Easy FUN Family Meals | Soft or Crispy Tacos (or Taco Salad Bowls)

These days, I don't cook very much and can't share photos of what I cooked. My kids are all grown now, so I only have to feed myself. But when my kids were younger, I cooked a lot. So I'm happy to share recipes for dishes prepared for my family.

Soft or Crispy Tacos (or Taco Salad Bowls)

I live in Texas. There's no such thing as a bad taco! We even celebrate Taco Tuesday!

Super Easy Recipe!

- Brown a pound to 2 pounds of ground beef in a pan and season it with store-bought taco seasoning (IF you want to make your own taco seasoning, the recipe is in a separate post) 

- Add 1 small can of tomato sauce and one small jar of salsa to the ground beef (IF you want to make your own traditional Mexican salsa, the recipe is in a separate post) 

Set the beef mixture aside but keep it warm

Break out your soft tortillas, crispy taco shells, or taco bowl shells (soft or crunchy)

Add the beef mixture onto the tortillas or shells, and then load on your toppings:

Toppings include:

• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream
• Ranch salad dressing
• Shredded lettuce
• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped red onions
• Pickled, sliced jalapeños
• Sliced black olives
• Extra salsa (and whatever else you like!)

A wonderful way to serve taco variation is in a large bowl (like in the image).

Layer everything.

• Lettuce and chopped tomatoes at the bottom.
• Drained canned corn (or black beans)
• Taco beef mixture
• Sour cream (or Shredded cheese OR BOTH!)
• Crunchy corn tortilla chips as the final layer

FUN FOOD FACT:

DID YOU KNOW a taco once traveled to space?

~ Astronaut José M. Hernández brought tortillas to space because tacos are easier to eat in zero gravity than bread. Breadcrumbs float everywhere, but tortillas stay intact, so NASA started using them for meals on the Space Shuttle. You could say tacos are astronaut-approved food. 😀

ALFALFA SPROUTS | Did you know this food comes with a WARNING?

FDA Warning: Alfalfa seeds might have bacteria, and that bacteria will multiply when the seeds sprout. “Folks with weaker immune systems like older adults, infants, young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid raw sprouts.” Or slightly-cooked sprouts. Some people like their veggies half-cooked. But according to the FDA, it's best to eat “thoroughly-cooked sprouts”.

Alfalfa has been used to feed livestock for centuries. But one day, the light bulb went off, and humans realized they could eat it too. I have eaten alfalfa sprouts before, but they were raw. I had no adverse reactions and did not get sick. I didn't even know you could cook them! Turns out you can add alfalfa sprouts to soups and stews.

Alfalfa is considered an herb, but it's also part of the legume family.

Do you eat alfalfa sprouts?

RELATED LINKS OF INTEREST:

• Raw Sprouts: Good or Bad? | Food Network Healthy Eats: Recipes, Ideas, and Food News | Food Network ~ Raw sprouts are nutritious but can carry harmful bacteria, so they’re safest eaten fully cooked if you have a weakened immune system.

• How to make alfalfa sprouts | Veg Recipes of India ~ Alfalfa sprouts are easy to grow at home by soaking, rinsing, and draining the seeds daily until they sprout in 3–5 days, after which they can be eaten or stored safely.

• How to Cook With Alfalfa Sprouts | Livestrong.com ~ Sprouts are nutrient‑dense and often high in protein, but they must be handled and cooked safely because raw sprouts can harbor harmful bacteria.

• Alfalfa - Benefits, Nutrition Facts & Side Effects | Healthline ~ Alfalfa is a nutrient‑rich herb whose sprouts and supplements may offer benefits like lowering cholesterol and supporting metabolic health. But they can pose safety risks for pregnant people, those on blood thinners, and individuals with autoimmune or compromised immune conditions.

• Easy Alfalfa Sprouts Recipe and 20 Uses for Sprouts ~ Sprouts are versatile, easy to grow, and can be added to many dishes—from salads and sandwiches to stir‑fries, soups, breads, and smoothies—to boost freshness and nutrition.

*

Korey’s Kitchen. “Easy Alfalfa Sprout Salad with Quick Homemade Dressing.” YouTube, 16 Feb. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU35zdl1jQw&t=7s.

• MORE Alfalfa Sprouts Recipes: Click here.

