Taco Bowls

My friend Andrea recently gave me the idea for Taco Bowls instead of regular ole tacos, and now Matt and I are hooked!

These are so easy to prepare and are full of flavor. Not to mention there are a million different variations you can make. I'll share the recipe we've been enjoying the most lately and you can decide what you want to change. And if you decide to make them just like I did, I think you'll love how they taste!

Ingredients:
One package Traders Joe's Brown Rice Medley (looks like this)
1lb Ground beef or turkey
Taco seasoning (one package or 2T)
water
Avocado, cut into small chunks
Corn, 1/2 can drained
Black beans, 1/2 can drained and rinsed
Rotel with lime and cilantro, drained (unless you like it extra spicy)
Gordo's mild cheese dip, melted (looks like this)

Optional toppings: Sautéed onions, diced jalapeños, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro- so many options!

Directions:

Brown meat, remove excess grease, and return to pan. Add taco seasoning with a couple tablespoons of water- just enough to help the seasoning absorb in the meat. Add corn, black beans and Rotel and heat until warmed through. Meanwhile, chop avocado and heat rice package in microwave for 3 minutes. After rice finishes, transfer desired amount of cheese dip to a separate bowl and microwave until hot, about 45 seconds.

Prepare bowls by first adding rice, then meat mixture, then avocado, and lastly pouring the cheese dip over top.

Eat with a spoon or scoop with chips.

Enjoy!

Natalie's 1st Birthday Party!

This past weekend, we celebrated our favorite one year old with a big party at our house. It was so special having all of our friends and family together in one place to celebrate our sweet girl!

I choses the completely wrong moment to get the hair out of my eyes, but hey, there's a family picture to document the day.

Natalie's little outfit was a hand-me-down from her cousin, Riley, and oh my word did she look cute crawling around with her tutu standing straight up!

We loved seeing her crawl for the basketball in full tutu attire :)

She and Ryan both had no interest in their smash cakes... Natalie even made the coughing/gagging sound she makes when she is grossed out by a food. What a stinker! So I ended up cutting the little cake into triangles to share with the kids- they were thrilled!

I made this carrot cake recipe with cream cheese icing. The little cake topper and "ONE" banner was given to us from my sister-in-law and the little #1 candle came from here.

That look- she is so funny!

Here are pictures from the rest of the party! I really should have taken the time to test the settings and adjust the focus and lighting, so a lot of these ended up dark or blurry, but at least we have the day documented!

My friend Andrea made the top of this chalkboard sign for me, just like she did for Ryan's party. Me getting the rest of it together maxed out my crafting skills. ;)

The first birthday sign came from here and the collage was made using the Pic Stitch app on my phone.

My sis-in-law, Karen, made these adorable #1 Rice Krispy treats! So sweet of her!

:)

It was such a sweet day. We're thankful for our friends and family who helped make her first birthday extra special!