My Every Day Lunch....at least for now.

I am a creature of habit....especially when it comes to food.  I vary things up for dinner with the family, but for breakfast and lunch I keep it pretty simple and often I'll eat the exact same thing for literally months.  Lately I've been making veggie tacos and I am completely in love with them.  I have had a few friends ask how I do it so I thought I'd share.

First I clean and cut my veggies.  These tacos are a GREAT way to get A LOT of veggies into your diet.  Here is what I typically include...

I chop up a bunch of fresh mushrooms.

I chop about half of a zucchini.

I cut up an entire pepper.  Color doesn't matter...I switch it up.

I chop an entire onion.

If I have black beans on hand I will occasionally add those too.  I love that in this ONE dish I am getting an ENTIRE pepper, an ENTIRE onion, as well as lots of other vegetables!  I add all of my veggies to a pan with a little of this...

(sorry the picture is a bit blurry...I was hungry and shooting these pics pretty fast)

For those of you that don't know much about coconut oil....I kind of consider it a wonder food.  Not only does it have amazing health benefits (reduces cholesterol, helps keep your weight in check, helps thyroid function and digestion, etc) but you can actually also use it on your skin and hair!!  It's THAT good!  Greyson had a little rash on his face about a month ago...coconut oil to the rescue!  Eva had a HORRIBLE canker sore from her braces and once again coconut oil helped her find faster relief.  It's goooood stuff and really the only oil I cook with, aside from occasionally using olive oil (little snippet of advice....use coconut oil whenever you can to replace other oils.  Even olive oil has some harmful side effects when heated too high). 

Coconut oil is a solid, so it takes a little bit to get use to (but totally worth it)...

I sauté the vegetables for just a little bit.  It's important that they are still "crisp" because that way they are retaining many of their nutrients.  When they are pretty much finished cooking I add a little seasoning.  You could add cumin, or any spices you want.  An easy one that I often grab is either a taco seasoning or fajita seasoning.   It's important to note here that I literally only use about 1 TEASPOON of this stuff.  I like the flavor, but a very little bit goes a long way (and it's high in sodium).

The end result...

I often top them with a little lettuce mix (another little snippet of advice...try to stay away from iceburg lettuce.  It has no nutritional value.  Look for dark leafy greens).  Sometimes I'll add just a little cheese or sliced avacado....and this girl ALWAYS tops it with salsa or hot sauce!!

Some of you may be thinking this looks like a lot of work.  I promise you it isn't.  If it was I wouldn't make it for lunch because my hands are often tied with getting things around for the kiddies.  It also makes a GREAT dinner in a pinch too!

Enjoy!

XOXO...

Jamie