my new go-to lunch

January is the month that many people focus on trying to eat a little healthier...or even just more normally, following a very long period of festive feasting. I'm no exception.

I usually make pretty good choices when I prepare my own meals at home....but any time I'm away from home is another matter. Early last year I stared making a conscientious effort to make and bring my lunch to work most days - not just as a way of saving a bit of dough (no pun intended!), but also to have a bit more control over what and how much I was eating. Over the course of the better part of a year, I've tried a lot of different things (variety is very important to me)....but thought that I would share with you my newest favourite: Taco Salad.

I substitute a +/- 500g package of ground chicken for beef and use a package of Old El Paso reduced sodium Taco seasoning (IMHO it's still plenty salty) and follow the instructions on the envelope. You don't have to drain off the grease (there isn't any), but you do need to break up the chicken a bit more as it's cooking (I find it doesn't really crumble the same as beef). Once most of the liquid has evaporated, I divide up the pan into 5 portions (4 if it's a smaller package of meat - I like about 1/2 cup of meat or just a smidge less to balance out the portions) and then freeze whatever I'm not planning to eat right away into individual freezer bags (squish the mixture as flat as possible, so that it will thaw quickly when you're ready to eat it).

When I'm preparing it for lunch in the morning, I grab a handful of lettuce (I try to keep it washed and ready in the fridge), chop a few red pepper sticks, a little green onion or Vidalia...whatever I have on hand, sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese (I tend to grate too much at once, so I try to keep a little of this in the fridge all of the time, too, so that I can quickly sprinkle sparingly on steamed veggies, add to omelettes, etc.), add a spoon or two of my neighbour's homemade salsa, and a little dollop of plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream...but I since I always have the yogurt I just use that). I bring a little package of cooked taco meat to work separately, because I like to add it at last minute - after I've warmed it up a bit.

Why do I like it so much? I find it's fast, it's easy, it's the right combination of warm (meat) and cold (veggies), spicy (salsa) and tangy (plain yogurt), crisp (lettuce) and crunchy (red peppers)....and with enough lean protein (chicken and 0% Greek yogurt) to satisfy my hunger. It's also a quick supper meal for nights when I'm in a hurry. Despite eating it at least once a week for the last 3 months, I'm still not bored by it....and find it's always delicious and satisfying to eat, so I thought I'd share. Let me know how you like it...