Friday, February 22, 2013

Sneaking Veggies into Dinner - Healthier Tacos

Everyone loves a quick and easy weeknight dinner.  One of our simplest (and most fun) has become known as Taco Tuesday.  Travis and I love tacos, but I've gotta tell ya...I don't love the idea of 75% of a meal being  meat and shell.  Sure you can add veggies to the top, but lettuce and tomatoes can only do so much.  In an effort to remove some of the guilt from the meal, I add a secret ingredient that helps dilute the meat/carb factor (making them healthier)...and no one will ever know.


The secret ingredient - mushrooms!

You just need three things from the store:

1-1.5 pound package ground beef (90% lean)
8 ounces mushrooms
A "Taco Dinner Kit" (that contains the shells, seasoning, and sauce)




Directions

Finely dice the mushrooms so they are about the same size of a "crumble" of the cooked ground beef so they'll blend in nicely.  I would think this one time a "slap-chop" would come in handy, but since I don't have one, I just chop away on a cutting board!


Brown and strain your ground beef.  Return ground beef to the pan and add the mushrooms.


Then prepare as you would normally - add water and seasoning packet and simmer until combined.  By the time it's done, you'll have to look pretty hard to tell the difference between the ground beef and mushrooms.

Such a sly way to sneak veggies into dinner - your family will be non the wiser.  ;)


What are your favorite ways to make everyday dinners healthier?



7 comments:

  1. Lol! My older daughter loooves mushrooms and would happily eat them with no prompting. The little one? Not so much... Might have to try this with her. ;)

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    Replies
    1. I'd wager that unless she's got a SERIOUS aversion to mushrooms, your little one would never know. Small pieces + strong spices = totally hidden!!

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  2. I love this idea! Always looking for some good ways to get more veggies into my little guy :)

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  4. It looks very delicious. I try this recipe tomorrow. Today I have a lot of work. My boss watching me, so I'm not bored in work ;) Maybe I should change my office job? If I was a chef I might cook at work and nobody complaint :)

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