If you know me, you know I could eat some form of Mexican food on the daily.
And that I am also all about simple meals. I don’t want 10,000 ingredients or something that is going to take forever to cook. HEAT & EAT, please!
But before we can heat & eat, we gotta do the prep…trust me, prep sounds like a lot of work. It can be BUT not if you do it right! Plus, think of how those couple of hours in the kitchen on your “prep day” make for a much more relaxed week!
First let’s talk tips, then we can chat how to make this meal & dig in!
Here are some tips….
When you’re cooking protein like this, always double it. Hell, triple it if you want. But cooking 1 lb at a time is just plain SILLY! I always do AT LEAST 2 lbs. This is the perfect kind of protein to throw in the freezer. So then not only are you cooking protein for the current week but also for throughout the month!
Buy things already prepared, if you can.
I buy a large frozen bag of cauliflower rice from Costco, it has individually wrapped bags in it to heat & eat (you getting the theme here). Then I always have some on hand when I am in a pinch for veggies!
My brown rice (if you prefer brown rice over the beans in the dish) comes from Trader Joe’s. It is 3 packages individually wrapped, you microwave it for 3 minutes and you have PERFECTLY cooked rice. Something I could NEVER do on a stove top.
I buy premade guac, too. The mini WHOLLY Guacamole ones from Costco are good because those serve one. OR my favorite, that taste the most authentic guac is Herdez. I buy the smaller container (usually 2 at a time) & I don’t tear the plastic all the way off under the lid, I feel like that keeps in the freshness. If I need to skim off the brown on the top the next day, no biggie!
Peppers! Those are also bought in bulk at Costco & cut up on prep day! I do NOT grill all of them at once roughly 1/2 of them. They tend to get soggy after 3-4 days. Once the grilled ones are used up, I grill the rest!
I keep the staples on hand for taco bowls because even if I don’t have fresh peppers or guac to throw in it, I can still make a damn good meal with the rest of the ingredients, especially if I am keeping my freezer stocked with extra servings of taco meat!
Beans or rice (or both), cauliflower rice & cheese. Those are kitchen staples, am I right?!
And if you are wanting to make this family friendly, just grab some taco shells for the kiddos!
Ok enough small talk…here is what you REALLY came here for, the recipe:
What you need for the meat (makes about 7-8 servings):
2 lb 93/7 Lean Ground Beef or Lean Turkey
2 tbsp of Southwest Seasoning (see below)
1 can diced tomatoes w/ peppers (rotel)
1/3 cup water
The rest:
Trader Joe’s Refried Black Beans w/ Jalapeño or Brown Rice
Cauliflower Rice
Assorted Bell Peppers
Shredded Cheese
Guacamole or Avocado
Jalapeño Sauce (optional)
Southwest Seasoning (I use this shit on EVERYTHING)
2 tbsp chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt
Mix all the seasonings together and put in a sealed container, it should make enough to have some left for other recipes! It is really great on anything, I use it in my burgers too!
Instructions:
1. Cook the meat until no longer pink (be sure to chop it up or crumble).
2. Drain, although w/ the lean I buy there is never much to drain
3. Add in water, rotel & seasoning, mix well.
4. Let it simmer until water is gone. Usually about 10 minutes.
5. Portion out 3/4 cup meat into individual containers.
(Store in the freezer 2-3 months or the fridge for 3-4 days.)
Here is how I assemble my “bowl”…
1/2 cup beans
3/4 cup grilled peppers
3/4 cup cauliflower rice
3/4 cup taco meat
1/4 cup guac & cheese (mostly guac w/ a sprinkle of cheese)
Then for good measure & I because I like a little kick, I add some Trader Joe’s Jalapeño Sauce on top!
Some of my FAVORITE products.
I would love to hear from you if you make the taco bowl & love it…if you don’t, then keep your mouth shut (HAHAHA, kidding. Sort of.)
As always, feel free to share!