Lean and Green meals have been one of the toughest parts of Medifast for me. I’m definitely not a cook and my schedule is pretty crazy. But I’ve been working hard at it and I’m always looking for new Medifast Lean and Green recipes and testing them out – to varying results. I’ve decided to do a weekly Lean and Green feature here where I test out various recipes and post step-by-step photos. The first recipe I’ll be demonstrating is the Lean and Green Taco Salad. This is straight out of the Medifast Book and has quickly become one of my favorite meals. I thought it would be bland and boring, but it’s actually delicious. I would eat this even if I wasn’t doing Medifast.
Ingredients:
5 oz. Ground Turkey
1 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning
2 Tbsp. Salsa
1 cup romaine lettuce
1 cup iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 tbsp. Water
STEP 1: Brown the Turkey
Actually… whiten the turkey. Unlike with ground beef, ground turkey doesn’t really get brown, it turns white. I buy prepackaged ground turkey. 20 oz. packages are pretty easy to find and you can just cut it in fourths, and throw the rest in a Ziploc until tomorrow. Throw 5 oz. in a skillet and chop it up as you brown it. After a few minutes, it will look something like this…
Step 2: Drain the fat and Add Water
To be honest, sometimes I don’t drain the fast. I do make a point of buying only super-lean turkey, so this part is up to you. I like to walk on the wild side. Either way, add 1 tbsp of water.
STEP 3: Add Taco Seasoning
The meal has been pretty bland to this point. You may be getting nervous. Don’t worry, just throw on 1 Tbsp of Taco Seasoning. I don’t use anything special, but have tried out all the cheap-o packets of taco seasoning you can find at your grocery store. Right now McCormick is my favorite.
STEP 4: Mix it all up and let it Simmer
Turn the heat on the stove to low and mix the seasoning and water with the meat until it is all evenly distributed. I like chopping the meat into tiny pieces while I cook it because it makes it a little more fun. Now, let the meat simmer for about 5 minutes. While it’s simmering…
STEP 5: Salad!
Get a big bowl and add your leafy greens. The recipe calls for iceberg and romaine, but I use whatever I have on hand. In this picture, it’s a cup of romaine and a cup of baby spinach. It’s hard to exactly measure a cup of greens, so I just throw in a large handful of each.
STEP 6: Tomatoes!
Dice 1/2 cup of tomatoes and throw those on your greens. I usually add a little black pepper to the tomatoes first. This is starting to look like a meal!
STEP 7: Add meat and Salsa!
Your meat should now be spicy and delicious. Add that to the salad. Then on top of that, add 2 tablespoons of salsa. I’m a salsa freak so I try all kinds of different brands. I stay away from the big brands like Taco Bell or Old El Paso. Since I am not in Austin at the moment, I couldn’t get my hands on my favorite salsa ever (Rose’s Salsa), so I gave Clint’s Texas Salsa a try and it was pretty freaking great.
Now you’re all set. Make a big glass of ice water and dig in! I really love this recipe and don’t miss the ground beef at all.
Calories: 358, Fat Grams: 18, Cholesterol: 139, Carbohydrates: 9, Protein: 39
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! I just started medifast, and I’m a wreck. I needed a great idea like this.
This recipe is straight out of the Medifast handbook and my favorite Lean and Green recipe so far. I like to keep things simple because I am not very good at cooking or at shopping for ingredients. This one is easy on both levels. I eat it more than I care to admit and still love it.
This is my first day on Medifast and I got to say this is sooooo goood! I can now actually look forward to a meal with flavor and substance and not feel gulity. Thanks!
I did medifast for two months and I am very dissapointed, no weight loss as promised and defenetely the food is worst I have ever eaten, for that kind of money a month I could loose over thirty pounds on something else. I would not recommed it to anyone I really care for. Good Luck!
Thanks for your comment. However, I find it almost impossible to believe that you actually followed the program for 2 months and lost no weight. It seems scientifically impossible, given the drastically reduced caloric intake.
I would love to hear more about your experience. If you don’t want to write about it in the comments, hit me up at getskinnybehappy@gmail.com.
I’m on 5th mo & down 52. 23 to go.
Despite increase in exercise, my loss is slowing a lot. It feels harder to manage hunger the closer I get. I’m hungry often. But I don’t want to stop trying.
