Turkey Lettuce Wraps

With Summer less than 2 months away, it’s really time to kick clean eating into high gear. You can still have a lot of flavor in your food, while staying lean and tight at the same time. A personal favorite meal of mine is the Asian inspired Turkey Lettuce Wraps. They are a Low-Carb, High Protein, Healthy Fat packed dish. Pair additional vegetables as a side with this meal, and it will fill you up any time of the day. This recipe packs a ton of flavor, keeps your taste buds happy, and you can maintain your physique while eating this food!

Before I ever became a trainer and got serious with eating healthy, I used to eat Cool Wraps for lunch a few days a week. I’d have two of them with a whole packet of Caesar dressing & a large order of waffle fries with lots of ketchup. Let me tell you, it was delicious! But eating these items all the time never kept me really lean. The meal I just described was well over 1,000 calories. The average person does not need that many calories at once often. I’d rather someone have that meal once a week as a cheat, rather than a staple of any nutrition program.

http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Menu-Detail/Grilled-Chicken-Cool-Wrap

The Nutrition in this cool wrap isn’t too bad if your simply tracking calories for the day. It’s pretty much just cheese, chicken, lettuce, and a tortilla. Most people wouldn’t eat this wrap by itself though, and can easily add almost another 200 calories to it if they aren’t careful with dressing. Add fries & a sweet tea, and you’ll be at the gym a little longer the next few days! Some tortillas are ok to use, but I’ll mention that in another blog post. Cooking something from scratch usually involves healthier options.

http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Menu-Detail/Grilled-Chicken-Cool-Wrap#?details=nutrition

The calories for this recipe in the lettuce wrap will have higher calories in fat if you add the avocado in it. That’s ok. Keep your carbohydrates in moderation. Have them, just don’t go crazy. The more healthy fats your body has, the more it can use them for energy. (If you’re eating them at the right time of course) The ingredients in the lettuce wrap are more fresh than a cool wrap. I probably eat @ Chick-fil-A once every 6-8 months if I’m in a bind & it’s the first thing I see. If I do, it’s always delicious! With enough of that said, let’s read the ingredient list for our Turkey Lettuce Wraps.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water chestnuts (480 ml)
• 1 cup of shallots (240 ml)
• 1 cup of mushrooms (240 ml)
• 2 tablespoons each of Sambel Olek & Chili Garlic Sauce by Huy Fong Foods
• 1/4 cup of black garlic (60 ml)
• 2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper (28 ml)
• 1/4 cup of sesame oil (60 ml)
• 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce (28 ml)
• 1/4 cup of fresh oregano (60 ml)
• 1/4 cup of fresh basil (60 ml)
• 3 heads of Romaine lettuce
• 2 pounds of ground turkey (~907g)