New Countertop Oven, Strawberry/banana/PB Smoothie, and BEST EVER Chickpea Tacos

We have one of those kitchens that only...sigh...has 1 oven.  I do SO much cooking now and there are many times that I have multiple things that need to be put in the oven, all at different temps of course.  Cooking can sometimes take twice or 3 times as long as it should. 

So, I am STOKED about the new countertop oven I got in the mail today!  We needed to replace our ANCIENT "toaster oven" which was nothing more than a glorified toaster that took up more space than one.  We did a ton of research, looking at reviews on Walmart.com and amazon.com.  When we buy appliances or something like this, we always check reviews first and don't make an impulse buy.  Here is what I was looking for in a new countertop oven:

• Can fit a 13x9 pan
• Can fit a 12" pizza
• Has 2 racks
• Looks nice (stainless)
• Has convection feature
• Is affordable (less than $100)

This one had it all! After checking the reviews for this model on several sites, it had RAVE reviews.  We got the Hamilton Beach Countertop oven with Convection and Rotisserie Option.

Here is the link to it on amazon.  It was $89 total, with free 2-day shipping!  It is quite large but I checked and my 9x13" baking pans fit in there great!  It is beautiful and looks great in our kitchen.  I am really excited about the convection option.  We have never had a convection oven so I'm looking forward to learning more about it.  I could even bake a rotisserie chicken in there!  There is an attachment you put in (take out the racks) and can cook a full chicken in there.  Supposedly, it works really well - according to the reviews.

Ok, enough about that....After my 8 y.o. got off the bus today, she was hungry and hunting around for snacks.  I decided to make her a strawberry, banana, PB smoothie!  It was non-dairy and no sugar added!  Here is the recipe:

Strawberry Banana PB Smoothie (adapted from clean cuisine)

• 3/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk (such as Blue Diamond) or soymilk (such as Silk)
• 1 frozen banana, cut into chunks (my banana was not frozen, so I also added 2 cubes of ice to add more of a smoothie texture)
• 1/2 cup frozen organic strawberries
• 1 tablespoon all-natural peanut butter (or raw almond butter)

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Drink cold.

 Super easy & yummy!  I tasted a little and I definitely approve.  I would have added chia or flax seeds but she was not feeling it.  And talk about a healthy after school snack!  This held her over until dinner, which was AMAZING!

Tonight for dinner, I made Chickpea Tacos.  They were SO EASY, literally took me less than 5 minutes to make.  That's one of the benefits of going vegetarian for this month or so....it commonly takes less time to prepare meals when you don't have to cook meat!  So, here is the recipe:

Chickpea Tacos:

• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
• 4 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 8 corn taco shells (organic)
• 2 cups baby salad greens
• 1 cup prepared salsa (medium or hot)
• 1/2 cup nondairy sour cream or non fat plain greek yogurt

Place avocado in small bowl, and mash with fork. Stir in chickpeas, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. 

Warm tacos in the oven (or countertop oven like I did!)

Place salad greens, salsa, and sour cream in separate bowls, and set out alongside chickpea-avocado mash.

To serve, let each person build their own taco by filling each shell with 1/4 cup chickpea-avocado mash, some greens, salsa, and sour cream.

I also had a can of Amy's organic refried beans I gave the kids an option of using instead of the chickpeas.  And, I grated some organic cheddar cheese.

The kids loved them!

 Even my pickiest eater, my 4 y.o. loved them!

For my 1 y.o., I mushed up the chickpea, avocado mixture and mixed in greek yogurt.  I fed it to him since it would have been too messy for him to eat himself.  HE WAS LOVING IT!!!  Babies under 24 months need extra fat (which is why we usually feed our babies whole milk) and avocado is a very healthy fat!  So, I felt good about that.  

I also served these with a good side of cantaloupe and pineapple.  Me you ask?  Well I made a salad out of mine..

I had some organic romaine with sliced cucumbers, the chickpea mixture, some Amy's refried beans, salsa, and half of a taco shell on the side.  Delish!  This one is going to be a regular!  I loved how simple it was and gave my kids choices on what they wanted in their tacos.

Ok so update on the post from yesterday, about becoming a "nutritionist".  I talked to the lady in charge of licensing for the Oklahoma Medical Board and she told me that the term "nutritionist" is not a regulated term.  Technically, I could call myself a "nutritionist" right now and it would be perfectly legal.  But, would be good to take some tests and become certified.  OR, I could take some nutrition and wellness classes at a local college and get an associates in nutrition & wellness.  BUT, for me to become a "dietician", I would need to finish a 4-year degree with a minimum 26 hours focus work on nutrition & wellness.  Then, I would have to take the dietetics exam and then appeal to the OK Medical Board to become registered.  So, I'm still mulling it over.  I definitely want to help people with nutrition so I just need to decide what is the most feasible thing for me to do.

Thanks for reading!!