Figuring out how to feed my kids a varied, nutrient-rich diet while still getting them to actually eat is complicated.  Their tastes have evolved over the years, sometimes for the better and sometimes to my dismay.  One day spaghetti is a favorite, the next day someone declares he doesn’t like red sauce.  Small wins come periodically when their suspicion of fuzzy kiwi fruit turns into sweet enjoyment.

To complicate matters, their tastes couldn’t be more different.

One of my boys loves pasta, the other meat.  Cheese, pistachios. Mayonnaise, mustard.  Everything mixed in, deconstructed.  You get the maddening picture.

One thing they can agree on is their dislike of salad, specifically lettuce.  Spike has never loved salad dressing, so I couldn’t hide veggies drowning in Ranch.  Speedy seems to be more sensitive to vegetables’ bitterness. He’s probably just pickier.  Any dinner salads I’ve made are for my husband and me, and modifications are made for the boys.  (Chicken Fajita salad for grown-ups; grilled chicken with a side of cucumbers for the under-40 crew.)  While I’m not a short-order cook, I try to be reasonable in my expectations.  

Growing up, my mother used to make taco salad unlike any I’ve ever had.  As a newlywed twenty years ago, this was one dish I could quickly make after work and not screw up.  My husband LOVED it.  Like, seriously loved it.  For years, when I asked for dinner recommendations, I knew the answer: taco salad. Truth be told, it got kinda annoying.  I’m not sure how or why, but I went on a ten-year drought and never made it.  I’m sure it was the children’s fault.  I can just blame them for no good reason, right?

Recently I brought it out of the dusty archives, with surprising results.  It was a hit with everyone!  Of course, there was a caveat:  It’s not a perfect picture of health.  The highlight of the dish is crushed Doritos.  They may add flavor, but really … fake-colored-fake-cheese Doritos in a salad mixed with pure foods straight from the earth.  Talk about a paradox.  

I had an epiphany, though:  This a Gateway Salad.  We’ve heard of gateway drugs, which lead to more and heavier drugs.  My mom’s taco salad is a gateway to trying other salads.  It gives them the mentality that if they like this one, maybe they will like others.  It’s not perfect, and has some questionable ingredients, but it opens a door for more vibrant and healthy salads in the future.  Now that I think about it, this was probably my own gateway to other lettuce-based meals.

Is it a perfect salad?  Heck, no.  But I find it represents my overall approach to health: balance.  If my boys can now proclaim they like this salad, then maybe they’ll be more apt to trying one in the future.  It’s like with running:  I wouldn’t expect anyone to complete a marathon, or even a 5K, on their first run.  I’d expect them to baby step their mileage and add more distance as they get stronger.  

Same with salads.  Let’s face it: Doritos are the only incentive for my boys to dig in.  In doing so, they are opening the door to something else in the future.  They are also getting a rainbow of other real foods, with only one ingredient, rather than the 24 (yikes!) of Doritos .  

I’ll make this more often, and maybe next time I prepare that chicken fajita salad, we will all have it for dinner.  But I might throw some tortilla chips on the side, just to make sure.

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If you’re interested in trying Gateway Taco Salad (yep, I just gave it a name), read on:

I start with all the things I love in a salad: romaine (chopped, because big leaves are just irritating and difficult to eat), halved grape tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced red pepper, black beans and red kidney beans.  Rinse and drain the beans.

Health-o-Meter: 100%

Add lean ground beef (I like 90/10) seasoned with chili powder, garlic salt and pepper.

Health-o-Meter: 90%.  Red meat and salt bring that down slightly.  Substitute ground turkey breast if desired.

Add crushed Doritos.  Listen to the health dial falling faster than a nerf gun bullet launched off the second-floor balcony.

And finally, add in Catalina Dressing.   Speedy tells me this is his runner-up favorite ingredient.  I prefer Kraft Light, but can’t always find it so I just use the regular stuff. My strategy is to go as light as I can with the dressing and still get away with saying “I already put dressing on it.”  People can add more if they want to their own salads.  

I meant to add some avocados, but forgot.  Next time.  

If you try this, let me know what you think.  Even better, take and post a picture to Instagram and tag me @GracedHealth.  

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