Congratulations on your progress! These are awesome results! Right now I have 22 pounds to go, so we are at about the same stage. I think it gets harder the closer you get, so don’t give up!
Thanks for the meal idea. I’m on my first week on Medifast and needed a little inspiration. I have twenty-five pounds to lose. I lost some weight last year basically quit dieting then gain little back so here I go again determined to make my goal weight this time. I thought the structure of this program would help me break some bad eating habits.
I like your blog and have added it to my favorites.
Trish – Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the comment! I think the structure of Medifast is great for helping you to rewire your brain when it comes to eating and health. Lately, I’ve come to the belief that the mental component is just as important as the physical. I am working on a post about this and will publish it soon.
I need more recipes…getting bored but wnt gve up.y did u choose turkey instead of ground beef? New 2 this program…on my 2nd week. I’m going 2 make this but with ex-lean ground beef.
I’m working on a big new batch of recipes, so stay tuned. If you substitute ground beef for the turkey, you will need to reduce the amount of meat. Check the Medifast book, but I know that even lean ground beef isn’t as lean as ground turkey. The turkey tastes great, you should give it a shot!
Thanks for the recipe. I am into week 2 and looking for lean and green recipes. Good Luck!
I made this for me and my husband and it was such a nice change from grilled chicken and salad! Thanks! We are both going on week 2 and I am down 5 pounds, my husband is close to 9. Thanks for the recipes!!!
I have been on Medifast for 8 weeks and have lost 28 lbs. At this point I am always looking for ways to change up my lean and green. I tried this recipe and enjoyed it. I used lettuce leaves as “taco shells” – all good. Thanks!
Can’t imagine doing Medifast for 2 months and not losing any weight … good golly. 5 days – 5.5 lbs. dang am I happy. Can’t wait to report my loss after 7 weeks. Glad for recipe though – really struggling with the shakes – help there would be appreciated!
I was getting really bored with the shakes. When I started using the Rocket Blender, I was surprised how much better they were. Have you tried that? I’ve been on a Medifast break while moving and starting a new job, but am looking forward to getting back in action. I’m even looking forward to the shakes, now that I’ve had a break.
Just made this meal for my sister in-law who is on medifast diet and three other people who are not, including me, and all of us loved it. I did make some sautéed onions on the side with a tbls of olive oil, fresh jalapeños and garlic that added some more spice. Will definitely make this again for myself.
Sounds pretty yummy! I'll have to try it for sure. I started on the Medifast program in early '06 and by Christmas '08 I had lost 160#. This program works!
I'm getting ready to make this yummy recipe!! Thank you and keep the Medifast recipes coming LOL!!: ) P/s I can't believe the comment form the person that said about not loosing any weight on MF LOL!! She made me laugh
Let us know how you like the recipe! I am definitely hooked on this one. Probably my favorite Medifast recipe so far. I will probably continue to make this long after I am off program.
sounds great! I am going to have to try this recipe! I love taco salad!
Thanks for the recipe! I just made it for supper and my wife and I both loved it. I've always liked Taco salads and now I can still enjoy them while on MF and for the future.
I am on the medifast meals and excercizing and this is an amazing diet and a great recipe. i probably eat this meal once a week because it is so good. I am on my 4th week and have lost 28 pounds it is so worth it. i just need more food ideas.
I too added Jalapenos…. This was the first day for son #2 and I. I'm on board 101%… son…? He is thinking world is coming to end. But at 19.5 years and a BMI of 37… he needs this. He loved the salad, so I am hopeful we can make it through the first week without a major blowout.
How's your son doing on Medifast? I know when I was younger, I would have probably freaked out.
Glad you like it. Take a look at the recipes section because there is some good stuff in there. Now that my travels are over, I'm going to try to document some recipes. But to be honest, the taco salad is still my favorite because it's so good and so easy.
I really liked this one. I have already had it twice this week and its only wednesday! Its so flavorful. I just found this blog monday while searching for some new recipes. I have officially been on mf for 1 week today. Down 5.5 lbs. I couldnt be more excited! The lady who hadnt lost couldnt have been on plan is all I know! Thanks!
Well he lost 10 pounds in the first week but decided it was waaaay to limiting for him. I can't force him to continue… but I think it's planted a seed for later. We'll see I guess. I am still truding along though…. aaargh !
