Simple Saturday: Terrific Tacos

Make-ahead tacos are not only a fun meal that kids can assemble themselves (thereby making it more delicious to them, of course!), but it's also a great way to ensure your dinner includes some veggies, as vegetables don't always freeze well.  This dish focuses on veggies that will freeze!

Ingredients

Taco stands make taco night
even more fun!

• 1 lb. ground beef (or turkey for a lighter meal)
• 1 T Fiesta Party Dip Mix
• 1 T Onion Onion
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1-1/4 cups diced tomato
• 1 T fresh chopped cilantro
• 2/3 cup diced red onion
• 1 T lime juice
• pinch salt
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar or mexi-blend cheese
• 6 (or more) tortillas or taco shells

Make-Ahead Preparation

• In a large skillet, combine ground beef, Fiesta Party Dip Mix, and Onion Onion.  Saute until meat is browned and cook through.  Drain fat.
• Stir in tomato sauce, water, and cumin.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Let cool, and transfer meat mixture to freezer container.
• In another freezer container, combine tomato, cilantro, red onion, lime juice, and salt.
• Measure cheese into a third freezer container.
• Pack all containers into one, label, and freeze.

To Serve

• Thaw completely in refrigerator.
• Place meat mixture in a large skillet.  Heat on medium high heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
• Assemble tacos, with each one having: 1 tortilla or shell; 1/6 of meat mixture; generous 1/4 cup salsa; and 1 T shredded cheese.
• Or, for a "fun" meal, create a taco assembly line on the kitchen counter!

Have you tried a taco assembly line with your kids?  Does it help them stay interested in dinner?

Simple Saturday: Simple Beef Stroganoff

This is a great meal to make-ahead and toss in your slow cooker in the morning, for a great dinner all ready when you get home.  Or, make this a 15-minute meal by browning the beef in a skillet, then mixing in the other ingredients.  Either way, it will be simple and delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 T Onion Onion
• 1 T Garlic Garlic
• 1 tsp Seasoned Salt
• 1.5 lbs cubed beef stew meat
• 14.5 oz can beef broth
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 7.3 oz jar sliced mushrooms
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 c egg noodles, uncooked

Make-Ahead Preparation

• Combine Onion Onion through pepper in a gallon-sized freezer bag.
• Measure sour cream into a sandwich-sized freezer bag.
• Measure egg noodles into sandwich-sized freezer bag.
• Combine all bags into another - seal and freeze.

To Serve

• Thaw completely.
• Place beef mixture into a greased slow cooker.  Cook on low 8 hours (or more, up to 10).
• Stir in sour cream just before serving.
• Cook noodles according to package directions.
• Spoon beef mixture over cooked noodles and enjoy.

Serves: 4

Simple Saturday: Sweet Pepper Salmon with Garlic Broccolini

It was a glorious summer day, (one of the few we've had in the Northwest,) and we were determined to grill something both delicious and healthy.  This grilled salmon and broccolini dinner was a delight, and simple to whip up in just a few minutes!

Ingredients
Salmon:
2 lb wild salmon filet, with skin
1/2 jar (about 2/3 cup) Tastefully Simple Sweet Pepper Jalapeño Jam
Broccolini:
2 bunches broccolini
1 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Garlic Infused Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

Preparation

• In a shallow bowl, combine broccolini, Garlic Infused Olive Oil, and Garlic Garlic.  Toss well.  Set aside.
• Preheat grill on high heat.  Spread approximately 1/4 of the jam on meaty side of salmon.  Grill, meaty side down, for approximately two minutes until jam begins to caramelize.
• Turn grill down to medium-high heat.  Flip salmon over so that the scaly side is down.  Add broccolini to grill, (on upper rack if available,) pouring any remaining liquids on top.  (Careful - pouring too much oil on a hot grill at once can cause it to flame up, so pour slowly.)
• Spread approximately 1/2 of the remaining jam on top of salmon.  Cover and cook for several minutes, then add remaining jam and continue cooking.  Meanwhile, turn broccolini every few minutes so that it becomes tender, and not blackened.
• Cook broccolini until tender.  Cook salmon until opaque and flaky.

Serves: 8

Devon Thurtle Anderson, Independent Tastefully Simple Consultant
Consultant ID #0119436
http://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/dthurtle-anderson

Other Posts You Might Like:

Pesto Salmon

Sweet and Sour Pork with Coconut Rice

Agave Citrus Kebabs

Cabbage Soup

Soups are a great way to get all your vegetables into one delicious make-ahead meal.  This soup is loaded with healthy veggies, but also plenty of flavor.  Thanks to my mom for this recipe, and for teaching us to eat healthy!

Toscana Soup

Serving Size: 5

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups spicy chicken sausage (or pork)
6 slices of lean turkey bacon
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/4 tsp chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chicken soup base
1 quart water
2 medium potatoes, cut in half lengthwise then cut into 1/4" slices
2 cups kale leaves, cut in half, then sliced (don't forget to cut out and discard the center vein of each leaf)
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place sausage (broken into chunks) onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes or until done. Place onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add chicken base, water and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Add sausage, kale and cream and simmer 4 minutes.

Serve right away or you can freeze the soup to serve on a later date. To re-heat, thaw the soup and re-heat in a pan to 165 degrees F.

Suggested Sides: Green salad and garlic bread sticks, yummy!

