My dinner planning skills have been haphazard at best since the kids got out of school. Depending on our evening activities we’ve either been stopping for takeout, packing up something lunch-y for a picnic, eating with friends or throwing meat on the grill and grabbing whatever fresh food we have out of the fridge. It’s been working out okay so far but on the nights we could use a little more structure around dinnertime, these easy turkey lettuce cups (minus a couple kids) are a favorite and go well with a side of watermelon!
EASY TURKEY LETTUCE CUPS, serves 6, takes 30 minutes start to finish
For the dressing you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup lime juice (about 7 limes if wanting fresh squeezed)
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (optional)
For the filling you’ll need:
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (or canola)
- 4 small shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup minced lemongrass
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1 head butter lettuce (or 15 small romaine lettuce spears)
Here’s how:
- Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Rinse lettuce and layout to dry. Dice and chop all of the veggies. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add shallots, lemongrass and peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add turkey and cook, breaking up the meat, until cooked through.
- Add the dressing to the skillet and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in mint. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon turkey mixture into lettuce and serve!
Do you have any dinner favorites this summer?!
XO, Rae
Hi there ! This is fantastic … for me. But does your kids eat salad ? Mine not at all. They love vegetables but cooked. How do you do to make them like raw vegetable ?
Thank you ! Amel
Hey Amel! Great questions. When it comes to my kids being picky I try not to make a big deal about it but instead emphasize that they need to be polite about their dislikes…. I also don’t make them eat things they hate so for the almost 4 year old that won’t eat lettuce I give him a fork and let him eat the filling or warm up a corn tortilla to fill with the turkey mix. If he also wants to pick out the bell peppers I don’t worry about it as long as he’s nice about it. Also, I try not to plan our meals around my pickier eaters… They can eat what is served or not. If they are throwing a fit about it then they can have quiet time in their room. As far as getting my kids to eat raw veggies I think just consistently offering veggies, letting them help cook or prep, going to you-pick farms or growing your own plants all help. Didn’t realize I had so much to say on the subject, LOL! Hopefully it’s helpful! Feel free to send me an email if you have any other questions :) rae at reaannkelly dot com XOXO
These were delicious! We will definitely be making them again, and it was a healthier version of what I sometimes get at restaurants. Please share any other family-friendly meals!