So for this weeks SMART meal we were given the topic of tacos. YAY! I love eating tacos, they’re a great way to full up on healthy carbs and tons of fresh vegetables. Although these aren’t my typical tacos, I found they were still super tasty and amazing.
Best of all, this WHOLE meal (including the leftovers) only cost me… you ready for it?…: $11.00! Sure that seems like a lot, but you must figure I’ll get probably 6 meals out of this for my husband and myself so that breaks down to only $1.83 per meal. Not bad at all.
I used:
A homemade multi-grain flour tortilla – click HERE for my recipe
homemade re-fried pinto beans
romaine lettuce
green bell pepper
spring onions
guacamole
medium spicy salsa
For two of these tacos I calculated 1220 calories. That may seem like alot however I skipped lunch, oops!
How could I have improved them? Well, nothing beats fresh tomatoes on a taco, unfortunately since its the end of the month I already ate most of my produce, and what was left (2 romas) went bad to the point I couldn’t trim the bad bits so we had to toss them. Never-fear, this is why I keep salsa in the fridge. I also really like olives on my tacos, I’m not sure why It was just something I was raised with. I know that’s not traditional, but I still like them. I think next time I have tacos I’ll get some from the olive bar at Whole Foods. All in all, this meal was freaking amazing. I was so full after two tacos and the cron-o-meter showed I received almost 100% of my vitamins and minerals. Oh yeah, talk about healthy and delicious!
Better yet, I had left-overs for my husband’s lunch. I packaged the vegetables and salsa in a seperate container than the tortilla shells and pinto beans. That way he can warm up the beans without cooking the veggies, and the shells stay fresh and not soggy.
Don’t know what smart is? Click HERE for my explanation of it.
Whole wheat multi-grain bread can be a healthy addition to any diet, far superior to white bread or even simple wheat bread. Unfortunately a good loaf of multi-grain bread will cost between $4-$6, YIKES! Thankfully I have the perfect recipe for you guys. I used a combination of whole wheat flour, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and flax seeds to give amazing taste and nutirtion to this bread. Most impressively this whole huge loaf of bread cost less than $2.00 usd to make using ALL ORGANIC ingredients! YIPPEE! This recipe is also vegan friendly, just replace the honey with vegan sugar its just as tasty. So heres what you’ll need:
Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup or more hot water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon honey or vegan friendly sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup (or less) seeds, nuts,
or grains. I used:
1/2 cup white quinoa
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2T sesame seeds
2T flax seeds (mixed)
extra 1/2-1 tsp oil for bowl
Directions:
Atleast 1 hour before (preferrably 6-8 hours, soak your nuts/seeds/grains you intend to use for your bread. I choose flax, sesame, quinoa, and pumpkin seeds.)
When you’re ready to make bread, add your flour, salt, yeast, oil, and honey into a bowl. Stir for a few seconds to break up any big clumps. Then add your LIBERALLY rinsed seed mixture and stir until each little piece is coated with flour, this makes it easier in the mixing stage. Now add 3/4 cup of hot water, don’t add the whole 1 cup to start with as you might not need it. Mix with a spoon until dough starts to thicken, then continue kneading in the flour with the water by hand. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture it dough-like. I used 1 cup and 1 tablespoon of water, you might need more or less depending on the type of flour you choose to use. When the dough will form into a ball and is not sticky, spread a little bit of oil on the top and bottom of the dough ball, then oil the bowl and cover with a cloth and let double in size. I let it go for 40 minutes, admittdly I should have gone longer, but was in a hurry.
After the first rise, punch the dough down and squish into a ball. Then in either 2 loaf pans or ontop of  a flat sheet, shape the dough to the desired shape. I choose make a large flat-ish loaf, but you can do whatever you like. After you have formed the dough into the desired shape, cover again with cloth and let rise atleast 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size again.
Once dough has doubled again, preheat your oven to 350 degree farenheight. Bake at 350 degree for 40-50 minutes or until dough is firm, you can also use an instant read thermometure, you’re looking for a temp of around 190-200 degree farenheight.
Let bread cool completely to room temp before storing to prevent molding. Enjoy!
