So, being 25 weeks pregnant with my 3rd kid, I FINALLY get around to being able to post food of some sort ... again.
I have to say, this has been a very different preggo experience from my previous ones and finding the balance between eating and eating healthy is not an easy road to follow when incubating a human life-sucker. For my first trimester, I lived on green smoothies; eating was not something my mouth or stomach wanted to do. As a non-consumer of milk for the previous year, we now find foods creeping back into the house like cow milk and cheese on a regular basis because sometimes they are palatable for me. Don't worry: post-pregnancy these items will once again be phased out as I hit my normal Advo-regime and can finally eat and prepare all my favorite healthy dishes without gagging or becoming nauseous.
Yep, right now I eat what I can and make it from scratch as often as I can so I know where my ingredients are coming from.
A lot of my cravings this time around are for foods I loved in high school. Why am I channeling my high school tastes buds??? I have no clue, but so far the choices have been deeply satisfying! At least I haven't started wearing "curtains" for pants again, so I'm not channeling my entire HS self! LOL
Today was the Taco Pizza that I used to get from Mancino's back in the day. I'm sure ordering it from the store down the road would have been easier, but where's the fun in that?
This CAN be made healthier and I'll give suggestions at the bottom of the page. Also, make sure to use FRESH, ORGANIC or natural ingredients when possible. The less processed interference, the better your bowels will fair when you TREAT yourself to the dish.
And don't fret at the "Steps." I organized it this way so your workflow goes smoothly. It really only took 10-15 minutes total in prep and that was while other parts were in the oven. You'll even have time to wash your cutting boards while it finishes cooking!
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Taco Pizza
Step 1
1 Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust
Step 2
1 Can Refried Beans (with green chilis)
1/4 C. Salsa
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. red pepper (optional)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
Step 3
1/2 lb. ground turkey (previously made with Mexican flavors if possible - leftover ground turkey works great!)
Step 4
1/2 c. Diced tri-colored peppers
1/4 c. Diced Onions
1 tbsp. EVOO
1 tbsp. minced garlic
Step 5
1/2 c. Salsa
Small Can of Black Olives
1 c. Taco/Mexican Shredded Cheese
Step 6
Shredded/Chopped Lettuce
Diced Tomatoes
Greek Yogurt/Sour Cream
Salsa
Directions:
Step 1: Make up the pizza crust as told on the container. Oven at 400 degrees. 5 minutes to start.
Step 2: While your crust warms up, add all ingredients from Step 2 in a small pot and warm up so it's spreadable.
Step 3: I had leftover ground turkey from another meal and that was the easiest to use. Heat it up in the microwave real quick so it's not going on the pizza cold.
Step 4: Heat up oil in a small frying pan and sauté veggies and garlic.
Option for combining Step 3 and 4: do up your meat and veggies in a pan together. Add cumin, paprika, pepper, onion powder and make it all yummy together if you don't have leftover meat to use.
Step 5: Pull out the pizza crust. Spread refried beans mixture like a sauce. Put meat, veggies, olives on top of sauce. Gently spoon/spread salsa over everything. Add cheese to the top.
Cook the pizza for 10 minutes or until crust gets golden brown and cheese is melted thoroughly. Chop up Step 6 toppings while you wait.
Step 6: top with what you want! Add things like lettuce, fresh tomatoes, more salsa or jalapeños or even banana peppers. Do it up like you would your fav taco.
ENJOY! Two pieces were enough for me! (It yielded about 15 pieces when cut - 3 across and 5 down)
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I loved this as I did it, but lets talk about options!
Crust: Make your own low carb or whole grain crust. I'm wondering how whole grain flatbread might hold up as well.
Refried Beans: How can you make beans healthier?? Maybe smash up your own black beans! That would be yummy! Add in some spices and chili peppers and even more yummmmy.
Salsa: Homemade is the way to go, of course! Just try to keep some of the liquid/juice out so it doesn't get too runny.
Meat: Lean turkey or chicken is always best. Don't forget beans are a protein, too.
Cheese: This is the toughy. What is a taco pizza without cheese? I say go low fat, skim, cut down the portion even more, use sharp cheddar for more punch with less ... I did say this is a TREAT meal so just keep that in mind! You don't need to be eating this masterpiece once a week and a little cheese goes a long way.
Challenge-Friendly: NO as I have it here. Let's forgo the cheese for 24-days and use this as a fun-treat meal once in awhile!
