Endless Possibilities!
I turned the speed limit this year. It feels amazing to be 55! In some ways, I wish I could stop the clock. Not because I’m opposed to becoming a very old woman-(hopefully!), but because, I’m so grateful for this moment in time. I have love in my life, beautiful and successful children, healthy, loving parents, wonderful siblings, lifelong friends and new friends too. I feel so fortunate and I don’t want any of it to change. But time marches on. The future, while always unknown, is exciting and full of so many opportunities and possibilities. I feel as if my life’s journey has just begun.
One thing I can count on every day to give me the energy I need to enjoy all of life’s blessings is the food I use to fuel my body. I chose good carbs, lean protein, healthy fats and natural sugars.
The other day, I created collard tacos with beans for my lean protein, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onions and tomatoes for my good carbs, avocado and olive oil for my healthy fats and mango salsa for my natural sugar. The possibilities are endless with tacos…. just like the future. Add a margarita and life’s looking pretty good!
Ingredients
3 collard leaves, washed and sliced in half vertically
5 romaine lettuce leaves, finely chopped
5 grape tomatoes, quartered
Fajita Mix
½ red, orange, yellow pepper, each
½ white onion
1 Tbs olive oil
Main Veggies
2 portobello mushrooms
2 C broccoli
2 C cauliflower
1 Tbs. olive oil
Black Beans
2 C black beans
1/2 jalepeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
Pinch salt & pepper
Salsa
1 C mango, diced
1 C jicama, diced
Juice of 1 lime
½ C cilantro leaves
Guacamole
2 avocados
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 jalepeno pepper, seeded and diced
Pinch sea salt & pepper
Crudite “Chips”
½ cucumber, peeled and sliced in rounds
1 large carot, peeled and sliced in rounds
½ jicama, peeled and sliced in thin chip size pieces
½ zucchini, peeled and sliced in rounds
Process
Slice the collard leaves in half vertically removing the spine
Sauté the onion, peppers, set aside
Sauté the sliced portobello, set aside
Steam or sauté the broccoli & cauliflower, set aside
Combine black bean ingredients, set aside
Combine mango salsa ingredients, set aside
Mix avocado gently for chunky guacamole, add any other ingredients you love, set aside
Assemble
Lay collards flat and layer black beans in the middle of each leaf.
Layer peppers & onion mix, then salsa, and guacamole just above on the leaf.
Add mushrooms to one, cauliflower to another and broccoli to another.
Top with romaine and tomatoes.
Fold and eat.
Enjoy the extra guacamole and salsa with crudité “chips”.
