Crock Pot Beef Tacos

Posted on August 21, 2012 by fmadmin

One of my favorite bloggers is Jenna from Eat, Live, Run.  Although she’s a trained chef with a new book, she comes across very personable and I just love her style.  Her recipes are easy to follow which is a plus for busy moms like me!  While searching her website I found this recipe for Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos and after checking the ingredient list I knew this would be a hit for the family.

Start with one red pepper, one green pepper two small onions and optional jalapenos.  Follow by rubbing the flank steak with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, cayenne pepper and chili powder.  All goes in the crock pot set on low for 8 hours.

Before leaving the market, I ran across the street to the Mexican Store to grab tostadas and queso fresco.  Tostadas are just like tacos except they are not folded.  Queso Fresco or Fresh Farmers Cheese has a very mild taste, almost like a fresh mozzarella.

Coming home to a crock pot meal after working all day it’s so rewarding.  It always makes me feel like Super Woman!   The flank steak was juicy, tender and flavorful.  I think this crock pot recipe will definitively get some use at our household.  Thanks Jenna for helping busy moms like me keep a healthy lifestyle!

Have you ever tried Queso Fresco?

Is Taco Night part of your weekly meal plan?

Posted in Featured Articles, Recipes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Catching up is hard to do

Posted on August 19, 2012 by fmadmin

By now must of you know this past week was our first week back at the market.  It was great to be back at the Market and see our friendly customers after being away for two weeks.  Thank you for the warm welcome.  The best part was seeing some of you out there bright and early on Tuesday morning!

While we were gone, some improvements were made to the market.  New lighting was installed throughout the market and it is definitely brighter in there now!  Also, our orange machine grader was removed.

No worries.  A newer orange grader machine is going to be installed.  Rest assure, the machine will be up and running by the time oranges are back and you’ll still be able to see the oranges and grapefruit tumble around while you wait for your Strawberry Shortcake.  Trust me, I can’t wait to have our freshly squeezed orange juice again!

On Thursday and Friday, I travelled to Sarasota for our distributor’s Annual Food Show.  As always, they brought some great items for season this year.  It’s always fun and exciting to go to events like this where we can find new products to offer our customers.

I also travelled with Ego Girl Outfitter to promote their women’s clothing line.  If you enjoy spending time outside and love nature, you should check out their website.  It’s full of cute tank tops, T-shirts and sundresses perfect for the Florida lifestyle.  You can also find their merchandise at our market, Sisters & Company in Plant City and Off The Wall Adventures in Lakeland.

As I get back on track, I’ll be posting more of my recipes and product spotlights here.  With everything going on, my running took a back seat this week, but I plan on hitting the pavement tonight.  I only have 4 weeks till the Hooters to Hooters 10 k in September!

 

Posted in Featured Articles | Leave a comment

Vacation Recap

Posted on August 12, 2012 by fmadmin

Hi Everyone!  I’m so glad y’all have enjoyed the guest posts.  I’d like to take the time to thank them again: La Petite Maison Verte, The Watering Mouth and Syrup and Biscuits!  Make sure to check out their blogs for awesome recipes and great ideas.

Vacation started a little early with Glow Yoga at downtown Tampa.  It was a free event put together by Lululemon in the Curtis Hixon Park.  My friend Allison Grooms, from Yoga Pointe in Lakeland, joined me for a great night of yoga wearing our neon.  The weather was great so it really made it a great outdoor yoga experience.  If you want to try yoga, Lululemon offers a free class at their Hyde Park store every Saturday. Also, there’s a free yoga class at the Curtis Hixon Park every Sunday hosted by Yoga Downtown.

On Sunday morning after my 5 mile run, I went to my car and noticed a bunch of missed calls.  I immediately knew something was wrong, but I never imagined the news would be so bad.  My step dad, Bill Henry, died in his sleep unexpectedly while camping with my mom and little brother.  I immediately raced home to shower and pack to head to my mom’s house.  Loosing a family member is never easy, especially when there are no warning signs.  My only solace is that according to my mom, they had a wonderful last day together doing the things they always loved.  Bill, thanks for all the laughs and memories.  You’ll always live in our hearts and your smile will always be remembered.

While the market is closed and repairs are being made, we headed to Anna Maria Island for a couple of days in the sun.  The highlights of the trip were eating at Eat Here, Blue Marlin and The Waterfront Restaurant.  All three places met and exceeded our expectations.  The dishes and the atmosphere were great.  If you are ever on the island, make sure to check these places out.

This was my favorite meal while at Anna Maria.  This was the grouper topped with lobster at the Blue Marlin Restaurant on Bridge Street.  I am not a big fan of Grouper.  I almost always never order it.  I grew up eating Red Snapper and Swordfish.  So, Grouper has never been a favorite.  However, this dish made me understand why so many people in Florida love Grouper.  It was so soft, it was like butter in my mouth.  It just melted away.  Amazing.  I asked my husband if we could drive back there for my birthday dinner.  It was that good!

I found out there was a morning yoga class on the beach, so I made sure to make it.  The weather was beautiful, the class was perfect for a morning stretch.  It absolutely met my expectations.  The instructor, Onika, was very knowledgeable and talked you through poses for everyone’s levels.

I’ve been wanting to try paddle boarding for a while now, so I jumped at the chance when I noticed they were renting boards right on the beach.  I was worried I wouldn’t have the upper body strength to row while standing up.  The big surprise was this sport has more to do with balance and lower body. Thanks to my running and yoga classes I was able to stand up and paddle for about 50 minutes without falling in the water.  Yes, there were three near misses but I hung in there and stayed on my board.  If I lived closer to the water, a paddle board would surely be on my Christmas Wish list.

 

Only 3 more days to go.  We’ll see you soon.  P.S.  I need produce too! 🙂

 

 

 

Posted in Featured Articles, Running | Tagged , , | Leave a comment