How to make a healthy tostada!

Happy Friday!I  love Mexican food! Seriously, who doesn't?! I haven't ever met a person who does not enjoy the yumminess of Mexican cuisine. Who wouldn't when you think of all the cheese, oil and fat that is put into dishes like creamy enchiladas, stuffed tamales, and tacos. So, if you are anything like me and you are trying to be somewhat "good" when it comes to eating out then you automatically order a tostada or some sort of salad. Little did you know that a lot of salads end up adding up to way more calories than some of the other dishes you passed up on! This is seriously frustrating and saddening and thus why I hardly ever go out any more and when I do I usually feel somewhat sick later on. Plus, if you have the time you can control where your ingredients are coming from and how much goes in it! This is key for those of us either trying to lose a few pounds or are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

So, enter the homemade healthy tostada! We have started a tradition in our household of Mexican Fridays! Our go to is fish tacos which are incredibly yummy and deserve their own post later on but today I'm going to talk about my favorite Mexican dish, a tostada! First and foremost, you will need to purchase a tostada shaped baking pan. This is very important because it saves you hundreds of calories! I used to purchase pre-made tostada shaped bowls at Safeway until I realized they are almost 400 calories just for the shell!! Seriously, my dinners are usually anywhere from 200-400 depending on the meal. I bought two pans as a set at Bed Bath and Beyond; (for around $10) it is an awesome store but you can purchase these online too as they are one of the "As Seen On TV" products. Anyway, once you purchase the pans you are ready to gather the remaining ingredients for your healthy tostadas!

Ingredients I used:

100 Calorie Whole Wheat Tortillas
Lean or Extra Lean Ground Turkey
Taco Seasoning-either homemade or store bought is fine
Shredded Lettuce
Black beans
Bell peppers-I love the mini peppers and they are easy to saute and cheap at Costco! Cut up into long slices
Red or white onion-I used a combo of both and cut them up in long slices just like the bell peppers
Homemade Salsa or store bought salsa-If you have time homemade is the best!
Avocado slices
1/2TB -1TB coconut oil (This is my "go-to" oil when I'm cooking because it is full of healthy benefits)
Cilantro
Greek yogurt- If you follow my recipes you will notice that I don't use sour cream anymore, or mayonnaise for that matter. Greek yogurt is a healthy alternative full of healthy proteins and 0g fat!! :)
If you have to have cheese, try to buy a healthy low fat cheese-part skim mozzarella is great. I personally don't mind skipping the cheese here but whatever floats your boat!

First, get out three pans; (1) saucepan to heat up your black beans, (2) Saute pan for your bell peppers and onions, (3) large fry pan for your ground turkey. Next, heat up half the oil in your fry pan for the turkey and half the oil in your saute pan for your veggies. When it is hot you can put all your ingredients in the prospective pans. When the ground turkey begins to brown, add some taco seasoning or prepared Mexican seasonings. Feel free to add some to the veggies too although I usually just stick to salt and pepper with those. When those things are getting close to being done, start heating up your black beans and get out your tortillas. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tortillas into the shaped bowls and press down-no oil is required here! When the oven is hot, put your tortilla pans in and cook for 12-15 minutes (Side note- Sometimes the top edges of the tortilla cook faster and so I suggest covering it with a thin layer of aluminum foil). When your meat is done, your veggies are sauteed and your beans are hot, you can reduce the heat to warm and get your toppings ready!

Next up, filling the tortillas- After your beautiful crispy 100 calorie tostadas come out of the oven, it is time to layer the yummies :) First, layer the tortillas with shredded lettuce-lettuce is a freebie, so give yourself however much you want! Then add your black beans (1/2 cup is 120 calories so as a woman I give myself 1/4 cup and my husband 1/2), then your meat ( again I believe that a healthy meat portion for a woman is anywhere from 2.5-4 ounces and a man 4.5-6 ounces), and then peppers and onions-however much you want! After those are assembled, I like to put a few TB of salsa, with one TB of greek yogurt, and around 3 slices of avocado (20 calories). Garnish it all with cilantro and you are ready to enjoy!
   *If you feel like you need "dressing" there are healthy alternatives out there, but I actually enjoy using greek yogurt mixed with adobo chili paste (I found at whole foods and is much easier and cheaper then buying a can of chipotle chillies in adobo sauce and throwing away most of the can) and apple cider vinegar (I always use this kind of vinegar in recipes because it is so dang healthy) or whatever vinegar you have on hand. I don't think it needs dressing but that's just me :)

And there you have it; a yummy, healthy tostada all for around the same calorie count as the shell of a tostada from the grocery store or restaurant! Boom :)