On the very first hot-ish day of spring, having tacos for dinner immediately pops into my head. While I hardly ever indulge in traditional ones, unless of course, I just finished a marathon surf sessions, I like to make my own.
There are so many different variations and depending on what you order you could be looking at dramatically different calorie counts. You could just order whatever, not worry about the calories, and eat it as an occasional cheat meal. Or you could construct your own to where you know exactly what you’re getting, and can eat them whenever you’d like.
If you love food, but also love the idea of abs, don’t forget to check out our piece on intuitive eating for lean muscle.
Taco nutrition: The good and bad
GOOD: Beef or chicken is high in protein.
BAD: Low quality beef or chicken is unnecessarily higher in calories, more specifically, fat.
GOOD: There are a variety of health benefits to spices.
BAD: Sometimes these spice seasonings have added hidden sugars.
TOSS UP: Avocado is great, but portion controlling is necessary.
TOSS UP: Sour cream is OK, but Greek yogurt is most likely a little better. Best bet is the no/low fat versions.
TOSS UP: Wraps/taco shells are carbs. Carbs are not bad, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be dangerous to the waistline. You’ve got to use the right ones.
What ingredients you need to make the ab-friendly tacos
- 1 pound extra lean ground chicken
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 green pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 2 chili peppers
- diced tomatos
- organic, no added sugar taco seasoning
- plain 0% Greek yogurt
- 1 avocado
- shredded lettuce or cabbage
- carb balance wraps
Notes about the ingredients in the ab-friendly tacos
- You’ve got to get the leanest chicken (or beef) you can find. That will keep the calories and fat down.
- For the onion, green pepper, red pepper, and chili peppers, toss as much of that in there as you want, the calories are negligible.
- Read the packets of all the taco seasonings, there’s a lot of added sugar that’s completely unnecessary.
- Go with plain no/low fat Greek yogurt to keep the calories down, you only need a teaspoon or so per taco.
- Watch the avocado, you don’t need too much of a good thing.
- As far as the wraps, this is the big one. Your typical large wrap can have approximately 25 grams of carbs. The smaller (fajita) carb balance wraps have 13 grams, but 9 of those are fiber. You can now eat two wraps for less than what one normal wrap would give you. It’s a great protein:carb ratio.
Does thinking about calories, protein, carbs, and fats make your head spin? Don’t stress: check out our piece on intuitive eating for lean muscle.
The process of making the ab-friendly tacos
- On low heat add finely diced onions and peppers.
- Once the onions and peppers begin to soften, add ground chicken, tomatoes, and taco seasoning.
- Mix that up good and continue to cook it slowly.
- In a separate pan with medium heat, toast up both sides of a wrap then fold and let them sit for a few minutes.
- Once your chicken is fully cooked start tossing it in the tacos.
- Add the shredded lettuce, a teaspoon of Greek yogurt, and some slivers of avocado or serve on the side.
- Eat up!
The nutrient breakdown of the ab-friendly tacos
You can make about 4 or so tacos with the pound of chicken. A rough estimate would put each taco at about 300 calories, 25-30 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbs, and 8 grams of fat.
