Taco Salad

We eat a lot of these full-plate salads on the boat, and the habit has carried over to our time on land. My husband doesn't like any cooked vegetables at all, but he'll eat almost any vegetable raw, so salads are a great way to give him the vegetables he needs. I mix up the vegetables depending on what I have, but the calorie content almost always comes out within a few calories either way. This taco salad is one of our favorites, but I had to find a way to lighten it up for Noom. I usually use Doritos and real sour cream, both of which are high in calories and fat. I substituted the Tiara white corn taco shells for the Doritos, and Fage 0% Greek Yogurt for the sour cream. The Fage yogurt has been a lifesaver for me on Noom. It has a taste very close to sour cream. The only other thing I did to lighten it up some was to drain the meat well and rinse it in hot water just a touch before adding the salsa and spices.

Taco Salad: 411 calories for a full 11" dinner plate

3 cups chopped Romaine lettuce, 24 calories
1/4 red pepper, diced, 8 calories
1 stalk celery, sliced, 3 calories
1/4 cucumber sliced thin, 12 calories
1/4 cup Kraft 2% Mexican style shredded cheese, 80 calories
3 oz ground chuck, browned, draned, and rinsed, 170 calories
2 Tbl Full Circle black bean and corn salsa, 15 calories
2 Tiara white corn taco shells heated and crushed, 56 calories
1/3 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt 43 calories
Seasonings of choice. I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika on the meat.

Layer lettuce and veggies on a large dinner plate. Brown beef, drain, and rinse with hot water briefly. Return to skillet and add salsa and seasonings. Stir and cook on low till seasonings are fragrant. Add to salad and top with cheese and yogurt.