In the spirit of eating more basic foods and less processed food…I made a healthier alternative to the usual enchilada or burritos I usually make when I’m craving Mexican food. Tortillas are YUMMY and I’m a total carb junkie. Michael has voiced wanting to limit is carbohydrate intake with the new diet he’s doing (Protein & Fiber for dinners). Even though I’m dragging my feet in the whole limiting carbs thing, I know it won’t hurt to eat bread products in more moderation.
I agreed to not use tortillas so I made turkey taco salads instead. Half the ground turkey was browned in the skillet and the other half was frozen for another week of meal planning. I prepped the veggies and got the salads ready.
I also cooked the black beans. On the 4-Hour Body diet the author apparently talks a lot about legumes. I think beans are a great addition to most meals when you’re trying to lose weight. Some beans can be higher in calories but they are so filling that you don’t eat quite as much food compared to other things.
Michael made his amazing guacamole.
Recently I had picked up a packet of taco seasoning and decided to try it. I don’t think the taco seasoning was flavorful enough–especially for ground turkey which can be pretty plain unless well-seasoned.
I had about 1400 calories left for dinner on Saturday night after burning so many at the gym. The ground turkey is really low in calories. The salad is low in calories. Black beans are a little higher than other beans but the high ticket item in dinner? Guacamole. Oh I enjoyed it too.
I also had two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon while we watched Damages (Season 3).
Dinner was good, filling but not a gut-buster like most Mexican food is. I’m happy with the dinner we created and happy with the amount of calories was in my salad.
QUESTION: What ingredients go into your taco salad? I’m looking for ideas for the next time around!
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
Mmmm I love taco salads! And you know, corn tortillas are not bad for you at all. You can toast some up and add them to the salad (they are only 1 pt+ a piece on WW and relatively low calorie compared to flour tortillas) or add some baked tortilla chips for some crunch. I also love to add chopped tomato, fresh lime, and cilantro to mine!
Lisa Eirene
Oh I forgot that I added fresh lime juice to the lettuce instead of dressing. Good idea on the chopped tomato.
starleigh
My taco salads are similar but I put tortilla chips in it. I know, bad carbs. 😛
I also like to add red onion, tomato, or even some chopped red bell pepper for color. And I’m more about the sour cream than the guac (although I do love guac).
What do you normally use instead of taco seasoning mix? I usually just use individual spices like chili powder, paprika, cumin, and a little cayenne. That’s basically what’s in those packets except without the added chemicals and excess sodium that are in some of them.
Lisa Eirene
Good call on the red onion. That does make it good.
Normally Michael seasons the meat with spices. The only reason we used this packet was because it sounded good in the store and I wanted to try it. It was disappointing and flavorless. I think the individual spices are better!
kalin
I put corn (in the summer, i roast corn on the cob and then cut it off-so good!) and tomatoes
For taco meat to up the flavor I always dice up some onion to cook in with it, and usually some petit diced tomatoes (or I dump in salsa)
blackhuff
Such a healthy alternative. Great work.
I sometimes add pieces of pineapple or tomato to ours. Very tasty.
Coco
My taco salad is pretty predictable.
I was using ground turkey, but my husb really wants beef, so now I use Laura’s Lean Ground Beef, seasoned with spices or taco spice mix.
The salad has chopped romaine, shredded iceberg, shredded low fat cheddar cheese, black beans or kidney beans, tomatoes.
Lisa Eirene
I think the tomatoes make a big difference. We didn’t use any this time and it was missed.
Julie
I like crunch in my taco salad so we take the ultra thin corn tortillas and spray them with a little pam and cut them into thin strips and pop them in the oven for about 7 minutes. When they sit for a few minutes, they get crispier. Then we top our salad with them.
I also top our turkey chili with these, too….and our tortilla soup 🙂
Leah
I lurve taco salads. Corn, salsa, hot sauce, black beans, cilantro, avocado, crumbled tortilla chips, tomato, onion, a little bit of lime juice!