Healthy Taco Salad

Every woman (or man, to be fair) who feels like cooking a nutritious,complex, gourmet meal on a Friday evening raise your hands. Uh huh. Yeah, I don't fall in to that category either. By the time Friday rolls around, I'm pretty worn out from the week (especially since Wednesday and Thursday are Will's busy days and we don't see him until 8pm or later), and I usually end up ordering takeout. However, I'm trying very hard to be healthy during my pregnancy, and I'm determined to break the Friday night tradition of ordering in. I found this recipe on the Food Network website under the "Healthy Eating" category, and decided it looked appetizing enough to give it a try. Throughout my pregnancy, I've had a very unfortunate aversion to Romaine. Trust me, it sucks. Under normal circumstances, I LOVE Romaine and could seriously eat a salad every single day. Now that my first trimester queasiness has passed, I'm happy to once again eating my leafy greens, and I was pleasantly surprised to find chopped Romaine in this dish. Ingredients: For the Meat: 3/4 pound lean ground beef (90 percent lean or higher) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste 1/3 cup water For the dressing: 4 medium tomatoes, diced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper For the salad: 2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped 1/2 cup grated Cheddar 2 ounces baked corn tortilla chips (about 32 chips) Directions: 1. To prepare the meat, heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally and breaking the meat up with the spoon.

2. Add the garlic and beans and cook for 2 minutes more.

3.Add the chili powder, cayenne and water and stir until well combined and some but not all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Meat mixture may be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

4.To make the tomato dressing, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes (with their juices), oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Dressing may be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

5. Place 2 cups of lettuce on each plate or in a lunch container.

6.Top each serving with 1 cup of the beef mixture then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cheese.

7. If making to-go, pack 3/4 cup of the tomato mixture in a separate sealable container and put about 8 chips in a separate bag. 8. Right before eating, pour a portion of the tomato mixture with the liquid on top of each salad, and crush tortilla chips on top.