Be Gone MSG - Homemade Taco Seasoning

Did you know that MSG could be contributing to your headaches and doing many other crazy things to your body? Yeah, it's true....

I am trying to rid my house of all prepackaged foods and foods that contain MSG. So today when I went to make dinner and found myself needing taco seasoning and none on hand, this was a good time to make some. It was so easy and most ingredients you'll have on hand. You should totally give it a try.

Taco Seasoning

1/3 cup (heaping) chili powder
1 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 3/4 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 3/4 tsp. oregano (dried)
2 tbsp. paprika
4 tbsp. ground cumin
2 1/4 tbsp. sea salt
2 1/4 tbsp. pepper

Put all ingredients in a container and seal (air tight). Shake. Use seasoning to taste. (Andy said tonight that he thinks the amount we use depends on the meat we use.) Enjoy!

Adjusting Our Eating

I was talking to a girlfriend on the phone yesterday. We were talking about all the crazy sickness that has been going on around the Davis' house.

It seems like all the sickness has increased when I stopped putting so much effort and thought into nourishing eating.

Here's the thing. I stopped worrying about nourishment and began worrying about getting our bellies full. Just getting dinner on the table.

Looking back, it links back to when we went back to store bought milk and not good, hormone free meats. We had sickness but not near what we have had now. Dylan's asthma was less persistent, I became pregnant without assistance and colds/flu didn't seem to be so frequent.

With all these thoughts of bringing my family back to the table and bringing nourishing foods back to our stomachs, my mind has been reeling with where to begin again. What I think are the most important things to implement back in our diet are...

Here is the list I have come up with:

• milk from Farmer Haney
• good hormone free meats from Landes
• raw cheese
• fermented dairy
• raw sugars

It's going to take a while to get all these healthy steps into place but I feel better just thinking about these changes. 

Not My Fave.

Besides eating at home, I have also been reading and following blogs that talk nutrition and nourishment. I would have to be crazy to say that I didn't see issues in my families diet - too much sugar and flour, not enough fruits and vegetables are among the list.

I know this sounds juvenile but I just don't like them. I can't stomach the thought of eating them so I don't make them and therefore my children do not have a chance to form an opinion. I have these crazy childhood memories of sitting at the table for hours or being forced to choke down lima beans as I sat gagging. I still don't like lima beans and don't even offer them at our table.

I also struggle with fruits. I hate fruit. Nothing disgusts me more than fruit. It's not the flavor. It's the texture. I know it sounds crazy but it's so gross.

I am also very particular about the vegetables I eat. I tend to lean towards the carb veggies and leave the rest sitting.

There are articles after articles talking about the health benefits of  fruits and vegetables and I just cannot ignore the facts anymore. In my opinion, it's one thing to be ignorant of the facts and a completely other to know the facts but ignore them. I cannot ignore any longer.

I pray for an abundant and healthy life for myself but even more so for my children.

As parents, we want to give them every advantage - put them in sports so they can meet friends or even get a scholarship, put them in the best school so they have every academic advantage and the list goes on.

Why if we want the best for our children is nutrition put on the back burner?

For me, it's pure laziness and lack of motivation. Why make a good meal when there is carry out down the street?

For the Davis house, the tide is turning. It's beginning with our journey (once again) to the family table and as we join hands around it, we will be thankful. As we get eating at home down, we will move into more healthy and nourishing preparations and foods.

I'd be kidding myself if I said this is going to be easy. It's not but I can tell you that watching my 8 year old son with debilitating asthma is much more painful. Here is where I take my stand.

Will you join me? If not for yourself, for the health of your family.