Tacos and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thank goodness its Wednesday! Josh and I are going on a mini vacation starting tomorrow so today is my Friday! I only have to make it through 8 hours of work and then I'm golden! Yesterday was crazy busy. I cleaned the house, taught Body Step, did laundry, made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, made dinner, and packed. The taco recipe I used is from Food Network/Eating Well. I like the idea of putting together your own taco seasoning vs. buying the packet. I also added corn to the recipe. My husband likes the flavor of tomatoes, but does not like eating chunks of tomato. To combat this problem, I used our magic bullet (yes we own a magic bullet and its awesome) to grind up the Rotel. I then added only 3/4 of the can vs the whole thing (I didn't want it to get too soupy). We ate the taco meat in tortillas, but if you're on a low carb diet, you could add some additional vegis and eat it as a taco bowl, or serve it over lettuce as a taco salad.

Taco Meat (original link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_hl_eatingwell/recipe/0,,FOOD_30878_101151,00.html)

8 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
8 ounces 99%-lean ground turkey breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, preferably Rotel brand (see Tip), or 1 1/4 cups petite-diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile or 1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2-1 cup corn (I used frozen and just cooked it up in the microwave)

Place beef, turkey and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain off fat. Wipe out the pan. Return the meat to the pan and add tomatoes, cumin, ground chipotle (or chili powder) and oregano. Add corn. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 6 minutes.

The cookie recipe comes from Martha Stewart and is a more healthy version (minus my added chocolate chips). It is healthier because most oatmeal cookie recipes contain shortening or butter and white sugar and this recipe does not.

Oatmeal Cookies (original link: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/healthy-oatmeal-cookies)

Ingredients

Makes 18 to 20

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours and baking powder; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add flour mixture, and stir to combine; mix in oats and chocolate chips.
3. Using two tablespoons of dough per cookie, roll into balls; place on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
4. Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 5 days.