Easy * Lettuce Wrap Tacos Recipe

LOW CARB KETO FRIENDLY RECIPE

Taco on a low carb keto diet? You bet! I wouldn't go with out some good Mexican flavory keto tacos in my life.

🎵"If you like Cinco de Mayo, so you  c'n eat tacos all day. If you're not into carbs, and you have half a brain. If you like taking walks at midnight ..." 🎵 I know, in another life I was weird al with food lyrics haha.

There is no way I'm missing Taco Tuesdays just because I'm on a low carb keto diet. I love Mexican foods and flavors. Any taco can easily be converted to a low carb - keto taco by replacing the taco shell with your favorite lettuce. I used romaine hearts but a butter lettuce taco shell would be really good too.

Do you make tacos for Taco Tuesday? These turned out so good. You're going to love them and so will your family.
 

LETTUCE SHELL SOFT TACO RECIPE

serves 4

• 1 lb ground beef

• vegetable oil, butter or bacon butter

• red pepper flakes

• 1 small onion

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• head of lettuce

• Pico de Gallo- recipe here

• white cheddar cheese - shredded

• 1 large avocado 

• sour cream

In a saute pan add bacon butter, ground beef, chopped onions, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, paprika, cumin and sea salt. On medium heat brown your ground beef until starting to caramelize. Set aside.

How to Boil Eggs } Easy to Peel Boiled Eggs Method

I have always loved eating boiled eggs but avoided them because of sore fingers after peeling them. This easy-to-peel method will thrill you once you give it a try. Don’t worry the eggs won’t crack anymore than placing them in boiling water versus placing them in cold water and bringing them to a boil.

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How do you get boiled eggs to peel easily?

It’s really very simple. You won’t believe how easily this simple reverse in method works!

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by April | Home & Holidays (@the.classic.vintage.home)

Enjoy!

Spring | Lemon Love | A Few Lemon Favs

New on Simply the Sweet Life are Seasonal Themes of my favorite things! For spring I chose lemons, lemon love!

I’ve had a life long love of lemons. When I was very young around 4 or 5 when I went with my grandma and mother shoppping I would always ask for the plastic lemons with lemon juice in them for my treat. I love lemon yellow and and butter cream yellow colors. I love to scent of lemons and lemon essential oil.

To start off the Lemon Love Spring here are some of my favorite lemon things!

affiliate links included

Yellow Microplane Lemon Zester

I got this lemon zester a few years ago and it has been my go to zester for all things citrus. I use it for my Lemon Keylime Bars!

GET IT HERE

Lemon Vanilla Bean Soy Candle

This candle has creamy lemon vanilla scent, a 100% cotton wick and free from paraffin!

GET IT HERE

Lemon Pure Essential Oil

I diffuse the now lemon essential oil in my kitchen daily

GET IT HERE

Lemon Botanical Dish Towels

I love these dish towels and this set comes with a bonus lemon juice press!

GET IT HERE

EO Coconut + Lemon Body Lotion

This is my go to daily lotion. It’s a pure basic lotion free from petrochemicals.

GET IT HERE

So many more lemony good things coming throughout spring!

Rainbow Coconut Jelly Bean Coconut Easter Cake Recipe

When I was growing up my mom made us a special treat each year. It was always one of my favorites. It was her White Chocolate Coconut Jelly Bean Candy Easter Nests. I just love how the white chocolate, coconut and the fruity flavors of the jelly beans mixed so well. With this flavor combination in mind I came up with a new Easter tradition our Easter Cake. As I thought about the flavor of the jelly beans Kool-Aid came to me. Kool-Aid comes in many different shades of bright colors, it has similar flavors and some of our favorite jelly beans so it was the perfect solution to both coloring and flavoring each layer of our Easter Cake.

Our Easter Cake has a pink strawberry, yellow pineapple, green lemon-lime, and blue mixed berry layers. It is frosted with the most delicious coconut white chocolate buttercream frosting. Combining the coconut and the flavors remind me of a colada drink.

This is a great cheery cake for kids.

Cake:

• 2 Box Cake Mixes or 2 batches of White Cake Batter

• 1 packet of Kool-Aid drink mix powder for each color -4 total (the ones without sugar)
  
  

Prepare your favorite box white cake mixes or this great from scratch recipe for White Cake ( two batches.)

