I won’t be having a ‘dry January’, or cutting out fats and sugars… in fact I won’t be doing anything that resembles going on a diet or detox this month! Telling myself that I can’t do something only ever makes me crave it even more. I prefer to cook mostly healthy meals and enjoy a good balance of food and drink in moderation all year round. I’m not a complete saint of course, I have been doing extra squats over the holidays to make up for my yummy mince pie breakfasts!
I was therefore thrilled to be contacted by British Military Fitness who asked me to create a healthy snack to feature in their #FitFoodBMF Recipe Book, alongside 23 other fitness and food bloggers. ME! In a BOOK! Eep!
I tend to get peckish at about 3pm and whilst I am naturally sweet toothed, eating something resembling dessert at this time of day just leads to me craving sugar. For this reason I’ve created a savoury snack: Mexican Bean Salsa Lettuce Wraps. They’re protein packed but light enough to wave off hunger pangs without ruining your dinner.
The dish is really really simple to make and if you want to turn it from a snack to a lunchtime option, just substitute the lettuce leaves for a pitta bread or tortilla wrap. You can also freeze individual portions so making this once will last you a while!
I had fun making up my own spice mix because I love to make things from scratch if I can, but a packet fajita spice mix from the supermarket will work just as well! Also please note that these can be quite messy to eat… so just like when eating a spaghetti bolognese: don’t wear white!
(makes 8 lettuce wraps)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin red kidney beans
¼ red onion
1 yellow pepper
1 lime
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 lettuce
3 tbsp coriander
1 tsp Mexican spice mix (see ingredients below or alternatively use a packet fajita mix)
(this makes more than needed, so save the rest for fajitas, enchiladas or the next time you cook this recipe!)2 tsps paprika
1 ½ tsps cumin
1 tsp chilli powder (for a mild version, add more if you like it spicy!)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
Just before Christmas I received my own personal copy of the book and was so excited that I couldn’t wait for N to get home so that I could show it to him!
There are delicious Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snack recipes to give you plenty of healthy eating inspiration and the best part is that you can download a digital copy for free HERE. I’d love to know what you think of the book and if you try any of the recipes do let me know (or even better tag me in your photo on Twitter or Instagram @lovedbylaurac ).
Now excuse me whilst I finish supping my Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate – because I did extra squats this morning and I deserve it! 😉
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