Easy Taco Salad

If you’re like me, you look for healthy recipes that you can make with little cleanup in 15 minutes or less and that everyone will love. Such recipes are pretty hard to come by, until now. My mom has been making this meal for years. In fact, the only time we ever got Doritos when I was growing up was when she made this, so I think that’s partially why I enjoy this meal so much. It’s fast, healthy, easy, and everyone’s happy. How can you get any better than that?

Ingredients

1/2 bag of lettuce

1/2 bag of spinach

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 white onion, diced

1 tomato, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 can of red kidney beans

¼ to ½ cup of lite Italian dressing (to taste)

Doritos

Instructions

Cook the turkey in a skillet until browned. Add the can of beans to the skillet without draining and allow to simmer on low heat. Meanwhile, mix lettuce, spinach, onion, tomato, and avocado. Pour Italian dressing over the mixture and toss. Add the meat and beans without draining the liquid and toss again. Crumble a handful of Doritos over the salad. Serve with Doritos. Enjoy! 

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

We painted our kitchen cabinets over the weekend (will post about that soon!) so our house, and especially our kitchen, is a huge mess. I needed a quick and easy dinner idea that involved little cooking and preparation so I could try and get some order restored to the household. This recipe was fast, easy, and best of all, the only prep was throwing everything in my beloved crockpot.

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 jar of salsa, any flavor (I used mild)

2/3 cup of water

Whole wheat tortillas

Taco toppings such as: shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, onion, corn, black beans, sour cream, etc.

Put chicken in the crockpot and cover with the salsa and water. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and return to the crockpot. Put meat and toppings in whole wheat tortillas. Enjoy!

Zucchini Soup (Made with Two Ingredients!)

On this unseasonably cool, dreary and rainy day in July, all I want to do is snuggle up with a book and some soup. So, here’s one of my favorite summer soup recipes that’s quick and delicious, and only has a few ingredients! It is good served both hot and cold, depending on your preference.  

Ingredients

1 wheel of Laughing Cow cheese (I use the Garlic and Herb flavor)

3 large zucchini, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices

In a stockpot, bring lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pieces of zucchini and boil until cooked through. Drain and set aside to cool. Unwrap the wedges of Laughing Cow and put in a blender. Add the zucchini and puree until smooth. Pour back into the stock pot and heat through, if desired. If you want, you can season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, but I usually eat it plain. Serve with bread. Enjoy!

Easy Fish Tacos

We've had these twice now and they've been delicious both times. The total prep time is 5 minutes, cook time is 7, and everything is prepared in one skillet (and a cutting board). Gotta love an easy cleanup, especially on a weeknight.

Ingredients 

4-8 tilapia fillets, cut in 1-inch sections (I've used frozen and fresh and both turned out great). If you like more substance to your tacos or are cooking for more people, use more fillets.

Chili powder, to taste

Cumin, to taste

Onion powder, to taste

Garlic, to taste

Whole wheat tortillas, warmed

Taco toppings such as: diced onion, diced tomato, black beans, corn, lettuce, shredded cheese, avocado, lime (to squeeze), salsa, or buffalo ranch dressing

1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

Pour a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and heat. Add the tilapia and seasonings. Stir occasionally, until tilapia is cooked through and beginning to crumble. 

Warm tortillas in the microwave. 

Prepare tacos according to your liking. Create a taco bar if you're serving a lot of people. Pour some margaritas. Voila, you're done!