Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Taco Casserole - Great for Meal Prep - 21 Day Fix

Super easy taco casserole - great for meal prep. I made two of these on Sunday, it's 4 servings per casserole - yes, you get to eat 1/4 of that pan!  We had it for dinner, saved the rest in containers for lunches and plan to freeze enough for one dinner next week. Directions for one pan:

1 c. Quinoa, cook according to package
1 lb. lean ground turkey, or beef
1/2 green container total of chopped pepper (I used a mix of yellow and red) and a little chopped onion
1 package low sodium taco seasoning (or use your favorite Mexican spices)
2 8oz. cans tomato sauce, low sodium
4 blue containers of shredded cheese

Preheat to 350. While you cook the quinoa, brown the meat and drain if needed. Prep the meat as you would for making tacos, either by following the package instructions or using your own spices, then add the veggies and tomato sauce. Bring to low boil then simmer for a few minutes to let flavors mix. Add cooked quinoa and 3 of the cheese containers, mix and spread in a 9x13 pan. Top with remaining container of cheese, cover with foil and cook for 20 min, then remove foil and cook another 10 min. Let cool in pan for several min. before serving. 4 large servings! Divide the pan in 1/4 - for the 21 Day Fix each serving is 1 yellow, 1 red, 1/2 green and 1 blue. Add hot sauce or a dollop of Greek yogurt and enjoy!

#mealplanning, #21dayfix, #planahead #workingmom

11 comments:

  1. This looks good but if the recipe only calls for 1/2 of a green container of chopped peppers wouldn't that be less than 1/2 a green container per serving? Or are you counting the tomato sauce too? Thanks!

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    1. I was wondering the same thing. It would have to be 2 cups of peppers/onion mix to equal 1/2 green container per serving. Tomato sauce counts as a purple, as far as I know, so that's missing from the equation.

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  2. Tomato Sauce actually falls under a purple container, so not sure about the container count here.

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  3. I agree with the green container. Has anyone tried it with 2 cups chopped veggies instead?

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  4. Just making sure is this one cup of uncooked Quinoa . Then you just cook it according directions, making sure for container count. Made it tonight and it is delicious. Want to make sure have the counts correct.

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    1. Did you get an answer on quinoa? 1 cup cooked or before cooking? Also on the greens? Also on the greens? ½ container or 2?

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  5. You guys are right on the green containers it would have to be 2 green to = 1/2 green. And as for the tomato sauce if its store brand with sugar added it counts as purple. If there is no sugar added then it counts as green. The recipe dose not specify what they used for tomato sauce.

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  6. What can I use instead of quinoa?

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    1. Rice or pasta. Both would still be a yellow container.

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