Foodie Friday: Mini Taco Salads

When life gets busy, it can be incredibly tempting to grab a bowl of cereal instead of taking the time to make a real meal. While a non-meal is okay here and there, I find myself getting especially run down if I keep cutting corners on myself. Here’s where my inner Oprah voice pipes in: “Why do you think it’s okay to work hard on everything else, but not yourself? You can’t even make yourself a decent dinner. Everyone deserves diiiiner!”

The truth is, not all meals take a whole lot of effort. I know this logically, but it’s hard to remember when I’ve gotten in a rut. That’s why a nice, quick dinner like homemade taco salad can be a great kick-start to eating better…and treating myself better.

This meal took about fifteen minutes to make. Tacos were always a standby dinner when I was growing up, but this dinner feels a bit special because of the homemade taco salad shells.

The game plan is simple:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Flip over a regular-size muffin tin and press six-inch tortillas into the empty spaces (between the cups.) Note: I’ve heard that some people spray the tortillas with non-stick cooking spray so they don’t stick, but I didn’t do this, and didn’t have this problem.
3. Bake tortillas in the oven about 10 minutes, or until crispy.
4. In the meantime, prep your filling. For this particular meal, I threw some boneless chicken breast in a pan on the stove top and cooked it with olive oil, chili powder, salt, and ground red pepper to taste. I then tore up some lettuce, chopped a tomato, and grated cheddar.
5. When the shells are ready, simply stuff the shells with all your goodies!