Divide the cake batter equally into 4 medium mixing bowls. Slowly add Kool-Aid powder until you reach the desired color and flavor or each color.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Bake each cake color layer in an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan for about 18-20 minutes check after 18 minutes. The cake will bounce back when done when pressed down in the middle with your finger.

Cool for 5 minutes then remove from pan and completely cool on cooling rack.

Wrap each cake layer in plastic wrap and place in freezer.

White Chocolate Coconut Buttercream Frosting

Note: You will need two batches for this cake

• 2-pound bag of powdered sugar

• 1/2 milk

• 1 cup softened butter

• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

• 1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut

• 1 cup of melted white baking chocolate

In a stand mixer using the whip attachment whip together melted white chocolate, butter, milk, vanilla and about 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar to incorporate air. This will make your frosting nice and light and fluffy. 

Slowly mix in the remaining powdered sugar then add coconut and whip together. 

This frosting is creamy, delicious and sets up very nicely.

Coconut Nest Topping

• 1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut

• 1 packet of green lemon-lime Kool-Aid powder mix

• 1 bag of your favorite jelly beans

• 1-quart size zip top bag

Add coconut and 1/2 packet of Kool-Aid powder to zip top bag. Mix the coconut and powder together kneading with hands. 

Mound in the center of the top of the cake to form a nest top off with a large handful of jelly beans.

SWEET TIP: To frost the cake and get beautiful layers add your frosting to a quart size zipper top bag. Snip of one corner of the bag about a half inch up.

Starting with the bottom layer squeeze our large dollops of frosting around the cake top. Spread evenly and repeat as you add each layer. Then squeeze out frosting in a zigzag pattern around the side of the cake. Spread over the sides filling in between the zigzag. Don't worry if you zigzag is straight.

The point of this is to get a fairly even amount of frosting around the cake so it is easier to spread and prevent little cake crumbs from mixing into your frosting.
If you have any holes in your frosting just go back and add another dollop of frosting.

This frosting sets up nicely and is very forgiving. Since it is a coconut frosting it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth.

The kids are going to LOVE this cake.

Hand Embroidered Valentine Bookmarks

Hello Everyone!!! I’m Abby over at A Feathered Nest blog which is kind of a collection of hobbies I like or attempt. I’m a mom with 4 kids - boy, girl, boy, girl, and a husband. I wish I had a puppy so bad. My baby girl is an animal so she will suffice for now. We live in Michigan {the most beautiful place on earth} but we’re getting ready to move back home to Sunny Arizona! I’m SO excited that Heather would ask me to put together a project for all of you. We’re going to do a Valentine project but not that kind of Valentine project. Let’s veer from the standard Valentine gifts and do something unique for our good friends & loved ones. Who out there doesn't love a good book?! Even kids’ books. They’re amazing. Don’t you love it when you find a good book and you’re sad when you finish? Wouldn't it be fun to give a good book to someone you love this Valentine’s Day?! With an adorable hand-made bookmark?! Even better. {add some chocolate to the gift and I’d say that would be the best Valentine gift EVER.} I’ll take a good book {and chocolate} over flowers any day.

Hand Embroidered Valentine Bookmarks

Aren’t they precious? How fun to use the bookmark as the actual gift tag wrap it around a gift card or if you buy a book wrap it around the wrapping paper. 

Supplies:

• Felt, cut in varying circles or shapes (I have a scallop pair of scissors) 

• DMC floss, needle, scissors 

• Fabric marker- mine has a disappearing ink side 

• Fabric glue 

• Elastic (you can dye your elastic any color you want using RIT dye - just boil hot water, add a few drops of dye, boil for a few minutes, rinse with cold water. Bleach your pot before using it for cooking.) 

This is a perfect project for those of you who are beginners to embroidery. If you need a practice guide, here is a handy-dandy Stitch Guide I put together a long time ago. This post also has some stitching help, another great Valentine project. I’m missing a few stitches on my site but if you google searched the following stitch names you’ll find more than enough help on how to do them.

Cut your shapes - I used 3-ply together, but stitched on 2-ply.

Trace/draw your design. The circles should be small, so you don’t need a whole lot on them - keep it simple. I free-handed everything so I don’t have patterns, but you can look at these and figure it out. They’re not very complex.

Embroider your design. Here are the stitches I used: Lazy Daisy

- French Knot

- Split Stitch

- Running Stitch

- Blanket stitch

Secure your elastic in a loop/circle, using glue or thread - make sure it’s straight. Nothing but the best from you.

