Hey y'all,
So, it's a new year! New year, new me.. right??? Honestly guys, I have so many bad habits (it's not even funny!)... I wanted to make a video that I could look back at to hold me accountable. There are so many really good tips in this video (tips that I need to implement in my life as well)!
Every year I have goals and resolutions that I want to achieve. Some are achieved, some aren't. That's just the way life is. This time around, my goal is pretty deep. So, it has to do with losing weight but not because I want to look good in that tight dress... The Darks are ready to have a baby! We want to have a baby this year and I know being overweight doesn't help when you are getting pregnant.
So, I'm ready to take my health seriously. Not just my weight, but my health. I want to be a mother, and Darryl is ready to be a daddy. So, we are so excited to go on this journey. 2016 is going to be an amazing year for us. And for you, too!!! Keep positive and watch this video! I hope some of these tips can help you!!!
What are some of your goals for 2016?
xo
Lori
Friday, January 15, 2016
Thursday, January 07, 2016
A DELICIOUS + EASY TACO SOUP RECIPE
Hey y'all,
Today's post is going to be yummy! It's a delicious taco soup recipe that is just divine during the cold Winter months! Soup during those cold nights is just the perfect comfort food. Living in Texas, there aren't many of those cold days for soup but when there is, this is definitely my go-to recipe!
INGREDIENTS
(1) can of pinto beans
(1) can of black beans
(2) cans of kidney beans
(1) can of diced tomato
(1) packet of taco seasoning
(1) packet of ranch seasoning
1 lb. of ground beef
32 oz. chicken broth
DIRECTIONS
First, you start off with olive oil and heat it up for about 1 minute.
I will be using ground chuck beef. You can use whatever meat you want. My hubby likes a good ground chuck! What hubby wants, hubby gets ;) He likes a meaty soup (what man doesn't, right?)
Start cooking the beef on LOW TO MEDIUM heat. Make sure you don't cook it entirely. You want to just start cooking it but finish it when it hits the soup and cooks entirely there. No dry meat for us!
Next you want to season your meat, I used this taco seasoning mix from Trader Joe's. It is absolutely AMAZING! But whew, is it spicy!!! I should have read the back of the packet before I started because it says for mild, use half the packet for spicy, use the full packet. This is completely up to your preference. I used the whole packet in this recipe! I don't really do spicy but my goodness, was it delicious!!! If you like spicy, I recommend using the whole shebang!
The next ingredient is a little weird (not gonna lie) and you would think WHY!? Somehow, it works, y'all! RANCH! Now, I love ranch! ON. EVERYTHING! LOL! But even I was a little hesitant as to how this actually works in this recipe. I don't know you guys, but it works! And it's delicious! It gives this recipe a really creamy thickness to it which I think is the main use for it. You can't even taste it! My husband hates ranch and he didn't even notice it! It mixes very well with the broth!
Once your beef is mostly brown (still a little pink) you want to drain your beef. All those fat juices won't do anybody good! Once drained, set it to the side.
Now, we are going to start the soupy (that's not even a word, I sound like Phoebe from Friends!) part of this recipe. I am using a reduced sodium chicken broth. I know you are thinking chicken broth but you are using ground beef? It works, y'all! It tastes delicious (can I say delicious anymore in this blog, like I did in the video? lol)
You want to move your heat to LOW for these next steps. You want to pour in about 1/2 cup at this time, scrape the bottom of the pan, get all the good stuff in the broth!
Next, we are starting on the canned goods needed for this recipe. It's pretty simple. You can use more tomato if you want, or more beans (completely up to you!) I love red kidney beans so I used two cans instead of one.
While the tomato is getting a little charred, you want to go ahead and drain your beans. Bean gunk drives me crazy, I just don't like all those liquids. It looks gross. Maybe you may like the bean juice, it's up to you but at this point, I'm drainin'.
Next, you just pour your beans in with the tomatoes. SLOWLY. It will splatter up at you and possibly burn you (and you will feel like the world is going to end)... possibly. Not like it happened to me or anything! ;)
It's starting to look mighty delicious now. Now, it's time to add more broth. This is when you will add the majority of the broth to create the soup.
