Taco Bowl

A meal that never ever gets old to me, taco bowls!

I'm the kinda gal who can enjoy the same foods/meals over and over...& this is one of those meals. Easy to prep, I'm gonna give you hot pointers on how to make your weekly breakfasts, lunches, or dinners easier.

PREP TALK:
A great meal prepping tip: find some foods you really enjoy together, and prep all of the ingredients over the weekend (or whenever best fits your schedule.) You don't need but an hour or two. Utilize both the stove and oven, write down everything you have, and make a plan in the kitchen. Here's how I do my taco bowls that last me all week in a time efficient matter. nd on both vanilla and cinnamon. Also, this tastes perfect without stevia if you don't have it/are Whole30.

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Put on a pot of boiling water for rice, a boiling pot for beans (I love pinto and black), & heat up a large pan for ground meat (or chicken, steak, etc.)
3. Wash sweet potatoes, measure out your rice in a separate bowl, and wash your veggies : bell peppers, jalepenos, mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuces, cilantro and other herbs.
4. Potatoes in oven, rice into water, down to a simmer + lid for 15-2min. Beans rinsed off and into boiling water, simmer for 2 hrs (or use canned beans, but homemade is worrrrrth the wait. And hella cheaper.
5. Ground meat into hot pan, brown, and apply seasoning (•1TBSP chili powder, •1 tsp smoked paprika, •1 1/2 tsp cumin, •1 tsp salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp of oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and red chili flakes for a kick, + 1 cup of water. Mix well. (Seasoning recipe is for 1lb.) bring to simmer for 15 min.
6. While everything is on stove, prep your veggies. Dice or slice peppers & onions to sautée after your meat is done, or leave 'em raw. Chop tomatoes and lettuce, and keep in the fridge in separate baggies or containers. I also love to make pico with the tomatoes, onion, jalepeno, and lime juice. Avocado is really the only thing I don't make ahead of time. 
7. Make some salsa! Cheap and easy: 1 can of peeled whole tomatoes, 1/2 medium white onion, 1 jalepeno, 1/2 cup of loose cilantro leaves, pinch of salt and pep, 2-3 cloves of garlic. Grow it allll into your blender. Blend and taste, I usually end up adding more of something, whatever you think it needs.
8. Let your rice and meat cool in bowls, then store in separate containers. I weigh my meat and divide the gram# by 4 so I know how much I need in one serving. Because of water, it will be less than 4oz/114g...more like 90g per serving depending on meat choice. So always weigh, especially if your tracking on MFP. Write with a sharpie on your containers so you remember grams per serving with everything. Don't worry, it'll wash off! 
9. Turn your sweet pots over about 30 minutes in, mine take about 1 1/2 hours to get nice and cooked through, oozing juice. They're super sweet that way!

The great thing about foods that work well together are the endless options on how you eat them. To keep things exciting, try to switch it up: I do taco bowls, salads, tacos in coconut flour tortillas, nacho toppings on grain free chips, egg scrambles, omelets, "mush bowls" with just meat and potatoes, etc with ALL of those ingredients.

I hope this helps in starting off your prep game. It's best to not get overwhelmed with 6 different recipes that require 15 ingredients that who knows if you will use all of them or not...that's a LOT for the brain and a LOT of stress on you! So, start with some simple, whole, heathy ingredients that you know you love, and go from there!

I know the kitchen can be an intimidating place...But, I promise you'll get better and better. All it takes is some practice and patience...Just put your mind to it and think of cooking for yourself as nourishment, self love and care, your body will thank you!

- Chels