Keyword: dairy free

Super Easy Taco Soup

Something happens to me when the weather starts to cool and football season begins. I automatically want soup or chili and all things pumpkin spice. Last week when I heard Florida was getting a “cold front” (which means temps were in the 80’s rather than high 90’s) the cravings set in. While I’ve have never made taco soup before, I’m the queen of real deal tacos. This super easy taco soup combines all the flavors of tacos you love while also incorporating veggies for heartiness and healthiness. This is a great soup to make ahead of time, too! Warm it up for an easy week night meal. Take to work for quick lunch. Make it for a get together with friends. However you choose to do it, I promise it will be a crowd pleaser!

Let’s Get Started

I used an instant pot for this recipe but if you don’t have one, you can totally do this on the stove top or in the crock pot. Here is a link to the instant pot I use and love dearly.

With the instant pot set to saute, add in the teaspoon of oil and the chopped onions. Saute them until they are soft and caramelized. At this point, add in your chopped up chicken and saute it for a few minutes with the onions. The pieces are so tiny that they will cook fast but they don’t have to be completely cooked through since you will be cooking the soup further under pressure.

*If you are doing this on the stove top, you might want to cook the chicken all the way through.

Once the chicken is ready, add in all of the remaining ingredients and stir it up. Put the lid on your instant pot and set the soup/stew setting to 5 minutes. I use the quick release on soups because they don’t have to continue cooking, but natural release won’t hurt it either.

And that’s all you have to do! See why I call it Super Easy Taco Soup? It’s almost not even a recipe because it’s so simple!

I served mine sprinkled with cheese and homemade tortilla chips but it would also pair well with cornbread, a simple sandwich, or even a salad. The options are endless. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you and how you serve it in the comments below!

Print Recipe
 Super Easy Taco Soup
This super easy taco soup is healthy, full of bold flavors, and is the perfect cozy meal to make when the autumn air begins to turn cool and crisp.
Course Soups
Cuisine Mexican, Taco Night
Keyword chicken, dairy free, easy, easy recipe, eat move live happy, taco soup, tomato
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Soups
Cuisine Mexican, Taco Night
Keyword chicken, dairy free, easy, easy recipe, eat move live happy, taco soup, tomato
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. With the instant pot set to saute, add in the teaspoon of oil and the chopped onions. Saute them until they are soft and caramelized.
  2. Next, add in your chopped up chicken and saute it for a few minutes with the onions. The pieces are so tiny that they will cook fast but they don't have to be completely cooked through since you will be cooking the soup further under pressure.
  3. Once the chicken is ready, add in all of the remaining ingredients and stir it up. Put the lid on your instant pot and set the soup/stew setting to 5 minutes. I use the quick release on soups because they don't have to continue cooking, but natural release won't hurt it either.
  4. Serve with tortilla chips, corn bread, or anything your heart desires!
Recipe Notes
  • This recipe can also be made in a crock pot or on the stove top. You'll just adjust the recipe accordingly. 

Homemade Almond Milk

This almond milk recipe is maybe the easiest thing you’ll ever make in your kitchen!

I know that nothing is easier than buying a carton of milk from the grocery store. And I’ll be honest, I buy milk allllll the time at the store so I’m in no way trying to make you feel bad if you have never made your own. But just in case you’re interested in making your own, I’m here to let you know it’s super simple and worth trying.

One reason I became interested in making my own milk is because I couldn’t pronounce some of the ingredients in the store bought milk I was buying and I’m not a fan of that. When I make my own, the ingredients are almonds and water. That’s it! So I feel better about putting it in my body and I know where it came from and that’s important to me.

Here’s how you do it:

First, soak your almonds overnight. This part is easy. Put 1/2 cup of almonds in a glass jar, cover them with water, and let them soak while you sleep. In the morning, drain and rinse them and they will be ready to go!

In the past I have taken all the skins off each almond after soaking. It’s not hard, but it’s a little time consuming. With my most recent round, I left the skins on and there is absolutely zero difference in taste so I will be doing it this way for now on.

After rinsing, place them in your blender with 2.5 cups of filtered water. Blend on high speed for about 5 mins. This is the step where you can add flavor if you wish. I sometimes add a splash of vanilla extract and it’s a great addition .

The last step is to strain it so you can separate the almond pulp from the liquid. I use this milk bag and I love it! [Side note: It’s actually called a “nut milk bag”. Doesn’t that sound disgusting? The term “nut milk”‘ is not the most appealing term when it comes to food! I’ll leave it at that. Haha!]

So anyways, straight from the blender you will pour the milk into the nut bag with a large container under it to catch your milk as it goes through the bag. Lightly squeeze the bag until all the liquid is out and all you have left in the bag is the almond pulp. You can go on Pinterest and find tons of recipes that use almond pulp so don’t throw it out! I will be posting a few fun recipes on the blog soon and I’ll link them here when they are available.

