Homemade Taco Seasoning

Spice mixes can not only be costly, they can contain ingredients you don't want to consume such as diary, gluten, artificial ingredients or preservatives. When the store I used to get my taco seasoning from switched the seasoning to one with maltodextrin, I decided to try to make my own. How hard could it be, I thought. And it wasn't. The kids didn''t even seem to notice the difference. This recipe replaces one packet of taco seasoning. Alter to your own taste.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 T. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. paprika
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 t. sea salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/3 t. cornstarch

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.


Enjoy!

Keep Checking Those Labels

For those of us concerned about our nutrition, food labels are our friends. We want to know how much fat, sugar, protein, fiber, etc. Some of us want to know if the product contains gluten or dairy. Are the ingredients natural? There is so much we can check.

But whatever you choose to check on the labels--keep checking those same labels. It's easy to spot new products on the shelf. But, some of your favorite products may have been changed without a change to the outside of the container, bag or box.

It's great to see when companies change the colors, flavors or preservatives in their product to natural ingredients. I have seen wheat removed (it was a small percent) from a product and replaced with something else without a change to the box. More labels now clarify the ingredients (for example: stating what kind of maltodextrin they used).

So, recheck those labels periodically. You may be pleasantly surprised.