Today, I got up and taught some Zumba and then headed to my local grocery store. I rolled the windows down, turned the music up and basked in the sun. After a weekend of indulging in sweets and take-out, I felt compelled to fill my cart with healthy fixings. This is what I came home with:
- Strawberries
- (4) Bananas
- Baby Bella mushrooms
- One bag of spinach
- (1) Red pepper
- 32 oz. bag of baby carrots
- (2) Sweet potatos
- (2) Avocados
- (4) Mixed fruit cups (since I am a little allergic to the real thing)
- Dried cranberries
- Black beans
- Chicken stir fry (prepackaged with peppers and onions over by the fish and meat)
- Perdue ground turkey
- Tuna
- (2) Cascadia Farms Granola Cereals
- Whole wheat bread
- Whole wheat tortillas
- Shredded cheese (a mozzarella and parmesan mix)
- (5) Yoplait yogurts (they are 20/$10 at Stop & Shop this week!)
**with coupons and other savings, I spent a little under $50
All week I will be posting some healthy recipes that I am trying out to keep you, and me, inspired during the spring time!
Motivated by a recipe I saw in “Health Magazine,” I decided to use some of my fixings to make Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?
1. The first step in the process was to heat olive oil in a pan over the stove. As the oil heated up I threw in some cumin, minced garlic, minced onion and a dash of salt and pepper.
2. Away from the stove, I washed and peeled half of a sweet potato, then cut it into small cubes. When the oil began to bubble, I threw the potatoes into the pan.
3. While those began to sauté, I diced up a red bell pepper for some extra sweetness. I added the peppers to my mixture so they could have time to soften
4. Sprinkle the pan with some chopped up cilantro if that interests you. The recipe calls for that mixture to sauté for about 15 minutes
5. While waiting, I opened my can of black beans and rinsed them thoroughly. When the 15 minutes was up, I added the black beans to the pan and let those cook for 3 more minutes
6. Three minutes passed, so I removed the pan from the burner and let the colorful mixture cool. I took out two of my whole grain tortillas and placed them in the microwave for 20 seconds to heat them up (you could also heat them up in a pan so they crisp up a little.
7. Finally! Time to arrange my food in those tortillas. With a slotted spoon, scoop your sweet potato and black bean mixture into the tortillas. Top them with some salsa and enjoy. You can also add other toppings like lettuce, avocado and sour cream (exercise portion control or use a sour cream substitute)
This made for the perfect springtime lunch today. I hope you all enjoy it if you decide to whip it up some day soon. Note that I really did not use any exact measurements. Add seasonings based on your taste buds and ingredients based on your appetite.
Check out Emily’s blog at http://stayhealthystayhappy.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/black-bean-and-sweet-potatos-tacos/ for other great recipes!
