Saturday, June 9, 2012

Best Taco/Burrito Meat..lean, nutritious, tasty (& best salsa EVER!)

***FREEZER FRIENDLY***

It's Burrito/Taco Salad Night!

MEAT:

93% lean ground beef 1.5 lbs
1 can or black beans, rinsed and puree'd (you don't have to puree but if your kids look suspiciously at lumpy beans...puree)
1/2 cup of quinoa, cooked and drained**(read more on quinoa below)
A little taco seasonings...CHECK INGREDIENTS AND AVOID MSG. (monosodium glumate)

Cook meat w/ beans and spices until meat is no longer pink.  Add cooked quinoa. 

TOPPING IDEAS:

spinach or kale (rather than iceberg lettuce since dark greens pack more nutritional value)

BLOCK of cheese...we love colby jack at our house!  (you might find yourself asking, "Why can't I buy already shredded cheese?"  Rather than answering that question FOR you, I want YOU to LOOK AT WHAT IS IN IT compared to a BLOCK of cheese.)

FAGE strained greek yogurt (goodbye sour cream!)  FAGE is cheapest (to my knowledge at Cosco)

Favorite Salsa**(see note at bottom)

Tortilla's or tortilla chips?  Good question...if I was in SUPER weight LOSS mode, I'd skip both all together and just fill up a good portion of meat and toppings.  If I'm in maintenance mode, you can go w/ either one but the chips will have the least amount of carbs.  I buy Cosco's RAW TORTILLA'S found near their produce/cheese.  It has 4 ingredients and tastes really good.  You DO have to cook the tortilla's for 30 seconds or so.  Cosco also carries delicious organic yellow tortilla chips that are cheaper than off-brand chips at the store.



SALSA:

Ok, here's the deal.  I want fresh all the time but realistically is can't always happen.  in the summer when our tomatoes are fresh off the vine and our garden is overflowing, I'd skip making our salsa and just chop up some tomatoes, cilantro, jalopeno pepper, etc. and make a yummy pico de gallo.  But some people don't like "chunky" salsa, and sometimes a food processor will do wonders for what my kids will/will not eat.

IF YOU WANT THE MOST DELICIOUS SALSA THAT IS A MIX OF FRESH WITH CANNED...YOU GOTTA TRY THIS.  It has a long shelf life due to the canned items but is packed w/ fresh, flavorful foods as well.  It's our fav.  I like to buy CANNED ORGANIC TOMATOES from Costco.  (can you tell I love that place??)  Trust me when I say...once you make this salsa you will NEVER want to buy a jar again.  For real.

To view recipe, visit this site:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/restaurant-style-salsa/

**QUINOA 101: 

Quinoa Protein

Technically, quinoa (KEEN-wah) is classified not as a grain but as a type of seed, that of the goosewort plant, a relative of spinach and chard. Quinoa provides a complete protein, making it especially valuable for those who prefer to reduce or completely eliminate animal protein from their diets. It contains all the essential amino acids, including lysine, which is crucial for growing and repairing body tissues. One cup of quinoa provides 9 grams of protein which is one more gram than a medium chicken egg (and unlike the egg, quinoa is unlikely to come from a factory farm).

Migraine Protection

Its high magnesium and riboflavin (B2) content make quinoa an excellent nutritional ally for migraine sufferers. Magnesium prevents the migraine pattern of constricting and rebound dilating of the blood vessels. Migraine sufferers who consume more magnesium in their diets have reported fewer headaches. Riboflavin's ability to promote cellular energy production has a beneficial effect on energy, brain and muscle cells metabolism, providing further protection against migraine attacks.

Cardiovascular Health

Magnesium's ability to relax blood vessels also means eating foods high in this mineral helps reduce hypertension, heart arrhythmias and ischemic heart disease.

Digestion and Detoxifying

This seed-like grain has prebiotic properties, feeding the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract. Since it is easily digested, your body can readily access the vitamins and minerals it contains. Quinoa also provides a good source of insoluble fiber, promoting healthy elimination processes, helping maintain colon health and preventing the formation of gallstones. The folate and vitamin B in quinoa also boost the liver's ability to eliminating toxins from the body. People at high risk for cancer, as well as those with high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease are often advised to eat more whole grains, yet if they have celiac disease or other forms of gluten sensitivities, they must steer clear of many popular grain products. Quinoa is gluten-free, so those who cannot tolerate gluten can eat it.

Anti-oxidant

Quinoa also offers nearly half the daily minimum requirement for manganese and is a good source of copper and zinc. These minerals are necessary to the synthesis of the superoxide dismutase (S.O.D.) enzyme, an important antioxidant. The S.O.D. enzyme eliminates free radicals which can cause oxidation damage in the body. It not only slows the effects of aging, but may help eliminate cancer cells. Several vitamin companies offer S.O.D. supplements but quinoa enables your body to produce its own natural enzymes.

Eating Quinoa

Quinoa has a slightly crunchy and nutty flavor, a little similar to wild rice. You boil it same as rice, with a two to one proportion of water to quinoa, but with a shorter cooking time. Try substituting quinoa for rice in stuffed peppers or alongside beans and avocadoes in a vegetarian burrito. You can make a hot breakfast cereal using quinoa along with honey and dried or fresh fruits or use it in place of other grains, making a tabbouleh-like salad using quinoa, nuts, seeds and chopped vegetables with a light vinaigrette dressing. You can also add quinoa to soups. Most health food stores offer not only quinoa but flour and noodles made from the highly valued food.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15749697

http://www.discover-peru.org/native-crops-of-peru-quinoa/

http://www.3fatchicks.com/5-health-benefits-of-quinoa/

http://bodyecology.com/articles/quinoa_benefits_guide.php

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-quinoa-6494.html

http://cleanseyourbodyfast.com/quinoa-health-benefits-why-you-should-...






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