You will also add 1/3 of the packet of taco seasoning and ranch. Honestly, if you aren't into spicy. I'd suggest after this addition of the taco seasoning to stop. It would be a nice kick to it at this point but not really spicy.
Once you mix all that up, you will add your delicious meat.
Now, it's time for the slow and lowwwwww! You want to set a timer for 25 minutes and cook it on low! So, go subscribe to my YouTube channel or check out my etsy store during this time ;)
Put the top back on and let it cook for the remaining time. By the way, I absolutely love my Pioneer Woman Cast Iron Dutch Oven! I have been using this nonstop! It is so heavy duty and amazing quality! If y'all want one, they are at Wal-Mart for $49, I believe! You can also buy it online here: http://go.magik.ly/r/gracefulandlovely/f089/! The Pioneer Woman kitchen line is absolutely amazing!
...... and it is done! You can add whatever you want on top. I add cheese and tortilla strips on mine! Also, sour cream is delicious as well!
Today's post is going to be yummy! It's a delicious taco soup recipe that is just divine during the cold Winter months! Soup during those cold nights is just the perfect comfort food. Living in Texas, there aren't many of those cold days for soup but when there is, this is definitely my go-to recipe!
INGREDIENTS
(1) can of pinto beans
(1) can of black beans
(2) cans of kidney beans
(1) can of diced tomato
(1) packet of taco seasoning
(1) packet of ranch seasoning
1 lb. of ground beef
32 oz. chicken broth
DIRECTIONS
First, you start off with olive oil and heat it up for about 1 minute.
(I use an amazing olive oil from Trader Joe's! It's a lot less expensive than a grocery store but better!)
I will be using ground chuck beef. You can use whatever meat you want. My hubby likes a good ground chuck! What hubby wants, hubby gets ;) He likes a meaty soup (what man doesn't, right?)
Start cooking the beef on LOW TO MEDIUM heat. Make sure you don't cook it entirely. You want to just start cooking it but finish it when it hits the soup and cooks entirely there. No dry meat for us!
Next you want to season your meat, I used this taco seasoning mix from Trader Joe's. It is absolutely AMAZING! But whew, is it spicy!!! I should have read the back of the packet before I started because it says for mild, use half the packet for spicy, use the full packet. This is completely up to your preference. I used the whole packet in this recipe! I don't really do spicy but my goodness, was it delicious!!! If you like spicy, I recommend using the whole shebang!
The next ingredient is a little weird (not gonna lie) and you would think WHY!? Somehow, it works, y'all! RANCH! Now, I love ranch! ON. EVERYTHING! LOL! But even I was a little hesitant as to how this actually works in this recipe. I don't know you guys, but it works! And it's delicious! It gives this recipe a really creamy thickness to it which I think is the main use for it. You can't even taste it! My husband hates ranch and he didn't even notice it! It mixes very well with the broth!
Once your beef is mostly brown (still a little pink) you want to drain your beef. All those fat juices won't do anybody good! Once drained, set it to the side.
Now, we are going to start the soupy (that's not even a word, I sound like Phoebe from Friends!) part of this recipe. I am using a reduced sodium chicken broth. I know you are thinking chicken broth but you are using ground beef? It works, y'all! It tastes delicious (can I say delicious anymore in this blog, like I did in the video? lol)
You want to move your heat to LOW for these next steps. You want to pour in about 1/2 cup at this time, scrape the bottom of the pan, get all the good stuff in the broth!
Next, we are starting on the canned goods needed for this recipe. It's pretty simple. You can use more tomato if you want, or more beans (completely up to you!) I love red kidney beans so I used two cans instead of one.
So, you will want to open the tomatoes and place them in the pot, let them char a little and mesh with the broth.
While the tomato is getting a little charred, you want to go ahead and drain your beans. Bean gunk drives me crazy, I just don't like all those liquids. It looks gross. Maybe you may like the bean juice, it's up to you but at this point, I'm drainin'.
