Healthier Taco Salad

Thinking back to one of my first ever posts where we were being somewhat “lazy” and had tacos for supper… I found a recipe on Beachbody.com for a healthier taco salad option! Homemade taco seasoning, which means WAY less sodium than store bough,  toasted tortilla strips as a crunchy topping instead of a good portion of your dinner being taco shells, and still the same ability to customize to fit what both Brent and I can/like to/have to eat!!! 

This recipe calls for ground turkey… but I just never have loved ground meat for some reason lol so I used chicken breast cut into strips which I usually do with other tacos, and cooked Brent’s veggie ground “beef” for his protein!   Then lots of lettuce, avocado (I cut mine up instead of mashing, but think mashing would give more of a creamy guacamole texture if you wanted!), I used cherry tomatoes because that’s what we had, a few slices of fresh jalapenos and was bad and added a little bit of cheese :) you can’t have tacos without cheese, even if you’re being healthy - please!

The taco seasoning IS really good and tastes pretty similar to a store bought mix, but for sure now you know exactly what is in it, just spices, which is never a bad thing!   Give it a try!!

 

2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. raw 93% lean ground turkey (or 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into small strips)
1 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning Blend (recipe below)
¼ cup water
Nonstick cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into strips
½ medium ripe avocado
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 dash garlic powder
Sea salt (or Himalayan salt) (to taste; optional)
6 cups shredded lettuce
4 medium tomatoes, chopped

 

Taco Seasoning Blend:
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
1 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. dried oregano

 Combine chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano in a small bowl; mix well.

 

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat.
2. Add turkey; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until no longer pink.
3. Add taco seasoning and water; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until most water has evaporated. Remove from heat. Set aside.
4. Heat a medium nonstick skillet pan over medium high heat. Lightly coat skillet with spray. Add tortilla strips; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Set aside.
5. Mash avocado in a small bowl with a fork.
6. Add lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt (if desired); mix well.
7. Divide lettuce evenly between four serving bowls. Top with turkey mixture, tomatoes, avocado mixture, and tortilla strips; serve immediately

 

Crispy Kale Tortilla Pizza

Pizza night!  A yummy pizza topped with kale, garlic, jalapenos, mine with chicken and Brent’s with Portobello mushrooms. You could totally make this on whatever pizza crust you wanted to and any kind of other toppings along with the kale of course!

 

Ingredients are for 1 tortilla pizza but make as many as you want :)

 

1 tortilla (we used a whole grain with quinoa!)

1-2 TBSP sauce (we used a tomato sauce, you don’t want too much on a tortilla or is too soggy!)

¾ cup kale, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely

½ cup other toppings (cooked chicken, Portobello mushrooms, etc)

½ cup mozzarella cheese

2 TBSP fresh shredded parmesan cheese

 

Preheat oven to 300F.  In a small bowl, combine kale, olive oil and garlic and mix with your hands to coat the kale. Spread sauce evenly on tortilla then spread jalapenos and chicken/mushrooms on as well. Top with mozza cheese, then kale and parmesan on top.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted, kale is crispy and before the tortilla is burnt! Rotate pan every 5 minutes or so and finish by broiling cheese if you’d like.

 

Enjoy!

Szechuan Beef Stirfry

Another easy and yummy recipe!  We couldn’t find any snow peas anywhere for some reason (and by anywhere I mean the whole 2 stores we looked) but we used cauliflower and red peppers for our vegetables instead :) I also added a few red pepper flakes to make it a little more spicy for Brent and I - Devlan loved the beef! We served with some plain white and wild rice as well.  Fast, easy and delish - enjoy!

 

Ingredients

• 3 ounces extra lean beef flank steak, raw (I used vegetarian beef tips for Brent!)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger root, fresh
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut in strips
• 1/3 cup snow pea pods, fresh or frozen

 

Preparation

• Cut beef across the grain into 1/8 inch thick strips and place in a shallow dish.
• Combine soy sauce and honey in a bowl and pour over meat strips, tossing to coat.
• Heat oil in a wok or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat. Add cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger and sauteé for 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and snow peas and stir fry 3 minutes; remove vegetables from pan.
• Stir fry beef strips 2-3 minutes, until cooked throughout. Return vegetables to pan and continue to cook until heated through

 

Recipe from BeachBody.com

 

Chicken and Black Bean Mason Jar Salad

Meal prep Monday! Just kidding, that's totally not a real thing for me, it just happened today... Mason jar salads for lunch! 
I didn't use jicama and of course used real chicken for me and veggie chicken for Brent but everything else is the same as the recipe! I haven't eaten it yet but I'm going to go ahead and assume it will be delicious!

Recipe from BeachBody:

• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. + ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, divided use
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups canned black beans
• 4 oz. shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1 cup chopped jicama
• ½ cup thinly sliced radishes
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1. Place lime juice, 2 Tbsp. cilantro, garlic, and jalapeno in a blender; cover. Blend until smooth.
2. Slowly add oil, blending continuously, until well mixed. Evenly divide dressing between 4 one-quart Mason jars. Set aside.
3. Evenly layer beans, chicken, jicama, radishes, onion, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and remaining ½ cup cilantro on top of dressing in jars.
4. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Shake before serving.