Sneaky Tacos

Yes, just about anything can be made healthier or unique based on what you have on hand. I for one, often make it my mission to sneak extra veggies into just about everything we eat. Having a toddler or picky eater around often makes it especially tricky to get them to eat extra veggies. It’s also very fun to experiment with different flavor combos- I feel it’s also important to expose my daughter to lots of different flavors and foods.

When it comes to sneaking veggies into your foods, in my experience, its easiest to sneak veggies into things like sauces, stews and casseroles and in this case, tacos. In my latest meal I was also trying to use up some food into my fridge before things went bad.

Seasoned taco meat made from scratch went a little something like this yesterday…

Chopped onion sauteed with garlic, a couple of spoonfuls of tomato paste, bag of riced veggies (sweet potato, edamame and cauliflower), smashed cherry tomatoes, some Mitchell’s Fresh Salsa and some water to give it a little juice to simmer it all together. I then added maybe only a 1/4lb of ground beef that was already cooked in my fridge. Seasonings included, chili powder, salt and pepper, cumin, garlic and onion powder, paprika and a bit of cayenne. Combined everything in the pan and simmered together until it was perfectly saucy and thick. Although I only had 1/4lb beef to feed my family, I was able to stretch it super far, use up a bunch of ingredients and add nutritional value all at once. In fact it was two dinners worth! That my friend is busy parent gold. Added the typical taco fixings and called it a night! We love pickled red cabbage, gauc, sour cream, cheese, salsa, cilantro… you get it. ALL the goods.

You’ll see that when I cook, I literally often use everything but the kitchen sink! It’s fun to be creative. If whatever you make comes out just OK or even terrible, make it a different way next time! TRY NEW THINGS, COOK NEW THINGS and sometimes, do it without following a recipe. You might surprise yourself or your family.

Cheers!

Kassie