Healthy Taco Recipes - Share yours!

2

Replies

  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
    I'm in for fish and shrimp taco recipes! I never know what to put on them, so I don't make them.

    We typically just mix McCornick taco seasoning with some beef or chicken and add toppings - cheese, salsa, sometimes avocado. We're boring.

    I make shrimp taco salad at least once a week:

    10 pieces of uncooked shrimp,
    1 Tablespoon of Fish Taco Seasoning (I use Old El Paso)

    1/4 cup of sargento low fat shredded Mexican cheese
    1 Tablespoon of Fat Free Sour Cream
    1/2 Avacado
    2 tablespoons of Ortega Mild Taco Sauce
    4 tablespoons of Fresh Gourmet Santa Fe Style Tortailla Strips
    A bunch of your favorite greens (I use Dole Power Up Greens or Iceberg lettuce)

    the total calories is 475 :)
  • misswhitney1
    misswhitney1 Posts: 72 Member
    I dunno about you, but tacos are pretty much my favorite thing. Fish tacos are my first favorite, then chicken, then squash. BUT all of my regular taco go-to's have a lot of calories in the form of beans, sour cream, and tortillas.

    So I am on the hunt for a full arsenal of healthy taco recipes! Help?

    Never thought/heard of using squash as a taco filling....do you have a recipe?

    Mmmm it's so yummy. I grew up with them being called Calabacitas:

    Zucchini squash, cubed
    Yellow neck Squash
    Corn (frozen works well here)
    Red Onion, diced
    Green chile or jalapeno, chopped

    Saute all together with salt, cumin and red chile powder. for protein, throw in some black beans or tofu.

    Serve in corn tortillas with cilantro, diced tomatoes, avocado OR top with white cheddar. Yum!
  • njfitnessmom
    njfitnessmom Posts: 345 Member
    I just recently tried this one from Skinnytaste.com, Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats and they came out so good. Here's the link to the recipe.

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/07/taco-stuffed-zucchini-boats.html
  • Kate7294
    Kate7294 Posts: 783 Member
    bump
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    I know tofu isn't a favorite for a lot of people, but when I was living abroad and vegetarian, the local asian shop had some amazing fresh firm tofu. My friend/roommate and I did a small dice of our portions of tofu and seared it with a pinch of oil and taco seasoning and then either loaded it in to shells or put it on top of lettuce. Believe it or not, aside from the texture being different, it was pretty similar to beef with a lot fewer calories/grease!
  • ANewCrystal4Life
    ANewCrystal4Life Posts: 121 Member
    Mmmm it's so yummy. I grew up with them being called Calabacitas:

    Zucchini squash, cubed
    Yellow neck Squash
    Corn (frozen works well here)
    Red Onion, diced
    Green chile or jalapeno, chopped

    Saute all together with salt, cumin and red chile powder. for protein, throw in some black beans or tofu.

    Serve in corn tortillas with cilantro, diced tomatoes, avocado OR top with white cheddar. Yum!
    [/quote]

    Thanks! Going to try!
  • Kate7294
    Kate7294 Posts: 783 Member
    Okay only tip I can give you here ....
    I mix my serving of lean ground beef with a serving of cooked "Boco" frozen veggie crumbles. By doing this I'm able to enjoy my serving of 2-3 taco shells or have a filling salad while my family just eats the lean ground beef tacos. Before doing this I felt deprived with my servings.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    Nothing "exciting", but I use lean meats (93% ground beef, chicken breast, lean steak, etc.), make my own fat free refried beans (or buy them, but the sodium--ouch!), use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, etc. Taste exactly like "real" because they really are. Oh, I always use corn tortillas, I think they're lower cal than the flour anyway, maybe?

    I think with those simple subs (oh, but always REAL cheese, for me at least), I can get three or four tacos with all the fixin's for around 500 calories. I do also like to take all those toppings and just dump it on a pile of lettuce for a huge taco salad. What can I say, some of us love volume!
  • Natasha_Fit_Fab
    Natasha_Fit_Fab Posts: 93 Member
    Tilapia Fish Tacosxn0b5jtuk38d.jpg
    Black Bean Taco Salad7hghmvj0nwq6.jpg
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,030 Member
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    I'm in for fish and shrimp taco recipes! I never know what to put on them, so I don't make them.

    We typically just mix McCornick taco seasoning with some beef or chicken and add toppings - cheese, salsa, sometimes avocado. We're boring.

    I make shrimp taco salad at least once a week:

    10 pieces of uncooked shrimp,
    1 Tablespoon of Fish Taco Seasoning (I use Old El Paso)

    1/4 cup of sargento low fat shredded Mexican cheese
    1 Tablespoon of Fat Free Sour Cream
    1/2 Avacado
    2 tablespoons of Ortega Mild Taco Sauce
    4 tablespoons of Fresh Gourmet Santa Fe Style Tortailla Strips
    A bunch of your favorite greens (I use Dole Power Up Greens or Iceberg lettuce)

    the total calories is 475 :)
    Gonna have to try this, thanks! :)

  • kangaroo33
    kangaroo33 Posts: 76 Member
    One of my faves, too! Love, love, love any and all kinds of tacos, but I'm a crunchy lover, so letting go of the tortilla's is tough. Here's what I've done, since I tend to be a "use whatever I have in the house/fridge" type of cook due to my busy schedule:

    Any type of low carb tortillas, around 60-80 calories, high fiber, usually around 5-6 net carbs each. I only eat one. Toast it in oven or toaster oven until almost completely crunchy, but still flexible.

    Tilapia, swai, salmon...whichever I have.
    Taco seasoning, or old bay, or cumin, chili powder, red pepper.
    Grill or saute the fish, but if I do a pan, I cook in water with a drop of olive oil.

    Shredded lettuce or cabbage.

    Mashed fresh avocado or guacamole.

    Green chilis, jalepenos, whatever I have. Salsa verde, green pepper hot sauce, and/or fresh salsa (the grocery store I go to sells fresh made salsa in the produce isle, no added sauce or sugar). Taco sauce???? sometimes

    I don't add the sour cream, but you could use light.

    2% milk shredded cheese (sometimes) but only 1/8 of a cup or less.

    Most of the ingredients are pretty low in calories and carbs....the avocado's up there, but a healthy fat and if you do use the sour cream and cheese, just go light on those...measure. Otherwise, a very healthy and low cal meal.

    Since the tortilla is fajita size, it's larger, so I pack all of my items with excessive veggies and fish onto the one tortilla. Fold it in half and it works. Totally satisfying and never feel deprived. Sure, you could do a taco salad, too, the same way and with more veggies, but sometimes you just want to have the actual taco...feels like a sandwich in a way.

    HHHHHMMM, might have to make them this week.
  • crystallynnl
    crystallynnl Posts: 100 Member
    When I make tacos I used ground turkey with low sodium seasoning. I top my tacos with lettuce, salsa, little bit of cheese, little bit of sour cream. Yum!!! More so I like taco salad. I crush up a few shells and put everything on top.
    I need a taco day soon!
  • pastabelly
    pastabelly Posts: 50 Member
    Love tacos! Totally going to try some of these :)
  • PowerfulHunt
    PowerfulHunt Posts: 281 Member
    One of my favorite lunch ideas :

    http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/2014/01/25/chopped-taco-mason-jar-salad/
  • misswhitney1
    misswhitney1 Posts: 72 Member
    The mason jar is a great idea!

    I made a taco salad for lunch today with spinach, rotisserie chicken, a hefty portion of corn pico de gallo, and avocado dressing - I mashed up one avocado with the juice of 1.5 limes and added a little splash of water to make it the consistency of ranch dressing. Given my calories/macros, I only get 4 tortilla chips to go with it :( but it's yummy anyway!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    I make all kinds of tacos - fish, shrimp, pulled pork, ground venison, shredded chicken. I typically add fork-mashed black or pinto beans, chopped onion and jalapeno, homemade salsa, a little cheese and sometimes avocado.

    I'm not sure what calorie range you are looking for, but most of these aren't bad, especially if I skip the avocado and/or cheese.
  • whovian67
    whovian67 Posts: 608 Member
    sbjmorgan wrote: »
    Soooo I am way too into tacos. Here are some of my faves...

    Skirt steak + pico de gallo + cilantro + light sour cream + refried beans. I use less than a tbsp of beans per taco and only 1 tbsp of sour cream per taco!

    Fish tacos: I don't batter fry. tilapia + corn + red bell pepper sauteed together with just a bit of oil and some cumin and black pepper. Cilantro, lime juice, pico or just onion, sour cream. Sometimes black beans or slaw (no mayo).

    Pulled pork + pickled jalapenos + cheddar + light sour cream + salsa (or if you're into fusion, bbq sauce instead of salsa and a little slaw instead of the sour cream and jalapenos)

    chipotle + lime juice + fajita spice marinated chicken with baby greens, onion, salsa, queso fresco and a bit of sour cream

    NICE!!! Must try your recipes!
  • Timelordlady85
    Timelordlady85 Posts: 797 Member
    I do 2 big taco shells(180 cals.), 1 cup shredded lettuce, .5 cup diced tomatoes, 4ounces ground turkey(use the 93% reduced fat version) with the low sodium seasoning and some fresh made salsa from walmart. sometimes I use a 1 TB sour cream.
  • katematt313
    katematt313 Posts: 624 Member
    I use ground chicken instead of beef, and mix in sauteed chopped veggies with the meat and taco seasoning, add a little water or beer, and simmer until thickened. One other trick is to thin mashed avocado with fat free plain yogurt, and add diced chiles, tomatoes and lime juice for flavor - it is just as tasty, lighter, with more protein that regular guacamole. Last, use a nice leaf of butter lettuce and make a taco lettuce wrap, instead of using a flour or corn tortilla. If you are dying for that crunch from a crispy taco shell, crumble a couple of tortilla chips on top. This alone counts for huge calorie savings. Whatever you do, do not use flour tortillas. They are the highest in calories and carbs of all the wrap/exterior choices. Even crispy corn tacos are better (and to me, better tasting). Enjoy :smile:

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