Next, you just pour your beans in with the tomatoes. SLOWLY. It will splatter up at you and possibly burn you (and you will feel like the world is going to end)... possibly. Not like it happened to me or anything! ;)
It's starting to look mighty delicious now. Now, it's time to add more broth. This is when you will add the majority of the broth to create the soup.
You will also add 1/3 of the packet of taco seasoning and ranch. Honestly, if you aren't into spicy. I'd suggest after this addition of the taco seasoning to stop. It would be a nice kick to it at this point but not really spicy.
Once you mix all that up, you will add your delicious meat.
Then, you will add the remaining of the taco seasoning (if you want) and the rest of the ranch seasoning. Give that a good stir and make sure everything is all mixed.
Now, it's time for the slow and lowwwwww! You want to set a timer for 25 minutes and cook it on low! So, go subscribe to my YouTube channel or check out my etsy store during this time ;)
Oooooh yeah! Look at this yummy goodness, y'all! It's starting to look creamy and just yum! This is halfway through the cooking process. So, stir it for about 20-30 seconds.
Put the top back on and let it cook for the remaining time. By the way, I absolutely love my Pioneer Woman Cast Iron Dutch Oven! I have been using this nonstop! It is so heavy duty and amazing quality! If y'all want one, they are at Wal-Mart for $49, I believe! You can also buy it online here: http://go.magik.ly/r/gracefulandlovely/f089/! The Pioneer Woman kitchen line is absolutely amazing!
...... and it is done! You can add whatever you want on top. I add cheese and tortilla strips on mine! Also, sour cream is delicious as well!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! It's yummy! It's making me want to make this again just looking at all these photos!!! Hope y'all enjoy! If you do make it, I'd love to hear how it tasted, tag me in photos or let me know on social media! All my social media handles are @loridarks ;) see y'all soon!
Love youuuuuuuuu,
Lori
{ IF YOU PREFER TO WATCH, CLICK BELOW FOR THE VIDEO }
Friday, January 01, 2016
WHY HELLO 2016!
Hi my lovelies,
Wow! It's 2016!!! First off, Happy New Year! I hope you have an amazing year full of blessings and adventures!!! 2015 was such an amazing year for the Darks household, it was full of so many blessings. So excited for what's to come this year. Hope y'all are as well!
So, I started this blog back in 2011. I was about one year into marriage and had no idea what was ahead for me. I was 24 years old back when I started this blog. It is now 2016 (which blows my mind, by the way!) and I am 29 years old. I really wanted a fresh start. I had 213 posts previously, I decided to go through them. Some were erased, all of them are now saved as drafts. Why? I wanted a brand new start. I may talk about some of those topics again in future posts. Overall, I was just ready to start over and re-introduce myself ;)
I stated in so many blog posts "I'm sorry for the hiatus", "I'll be more consistent, I promise"... and never was. And I felt bad reading that because I have such an amazing following on here. Or maybe had. Not sure how many people are still active on here. I promise to take care of this blog again. I love writing and I love interacting with you guys!
I am so excited for the future and what is ahead in 2016. Life has changed tremendously in 2015 for Darryl and I. It was the best year of our lives, to date. I sucked at blogging BUT I did a great job on MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL! I upload there 2x a week (for the most part) and it's so much fun! I have 4,000 subscribers aka BFF's and we have created the most amazing family over there.
(I would love for you to join us, if you haven't!)
I also finally opened my Etsy shop! I only have one item there but there will be a lot more up soon! I am going to be selling handmade furniture + home decor! My husband is an amazing carpenter and we are so excited for what's to come! Go follow my store on Etsy THE LOVELY VINTAGE SHOP! We will be selling all over Texas at flea markets and craft fairs! Of course, I will be posting our events on here ;)
In closing, I really love you guys! I just want to thank y'all who have been there for me since day one, since 2011. I appreciate you more than words and I am so excited to really get connected with my blog again. And with you!
xx,
Lori
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