Glue your front to the back.

Done! Now go make a whole bunch of these and you have plenty of time until Valentine’s Day! Wahoo!! These will also make great end-of-year teacher gifts too get a head start and be the admiration of the PTO moms. You’re amazing.

More Valentine’s Day Crafts

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Free Printable Dinner Planner & Recipe Cards

Keto Friendly

Wether you’re planning meals for your whole family or just for yourself it’s nice to make a plan. Since I’m on the keto diet I like to meal prepping on the weekends and plan out my meals for the week. It helps cut down on food waste and it keeps me on track so I’m not tempted to eat out or grab something that is off my keto diet plan.

For moms and dads it’s great to have a meal planner so that everyone in the household from you to your spouse to your nanny knows what’s in stock and what’s planned for dinner!

I made this simple meal planner for you! I included a couple of recipes cards too just in case you want to share one of your favorite recipes with a friend.

Eating Keto on a Budget

You have asked and I am going to show you how I do it. Here are my 10 ways to eat a low carb keto diet on a budget. It's easier than you think!  Here is my real life advise using the same things I do weekly to the KETO diet on a budget.

Part of eating a low carb keto diet is learning to eat foods in their most pure form. What does that mean? It means eggs in their shell, fresh cream, meats, green veggies and the more that are unprocessed. 

Use Ground Beef!

Ground beef is a great, delicious and versatile protein that has zero carbs! You can make Butter Burgers, Crunchy Taco Wraps, Pizza Meatballs, Meatloaf,  Cabbages rolls and so many other things! 

Use Cabbage!

Cabbage is delicious cold in a coleslaw or cooked and used in places of pasta in lasagna or just cooked and served with butter and salt. 

Eat Eggs!

Eggs are another delicious and versatile protein that is super low carb. You can boil, fry, omelet, poach, deviled, scramble eggs plus add them to other dishes too like a chefs salad or a cobb salad. Eggs are one of the most affordable KETO foods.

Buy in Bulk & Freeze!

 Our local store has a meat sale every 6 months. The meat is super cheap if you buy it in bulk. Simple wrap your meat in freezer paper and store in the freezer for up to 6months or longer. My grandparents use to raise their own beef and we would wrap it and freeze it the deep freezer and use it until the next years beef was ready.

Many foods can be frozen including... butter can be frozen for 6 months, cream for 4 months and most veggies and berries for 6 months. Looks for your favorites on sale and just FREEZE THEM for later!

Shop Amazon!

Amazon is a marketplace which means if more than one person is selling something you can most likely get the best price. If you have Amazon Prime which I totally find worth it, you get FREE shipping. If you DON'T have Amazon Prime you can try it for a month for FREE.

Make Your Own Bone Broth!

Bone broth is a perfect food for KETO'ers but it is also expensive to buy. Making it is super easy and can be made with scraps from other meals! Save your bones, onion, garlic and veggie scraps by freezing them to save to make your own broth!

Meal Prep!

Plan ahead and prep for days you know you won't have time to cook. Make extra meat. Cut up veggies. Make some dip. Leftovers are great too. Have something ready so you don't feel like you have to eat out on the run.

Buy Seasonal Veggies & Berries!

Buy vegetables and berries when they are in season. The prices will be so much better. Buy they when the prices are super low and freeze some for later. 

Save Your Bacon Butter!

When you find some bacon at super great price be sure to save your bacon drippings/grease/bacon butter when cooking it! Remeber fat is your fuel on KETO and bacon makes some of the most beautiful golden fat for your next meals. Bacon butter great to use on your cooked veggies, use it to make omelets, and pretty much any other place you would normally use butter!

Shop at Costco or Sams Club!

Some things are simply cheaper ( I know not all of them but some) at Costco because they negotiate a great deal with a brand and then slap their logo on it.  I use this coconut oil, these raw almonds are great and are always fresh and I love this almond flour!  ALL of them are at a FREAKIN GREAT PRICE!

Make Your Own Pickle Juice!

The price of pickle juice can really add up and leave you with a fridge full of dry pickles! If you wondering why I sam saying pikcle juice it's because pickle juice helps you keep your electrolytes balanced. Sports teams are known to drink pickle juice as well as pickle juice popsicles. I promise they are a thing look here: pickle juice pops. Here is my super easy recipe for pickle juice. I explain more about how pickle juice is great in the KETO diet here: Homemade Pickle Juice

Winter Weather - Cozy Favorite Finds

Be sure to stay cozy and warm! Here are a few of my favorites.

