For these hot summer nights

I don't know about you, but as soon as the heat sets in and the days get longer I just don't feel like eating or cooking. I don't know where my appetite's gone. Maybe I am burning fewer calories these days for some strange reason? Does anyone know if heat slows your metabolism? In any case, I've been forcing myself to eat even when I'm not hungry just so I don't have to listen to Mike scold me for skipping meals... and it's making me gain weight. There's only 5.5 weeks left! I can't let this happen now. I've been steadily maintaining for the past few months so I'd better get back to business otherwise I'll be one porky bride come August.

Just thought I'd share the salad we had for dinner last night. It doesn't involve too much cooking so it's good for when you don't want to reverse the effects of your A/C at home. It's also from my favourite diet cookbook, so you don't have to feel bad even though it tastes too good to be good for you. I would recommend that you add some heat to it though b/c 1 jalapeno is not enough fire. Enjoy!

Na-cho Ordinary Taco Salad
Layered taco salad, without the tacos (from Eat, Shrink & Be Merry)

Beef mixture:
1 1/2 lbs (680 g) extra-lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chili powder (I used Clubhouse Tex-Mex)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups quartered grape tomatoes
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
12 cups torn romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce
1 cup canned whole-kernel corn, drained
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup packed shredded light old (sharp) cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 small ripe avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
1 cup each light sour cream and salsa

Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onions, jalapeno pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until beef is no longer pink, breaking up any large pieces. Add chili powder and cumin. Cook 1 more minute. Add grape tomatoes, ketchup, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

To assemble salad, spread lettuce over bottom of a serving platter. (If you want to make individual salads instead of one large salad, spread lettuce over bottom of individual-sized plates or shallow bowls.) Top with beef mixture, followed by corn, beans, green pepper, cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and avocado slices (if using), in that order. Top with sour cream and salsa just before serving.

Makes 8 lunch/6 dinner servings.
Per serving (based on 8 servings): 279 cals, 11.1 g total fat, 6.1 g saturated fat, 25 g protein, 22 g carbs, 5.7 g fibre, 65 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium