Healthy Comfort Food

Myth: Maintaining a healthy diet means that I only have a few meal options, my types of foods will be limited, and it will all boring.

Truth: Eating healthy does not have to be boring! Many of your favorite “cheat meals” or “comfort foods” can be made healthy with just a few substitutions.

Making these minor changes will provide your body with the healthy nutrients it needs without sacrificing flavor. When we do any type of exercise (e.g., running, lifting, swimming, etc.) we fatigue and break down our muscles. We need to properly fuel our bodies in order to restore and rebuild our muscles. Unfortunately, re-fueling with chicken wings and cake doesn’t count! Instead, try fueling with foods that meet your nutritional needs and satisfy your food cravings. If we eat flexibly and give our bodies what they what (in a healthy way), we are less likely to binge and fall off track. After all, you wouldn’t fuel your Ferrari with “regular” gas, would you? Sure, the car would run, but not to it’s full potential. If you fuel your body with “premium’ fuel you it will run the way it’s intended.

My husband LOVES tacos and makes “taco meat” almost every week. Recently, I wanted to hop on the taco train, but I knew that eating tacos all week (with tons of cheese, guacamole, etc.) would not do my body good. I decided to come up with my own version for ‘Taco Tuesday’.

The first time I made this new recipe I was skeptical, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised! Substituting the sweet potato for tortilla was a strange idea, but it paid off. The flavor was delicious and the nutritional benefits were huge. Additionally, I used ground turkey instead of beef – but any lean meat would work. Also, I made another healthy choice by using ‘low-sodium’ taco packets. Then, I chose to top my ‘taco’ with Mexican corn salsa and plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream).

This meal gave me the healthy nutrients that I need to keep my body running AND satisfied my craving for a delicious taco!

Sweet Potato Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning
• 2 sweet potatoes

Toppings:

• Corn salsa
• Spinach/lettuce
• Plain Greek Yogurt
• Tomatoes
• Any of your favorite taco toppings!

Directions:

1. Brown meat in a pan
2. Follow directions for taco seasoning packet
3. Wrap sweet potatoes in foil, poke with a fork, and bake at 400 until soft (about 45 mins-1 hour)
4. Place sweet potato on a plate, add turkey taco meat, and top with your favorite toppings!

ENJOY :)