Outside of working nearly 50 hours this week, I have to take my youngest son to baseball practice every day, help my oldest son with his calculus homework, pay my ADT Security New York, phone and credit card bills and try to get enough sleep so I don’t fall flat on my face. Come to think of it, this sounds like my routine just about every week. Needless to say, I rarely have more than a few minutes to rustle up dinner for the family. However, this doesn’t stop me from cooking healthy (and delicious) meals. One of my favorite things to make is tacos, because it’s healthy, the kids love them and it takes less than 15 minutes to put together (feeds about 5 people). Here’s what you’ll need:
1. One pound of lean (90 or up) ground beef
2. 10 organic tortillas or all-natural taco shells
3. Two cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican four-cheese blend
4. Two cups of your salsa preference
5. One 16-ounce can of black beans
6. One teaspoon chili powder
7. One teaspoon garlic powder
Optional toppings: peeled and shredded carrots, diced avocado, diced tomato, shredded lettuce, low-fat sour cream
Once you’ve gathered everything, heat the oven to 350F and place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat on your stove. Add the beef (and shredded carrots if you have) to the skillet. Break up the meat and cook until it is no longer pink. It usually takes about five minutes. Don’t forget to drain the fat.
While the beef is cooking, stick the taco shells in the oven and bake per the directions on the package. When the meat is done, mix in the beans, shredded cheese, salsa, chili powder and garlic powder. Cook this mixture for two more minutes until the meat is melted.
And then, presto! Serve the meat in the taco shells/tortillas with any additional toppings.