AWFUL NEWS DATED AUGUST 2026:

As if we didn't already have to be careful of the FDA WARNING, there are MORE WARNINGS.

US health agencies report 55 cases of E. coli and salmonella infections tied to alfalfa sprouts reut.rs/46gUosG

— Reuters (@reuters.com) 2026-08-21T19:35:15Z

abcnews.com/Business/wir...

— Wajahat Ali (@wajali.bsky.social) 2026-08-21T02:32:45.046Z

What Kind of Broth Do You Use in Your Ramen Noodles?

Ramen noodle, the instant noodle that the whole world now loves to eat, was invented by Momofuku Ando (1910 - 2007), a Taiwanese-Japanese inventor in Japan. It was first marketed in 1958 by his company, Nissin. Incredible! I can't remember exactly when I started eating Ramen noodles. I think it was in the 90s. I could get 5 packages for a dollar at the grocery store. I could eat a package every day. That's 20 cents for a meal. Why not?

At first I just followed the package directions and ate them that way. Later on I learned you could add meats, vegetables, eggs, etc. and come up with all kinds of recipe variations.

My favorite addition to Ramen noodles is cabbage; preferably bok choy; and also mushrooms. My daughter likes to add a bolied egg to the broth.

The broth! That's another thing I like about eating Ramen noodles. I prefer chicken broth. My daughter likes beef broth. This recipe makes a broth out of black tea and ginger. Interesting. I never even thought to change the broth flavor ... UNTIL NOW!

RamenRecipe (Made with Black Tea + Ginger Broth!) - Fit Foodie Finds

Health and Wellness : Where to Find Advice on Healthy Eating and More!

Fuel your body. Protect your health. Enjoy your food. Let’s explore better eating habits together.

Many Americans, particularly African-Americans and Americans who live in "the South" (like TV Chef Paula Deen), suffer from hypertension and diabetes; ailments that they need not suffer from if they would just change their diet! Understanding this, I am sharing a helpful link to this article: The 6 Best Websites to Learn About Healthy Eating; and some other useful links below. 

Healthy Chinese Food Options  (So glad steamed dumplings are number 1 on the list.)

7 Nutrient-Packed Foods to Keep on Hand  (This list contains staples that are plant-based and inexpensive.)

Cutting Calories, Fat, and Salt:

• Cutting Calories: 5 Ways to Cut Calories to Lose Weight
• 6 Ways to Reduce Salt and Fat in Your Diet | ACTIVE

Eating Gluten Free

  

• Healthy Meal Prep Made Easy

• Lower-Sodium Fast-Food Option

Free e-Cookbook from Joyful Healthy Eats

* * *

Ryu Mei Yuzen Red Chopstick [w/Box] Japan

Food Research That… I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT. (O.o) ~ The Grape Debate

Do you love grapes? Almost everyone does. But have you ever stopped to wonder whether seeded grapes are healthier than seedless grapes? 

In Numbers 13:23, the Israelite spies return from Canaan carrying a single cluster of grapes so massive that two men had to carry it on a pole. 

Fascinating scripture… but it never made me ask: Hhmmm??  Were those grapes seeded or seedless?

(AI image made using CoPilot free art tool.)

🍇 Seeded vs. Seedless: A Quick Background

In nature, grapes always have seeds. That’s how they reproduce. Seedless grapes don’t occur naturally — they’re the result of farmers noticing rare vines with undeveloped seeds and propagating them through cuttings. Over time, selective breeding gave us the popular seedless varieties we see today:

• Thompson Seedless (green)

• Crimson Seedless (red)

• Autumn Royal (black)

I was a tad bit upset with my local grocer because I’ve never seen Autumn Royal in the produce section. But I forgave them because they did sell Corinthian grapes.

🍇 Corinthian Grapes: Natural vs. Cultivated

DID YOU KNOW?  Corinthian grapes (the tiny Black Corinth variety) originated naturally in Greece near ancient Corinth. Once farmers discovered them, they preserved the seedless trait through vegetative propagation — basically cloning the vine. Their small size and seedless nature made them perfect for drying into currants, especially the famous Zante currants.

🤔 So… Which Is Healthier?

A friend of mine uses AI to create content for his Patreon page, and one of the articles asked: Which are healthier — seeded or seedless grapes?