♫ ♫ “I love the winter weather so the two of us can get together…” ♫ ♫

I love the changing seasons. I appreciate so many things about each season but I think winter is my favorite season of all. Even though winter is the coldest season it has my heart. I love the crisp cold air. I love the snow flurries and when everything is covered in a blanket of snow white. There is something magical about a walk on .a cold winter’s night in knee-deep freshly fallen snow. It’s like the whole world around you is dusted in white glitter and if you know me you know I’m a glitter kind of gal. Then there’s the glow of a warm fire in the fireplace with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee and John Coltrane playing. It’s magic.

Here are some of my favorite finds for making the most of your winter weather.

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Warm Woolen Mittens

Women's Lined Winter Mittens - Several colors avaiable click here to see them all!

If you are driving or our for a walk in that knee deep snow thick mittens with a cuff to keep your wrists warm are a must. The colder the weather the more a mitten is preferred over gloves to keep those fingers toasty and warm.

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Warm Lined Winter Hat

Women's Winter Beanie Warm Fleece Lining - Several colors avaiable click here to see them all!

Cute, cozy and warm - winter beanie hats are a must have in several colors and the pom poms make them even cuter.

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The Perfect Fleece Throws

TASTHROW Large Flannel Fleece Throw Blanket - available in several colors click here to see them all!

These fleece throws are the perfect size and thickness for sitting fireside or cuddling up for popcorn and binge-watching your favorite show. We carry ours room to room. One for me and one for Harrison my little black chihuahua mix pup. I also have a basket of them rolled up ready for when my kids come to visit. Everyone loves to have one as we sit on the sofa and visit or play a game or two.

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Fuzzy Cotton Flannel Sheets

Great Bay Home 100% Turkish Cotton Flannel Sheet Set - They come in several prints and sizes! Click here to see them all!

Nothing is nicer in the wintertime than snuggling up in flannel sheets. I have all the prints above. These sheets from Great Bay Home a made of soft Turkish cotton. The deep corners have never pulled up on me. You will love them!

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How to Choose a Fresh Christmas Tree

Are you a real or fake Christmas tree family? I have always loved the smell and look of a real tree. When I was growing up we always had a real tree. Sometimes they were big and fluffy other times more sparse. When my mom was growing up during the fall my grandpa and uncles would go up to the family homestead on the mountain and choose a tree for their Christmas. On the day after Christmas, they would go up and cut down their perfect fresh tree. When I moved to Utah my uncle and grandpa would choose one for me too and I would go and pick it up after Thanksgiving. There was something really special about getting a tree from your own land.
Now that my grandma and grandpa have passed away we visit a local Christmas tree lot that carries the freshest prettiest trees.

We wandered around to look at all the varieties of trees. Do you know which variety is your favorite? I like a short needle with a strong branch to hold all my vintage glass ornaments. I have a lovely collection of Shiny Bright balls and assorted vintage German glass ornaments.

The Best Crunchy Caramel Corn Recipe

For us caramel season is FALL! It’s when we make our caramel apples, caramel apple nachos, creamy homemade caramels, and our very best better than crackers jacks Crunchy Caramel Corn.

first posted on my blog Sweet Life in The Valley back in 2008

Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Why not make some caramel corn to share with friends and family as a little gift of gratitude for them. It's also a tasty snack to eat fireside in the chilly Autumn weather.

Caramel Corn Ingredients list:

• 1 cup butter

• 2 cups brown sugar

• 1/2 cup corn syrup

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp real vanilla

• 6 quarts popped popcorn

​Sweet & Simple Tip:

Read your labels on corn syrup. I use the Karo brand corn syrup. It is the only brand I have found that is corn syrup rather than high fructose corn syrup

5 Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe From Your Favorite Food Bloggers

Hot coffee, latte, americano, tea etc. on a brisk fall morning topped off with a steamy warm slice of buttered banana bread is my idea of beginning the day perfectly. We’ve gathered a few of the very best banana bread recipes from our favorite food bloggers including The Classic Vintage’s recipe for banana bread that rivals the delicious banana bread at Starbucks.

If you give any of these tasty recipes a try let us know what you think in the comments. We would love to see photos too!

