Lettuce Wrap Chicken Tacos

I leave today for Columbia, SC for the first of TWO derby tournaments that my team will be playing in the next 9 days. Besides a crossfit tournament I competed in once, this will definitely be the most intense physical activity my has ever seen in such a short period of time. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.....but also REALLY excited!

And despite all of the cupcakes and flapjacks you've been seeing around here, I've been trying to eat healthy and put aside my love for Coca Cola to prepare for all of the derby. I used to be able to just eat plain chicken breast and brocc0l1 for every meal but these days I find myself really wanting more excitement in my diet. Our trainer tells us to view food as just subsistence. But I can't do that. I will never have the will power to do that. And, I'm okay with that. Because food is really good!

Anyways, that's where these tacos come in and save the day! I use a lettuce leaf to replace the tortilla, ground chicken/ turkey to replace the beef, homemade seasoning to cut down on sodium, and plain Greek yogurt to replace the sour cream. It tastes JUST as good (if not better?) and I don't have to feel guilty afterwards. Win, win.

I've been attempting to make my own taco seasoning for some time now and I do something different every single time. So, have fun with it and add more of what you like.

Ingredients for Seasoning:

1/8 teaspoon Dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon Onion powder

1/8 teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon Sea salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

Directions for Seasoning:

Combine all of the ingredients for the seasoning in a small bowl, mix, and set aside. You may not want to add all of this to your meat which is why I recommend mixing it in a separate bowl first.

Ingredients for Tacos:

1 pound of ground turkey or chicken (I most often buy ground chicken because it's cheaper and, I think, tastes a bit better)

1 head of living bibb lettuce (you can also use romaine but I think that the living lettuce works MUCH better. I couldn't find the living lettuce on this particular day so I used a Romaine variation)

optional: plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

Add meat in a large skillet over medium high heat. After it is about half way cooked, add seasoning and continue to cook. You may need to add a bit of water with the seasoning.

While meat cooks, begin making avocado topping (ingredients and directions below).

Finish cooking meat to the desired temperature.

Ingredients for Avocado Topping:

1 avocado, ripe, diced

1 small tomato (I used Roma), diced

2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Juice of half a lime

1/4 cup chopped onion, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients together and stir thoroughly.

Once your meat is cooked and the avocado topping is ready, assemble tacos by spooning a few tablespoons of meat into a piece of lettuce. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a heaping tablespoon of your avocado topping and EAT.