~Jessica Finger, RD, CD

Simple Saturday: Pesto Salmon

Last weekend, we had company over with only an hour's advance notice.  The baby was still napping and so I couldn't run to the store.  My best option: raid the freezer!  Ah, the freezer never lets me down.  So I opened up the door, dove in, and resurfaced a few moments later with frozen, individually wrapped wild salmon fillets from Costco.  Perfect!  I then proceeded to wow and delight with this simple little recipe:

Ingredients
4 4- to 6-oz salmon fillets (fresh or thawed)
4 tbsp Tastefully Simple Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar

Preparation

• Preheat grill to medium-high.
• Arrange salmon fillets on a plate.
• In a small bowl, combine Pesto Mix, water, and olive oil.
• Microwave on high for 30 seconds, until liquids boil.  (Not a fan of the microwave?  Then combine mix and olive oil in a dish and add 4 tbsp boiling water.)  Tip:  Do this step just a few minutes before your guests arrive; they'll be in awe of the marvelous aroma that will fill your kitchen!
• Spoon or brush pesto over salmon fillets.
• Place salmon directly on grill, skin side down.  (If your fillets don't have skin, place a sheet of foil on grill and coat with grill-safe non-stick spray, and place salmon on the foil.)
• With the grill lid on, grill for approximately 5-8 minutes (or longer, depending on thickness), until salmon is opaque and flaky.  Tip:  Don't overcook salmon.  Like steak, it's generally fine to leave is slightly pink in the middle.

This dinner earned rave reviews from our guests, and it only took about 10 minutes to prepare!  What do you do with your Tastefully Simple Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix?

Devon Thurtle Anderson, Independent Tastefully Simple Consultant
Consultant ID #0119436
http://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/dthurtle-anderson

Top Five Tips for a Nutritious Make-Ahead Lunch

Today we're honored to host guest author Stacy Cacciatore from the healthy eating blog Five a Day the Fun Way.  Stacy started Five a Day the Fun Way to provide parents with realistic recipes, tips, activities, and ideas to make eating healthy fun for the entire family.

As an overweight child, anorexic teen, and obese adult, Stacy struggled with her weight for her entire life. After hitting an all-time high of 220 pounds, she decided something needed to change. She immersed herself in education about health, nutrition and wellness, resulting in losing 80 pounds, 11 sizes, and half her body fat.  As a mom, she wants to ensure her children don’t experience the same struggles with weight and food. She writes Five a Day the Fun Way to share her experiences, research, struggles, and successes in getting her entire family to eat healthier.

Check out Stacy's blog and website for more information about Stacy, her writing, and other projects. You can contact her at stacy@stacycacciatore.com.

Whether you are trying to pack a healthy lunch for your child for summer camp, school, or even for yourself for work, it’s not easy to bring a lunch that is healthy, quick, affordable, delicious, and can withstand making ahead.

As a busy mom, I struggle with balancing convenience, time, and nutrition. It seems that I can typically achieve one or two of these criteria, but not all three. Last week I found myself succumbing to the allure and convenience of the Lunchable. I dreaded my decision when I read that Lunchables are full of nitrates, high fructose corn syrup, and refined flour.

I immediately decided to set out to find healthy lunch ideas that I could make ahead on Sunday night for the entire week.

Given that I had recently had lunch with my son at his school and saw how the kids trade lunch items like silly bandz, I wanted to make a lunch that was not only nutritious, but that my kids would be excited to eat (and not trade in for chips.)

Here are my top five tips for making a healthy lunch that your kids will actually eat:

Keeping It Simple: Garlic Buttered Steak

Memorial Day began in the late 1800's after the Civil War as a day to commemorate soldiers who had died on both sides of the north-south battlefield.  Its first date was specifically chosen because it was not the date of a battle.  Originally known as "Decoration Day," the traditional ritual of remembrance involved decorating the graves of Civil War soldiers.  After World War I, the scope expanded to include all soldiers who had died in the line of duty, and by 1967, Memorial Day was the holiday's official, congressionally-ordained title.

Of course, the traditional celebration of this holiday has morphed in the almost 150 years since its inception, and many of us take the three-day weekend as an opportunity to spend time with friends and family and enjoy that beautiful spring weather that will soon give way to a full-blown summer.  First and foremost, we hope you'll take some time today to pause and remember those who have sacrificed their lives to defend ours.  And then, in the midst of fully appreciating what they've given us, make every minute you spend with your loved ones today, and every day, count.

So today, we give you a great summer grilling recipe that is about as simple - yet delicious - as it gets.

Lemon Pepper Cod

This is a delicious and healthy dinner that you can make in a matter of minutes.  Keep some frozen cod on-hand, and you won't even need a trip to the grocery store!  This recipe is aimed at simplicity, using ingredients you probably already have in your cabinets.

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
4 4-oz fresh or frozen cod fillets
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp dried basil
1/4 large yellow onion, sliced

Preparation

• Melt butter in a large skillet with lid over medium-high heat.  (Be careful not to burn.)
• Arrange frozen (or fresh) cod on a plate.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, lemon pepper, and basil.
• Add cod to pan, place onion slices on top of and around fish; cover.  Cook for 5-8 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes.

That's all there is to it!  Keep a few spare boxes of cous cous around, and a bag of salad, and you have a 10-minute dinner.