This is the first time I 'm here at this web site. I'm happy to be reading everyone's remarks. I heard about Medifast from one of my customers that has lost 119 pounds> when she showed me her before picture, I was like WOW you look great and you shore don't look like that picture at all. I went to medifast chat for over a week to see how it works. I ordered the variety box. I started on Saturday Feb.13. So that makes me on my 25 th day. I have lost 10 pounds. I love the plan.
I will be very happy to look at the different ways you can fix foods. I love different recipes. Thanks so much.
If you were on the Medifast diet for two months with no weight loss, you weren't on the Medifast diet… you either did know what you were supposed to do or you just plain didn't stick to it as recommended. Personal responsibility is what it is also about.
I'm a little confused with the amount of meat… aren't you supposed to have 6 oz. of COOKED meat? That would mean that measuring out 5 oz. and then cooking it would give you even less of the amount recommended on the chart.
Mattie, I am really surprised you say you lost no weight in two months. I can't believe you were true to the program with that claim. I lost 15# my first and second months, and even my husband – who has never had a weight problem has made remarks to people about how great this program has been for me, and how quick the weight has come off. After 5 months I have lost 62.8 pounds and feel better than I have in 35 years. I am a Senior Citizen that does no exercise, BUT I have not cheated, and that makes a big difference. You can not cheat on this program and you MUST drink the water. I just feel you did not do what you needed to do to be successful on this program.
You should not bad mouth a good program for your failure. The program did not fail you, you just failed the program.
I wish you good luck on your next try at losing weight, but you will never lose no matter what plan you are on if you don't stick true to the plan.
I agree with you on this, Judy! There is absolutely NO WAY Mattie couldn’t lose weight if she was staying within the parameters of the program. If anything, the science of weight loss PROVES that drastically reduced caloric intake WILL cause weight loss. I’ve been on my MF plan since 6/5/10 and have lost 35 pounds so far! If you “cheat” while on program, you are only “cheating” yourself and ensuring your ultimate failure…
Hey Doug! Thanks for the comment! 35 pounds in a little over a month is pretty amazing! I am just shooting for 20 pounds off by August 4th. I love hearing from people who are really kicking ass on Medifast. Congratulations!
This recipe sounds great ! This will be my second week on medifast and I love the diet. Easier than any other diet I have been on and we can eat food . First week 6.5 pounds and very excited. I look forward to trying this recipe . Thanks for posting it.
hello… i was just wondering.. did you quit the diet? you havent posted anything new in quite a while. i look to your website for inspiration and ideas. i hope you didnt medifail!
Hey Jessica – I know that I have been totally slacking on the site. I finished off my last batch of Medifast and was off of the diet for about 3 weeks during which I pretty much stuck to Lean and Green. Now I am re-stocked and going for the final push. I decided to quit posting regular updates but I will definitely update when I get close to the finish line. I will be updating the site with other stuff, but I right now I feel like I need to reach my goal without feeling the need to blog about it. Glad you are still getting inspiration and ideas from the site. That's what it's here for!
I found this recipe in the official Medifast book, so I'm assuming that it's okay. You could be right. Based on my personal experience, this recipe works because I eat it all the time and am down about 60 pounds from when I originally started.
I can’t wait to try this. My husband’s a hunter so we’ve got a ton of ground venison in the freezer. I love the crunch of romaine – I think I may use a combination of that and green leaf.
Romaine and Red Leaf would be a great combo. Thanks for your comment and thanks for reading!
Gonna try this but with soy grounds… Thanks!
Sounds good! Love your measuring spoon you show in the photo. Where did you find it? Can one healthy fat also be added to this?
It looks like a pampered chef measuring spoon. I’m sure a healthy fat could be added.
I just started Medifast yesterday and am already seeing and feeling results. This recipe is SO good! Thank you!
I am on Day 4 of the program and tried this recipe on my first day, and it was great! I didn’t have any taco seasoning, so I just used a bit of cumin, garlic powder, and tobasco to season up the turkey a bit. It was great! I’ll definitely be doing it again. So far I’ve lost 5 lbs, and am excited to be making this life change. Happy to have found this website!!!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! I just started medifast and I needed a variety of ways to make my lean and green interesting.
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