Montage Deer Valley Resort With The Family

The Montage Deer Valley Resort is a place where you can bring the whole family. There is something for everyone to do plus their's skiing too!

It's January and time for a wintery wonderland getaway to a magical place where snow covered tall pines and mountains are your view from your bedroom window. A place where you can ski in and ski out from dinner. A place where all the hustle and bustle of your everyday life melts away and you get to have fun, relax and live life. The kind of life you always imagined. 

The Montage Deer Valley is that very kind of place. 

The Montage Deer Valley is located right on the fluffy powdered slopes of Deer Valley Utah adjacent to three high-speed chairlifts. Skiers can stay at this 5 star luxury resort or just ski right in for lunch, dinner or drinks.

The architecture and design as well as the art throughout are reminiscent of a lovely mountain lodge. It's cozy comforting and luxurious all at the same time. Original artwork from local rocky mountain artists adorn the resort.

One of our favorite features of the resort is that Montage Deer Valley is pet-friendly. Your pet is welcome. The resort has two sweet mascots Bernese Mountain Dogs Monty (pictured above) and Jonas who are at the resort to greet you with a well-mannered smile. Isn't Monty a handsome boy!

If you are more of a stay inside and enjoy the snow from the window view, Daly's Pub is a family friendly place to hang out and have fun. With four regulation bowling lanes the kids will have a great time and so will you! We saw the sweetest older couple spending their anniversary together and having a blast bowling.

You can order dinner right at the lanes with a great variety of classic favorites including hearty delicious cheeseburgers, fries and pizza.

In the mood for some pool or video games? They have that too. Or you can just hang out at the bar and watch the game after a long day of skiing on the mountain.

The indoor and outdoor swimming pools and hot tubs are open year round. One of our very favorite things to do is to sit in the hot tub under the winter snowy night sky as the snow is falling. My family loves it too. It's one of our traditions when we visit a ski resort hotel. It's magical. You have to try it.

My girls loved hanging out at the complimentary gourmet s'mores bar choosing from handmade flavored marshmallow and sitting fireside toasting their tasty treat.

Our two bedroom three bathroom suite was perfect for our family. We had plenty of room to move around and feel like we are in a nice space rather than a tiny hotel room. The beds are cozy with down pillows and comforters. Each bedroom has a cozy fireplace. We were greeted with fresh cookies and fruit which was a big hit with the kids. The oversized soaking tub is perfect for relaxing the muscles after a day of snow filled activities.

There are so many things to do and see in Park City but The Montage Deer Valley offers a complete resort full of activities and relaxation so you never really have to leave to enjoy a great getaway!

Gray Slope Arm Sofas - Restoration Hardware Inspired Home

One day last fall I walked into the SLC Restoration Hardware store and was struck with inspiration. This is the feel I want for my home redesign. I wanted it to feel light airy and full of well-designed pieces of furniture, tall palm trees, and plants, with a touch of a cozy relaxing home. A place my mind could rest and a place where my family could come and hang out. In addition to buying my beautiful Majestic Palm, I started to add one piece at a time. Although I LOVE the Restoration Hardware sofas they didn’t have a couple of things I wanted for my gathering space.

A few things on my checklist included both form and function. Anyone who knows me knows that if there is something in my home it must be deigned well as well as have a use. It’s not form verses function with my it’s form AND function.

• It must be aesthetically pleasing.

• it must be comfortable, the kind of comfortable where you can curl up and take a nap comfortably.

• It must be durable to withstand long hours of use and my cat Henri and my Taco Terrier Harrison (aka a chihuahua mini fox terrier mix)

• It must have a place to put my feet up, I debated back and forth over the chaise lounge end sofa and the reclining sofa.

The reclining sofa won out only because I finally after A LOT of searching found one that was in the perfect gray color and had a similar reverse slope arm as the restoration hardware sofa. I’m totally happy that I did choose these two because they come with USB portals and the loveseat has an outlet in the center storage area and 2 drink holders AND the headrest is adjustable too!

I’m not crazy about the pillow cover design of the pillows that came with it so I’m ordering these woven Baileywick Linen Pillow Covers in shell pink for some texture and these Maddie Textured Pillow Covers in mauve. I like that the colors are muted and soft pale colors that translate more as a neutral in the room. For the holidays and seasons, I will be adding a throw and lumbar pillows with a print.