Paleo Taco Soup

Earlier this month I was looking on Pinterest for a new taco soup recipe. I wanted something clean without beans or corn. Well I came across this recipe and while it looked super yummy I did not have all the ingredients, so I modified it and came up with my own. Y'all, this soup is tasty and so easy. I have made over 5 batches this month and we are still not tired of it! Let me know if you try it and what you think!

 

Paleo Taco Soup

 

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1+ lb ground beef

3 tbsp taco seasoning (I make my own using this recipe)

1 can diced tomatoes

Red potatoes, chopped bite size (6-8 small)

Water to cover

Fresh avocado (optional)

Plantain Chips (optional)

Instructions

Sauté onion in coconut oil in a large pot for 5-7 mins, until translucent. Add ground beef and cook until done. As beef is finishing up, add 1 tbsp of taco seasoning, stir together. Add can of tomatoes and potatoes. Cover with water and add remaining 2 tbsp of taco seasoning. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes (until potatoes are done). Tastes great topped with fresh avocado slices and plantain chips!

 

Canine Tooth Gone

Last night Jase had basketball pictures. He was having a good old time with his buddies. 

That's mine with the fancy striped socks! Lol! As we were pulling into the neighborhood he was telling us about a tooth that has been loose since November. Next thing I know we are parking in the garage and he tells me he pulled the tooth!! Just like that. Boy he has come a LONG way with teeth! I'm proud of him for not being scared and pulling it. And he also told me it was his lower canine tooth. I wasn't so sure, so we googled it right then and there and he was correct. Little smarty!

When we got home I saw him writing on a baggie for the tooth fairy. He is a trip. First he asked for $4. I told him good luck with that! Then he proceeded to write $3, then $2, and finally settling for $1! I'm happy to report that he got $2. He is getting too big.

Back in the saddle

Last week we went back to school, along with the rest of the world. It probably took until Thursday to feel like we were finally in a rhythm. And each day is not the same around here. As much as I initially desired to have a set schedule {breakfast at 8:00, bible at 8:30, math at 9:00...}, it just doesn't work well with kids at various ages. At least not for me. And I have sleepers. I let them sleep. Usually they do not wake up before 8:00 am and I have a couple that can sleep past 9:00 am. So the kitchen can be a revolving door. The first one eats and starts school, the rest of the crew wakes up and I fix them breakfast and by the time the kitchen is clean the one who ate first is ready for a snack. All. Day. Long. Haha! I love it though and wouldn't trade it for the world. 

This past Monday we had our first day back at Classical Conversations. We go 12 weeks each semester, one day a week for 3 hours {plus an hour lunch}. Last semester Finn did not like being in the nursery, so this semester he will be with me, which is usually in Ally's class. On Monday he sat right next to her and participated just like a big boy!! He even volunteered to be the first one to give a presentation at the front of the class!! Next year he'll be old enough to participate in the program, so he is getting some extra practice in. 

The picture above is what I love. It was not staged at all. I found them like this while I was in the kitchen. Granted not every second of the day is like this, but it sure makes my heart smile when I do see it. 

While I'm doing group pictures, here is Shawn watching the Texans game last week. The kiddos sure love their Daddy! Hands down it is crazy at times, but we do love it. 

Along with school, activities have also commenced. Allyson earned 3 badges and 4 patches Tuesday evening at American Heritage Girls. This has been a great experience for her this school year. Working with other girls, listening to her superiors, having fun, learning about the Lord. It is a great program.  

Praise God we are off to a great start this Spring semester. 

2015 Thanksgiving Recap

I'm trying to get caught up with the blog, so you'll see some old posts coming up from late 2015. And this would be one of them. Thanksgiving in Deer Park. We traveled down and dropped the kiddos off and that's when Shawn and I headed to Gruene for a couple of days. We came back and spent the rest of the week with family and it was a nice time.

The kids stayed with Chip and Peggy first and then went to my mom's house. Here is Grandma on the floor with the kiddos. All smiles.

We visited my Dad and Cony one afternoon. It is always great visiting with him.

 Maebry can always find something to get into!

Dinner at Texas Roadhouse with the fam. It was either Allyson or Jase's pick, they love it there!

We ate at my mom's house on Thanksgiving day. The food was great and we also made several non-dairy compliant sides for Jase!

 Me and my Bae!