Transfer the milk to a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and store in your fridge for up to 4 days.

Pretty easy right?

*This recipe makes about 2.5 cups of milk. If you want more, just double it. But I have found that it only lasts a few days in the fridge before it goes bad so I make small batches to ensure it stays fresh.

Print Recipe
 Homemade Almond Milk
This almond milk is so creamy and delicious and so easy to make. It will have you wondering why you ever buy but milk at the store!
Course Condiments
Cuisine Beverages
Keyword dairy free, eat move live happy
Prep Time 10 Mins
Servings
Cups
Ingredients
Course Condiments
Cuisine Beverages
Keyword dairy free, eat move live happy
Prep Time 10 Mins
Servings
Cups
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Soak your almonds overnight. Put 1/2 cup of almonds in a glass jar, cover them with water, and let them soak while you sleep.
  2. In the morning, drain and rinse them.
  3. After rinsing, place them in your blender with 2.5 cups of filtered water. Blend on high speed for about 5 mins.
  4. Use a milk bag (linked above) to strain the almonds. Lightly squeeze the bag until all the liquid is out and all you have left in the bag is the almond pulp. Don't discard the pulp!
  5. Transfer the milk to a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and store in your fridge for up to 4 days.

Healthy Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

This healthy banana bread recipe is sure to rock your world! Well, it rocked mine anyways. It’s gluten free and refined sugar free and it’s even been given a thumbs up by my kiddos (that’s REALLY saying something). I’ve been playing around with banana bread recipes for a while now and while I have loved them all, this one deserves to be shared with you! And the best part?? I only used one bowl so clean-up is a breeze!

Banana bread is one of those things that I always love having around and the great news is, this recipe is healthy and made with good-for-you ingredients that you can feel good about putting into your body.

I made this loaf with a few bananas that had ripened while we were away in the Bahamas for a few days. When we got home, they were sitting on the counter practically begging to be baked into this glorious banana bread, so I couldn’t let them down, right?! Make sure when you get ready to make this recipe, your bananas are super spotty or close to black. Sounds so gross but it really is the secret to great banana bread.

Soooo, are we ready to get baking??

Okay good! Me too!

First, you want to mash your super ripe bananas in a mixing bowl. I use a fork and go to town until most of the lumps are out (a few are okay). Next, add in the eggs and whisk them up with the bananas until they are mixed well. In the same bowl, add the almond flour, gluten free flour, and baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Stir until combined.

In a separate small bowl (I used a ramekin), add in the cinnamon and coconut sugar and stir it up. Don’t add this to the batter. This is going to be for that smiling cinnamon layer in the center of your loaf.

Told you it smiles 🙂

In a well-sprayed loaf pan, add 1/2 of the batter. Sprinkle 1/2 of your cinnamon/sugar mixture on top. Make sure all the batter is covered. Then add the other 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon/ sugar mixture to the top, again covering all the batter. Put your loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 50 mins. The cinnamon and sugar top should be dark and crispy. If it is, you did everything right!

Keep scrolling for the printable recipe and be sure to let me know in the comments how it turned out!

Print Recipe
 Healthy Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
This healthy banana bread has the perfect blend of sweetness and cinnamon to make this a family favorite! It's gluten-free, dairy free and refined sugar-free, too!
Course Sweets
Cuisine Dessert, Sweets
Keyword banana bread, cinnamon swirl, dairy free, eat move live happy, gluten free, Healthy dessert, Healthy sweets, refined sugar free
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
For the batter:
For the swirl/topping
Course Sweets
Cuisine Dessert, Sweets
Keyword banana bread, cinnamon swirl, dairy free, eat move live happy, gluten free, Healthy dessert, Healthy sweets, refined sugar free
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
For the batter:
For the swirl/topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you make your batter. 1. First, you want to mash the super ripe bananas in a mixing bowl until most of the lumps are out (a few are okay). 2. Next, add in the eggs and whisk them up with the bananas until they are mixed well. 3. In the same bowl, add the almond flour, gluten free flour, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Stir until combined. 4. In a separate small bowl, add in the cinnamon and coconut sugar and stir it up. Don't add this to the batter. This is going to be for that smiling cinnamon layer in the center of your loaf. 5. In a well-sprayed loaf pan, add 1/2 of the batter. 6. Sprinkle 1/2 of your cinnamon/sugar mixture on top. Make sure all the batter is covered. 7. Add the other 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture to the top, again covering all the batter. 8. Put your loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 50 mins. When it's done, the cinnamon and sugar top should be dark and crispy. If it is, you did everything right! 9. Let it cool for at least 30 mins and slice into 8 slices. ENJOY!
Recipe Notes

Make sure you use super ripe, or almost black bananas for best results.