{Healthy Dinner Idea} Ground Turkey Tacos with Homemade Tortillas & Pico de Gallo

By Kate Horney

 

 

One of the first questions I ask women when they come to me looking for health, fitness & fat loss advice is: “What’s your #1 fat loss struggle?”

 

Their answer almost ALWAYS includes nutrition struggles including finding healthy, family friendly recipes that they can serve their loved ones (while still staying on track with their goals).

 

At BeyondFit Mom our goal is to give you as MANY tools as possible to help you reach your goal. So if healthy dinner ideas are what you need, healthy dinner ideas are what you’ll get!

 

 

 

Patrick and I love Mexican food, but I hate all of the additives that are in traditional store bought tortillas. That’s why I love this great healthy homemade tortillas recipe from my good friend, Heather Perez.

 

In addition to some amazing turkey tacos (which are great served over a bed of lettuce if fat loss is your goal), we’ve included a recipe for healthy homemade tortillas and pico de gallo that your entire family will love! These healthy homemade tortillas are all free from the chemicals & preservatives that packaged tortillas contain (YUCK!), are so simple and are gluten/sugar/soy free (and my husband loves them!)

 

 

• 1 lb 94% or above lean ground turkey
• 1/2 T unrefined coconut oil or olive oil (very optional)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced (fresh is best; optional if garlic isn’t your thing)
• 1/2 onion, diced (whichever kind you prefer)*Reserve other half of onion for guacamole and pico de gallo
• 2 or 3 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 fresh jalapeno, sliced (de-seed to eliminate extra heat)
• Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning (as much as you want!)
• other salt-free seasonings of your choice

 

1. Begin by cooking defrosted turkey and minced garlic in a skillet on medium heat.
2. After 5 minutes add optional oil.
3. Adjust heat to medium-high (may vary according to your stove top). Once the meat is nearly cooked through (refer to meat packaging or proper cooking temp), add diced tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno.
4. When meat is thoroughly cooked and veggies are getting a bit soft, set aside, covered in skillet.

 

• 1/2-1 whole fresh lime (depending on your tastes)
• 1/2 onion (white or purple), diced
• 2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 jalapeno, diced (de-seeded to eliminate extra heat)
• 1-2 avocados, cubed. Here is a helpful video on how to do this easily! 
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped, stems removed

 

 

1. Lightly fold ingredients together to avoid smashing the avocado and to coat with lime juice.

 

Optional extras: 

• plain 0% fat greek yogurt in place of sour cream
• your favorite hot sauce (we like tapatio)

 

 

I love to serve my turkey tacos over a giant bed of lettuce. For Patrick & Jackson, I serve their tacos on homemade tortillas. Making your own tortillas is totally optional. If you prefer not to make your own, I recommend Food For Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas or any low carb tortilla of your choice. You can either warm them in your oven or on your stovetop in a non-stick skillet.

 

• 2-4 C Maseca (will make about 20 small tortillas)
• Lukewarm filtered water
• Tortilla press (Heather recommends using cast-iron Victoria)
• Two circle-shaped pieces of plastic (cut from a plastic bag) that match the size of the tortilla press
• A comal (can be found in a Mexican grocer or Hispanic foods store) or a griddle (temp. 350-400)
• Tablespoon for assistance in lifting tortillas (I can’t do it with my hands, I always burn myself)
• Clean dish towel or bandana

 

1. Place comal on stovetop burners and turn heat up to medium heat.
2. Mix maseca and water by hand in a large mixing bowl. You should add enough water to form a dough that is neither too sticky or too dry. This takes practice. Knead the dough until it is thoroughly mixed and there is no more powder visible. *Contrary to package directions, you do not need to add any salt to the maseca mix.
3. Form dough balls a little smaller than a golf ball. Do not form entire batch of dough into balls, do it as you go along to avoid drying out.
4.  Place one dough ball into the center of the tortilla press on top of one of the plastic circles. Cover with the other plastic circle. Press down with the tortilla press. *If dough spills out of the sides of the press, you are using too much and will need to make smaller balls.
5. Remove flattened dough carefully from plastic peeling it away from the dough at the thickest part, which will help you avoid tearing the tortilla. This takes practice.
6. Place the tortilla on the hot comal. Within less than ten seconds, you should be able to lift the edge of the tortilla with the spoon. When you can do so, flip the tortilla over until you can lift it again. Then flip it a second time and press the spoon over the center of the tortilla. The tortilla should blow up with air. If it doesn’t, it is okay. It takes practice.
7. Quickly remove tortilla to avoid burning. If tortilla is slow to cook, turn the heat up a little bit.
8.  Store tortillas in the clean dish towel or bandana in an area AWAY from the hot comal to avoid a fire. Cover the tortillas with half of the towel so that they won’t cool off.