Meals in Minutes: Taco Soup

Ever gone camping and wished that you had something light weight, quick and easy for dinner that was filling, not greasy and inexpensive....hey me too!  Are you a mom or dad without a whole lot of time to throw dinner together and wish that you could have something healthy and tasty that could be waiting for you in your pantry when dinner time approaches?  I have been reading Dinner is in the Jar by Kathy Clark and making changes to these recipes that make it a little more user friendly for my family.  For example, if I was supposed to be soaking beans overnight and then start simmering them for 2 hours before dinner, it wouldn't have helped me as much as if I had beans that were ready to go.  That is why I LOVE Shelf Reliance Instant Beans.  This first recipe I am posting for you is one that taste's absolutely fabulous and can actually be done in about 20 minutes.  Because you don't have to pre-soak the beans, everything can go in the same bag.  This makes it all the more tempting to rig up 10 bags at once (ok, maybe more like 4) so you have future dinners set and ready to go. Thank you to Kathy Clark who got the seasonings perfect on this one.  Hope you like the Shelf Reliance doctored soup. My husband said I, "have full permission to make this soup again and again."  Basically his way of saying he loves it!  Also, since Taco TVP is the Qpon item of the month, I thought it convenient to include a recipe which would taste great with Taco TVP.

Something else I should mention is that I typically don't put my food in Jars.  I prefer to use those for when I can beans, chicken, meat or veggies so I use mylar bags for my "Meals in Minutes".  To learn more about mylar and oxygen absorbers, this is where I bought mine. These are also very convenient for when you are camping.  Mylar bags are also reusable so you can just trim the top off to open then save them for the next time you fill bags.  I put an oxygen absorber in my bags to keep the product fresh and crisp.  If you are making a meal that you are going to be eating soon  (like in a couple of days) you can use a freezer bag with a good zip lock and it should work just fine.



Taco Soup
Bag Ingredients:
1 c THRIVE Instant Red Beans
1 c THRIVE Instant Pinto Beans
1 1/2 c  THRIVE Freeze Dried Ground Beef THRIVE Beef TVP, or 3/4 c THRIVE Taco TVP (you can substitute 1 lb ground beef instead of THRIVE meat)
1 c THRIVE Freeze Dried corn
2 T THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers
2 T THRIVE Chopped Onions
1/4 c ranch dressing mix (about 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Powder)
2 T chili powder
1 t garlic powder
1/4 t THRIVE oregano
1/2 t paprika
2 t cumin
1 t seasoning salt
1/8 t ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Additional Ingredients:
9 c water
2 cans of diced tomatoes (2 1/2 c THRIVE Tomato Dices w/1 c water)

Optional toppings: (I've used THRIVE cheese & sour cream or just regular stuff from the grocery market.  Depends on if you are in a situation with refrigeration or not!)
cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips


Directions:
Bring water to a boil then turn off the heat and immediately add all of the other ingredients from the bag and cover the pot.  Let all of the ingredients sit for 5 minutes to begin rehydrating.  Add tomatoes, recover, then bring to a simmer allowing it to simmer for another 10-15 minutes.   Top individual bowls with shredded cheese, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips.


If you live in the Denver area or somewhere close by and would like to attend one of my Meals-in-Minutes group nights and store up a bunch of dinners for your family, contact me at Tiffany@HelpingFamiliesThrive.com. If you'd like to search the Shelf Reliance website and get the guaranteed best pricing available without having to use a coupon, you can visit www.helpingfamilies.thrivelife.com/home.