These easy and healthy Turkey Taco Twice-Baked Potatoes will be a hit with your family. There are only 250 calories and 6 Weight Watchers PP per serving.
Lately I've circled back to being best buds with the MyFitnessPal app (MFP for short...I told you we were buds!) on my phone. If you've read about My Healthy and Weight Loss Journey, you already know that MFP were joined at the hip as I kept track of my meals and exercise, all the way to a 30-pound weight loss.
But I found myself slipping back into a few of my old habits lately and knew it was time to become re-acquainted with MFP.
It was time to become accountable again.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still running four times per week and am working hard to prepare healthy meals for my family. But, as always, it's the snacking that gets me!
The mindless eating that really does me in. You know, those times when you're standing at the kitchen counter, eating without thinking, taking a bite of this and a bite of that. Before you know it, you've consumed a few hundred calories.
That's the point when I say, "Forget this! I've already messed up...I might as well eat everything in the pantry now." I know I'm not alone here.
But when I'm actually tracking what I eat and am aware of portion sizes (that is key for this snacker), then I can control my snacking. Oh yeah, and drinking a glass of water first always helps matters. Half of the time I'm actually thirsty, not hungry, but have failed to recognize that.
Since I've been tracking everything again, making good choices and drinking more water, my energy level has shot back up, my mind is clearer and I'm a heck of a lot less frustrated with myself. For me, frustration leads to negative self-talk, which then leads to mindless snacking. It's a vicious circle.
And when I snack wisely, I find that I'm hungry for dinner (something like these healthy twice-baked potatoes) and actually enjoy my meal without feeling bloated, exhausted or guilty.
These potatoes are a cinch to make. Just cook up some ground turkey meat, season with a few spices and mix with the mashed potatoes. Everything gets tucked back inside of the potato shells and backed until hot and bubbling.
This recipe is always a hit with the whole family...and my buddy MFP seems to approve, too.
Other recipes with ground turkey:
Cookin' Canuck's Turkey Cannelloni with Roasted Peppers & Spinach
Cookin' Canuck's Baked Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
Mountain Mama Cooks' Slow Cooker Turkey Sloppy Joe Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Slender Kitchen's Ground Turkey & Spaghetti Squash Curry
The Weary Chef's Chinese Green Beans with Ground Turkey
Printable Recipe
Turkey Taco Twice-Baked Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 small russet potatoes about 8 oz. each
- 2 tablespoons light cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons skim milk
- ½ pounds ground turkey
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese divided
For Serving:
- sliced green onions
- salsa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- With a fork, pierce each potato in several places. Microwave until tender when pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes, turning halfway through.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a ¼-inch border and transfer the flesh to a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the cream cheese and skim milk to the bowl with the potato and mash with the back of a fork or a potato masher.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat the skillet with cooking spray. Add the ground turkey and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through.
- Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook until the turkey is cooked through.
- Stir the ground turkey, green onions and ¼ cup cheddar cheese into the potato mixture until combined.
- Place the potato skins on a baking sheet and divide the turkey/potato mixture evenly between the skins. Divide the remaining ¼ cup cheddar cheese between the stuffed potatoes.
- Bake the potatoes until the cheese is melted and the skins are slightly crisp, about 15 minutes.
- Garnish with green onions and serve with salsa.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Jenny @ The Peachy Pair
Love one dish meals! Will have to try this out!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
Your comments about being thirsty not hungry, and about the mindless kitchen snacking really hit home!
Laura+(Tutti+Dolci)
I love your healthier spin on twice-baked potatoes, these look incredible!
kelley
I tend to be a mindless snacker too. I've never tracked my eating but maybe I should give it a go. I'm sure it would scare me into thinking before I eat. Love the tip about drinking a glass of water first. It's so easy to not get enough hydration. I love these potatoes and have a soft spot for anything taco themed!
Rachel+@+Baked+by+Rachel
I love love love these! I could seriously eat all of them. Potatoes are one of my biggest downfalls!
Dana
Would this work substituting sweet potatoes?
Dara
Hi Dana, I don't see why not. However, since sweet potatoes a bigger than the small russets called for in this recipe, I would either make more filling (e.g., may 1 1/2 or 2 times the amount of ground turkey, spices, etc) or use less sweet potatoes (2 or 3). I hope it works out for you!
Jessica+@+A+Kitchen+Addiction
Love these healthy, hearty potatoes! Perfect weeknight dinner!
MissyMops
Those potatoes look so good and I love that they're so light!
Dara
Thank you, Missy!
Julia M.
This looks wonderful and I'd really like to make it for dinner tonight. I only have ground beef in the fridge and I really don't feel like going to the store. Do you think the ground beef would work as well as the turkey?
Dara
Julia, ground beef will definitely work. Just be certain to drain of any excess fat before adding the cooked ground beef to the potatoes. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Diana
My family loves twice-baked potatoes, but the ones I made in the past were always so heavy with tons of butter and cream/whole milk. I can't wait to try this version!
Dara
That's always been my issue with twice-baked potatoes too, Diana. I promise you that you won't miss the butter in these potatoes.
Liz+@+The+Lemon+Bowl
Too funny I bought russets this weekend for the first time in MONTHS to make vegetable beef soup. You're making me want to change my tune!
Dara
Vegetable beef soup sounds like a fantastic idea! That being said, I hope you have a chance to try these potatoes, too. 🙂