Taco Soup
One of the best ways I keep ahead of the game (since I have limited time at home) is to meal prep. I know a lot of people roll their eyes when they hear those words, but seriously, it's a life saver. I can spend 1-2 hours on my day off, getting everything ready, so when I come home from work and my family is ready to eat, I can get everything ready in a snap and eat with them.
My husband and I get off work at roughly the same time, but I have my crappy commute, so I usually don't get home for another hour and 20 minutes. Since he's awesome though, he does the majority of the cooking during the week and I will cook on "easy nights" or "leftover nights", on weekends, or on nights when it's something quick and easy like spaghetti. We also have a few meals we make in the crockpot because that thing is amazing. My point being, that when the oven is all tied up, it can be difficult to make a completely separate meal, as I'm often restricted to one burner or a microwave. We sit down at the table to eat as a family almost every night, and I don't want work or my drive to get in the way of that. I have a teenager now (I know, right?!), and the dinner table is where I learn about everything that's happened in her day. We didn't do that when I was growing up, and I absolutely love doing it now.
Anyway, I meal prep so I have both something easy and nutritious to take to work and so I have something quick and nutritious to eat for dinner. I usually make two recipes a week, one for lunch and one for dinner, since I don't mind eating the same food a few days in a row. However, if you threw a third recipe in there you could alternate some days, and if you had a fourth you could do even more. I don't like to spend all day doing it though, so I'm good with two. For my meal containers, I use glass pyrex ones with lids that I got at Big Lots for a bargain (still freaking love that place). I have them in all sizes so I can prep soups, large salads, small cups of fruit, etc. I try to avoid plastic (although I'm using my daughter's container in the pic below, lol), and I especially don't ever stick plastic in the microwave.
This week for lunch I made Taco Soup, with mandarin oranges and some wheat crackers on the side. For dinner I had cauliflower-mashed potatoes, peas n' onions, slices of Field Roast's Celebration Roast, and homemade mushroom gravy (I'll post those recipes later). I didn't do a whole lot of snacking this week except for a small serving of mixed nuts (the good kind: almonds, cashews, pecans) and a few medjool dates with almond butter. Oh, and a few Chocolate Hazelnut Oreos, because them things were amazing, lol.
Taco Soup:
Like the soup you made in your high school cooking class but completely vegan, and without the ranch packet because that stuff is junk. Also, my pictures will get prettier, no worries. I'm rusty. NOTE: I use a jar of taco seasoning instead of packets. If you use a packet, I would still start with a half tablespoon and taste to see if you need more.
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can petite diced, no-salt-added, tomatoes
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
1/2 c. frozen corn
1/2 Tb. taco seasoning
2 c. water (more or less, depending on how thick you want it).
1. Saute onions and bell peppers in a soup pot for 5-7 min, or until softened. I use a touch of Pompeiian olive oil spray instead of oil. Add the taco seasoning and saute about 1 minute.
2. Add kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, corn, and water. Stir. Bring to a boil, and simmer about 20 minutes. You can adjust salt to taste if you want, but I actually didn't need to add any.
5 servings: 197 calories, 0.2 g fat, 39.6 g carbs (12.9 g fiber), 10.9 g protein, and a nice assortment of vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. It makes more than 1 cup per serving. I just equally divided it between 5 bowls, and then added a little bit of water while reheating it for lunch.
My husband and I get off work at roughly the same time, but I have my crappy commute, so I usually don't get home for another hour and 20 minutes. Since he's awesome though, he does the majority of the cooking during the week and I will cook on "easy nights" or "leftover nights", on weekends, or on nights when it's something quick and easy like spaghetti. We also have a few meals we make in the crockpot because that thing is amazing. My point being, that when the oven is all tied up, it can be difficult to make a completely separate meal, as I'm often restricted to one burner or a microwave. We sit down at the table to eat as a family almost every night, and I don't want work or my drive to get in the way of that. I have a teenager now (I know, right?!), and the dinner table is where I learn about everything that's happened in her day. We didn't do that when I was growing up, and I absolutely love doing it now.
Anyway, I meal prep so I have both something easy and nutritious to take to work and so I have something quick and nutritious to eat for dinner. I usually make two recipes a week, one for lunch and one for dinner, since I don't mind eating the same food a few days in a row. However, if you threw a third recipe in there you could alternate some days, and if you had a fourth you could do even more. I don't like to spend all day doing it though, so I'm good with two. For my meal containers, I use glass pyrex ones with lids that I got at Big Lots for a bargain (still freaking love that place). I have them in all sizes so I can prep soups, large salads, small cups of fruit, etc. I try to avoid plastic (although I'm using my daughter's container in the pic below, lol), and I especially don't ever stick plastic in the microwave.
This week for lunch I made Taco Soup, with mandarin oranges and some wheat crackers on the side. For dinner I had cauliflower-mashed potatoes, peas n' onions, slices of Field Roast's Celebration Roast, and homemade mushroom gravy (I'll post those recipes later). I didn't do a whole lot of snacking this week except for a small serving of mixed nuts (the good kind: almonds, cashews, pecans) and a few medjool dates with almond butter. Oh, and a few Chocolate Hazelnut Oreos, because them things were amazing, lol.
Taco Soup:
Like the soup you made in your high school cooking class but completely vegan, and without the ranch packet because that stuff is junk. Also, my pictures will get prettier, no worries. I'm rusty. NOTE: I use a jar of taco seasoning instead of packets. If you use a packet, I would still start with a half tablespoon and taste to see if you need more.
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can petite diced, no-salt-added, tomatoes
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
1/2 c. frozen corn
1/2 Tb. taco seasoning
2 c. water (more or less, depending on how thick you want it).
1. Saute onions and bell peppers in a soup pot for 5-7 min, or until softened. I use a touch of Pompeiian olive oil spray instead of oil. Add the taco seasoning and saute about 1 minute.
2. Add kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, corn, and water. Stir. Bring to a boil, and simmer about 20 minutes. You can adjust salt to taste if you want, but I actually didn't need to add any.
5 servings: 197 calories, 0.2 g fat, 39.6 g carbs (12.9 g fiber), 10.9 g protein, and a nice assortment of vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. It makes more than 1 cup per serving. I just equally divided it between 5 bowls, and then added a little bit of water while reheating it for lunch.
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