I am the primary caregiver for my disabled husband. Although a paid caregiver comes to our home every morning and stays for two hours, I am at work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. My to-do list is endless. I run from one thing to another, take care of my husband, wash four loads of clothes, dust, mop, go to the grocery store (I go every other day), order prescription drugs, and pay the bills.
Besides all this, I have a career as a writer. As the day progresses, my pace slows down, my eyes turn red and itchy, and if I don’t sleep, I get impatient and in a bad mood. While I feel guilty about this, I know that other family caregivers get tired too.
My husband has high blood pressure, so I try to serve healthy, low-salt meals. Since he is inactive, my husband has a poor appetite. With the exception of standing for two minutes and practicing walking (40-50 feet with a walker), you sit in a wheelchair all day. In the last few weeks I have been serving him meals for children and he never finishes them.
Cooking tasty meals, especially soups, is a challenge. I create original recipes and search the internet for recipes that can be adapted. One day I came across a recipe for a taco casserole. I started with this recipe and substituted it with healthier ingredients.
Instead of a pound of meat, I used 3/4 of a pound. To increase the flavor, I added a chopped yellow onion. I used reduced sodium taco seasoning. To make up for the small amount of salt, I added chili and cumin. Finally, I garnished the plate with shredded, reduced-fat Mexican cheese, a mix of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Quesdailla, and Asadero cheese.
I used a nonstick electric skillet for this recipe, but you could use a cast iron skillet instead. To complete the meal, I served breadsticks and a salad of fresh spinach and tangerine, with a drizzle of poppy seed dressing. A mixed green salad would taste good too. Don’t worry about dinner. A meal in a skillet is just minutes away!
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced
3/4 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 cup tricolor rotini (small tube pasta or cut spaghetti)
1 cup of corn frozen
1 (14.5-ounce can) diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cups of water
1-ounce package 25% sodium reduced taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1 cup low-fat grated Mexican cheese
METHOD
Makes 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an electric skillet. Add the diced onion and cook until soft. Add the shredded burger and cook until golden brown and done. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cheese. Cover, lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until pasta is done. Stir occasionally while pasta cooks. Pour onto plates and garnish each serving with 1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese.