Mexican Food

Homemade and Delicious (!) Whole Wheat Tortillas

Whole wheat foods have sort of been on my “no thank you” list! I associate it with dry and tasteless! A recent series of high blood pressure readings have put me on a trajectory of using the DASH Diet. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. If I can keep from adding medications by the foods I eat, I’m happy to comply!

As I looked at the foods they suggest, I realized that my white flour needed to be greatly reduced. With Cinco De Mayo on the horizon last week, I decided to make some homemade mostly whole wheat tortillas. I was skeptical because I had made some in the past and remembered them being tough and tasteless. My recipe is super simple, and with the use of my tortilla press, a small rolling pin, and my Ninja grill, they came out beautifully!!

I think there are two essentials in these turning out well –

  1. Rolling them out very thin
  2. Not cooking them too long, but just until they get little brown spots that begin to form.

Here’s the recipe:

Whole Wheat Tortillas

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour – I used 1 1/2 C whole wheat and 1/2 cup white – You could use all Whole Wheat if you desired!
2 Tbl Olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 Cup warm water – I added more – just until the dough came together

Mix the flour, salt, and the olive oil until it resembles cornmeal. Then add the water and mix until the dough comes together. Knead for about 1 minute. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into eighths. Roll each section into a ball and press with a tortilla press, then roll with a rolling pin until very thin. Cook in a skillet a couple minutes on each side – or until brown spots begin to form.

Even if you don’t have high blood pressure, these are a great choice if you’re wanting to eat a little healthier. These are such a delicious option! They’re much better than store-bought whole wheat tortillas! If you’ve never made homemade tortillas, you’re in for a treat. These actually have flavor! You need to try these or these, if you’re not concerned about eating white flour. You can also find Spanish Rice and the BEST Refried Beans recipes here on my blog!

Parsarlo bien! (Enjoy!)

Daughters

Things You Should Teach Your Daughter

On this Mother’s Day weekend, I look back over the years my girls were growing up, and smile at blessing of having them in our home. While Dale was always outnumbered in population, I think he knew it was pretty great to have the love and adoration of all his girls!

Being a mom of daughters was so sweet. Tea parties, dress-up clothes, playing house and store, baking together, baby dolls, and all things girly was a part of their early years. Then came music lessons, clothes, shoes, accessories, clothes, shoes and boys!

It’s such a wonderful privilege to be a parent, but it’s also so weighty, isn’t it? There’s so much to teach a child to prepare them to know and love God, to know who God made them to be, and to be ready to live independently as adults. But where do we even begin? May I give you moms who have children at home a few ideas of things you need to be teaching your daughters? Here’s a short list in several categories

Spiritual matters

  • What sin is.
  • What Jesus did to pay for their sin.
  • How to pray about everything.
  • What it means to be saved.
  • Eternal security
  • Who wrote the Bible and why we need to read it daily.
  • Verses about salvation, God’s character, the significance of the Bible, God’s love
Continue reading “Things You Should Teach Your Daughter”
Lunch

Delicious Veggie Sandwich with Herbed Cream Cheese

I am sure I’ve shared many times before that a lunch menu is often my greatest struggle. I ask myself…

  • What would only take a little time to prep?
  • What would be delicious?
  • What would be healthy?
  • What would be something different?

Recently my eyes spotted a veggie sandwich on Pinterest posted by Super Healthy Kids, and I was drawn in. The time to make it was minimal. It has an herbed cream cheese on the bread – yum! It didn’t have processed lunchmeat, and is served on whole grain bread, and it’s completely unlike what we normally have. Yes, it checked all the boxes!! I couldn’t wait to try it!

Continue reading “Delicious Veggie Sandwich with Herbed Cream Cheese”
Dates · Marriage

Spring Dates

It’s warming up pretty consistently here in East Tennessee.  These are perfect opportunities to have a fun date with your spouse!  Need some ideas?  Here are a few fun ones to get you started:

bike riding
  1. Get outside and work in the yard together.  Clean up any leaves from fall.  Mow the grass, sweep the sidewalks and driveway.  See if you could use some new shrubbery.  Celebrate the beautiful yard with a Frosted Lemonade at Chick-Fil-A or an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen!
  2. Take a bike ride on one of the local trails.
  3. Go for a breakfast picnic.  Be aware of the morning dew and take a towel or blanket to sit on or wipe down the table.
  4. Take a hike on a mountain trail.
  5. Take a drive in the country with the windows down.
  6. Go to Lowe’s or any other paint store and pick out a color for a room in your house or a piece of furniture that needs some refreshing. Do the project together.
  7. Build a fire in the fire pit in the evening.
  8. Play a yard game like croquet, Frisbee, or badminton.
  9. Wash the car together.
  10. Go to the park and fly a kite.
  11. Sit outside and watch the sunset from your porch swing.
  12. Take a walk around the neighborhood hand in hand.
  13. Go to a local drive-in like Sonic and enjoy lunch in the car with the windows down.
  14. Go to yard sales and find items you need to make your porch inviting!
  15. Find a little town you’d like to spend the day investigating and have a whole day away shopping, having coffee, and just walking its streets.

There are some ideas to get you started!  What springtime dates have you planned?  Remember, most times together won’ just happen!  You have to be intentional!

Happy Spring Date night!

cakes

Chocolate Chip Angel Food Cake

My husband recently came home with two dozen eggs that had been marked down. I decided immediately that I would make an angel food cake, since most recipes take about a dozen. If you’ve never made one from scratch, you are missing a delicious treat. They’re SO much better than the store bought variety!

When I was a teenager there was a bakery in my hometown that made a Chocolate Chip Angel Food Cake that was so delicious. I’ve made plain and Cappuccino, but decided to look for a recipe for that might replicate the one from Purdue Bakery in Winchester, Kentucky. I feel like this came really close!

Continue reading “Chocolate Chip Angel Food Cake”