In our never ending quest to eat healthy A-list foods, we thought we’d try a salmon burrito. I pulled in a few other healthy options like yams and avocados, and left out the cheese. We opted for brown rice and fresh Pico de Gallo. Rather than make everyone eat their burritos the way I thought they should, I laid out a burrito bar. It was fun to see the different choices and the ways each of us assembled our individual dinner.
Left to right we have grilled salmon, shredded cabbage, guacamole, low-fat refried beans, sliced olives, lite sour cream, Pico de Gallo, sliced limes, brown rice, cilantro, chips. yam/onion/garlic/zucchini/polbano chili mixture (recipe below)
This was my preparation of choice, wrapped in a warm low-carb tortilla. No beans or olives. Yum!
In a variation on a theme my son chose to enjoy each selection independent of the tortilla.
Setting out choices has worked well for us. It doesn’t take long to lay out all the ingredients and the assembly process seems to make each person more creative with their meal. If someone is eating less and someone else comes home starving, this can fill both needs. If somebody is running late, everything is still available and easily assembled when they arrive. My kids are old enough to put together their own plate and often their choices look much more interesting than what I was planning. I always go last to see what everyone comes up with.
This works great with tacos, all kinds of wraps and even pizza. Instead of making one large pizza I sometimes make individual crusts. The toppings are available to each one of us before we pop them into the oven or on the grill. Always good to keep mealtime happy and this helps them with their own cooking experience. Try it!
For the yam mixture:
1 yam- cubed
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 zucchini-unpeeled-cubed
1 garlic clove-minced
Poblano chili- chopped (I had one in the freezer that had been grilled). Any smoky chili will do
2 tablespoons olive oil
Heat oil in large fry pan. Add yams and toss with garlic. Add onion and zucchini and toss until yams have softened.
Don’t fear the yam! It’s good for you. Enjoy!