Uh huh. Well, that’s a question you think about every day, right?  NOT!

I love all grapes, but if I’m being honest, I pick seedless most of the time. Grapes with seeds require extra effort to eat!

The article concluded that “seeded” or “seedless” shouldn’t be used as a health label.

Whew! What a relief. I’m going to eat as many seedless grapes as I want from now on. 

🥦 Fresh vs. Frozen: A Question I Did Think About

While I never wondered about seeded vs. seedless grapes, I did wonder whether fresh or frozen fruits and veggies are better.

Guess what? The experts do NOT agree. One says fresh is better. Another says frozen is better. Both make convincing arguments.

So I made my own decision: Frozen. Why? Convenience. I can toss them in a blender and make smoothies. Same reason I use canned fruits.

On the plus side, nutritionists say both fresh fruit and dried fruit have their place in a healthy diet — so you’re covered no matter what you choose.

One might say that's not the healthiest choice.  But I say something similar to what Captain Jack Sparrow might say ... Ah!  But they are healthy. Right?

Recipe of the Month ~ From the Kitchen of Barbara Ann Mojica 🍰

Sharing a recipe from Barbara Ann Mojica's kitchen.  She picked her recipe for a delicious Greek Yogurt pound cake as her Recipe of the Month and was kind enough to share it with me. 

 

Ms. Mojica and I met online years ago and have kept in touch.  She is a successful history/travel writer and publishes awesome books for children under the Little MISS History series.

Before I share her recipe, let me share my culinary journey.

My First Food Experience:

I discovered yogurt during my university days. My roommate introduced me to yogurt with boysenberry fruit preserves. It was a two-fer experience.  I had never heard of yogurt and never knew there was such a thing as boysenberry (see NOTE below).  My foodie journey took me elsewhere, and I learned about plain Greek yogurt - no fruit - and all of the wonderful recipes that use it as a key ingredient. 

Greek Yogurt:  FOOD HISTORY and FUN FACTS:

The food history of Greek yogurt is really a tale of patience, craft, and delicious evolution. This thick, tangy staple began as a traditional strained yogurt in the Eastern Mediterranean and has grown into a global favorite thanks to its rich texture, high protein, and incredible versatility.

Greek yogurt, traditionally called “straggisto”, has been made for centuries across Greece and the broader Eastern Mediterranean. It’s created by straining regular yogurt to remove whey, which concentrates protein and gives it that signature velvety body.

By the early 20th century, Greek dairies had refined the technique into a commercial product, and by the 1990s and 2000s, brands like FAGE helped it explode in popularity internationally. 

Greek yogurt’s rise wasn’t just about taste—it aligned perfectly with shifting nutrition trends. As people sought higher protein, lower fat foods, Greek yogurt offered a naturally satisfying option without needing to be ultra-processed. Its success is as much cultural timing as culinary tradition. Today it’s a culinary chameleon: part ancient craft, part modern nutrition trend.

Modern uses of Greek yogurt show off its versatility

• Breakfast bowls — A creamy base for fruit, nuts, honey, and granola.
• Savory dips — Essential for tzatziki and a lighter stand-in for sour cream.
• Marinades — Its acidity tenderizes meats while adding subtle tang.
• Smoothies — Thickens and boosts protein without overpowering flavor.
• Dressings — A creamy base that keeps things bright and light.
• Baking swaps — Adds moisture to cakes, muffins, and breads.

Ms. Mojica used it in her cake recipe.

🍰 🍰 🍰 

Greek Yogurt Pound Cake - From BAM's Kitchen

Perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea, or packing into a picnic basket before visiting a historic site!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time.
4. Stir in yogurt and vanilla.
5. Combine dry ingredients and gradually mix into the batter.
6. Pour into a greased Bundt or loaf pan.
7. Bake 60–70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool before serving.

A sprinkle of powdered sugar or fresh berries makes a delicious finishing touch!

The cool thing about this cake recipe is that any month of the year is just fine! 😊

[NOTE:  A related fun food fact.  The boysenberry is a four‑berry hybrid—raspberry, blackberry, loganberry, and dewberry—all rolled into one juicy overachiever. It was nearly forgotten until Walter Knott rescued the vines, turning the berry into a legend.]

How to make Greek Yoghurt — @FavoriteFoodie on Read.Cash