Freezer-ish Tacos for Lunch!

Last weekend, we decided to make tacos. Tacos have three great things going for them. (1) They are very easy to make. (2) They allow everyone to have their own flavor mix. (3) They are toddler-help friendly. Remembering that my kid will eat anything he helps to make, you can see how tacos make a great, fast, easy dinner. 

My husband made up the ground beef mix, and somehow he made far too much. I think he made a whole pound of meat. Needless to say, we did not need that much. So I decided to freeze the left overs, as I had heard that taco meat was a good food to have around in the freezer. I had been skeptical. WHY keep pre-cooked taco meat in the freezer when it takes about 10 minutes to make fresh?

I'll tell you why. 

Lunch.

Today, I stood in front of my stupid refrigerator trying to figure out what to make for lunch, when it hit me that I not only had frozen taco meat but also 4 remaining taco shells, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and shredded mexican cheese! I don't know why this made me giddy, but it did. 

I pulled out the remaining meat, noticed I still had 1/2 pound (way too much for just me and the toddler), broke it up and put 1/2 of it back. I transferred what I was going to use to a bowl and threw it in the microwave for a minute and a half. While doing that, I threw the taco shells in the oven to crisp them a bit (as they had been stored in plastic), cut up some lettuce and tomato, put everything in small bowls, and set up or table for taco making.

Lunch was quite a success. A little messy, but quite a success. I could see myself making up an extra large batch of taco meat in the future to have on hand, perhaps storing in smaller portions to have for lunch.

Here's my recipe for the taco meat:

however much you want of very lean ground beef (we use Laura's Organic but whatever--just make sure it isn't fatty)

a small onion for every pound of meat, diced

Chili Powder

Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt

Spray a nonstick pan with just a little cooking spray. Toss in onions and cook until they begin to soften. Add the meat, and sprinkle the whole thing with chili powder and krazy salt. We tend to start off easy and add more seasoning as we think is necessary, but everyone has their own beliefs on what is too spicy, so use your judgement. Cook through and use whatever you need that night. Freeze the rest in servings you need for your family (I would probably do 1/4 lb (ish) servings in the future, as that makes lunch easier and dinner can just be 2 servings.

You can use this meat for tacos, taco salad, enchiladas, or whatever you want it in. It's yummy. And it freezes great.