Happy Cinco de Mayo!
We could not just leave you with one Cinco de Mayo recipe (other recipe was Guiltless Seven Layer Dip), but thought it was appropriate to post two recipes in celebration of this exciting holiday tradition.
Our family rarely (basically never) eats at Taco Bell. In general we typically limit our fast food intake to avoid the temptation of high calorie foods. This is our person choice and I try to avoid counseling clients they can NEVER eat fast food. I counsel them on how they can make healthier choices and choose moderate portions when they dine there. In some cases clients have told me they would prefer just to avoid it because they know the temptation of walking in the establishment will create a temptation they will not be able to overcome.
If our family did make a visit to Taco Bell my husbands “go-to” menu item would be the Mexican Pizza. According to the Taco Bell website one Mexican Pizza will set you back approximately 540 calories. I am certain this would not be the only thing my husband would order either, meaning his calorie intake for the meal could reach as high as 1000 calories (an excessive amount of calories per meal).
The good news is you can recreate this recipe at home! At 360FN we always say a few simple ingredient swaps and you will have a much lower calorie (and still delicious) recipe. A few recipe substitutions I used for this recipe were corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas, ground turkey for the ground beef, fat free refried beans rather than full fat refried beans, and lower fat cheese. With all of these recipe substitutions I was able to reduce the calories by more than 50%. As with any healthier recipe it is still important for your family to watch the portion sizes as excessive intake can still lead to increased calorie intake.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Enjoy!
Your family’s dietitian,Kristen Smith
Your family’s dietitian,Kristen Smith
Skinny Mexican Pizzaby Kristen SmithPrep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 25 minutesKeywords: entree holiday
Ingredients (8 servings)
Meat Ingredients
- .75 lbs lean 93% lean ground turkey
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning, or make your own
- Non-stick cooking spray
Pizza Ingredients
- 16 corn tortillas
- 1 cup fat free refried beans
- 1 cup low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup taco sauce
- 1 tomato, diced into small squares
- Small bunch of green onions, diced
InstructionsInstructions:1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit2. Spray a medium saucepan with non-stick cooking spray and bring to medium heat, add turkey and taco seasoning, reduce to medium-low heat and cook until turkey no longer pin; drain any excess grease3. If you desire a crunchy pizza place tortillas on baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes (if not skip this step).4. Spread 2 tablespoons of refried beans on a tortilla, sprinkle with the ground turkey meat, top with another tortilla, spread 2 tablespoons of taco sauce on tortilla, sprinkle 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of cheese on top of taco sauce5. Repeat step 4 for remaining tortillas6. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes until cheese is completely melted and tortilla becomes slightly crunchy7. After pizza is removed from oven sprinkle tomato and onion on top; serve immediatelyNutrition:Servings: 1 • Calories: 216.0 kcal • Protein: 14.2 g • Sodium: 485.1 mg • Carbs: 30.9 g • Fat: 4.6 g • Fiber: 4.8 • Sugars: 2.4 g
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