Sunday, 5/1/2011

My plan was to make a taco salad for dinner.  The plan went a bit sour when I realized I only had half a packet of taco seasoning in the pantry.  Since the ground beef was already browning in the skillet, I had to improvise.  I added chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, cummin, salt and black pepper.  And then, I doubled it.  The result was a decent substitute.  It was lacking something, but was definitely edible.  While a taco salad was my original plan, we ended up having taco meat with cheese melted on top with a simple iceberg lettuce salad with chipotle ranch dressing on the side. 

Thursday, 4/21/2011

I sang at this evening's Maundy Thursday church service, which started at 6pm.  I made up a pound of taco seasoned ground beef before I left for church.  Ben had some of the beef with hot sauce and cheddar cheese melted on top for his dinner.  Katie had a little burrito with cheese and beef..  I waited until after the service to have my dinner.  I made a taco salad.  I used chopped iceberg lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, some of the ground beef, hot sauce, and chipotle ranch dressing.  It really hit the spot. 

Saturday, 4/16/2011

One of our biggest concerns about maintaining a low-carb diet has been potlucks.  We participate in at least three potlucks each month and carbs are a big part of them.  Our monthly church potluck took place tonight at Hilary, Kurt, and Esme's house.  In order to stick with the Mexican theme, we decided to bring a taco salad.  We brought chopped iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, corn, ground beef with taco seasoning, chipotle ranch dressing, and hot sauce.  I really enjoyed my salad and think I'll make it again.I had everything except the corn and also added some hot salsa that someone else brought. 

Tuesday, 2/15/2010

We hosted our PEPS group tonight for a "Make Your Own Tacos" meal.  We had the choice of soft or hard taco shells.  I made four pounds of taco seasoned ground beef.  All but one-half pound of the beef was eaten tonight.  We served Mexican rice, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and hot sauce with the taco meat.  Naomi brought chips and salsa that her mom made:)  For dessert, Sara & Aaron brought brownies, cookies, ice cream, and strawberries.  What a spread!  I definitely ate too much.

Tuesday, 8/24/2010

Tonight our PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support) group met at Barb and Tad's house.  They put out all the fixings for chicken tacos--shredded chicken, guacamole, salsa, shredded lettuce and cheese, and beans.  We had brownies and blackberries for dessert.  The food was good, but the entertainment was great!  

Those kids were so much fun to watch and listen to.  Ronan has a small ball house that they all tried to get into.  I didn't think they all managed to get in at once, but Ben says there were a few seconds when all five where in there.  There were balls everywhere!  The normal sippy cup and toy stealing and food begging took place.  Katie definitely ate her share of Ari's cantaloupe.  I've got to say, I am so thankful that we were matched up with this group of parents and kids:)

Monday, 7/26/2010

Ben took today off so that he could spend more time with Thad and Shannon. During the afternoon, we visited the Ballard Locks (Hiram M. Chittenden Locks). We got there just in time to join a guided tour group. I am so glad I went. It was my first time there, and I really had no idea what they were. Since we were already in Ballard, we wanted to find a restaurant there to try out. Thankfully, our friend Melissa gave us a great list of recommendations.


First, we went to Carta Oaxaca. We got there at 4:55pm and were told to wait 5 minutes until they opened. Given that it was warmer inside than outside, we opted to not wait. Instead, we went to Hi-Life and had a really nice meal together. Ben had the Firehouse Grill Burger. He said it was good, but lacked flavor. He's not sure he would order that again. I went a completely different route with two small plates. I had summer skewers of grilled peaches and fresh mozzarella wrapped in pancetta, drizzled with some kind of raspberry sauce. YUM! And, I had two little tacos-- roasted pork shoulder & grilled pineapple salsa. Again, YUM! Ben was kind enough to share a few of his french fries with me. They were really good. We ordered simple grilled chicken and green beans for Katie. She ate some of the chicken, but only with ketchup to dip it in.

For dessert, Ben had the bread pudding drizzled with espresso carmel. He said it was the best bread pudding he has ever had. High compliments:) I had the tin roof sundae without peanuts. Very tasty indeed. Needless to say, we ate too much.
Thanks to Thad and Shannon for taking time on their vacation to visit us in Seattle. We hope to visit you on the East Coast some day too.

Tuesday, 7/6/2010

Every five years, the Moser side of my family gets together for a reunion. This would be for the descendants of my Grandma Jean and her four siblings. We gathered at the Zephyr Conference Center in Liberty Lake, Washington. This is the first time the reunion has happened someplace other than at my grandparent's home. I am pleased that it was such a success! We had 60+ family members there. Some people stayed on site in the two lodges, other stayed in hotels nearby, and we stayed with my parents at their home in Spokane.

My dad's cousin Judy took on the responsibility of purchasing food for breakfasts and lunches. Families were assigned to prep and clean up for those meals. We had the camp cater the dinners for us. Tonight we enjoyed a taco bar. Soft and hard tortillas were available along with ground beef, rice, and all the fixings. Katie enjoyed pulling rice out of a taco and would occasionally let me put a bite of beef in her mouth.

For dessert we had delicious chocolate cake. There was some debate about whether it was cake or brownies. Ben says it was cake; so, that's what I'm sticking with:)