Baby bella Taco Salad

Apparently fall is the best season for mushrooms.

I honestly don't eat mushrooms unless they are mixed in with something else -> gravy, salad, sandwich. 

They came to be on my radar when I started the final stage of my healthy gut journey. My functional medicine practitioner has me doing a Liver and Gallbladder detox to flush out any toxins that may have been present as a result of my bacteria imbalance. So, for five days (and I'm on day 3 as I write this) I will start my day with a very terrible detox beverage, take some supplements and only eat fruit and veggies (non-root). 

Back to the mushrooms :) I read somewhere that mushrooms can be used as a meat substitute, so I got a crazy idea to use them to make a taco salad. I bought an 8oz package of baby bellas at Whole Foods and used my mini chopper (like this one on Amazon) to mince them up. Once they were minced, I used them just like I would minced meat.

Baby Bella Taco Salad:

8oz minced baby bella mushrooms

Taco Seasoning:

4 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp dried minced onion

1/2 tsp beef bouillon powder

Directions:

I sautéed the mushrooms in taco seasoning and approximately 1/4 cup water for about 10 minutes. I suggest adding water in small amounts so that your minced mushrooms aren't soggy (learned the hard way).

Build your bowl - I use about 3+ cups lettuce (romaine and leafy green) and top with baby corn, Black beans (usually), salsa and avocado.

This is a great plant-based option for vegetarians who like taco salads! I'm not vegetarian, but I did a plant-based month with the FASTer Way VIP community and have kept some favorite recipes in my rotation.

5 Things I Learned from Going Plant Based for a Month

For the month of February, I dipped into plant based living for the first time with the FASTer Way VIP Community (I am a member and a coach). I was looking forward to giving it a try to see what, if any effects it would have on me. Plus, both of my step daughters are plant based so I was excited to learn more about their lifestyle.

My goals going into the month were pretty simple:

• increase my veggie consumption
• reduce my meat and poultry intake
• try new recipes

I really expected to eat a pescatarian diet throughout the month. Most of my life I've been pretty picky about vegetables, so I thought if I didn't at least have some fish I'd probably be starving!

Not exactly!

The great thing about this plant-based challenge, was that we had LIVE trainings in the VIP community to help us navigate our way. This was so helpful for someone like me who was brand new to all things plant based! Each online training was meant to help us learn more about the lifestyle, understand the benefits and the effects. Our training topics included:

1. A plant based Q&A
2. The science behind plant-based living with Dr. Stephen Cabral
3. Why being regular is important!
4. Review of the documentary, Game Changers with Dr. Alex 

So, how did it go? I was not plant based 100% of the time. I had eggs a couple of times, some cheese on a cauliflower crust pizza and a few meals with fish. Most of those happened when we were traveling. However, I did not have meat or poultry at all, and made it a point to eat veggies at almost every meal. 

One thing that made this easier for me was that mrC was totally on board with trying plant based month, too. We initially became curious about the benefits after watching the documentary Game Changers.  

Here are my top five takeaways:

1. Definitely felt the benefit of more fiber! Gassy and a little bloated at the beginning but definitely regular. Regular people and happy people!
2. My bad knee which always feels swollen, even though it doesn't look swollen, began feeling almost normal and was overall less cranky. This was a HUGE win for me.
3. I'm a pretty good sleeper in general, but I have been sleeping through the night and skipping the early morning wake-ups to use the bathroom.
4. I need more veggies in my life! This challenge has made me more aware of ways I can sneak more veggies into all of my meals.
5. There are a lot of really good plant based recipes that I will keep in my recipe file!

Moving forward, neither of us are in a rush to go back to our old diet of chicken and turkey and lean beef with nearly every meal, but we will be eating fish again. Plant based month has been great for getting more veggies in our lives. There is no downside to eating more fruits and vegetables.

Are you plant based or tried it?
I'd love to know your thoughts or your favorite recipe.
Share your comments and questions below!