Thursday, September 18, 2008

Recipe: Taco Salad Bowls


Main Course: Taco Salad Bowls
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
4 eight inch 100% whole wheat tortillas (you can use flour, but 100% whole wheat are better for you!)
1 tbsp. chili powder, divided
3/4 pound extra lean ground beef
1 cup matchstick carrots
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. salsa, divided
2 tbsp. light mayo (optional)
4 cups torn salad greens
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro (whichever you prefer)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Crumple 4 large sheets of aluminum foil to make 4 3-inch balls; place on baking sheet.
3. Place 1 tortilla on top of each ball; spray tortilla with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 tsp. chili powder. Bake for 6 minutes or until tortillas are golden brown. (tortillas will drape over balls as they bake)
4. While the tortillas bake, brown meat with carrots and 2 tsp. chili powder in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup salsa; cook 2 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
5. Now you have the choice to make at topping out of 2 tbsp. mayo mixing with salsa or just using whatever normal taco toppings you like. (We use lettuce, tomato, cheese, chopped parsley, and salsa)

Nutrition information per serving: 370 calories, 14g fat (this can go down depending on the topping you choose)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Back to reality...

We are home from Hawaii and back to reality. It was such an amazing trip! The pictures can't capture the beauty of this island. If you have never been you have to put it on your must-see list! We have been to other tropical locations, but nothing compares to the beauty found here. We spent an entire week on the Big Island of Hawaii. Most people chose to go to one of the other islands (Oahu is very popular) but I would recommend the Big Island! It is less crowded and offers everything the other islands have and so much more! We rented a car (a must) and drove around the entire island over the course of several days. The highlight of our trip was the two nights we spent in the little town of Volcano. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast called Kilauea Lodge. It was amazing! I was a bit worried before we left about staying in a B&B, and boy was I proven wrong! We liked the B&B more than the 5 star hotels we stayed in the rest of the week. Do not go to the Big Island without stopping for a night or two in Volcano! This is where the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is located, so it's worth the stop. There are so many things I could say about our trip, but it's even better to see the trip through pictures, and boy do we have a TON!! I posted a few on my facebook account, but there are over 500 on my snapfish account. Let me know if you want to see them and I will send you an e-mail with the link to all the pictures. Since there are so many, you will want to have a few extra minutes to look at them all. There are so many pictures that you will feel like you went on our trip with us! :-) You can use the pics to take a "vacation" from your everyday life. Enjoy!! Here are just a few pictures to give you a sampling....

This was on the trail to Akaka Falls

Akaka Falls...SO huge!


This was our favorite stop on the island (beside Volcano)...Lapahoehoe Point...Amazing!!!