I know it’s that time of the year where many people know those few extra “holiday pounds” are coming…or may have already. Not really saying that I’m one to stress out over a few [thousand] extra calories.

Well anyways, looky here! I’ve actually got some real food. Most of you probably already know that healthy stuff is kind of a rarity around here…

Hey, but I do try to make lots of my treats as healthy as I can while not compromising flavor-But enough of that! On to this salad!!

Yes. Salad. With lettuce. And like..vegetables. But wait! It’s tasty, I promise!

I have been kind of obsessed with taco salads lately. Like whenever I’m at a restaurant if they’ve got a taco salad, I’m on it. They remind me of nachos in many ways.

I love how they are usually served in a tortilla shell bowl, so you can just break off a chip and take some of your salad and dig right in!

It turns out that making a tortilla bowl is really quite simple. You literally just stuff a tortilla into a bowl and bake it right up, easy as that! A large ramekin worked best for me when I used 6 inch (in diameter) tortilla shells. A small bowl or mini pie tin would work well, too.

I would recommend using a 10 inch (in diameter) tortilla if you plan on having this salad as a meal. We only had 6-inch so I just made two for myself and that worked out well. They are quite delicious and look pretty impressive, if I do say so myself!

Taco Salad

(Serves 3)

(PLEASE NOTE: These measurements are quite vague, salads like this are purely personal taste. Use your own judgement on what you would like in this and how much)

1 avocado, chopped

1 head of lettuce (about 3 cups), chopped

1 1/2 – 3 Tablespoons salsa, depending on taste

3/4 – 1 cup  black beans, washed and drained

3/4 – 1 cup corn (I used canned corn, washed and drained)

1 tomato chopped (I used a can of diced tomatoes since we had it in the house, so it was easy)

about 1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken, chopped (cooked and heated up in salsa)

about 1/4 cup shredded cheese

tortilla shells

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray pie tins, ramekins, oven proof bowls, or whatever oven proof container you have.
2. Place a tortilla shell in each container. I recommend making a couple extra bowls in case you have breakage or somebody wants seconds.
3. Bake tortillas for 12- 15 minutes in preheated oven, watch closely! When edges turn golden, they are ready to be taken out of the oven.
4. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large salad bowl and make sure everything is mixed up nicely. Serve salad in taco bowls and enjoy! 

Random Fact of the Day: Children grow faster in the springtime than any other season during the year