Wellness Wednesday Tip #44: Taco Talk! Preparing for Cinco de Mayo!

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     With Cinco de Mayo this week, we thought it’d be timely to do a post on how to make healthy food choices for the holiday. If you’re anything like us, you LOVE tacos! Here’s some tips to take your taco to the next level in terms of health.

1.     Shell

a. Soft > Hard: Hard shells are typically fried which adds excess fats and calories to the taco.

b. Corn > Flour: Corn tortillas have few calories, fat, and sodium than their flour counterparts. They are also higher in fiber. 

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2.     Filling:  

a. This is what makes tacos awesome. There’s an infinite amount fillings to add to your taco to always spice things up.

b. If you choose meat, I recommend a leaner meat such as chicken rather than red meat such as pork, beef, or steak. Chicken has less unhealthy fat and cholesterol than the latter options.

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c. Fish can also make a great substitute. I recommend baked fish to avoid excess saturated fat from frying fish in oil.

d. Be sure to add color and taste with veggies. You can really get creative here. You can go traditional with cilantro, onion, and lime. Or you can decide to go American with tomato, cheese, and lettuce. Some other great additions are horse radish, shredded carrots and cabbage, and avocados. Nothing sounding appealing yet? Here’s 81 options to find the perfect veggie taco recipe for you: http://ohmyveggies.com/vegetarian-taco-recipes/

e. Toppings: If you’re like me, then you’ll agree, the spicy the better. Salsa makes a great topping for lots of dishes, especially tacos. Salsa is also a great way to add more vegetables to your dish. Guacamole can also add great taste with healthy fats and a creamy texture.

¡HOLIDAY BONUS!

Sorry this bonus doesn’t involve money, but it will certainly taste better.  Given the soon approaching holiday, Aaron decided to share his favorite salsa recipe with you all to try out. Do you have a favorite taco or salsa recipe? Let us know! We’d love to try it.

Fire Roasted Salsa

Ingredients:

  • 3-12oz cans of Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Canned Tomatoes
  • 2-3 serrano peppers (tip: The more lines or wrinkles on the skin of the pepper, the older and spicier it is.  The smoother it is, the younger and milder it will be.)
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • Half a white onion – diced
  • Half a head of cilantro – diced
  • Salt and/or lime to taste
  • Favorite bag of tortilla chips (for healthy option, I recommend blue corn tortilla chips)

Putting it together

  1. Roast the garlic and serrano peppers on a frying pan until the skins become browned on each side
    1. Allow them to cool off before pealing
    2. Peal the skins off the peppers and garlic and place into blender
  2. Open and drain the canned tomatoes and place into blender
  3. Add 1-2 tea spoons of salt to taste preference
  4. Blend the ingredients. You can choose to “chop” for chunkier mixture or “puree” for more liquefied final product
  5. Dice the onion and cilantro and place into the serving bowl
  6. Pour the salsa from the blender into the serving bowl and mix around the cilantro and onion
  7. Enjoy!

     ¡Feliz Cinco De Mayo! Thanks again for all of the #WellfieWednesday support, be sure to post your pictures this week and tag the WW crew members (@PBernerSPT, @Eric_in_AmERICa, @AaronPerezPT, @fitnerdaimee, @DianaKlatt) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

-WW Crew