Taco Soup

After I had my daughter, I was ready to get the baby weight off.  I knew it wasn't going to happen overnight, but I wanted to see results fast.  I had a big sweet tooth when I was pregnant, so I gained about 50 lbs total from my first prenatal appointment until her birthday.  About two weeks after she was here, I stepped on the scale and had only dropped 24 pounds!  My husband was just a mere 5 pounds heavier than me and was actively trying to lose weight.  Seeing my weight and his together gave me a lot of motivation to lose the weight.  I didn't want to weigh more than him, especially since he is a good 8 inches taller than me!  I started eating very clean and drinking lots of water.  I dropped the first 5 lbs within a week. Seeing the number drop on the scale gave me the motivation I needed to keep going with my healthy eating.  Today I'm just 4 pounds away from my prepregnancy weight!  Through this blog I would like to share some healthy recipes with you to help you with your weight loss or weight maintenance.

Taco Soup

My mom made this soup for us growing up.  I loved it and now make it for my husband.  He loves it! My mom's version calls for 1 pound of ground beef, but I have found that using ground turkey tastes just as good and cuts calories.  If you haven't tried ground turkey, then you should experiment with it. I like substituting it in spicy, flavorful dishes like this taco soup. 

1 pound ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

2 16 oz cans of Ranch Style Beans (you could use another type of canned or cooked bean)

1 16 oz can of whole kernel corn (I use the low or no sodium types)

1 16 oz can chopped tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel, mild or hot)

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce (I get the low sodium one)

1 cup water

1 1.5 oz package of taco seasoning mix (or you can use your own homemade taco seasoning blend)

1 1 oz envelope of Ranch salad dressing dry mix (like Hidden Valley)

Olive oil (I usually brush the bottom of my pot with a little bit of oil before placing the ground turkey in--this keeps the turkey from burning since it is very lean compared to beef)

Cook ground turkey and onion in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium high heat, stirring, until meat is browned and crumbly. Drain. Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, taco seasoning and Ranch dressing dry mix.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

We usually put shredded cheese and sour cream on the top of our bowls.