Blog Archives

Honey Lime Chicken Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa

7/22/2015

Whether thrown together for a weekend backyard barbecue with friends or prepped ahead of time for a quick and tasty weeknight meal, these honey lime chicken tacos are sure to please.

How can you go wrong with tacos? I don't think you can. Tacos can do no wrong. They're like the nicest and most sincere friend you had in school. The one friend that never did anything wrong and always had a smile on their face?

Or maybe you didn't have one of those type of friends. Then these tacos would be a great dish to serve up to some of the great friends you do have. Even for an easy, weeknight meal.

The strawberry avocado salsa is what makes these tacos, in my opinion. Particularly on a hot Summer day, these tacos would be the perfect refreshing treat. The salsa comes together in no time as do the grilled chicken bites that form the sweet and savory base of the tacos.

Serve them up with a couple lime wedges and some chips and salsa. Done.

To find the entire recipe, just head on over to the Grass Roots Co-Op blog!

Unfamiliar Places, Fast Cars, and Zucchini Fritters

7/15/2015

What a whirlwind of events the past month has been. The move to Austin, TX from our home state of Arkansas has been filled with ups and down for Wade and I both. But overall we are settling in and exploring our new digs as much as we are able!

I want to dive more into some of these particular events or adventures at a later date, but this is just a round-up of what life has been like in the large and quirky city of Austin thus far. Followed by a new recipe I came up with in the hopes of getting Wade to eat more Summer zucchini. Here's a hint: he actually liked it!

Where to begin? Well, as far as our apartment goes we love love LOVE the location. Living on the West side of Austin is like living in a completely different state than the rest of the city. Rolling hills filled with ample greenery and wildflowers, less traffic and noise, darker skies where you can actually see the stars at night, and conveniently close to Lake Travis. I am thankful we were able to secure an apartment in this area.

Though when we first moved in, we had a bit of a dilemma with our shipping container getting to us on the correct date. Wade and I drove down to Austin on a Friday and were expecting our shipping container to be waiting for us. The shipping container was then delayed until Monday to arrive at our apartment...

When life throws challenges at you, try and meet them head on as best as you can. Our entire first weekend of Austin was spent with no bed (luckily one of Wade's friends he works with was able to lend us a large blow-up mattress), limited clothes and bathroom items, and my worst nightmare: NO cooking or kitchen items of any sort!

At least we had Howard the houseplant I brought along with me to bring a bit of life to our bare apartment. But we managed to get through it and our shipping container finally arrived safely on Monday.

The weekends have been filled with quite a few different adventures. I have been told by numerous people that the traffic and amount of people in Austin is currently at it's lowest due to college not being in session yet. Once college season starts, the locals have been warning us to brace ourselves for an influx of people and cars on the road. That's why Wade and I are taking advantage of the much more peaceful time around the city while we can.

Hiking up Mount Bonnell was at the top of our list since we do not live far from this reportedly highest point in Austin. The views were stunning.

Another place for great views is the 360 overlook near the 360 bridge which is also very close to our apartment. Did I mention I am so grateful for our apartment location?

One of the biggest highlights of our stay in Austin thus far has been Cars and Coffee Austin. This monthly event takes place at the Oasis on Lake Travis every second Sunday of the month. Once again...very close to our apartment. Did I also mention all of our adventures so far in Austin have been free?

Cars and Coffee Austin was the perfect event for Wade and I both. Just as food and cooking is my biggest passion, cars are Wade's. He's the car guru. When I'm browsing new recipes and healthy living blogs, he's keeping up on the latest car news. I was an avid Fast and the Furious fan even before meeting Wade so I do not mind "talking cars" with him every so often.

I plan to do a more extensive post later to tell you guys all about Cars and Coffee Austin.

Now for a new recipe. I knew moving in with Wade with plans to cook more meals from home would be a challenge for me. As noted before, he is a picky eater and he would be the first to tell you that. One of my biggest goals in living with Wade for many years to come after we get married is to get him on track to eating more fruits and vegetables.

Zucchini are clearly in season as they are popping up everywhere at the farmer's markets. I don't think there's any way you can prepare zucchini and I would not eat it. The trick was finding a way to prepare some fresh, Summer zucchini so that Wade would actually enjoy it as well.

That's how these zucchini fritters were born. Even without a good food processor to shred the zucchini and having to use a handheld grater, these came together in no time. If you're ever trying to find a way to prepare zucchini for a picky eater, this may do the trick. Wade loved them! Success!

Zucchini fritters

Serves: 10-12 fritters

Ingredients:
2 large zucchini, shredded
3 tsp. coconut oil
2 large eggs
5 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
1 Laughing Cow swiss cheese wedge (or 1 Tbsp. other cheese of your choice)
1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (or 1 Tbsp. other cheese of your choice)
1 tsp. minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:
Shred 2 large zucchini by hand using a hand grater OR with a food processor. Place shredded zucchini into paper towels and squeeze all of the moisture you can out of the shredded bits.

Add shredded zucchini, eggs, whole wheat flour, Laughing Cow swiss cheese wedge, nutritional yeast, minced garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and mix until well combined.

Heat skillet to medium heat, add in 1 tsp. coconut oil per batch of zucchini fitters. Scoop large spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture out of the bowl and place gently into the heated skillet. Flatten out to a pancake-like form. Cook each fritter 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip, cooking for 2-3 minutes more on the other side or just until golden brown.

Remove from skillet. Serve immediately.

Have you had an amazing Summer adventure this year? Or plan to have one?

What is your favorite way to prepare zucchini?

Honey Lime Chicken Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Unfamiliar Places, Fast Cars, and Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini fritters

Happiness is Homemade

Most Popular

Archives