Sisters. The main cooks of the holiday! They both can whoop up some mean meals!

This was Aunt Susan's first time to meet Miss Maebry. You can say they hit it off!

Sweet boys shared the couch after a tasty meal.

Maebry never wants to leave the table. Her nickname should be Miss Piggy! Nanny was stealing some sugar or trying to get a bite!

We visited with Shawn's family that evening and got to meet David and Kayla's new addition: Luke! He is such a cutie! And Ryan is always so sweet!

Mae and Grandpa hanging out at the table.

Uncle Shawn getting some lovin' from Luke!

PawPaw is always a good camper! Here he is getting his hair fixed by Ally. She has been using him as a client for years! #memories

Before heading out of town, we were able to catch up with some of our friends on Black Friday! The kids really enjoyed playing with their friends.

And it was so nice to see one of my besties in person! Miss her!

MawMaw came in from Louisiana before we left and this was also her first time to meet Mae. This is her great-grandma. Precious.

A couple of days later me and the kiddos were on the road again. We met Chip and Peggy to pick up our dogs. So we have had 2 dogs for 12 years or so, well for the past year our black lab, Jet, has been with a family member and they recently moved, so Jet is officially back with us. The kids are super excited to have him back! Since we were already picking up Jet, we went ahead and left Hank in Deer Park for a couple of days and they met us with both dogs. Road trip with 4 kids and 2 dogs!! #crazy

Jet is an outside dog. Shawn built him an awesome little home in the backyard. I mean he has cedar shingles on his roof! When it is too cold for him outside, he has been bundling up in the garage with a heater! Sweet boy.

Gruene Getaway

Shawn and I were able to getaway for 2 nights right before Thanksgiving and it was the best time.

We knocked out quite a bit of Christmas shopping at San Marcos. It had been 4 years or so since I had been there, so I really enjoyed it. Shawn was such a trooper!!

We stayed at The Gruene Mansion Inn. I absolutely loved it. Right up my alley for sure.

We walked to dinner every night since we were right in downtown Gruene, next to The Grist Mill. It was really chilly out, so I'm so glad we had a fire place in our room!

On our last night out, we had to visit Gruene Hall. It is the oldest continually operating dance hall in Texas. It was built in 1878 and the floors have got to be about that old as well. Pretty neat place abd a ton of famous artists have performed there. And since we were there, we had to try out the dance floor as well! We really enjoyed ourselves and the live music was great.

Grainy picture, but here we are!

Exciting News for the New Year

I'm just going to jump right in. On New Year's Eve we were sitting at the table, having dinner as a family. Jase had already finished and headed upstairs to take a shower and put pjs on. Allyson was still working on her dinner {as usual}, eating avocado, and we were talking about the Lord. She was asking questions about the Lord and salvation and needing to be saved. We have these conversations frequently with them, but this time it was different with her. The Lord was laying it on her heart to be saved. It was the sweetest thing. So unscripted and pure and honest. It was perfect, it was a miracle. I held her hand and she said her own prayer to Lord, confessing that she is a sinner and that she needed Him to save her. She said whatever the Lord laid upon her heart, I didn't guide her. By the time she finished, I was in tears. "Why are you crying, Mommy?" she asked. Shawn saw me crying, so he started tearing up, and he answered her "they are tears of joy."

She wanted to call a few people, so we FaceTimed them. She was super excited. She told people that it was her "Born Again Birthday," she was a "Christian now", and that "the Holy Spirit came into her heart." Every time she spoke, we just cried and cried some more! The thing is, you want what is best for your kids. Yes, you want them to marry the right person, be an honest person, have good friends, get good schooling, get a good job, but at the end of the day, Shawn and I's greatest desire for them is to know the Lord. And as much as we want it for them, it is out of our control. Yes, we plant seeds in their life, but it is ultimately the Lord who lays it upon their heart to be saved. (2 Timothy 1:9) So when this happened, we thanked the Lord for touching her and using broken vessels like us.

Allyson also wanted to go outside and tell her neighbors. Her boldness. I love it! You can watch that here or below. Shawn and I cried the entire time.

When she came back in, she told us "cry all you want!" We busted out laughing!! It was such a sweet evening. We celebrated her salvation and the coming of a new year. What a way to end 2015. Such a blessing.

The boys couldn't hang until the new year, and Shawn and I even dozed off before midnight, but little Allyson was wide awake!