Sizzling Fajitas

1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs lemon juice
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt/pepper to taste

1 1/2 lbs meat (chicken or steak)
1 medium/large onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
8 flour tortillas
1 lime
guacamole
cheddar cheese

Directions
Mix together the top ingredients and add meat.  Heat up pan on medium high to high setting with oil (a cast iron pan works the best).  Cook meat.

Cook vegetables in separate pan and add to meat when done.  Heat tortillas in pan or microwave. Add  meat, vegetables, and toppings - cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, etc.. to tortillas. Fold and enjoy!

Coconut Chicken

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
2 Tbs coconut oil

1.  Mix almond flour, shredded coconut, and sea salt together in a bowl.

2. Beat egg in separate bowl.

3. Dip chicken breast in egg and roll in dry ixture.

4.  Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add cocnut oil when hot.

5.  Pan fry chicken until fully cooked. If the crust starts to brown and your chicken isn't fully cooked yet (this will depend on size of chicken breast), take it out of the pan and place it in the oven on 350 for 5-10 minutes covered with foil.

Baby Lauren

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers. 

A feeling of sadness waved over me as I thought about being induced the next morning at Fairfax Hospital.  My baby was 10 days overdue, so my doctor scheduled my induction for the next morning. I always thought my first baby would come naturally and was feeling uneasy about being induced.  I was about to read in bed when I felt trickle of water run down my leg.  

“Howie, Howie, I think I am in labor.”

It was 10:00 at night when we left Reston for Fairfax Hospital. As I got into the car,  a feeling of excitement rushed over me.  I remember checking in at the desk  and going into the labor room. The doctor said to call my parents and that the baby would be here quickly. Little did I know that Lauren would not arrive until 6 in the morning.  

“Push, push!” bellowed the young nurse as sweat poured down my forehead.  At this point, I had already been pushing for over an hour.  She stuck her hand up me encouraging me to push on her hand so that the baby would move further down the birth canal.  The doctor had warned me that the baby would be large.  

After almost two hours of pushing, the doctor came in and said, “The baby is just too large.  We need to prepare you for a C-Section.”  I remember being wheeled into a surgical room and I was extremely nervous about being cut open.

The medical staff gave me some medicine and I started to feel a little out of it when I heard the doctor say, “Let’s try one more thing.”  He grabbed a vacuum device and the next thing I remember is the sound of a cry.  She was out.  I didn’t need a C-Section after all.  

“Nine pounds, 2 ounces,” said the doctor.

The nurse put Lauren into my arms and my heart melted. Lauren is now 17 and is kind, caring, and compassionate.  I can’t even believe that she will be in 12th grade in just two months.  It seems like yesterday when she was born!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Now that I am conscious of my health, I am constantly looking at ingredients. Tacos has always been a family favoirte. However, the amounty of sodium in the packets of "taco seasoning" is extremely high.  Below is a simple recipe for taco seasoning.  I bet you have most of these ingredients in your kitchen.

Taco Seasoning (for about 1 1/2 lbs of meat)

2 tsp hot chli powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pince red pepper flakes


Directions 

Cook meat, drain fat.  Add taco seasoning and approximately 2/3 cup water (depends on amount of meat).  Let simmer for a few minutes.