Chicken Taco Wrap - and other things I alwasy have on hand

Chicken Taco Wrap.

Last night's dinner was a hit! I made ground chicken with taco seasoning, tomato, avocado, lettuce, jack cheese, 3 salsas, sour cream, and mixed greens all wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla or taco shells (whatever you have).

I made all this - unplanned - from things I had around the kitchen. It took me a little while to figure out what we like to eat and what food items to stock at all times. Just mix and match your ingredients - if you like Chipotle, for instance, you can create your own meal - this is how you should think about your kitchen. Look at what you have with an open mind and go for it. Why not put leeks in your salad instead of onions, or use whole wheat tortillas (for wraps) instead of taco shells if you don't have any at hand. Pretty much everything I cook is by the seat of my pants. Just go for it!

Here is a list of things I always have at home and you can make pretty much anything from them at any time - fresh and healthy:

• eggs - scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs for salads, binder for meat balls
• jack cheese: for sandwiches (cold or grilled cheese), wraps, topping for scrambles eggs or pasta sauces
• mozzarella cheese - for salads, lasagna, pasta sauces, on sandwiches
• wedge of romano cheese - we love to cook italian food so we use it all the time to top pasta dishes, wraps, salads
• crumbled feta or blue cheese - great for topping salads, wraps
• 3 different salsas (Trader Joe's) red, green, corn - for scrambled eggs, wraps, tacos,
• rice - basmati and brown rice
  
• whole wheat rotini pasta
• mixed greens - for salads, tacos, wraps
• variety of fresh vegetables I ALWAYS have on hand for soups, salads and virtually any meal you cook - carrots, onion (red and yellow), celery, garlic, ginger, mixed greens, red, orange or yellow peppers, parsley
• variety of fresh vegetables I ROTATE - zucchini, cabbage, leeks, green onion, kale, mustard greens, chard, beets, potatoes, asparagus, yams, corn, peas, beans, etc.
• nuts, seeds, dried fruit - walnuts, pine nuts, sliced almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries or cherries, mixed dried fruit - all for salad sprinkels
• 28 oz cans no salt added Marinara sauce (Trader Joe's) - pasta sauces, lasagna, pizzas
• 14 oz cans of diced no salt added tomatoes - pasta sauces, soups
• sun dried tomato pesto - for pasta sauces, pasta dishes, pizzas, wraps, sandwich spread
• chicken breast, turkey breast, sirloin, fish (tilapia, salmon, etc) - I may not have them all, but I have at least one of them fresh in the fridge and one or two frozen. Also, I don't buy ground 'anything' - I have a food grinder attachment for my little KitchenAid mixer so I can have freshly ground meat at any time.
• low-sodium turkey breast - salads, sandwiches, wraps
• bread - fresh whole wheat bread (or make your own), whole wheat wraps/tortilla, frozen par-baked rolls)
• Ginger People Ginger Sauce, TJ's Stir-fry Sauce, Ponzu Sauce - for all kinds of stir-frys

Oils and spices:

• good quality olive oil - for cooking and salad dressings
• real salt - unbleached ancient sea salt with trace minerals
• pepper mills - black, rainbow, white
• vinegar - red, balsamic, fruit infused vinegar (fig, pear or raspberry infused white balsamic vinegar)
• honey
• granulated garlic
• herb mixes - herbs de province (salad dressings, chicken), seafood seasoning (any type of fish), pizza seasoning (pizza, pasta sauces), taco spice mix, etc.
• mustard - Dijon, whole grain Dijon, salad dressings, marinades, sandwiches, wraps
• flour - unbleached white and whole wheat (breads and pizza crust)
• sugar 
• granulated yeast

I know this seems like a long list, but once you established your list you will be amazed by what you can make with all these items. And if you are out of ideas give me a call . . .