Tacos

I LOVE TACOS!!!

For me Tacos are not just for Tuesdays.  Taco Day is EVERYDAY!!!  On my quest to be healthy I was worried Tacos would need to become a ‘treat’ or ‘cheat’.  My desire to indulge in my true love forced me to figure out a way for us to be together.  

The way I prefer my tacos is simple.  Hard shell, meat, sauce, cheese and tomato.  Not fancy, just basic goodness.  Three tacos usually hits the spot.  Three shells are 180 calories.  1/4 cup of shredded cheese is 100 calories.  The taco sauce is Only FIVE CALORIES for a tablespoon!  Even being extreme in the amount of sauce used I am only at 300 calories.

The meat is where I have been working out the kinks.  I’ve always believed the leaner the meat the harder to flavor it.  I’ve tried turkey in the past, but I really don’t like the rubbery texture and it was pretty time intensive to get it to absorb any taco seasoning.  I was typically using 80% lean ground beef.   A serving size is 4oz, which is plenty for my three tacos.  80% lean is 270 calories per serving!!  YIKES!  I decided to try 96% lean because it is only 140 calories.  This was a little too tough for my liking.  I tried 93% lean which is 170 calories and it is pretty good.  I was amazed how much difference there was between the 96% and 93%.  Unfortunately I can’t always find the 93% at my local stores.  I shifted to 90% which has 200 calories and found it is a fair compromise.  I’m only adding 30 more calories and it has typically been available.  Plus the 90% is definitely wins on taste over 93% or 96%.

My beloved tacos come in at 500 calories.  This keeps me in the range I want for a meal and I get to indulge in one of my favorite foods without guilt.  Winner Winner Taco Dinner!!!