today and put a new little spin on it!

The basic recipe calls for a box of angel food cake mix and a can of pie filling (fruit of your choice). I thought it would be neat to take strawberry pie filling and add some chocolate chips to the batter. This would make it like a chocolate covered strawberry.

If you don't like strawberry, you could use apple, blueberry, blackberry, peaches (chopped up), or cherries! The options are endless!

Enjoy!

-Simply a Girl and Her Home

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Bites

Ingredients:

1 box angel food cake mix
1 can pie filling, of your choice
1 bag chocolate chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Beat together pie filling and angel food cake mix until light and fluffy.
3. Slowly mix in the chocolate chunks.
4. Scoop batter into cupcake pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick clean.
5. Let cool before removing from pan.
6. Enjoy!

A Southern Family Dessert

Being a southern girl and raised in the South, we love our traditions and family recipes. Since we are staying at our house in North Carolina, there is a lot of fresh produce, mostly locally grown.  Yesterday we were able to pick up some great peaches and so I knew that my Pop-Pop’s homemade peach cobbler was in the plan. I feel like peach cobbler is one of the southern traditional, comfort desserts.
My Pop-Pop makes so many wonderful things from scratch and peach cobbler just happens to be one of my favorite ones!  This is such an easy recipe and one that you make your own! The recipe calls for fruit of any kind, so you can make blueberry, peach, apple, cherry, or whatever you want!
This cobbler recipe is one that you can make and have with a nice scoop of ice cream! Another really nice thing about this recipe is that you can save any leftovers and refrigerate for at least a couple of days.  Just take out however much you want, throw it in the microwave for a few seconds and you have got a really nice dessert.  My Pop-Pop’s Peach Cobbler recipe is one that will definitely continue to be passed down.

Enjoy y’all!
-Simply a Girl and Her Home 

Southern Fruit Cobbler

(From: My Pop-Pop)

The Final Peach Cobbler

Filling:

 3 cups of fresh fruit

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp self-rising flour

Topping

1 cup self rising flour

2 tbsp sugar

dash cinnamon

1 egg

3 tbsp milk

1/3 cup oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Make the filling by mixing sugar, flour and cinnamon. Also, cut your fruit of choice into medium size slices or cubes.

3. Sprinkle mixture over fruit in casserole dish.

4. Take 2 tbsp of butter and dot the top of mixture.

5. Make the topping mix and spoon on top of the fruit. 

6. Sprinkle sugar and a little bit of cinnamon on top.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.