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.

Homemade "Helper" Mix-in-a-Jar

As many of you know I am going to start Dinner-in-a-Jar nights soon.  I love this posting by fellow THRIVE blogger Rena Hearn at http://thrivingtexasmama.blogspot.com.  I am starting to try out some Just-Add-Water Meals and this is next on my list of recipes to try out.  I typically don't eat Hamburger Helper because of all of the added fat and ingredients I can't pronounce that probably aren't the best for my body... this seems like a great alternative and something I can hand over to my dear, sweet husband on nights that my hands are tied.

Recipe: Homemade 'Helper' Recipe

We love easy around here. And we have all been brain washed into believing those boxed ‘helper’ recipes are as easy as it gets. With a whopping 110 Calories in the mix alone and a lengthy list of unhealthy ingredients and preservative, there must be a better way!  Making homemade hamburger helper could not be easier!! You make up a basic ‘mix’ and add noodles and meat as you see fit. You could easily layer noodles, mix and spice into mason jars to give as gifts or as a quick meal. With options such as freeze dried meats or TVP, quick ‘helper’ style meals have never been easier!!

Homemade ‘Helper’ Mix

• 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbs. garlic powder
• 2 Tbs. dried parsley
• 1/3 cup Thrive Freeze Dried Onion
• 1 Tbs. salt
• 1 2/3 cup Thrive Powdered milk
• 3 1/2 Tbs. Thrive beef bouillon

Mix this all up and store in a glass jar or other sealed container.

Use 1/2 cup for each pound of ground meat.

The Nutrition Info for this basic mix comes to about the following: 41 Calories, less than 1g of fat

Basic Preparation:

• 1 pound meat (Thrive Freeze Dried Beef, Thrive Beef TVP, or seasoned browned ground beef)
• 1/2 cup of  ‘helper’ mix (above)
• 1 to 2 cups noodles (elbow macaroni for example)
• 1 1/2 to 3 cups water

Stir in meat, dry mix, then add 2 cups hot water and 2 cups noodles. You can add more or less water and noodles, proportionately, depending on much you need to stretch that pound of beef. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes.

This Recipe is easily adaptable to what you have on hand and what you are hungry for. Looking for a cheese burger? Add Thrive Cheese Blend or Shredded Cheddar Cheese. Throw in some Bacon TVP for a bacon Cheese burger! With Thrive Freeze Dried vegetables, its easy to add corn, green beans, or other yummy veggies to your helper meal. Just dd them when you add the noodles. Looking for a comfort food: Instead of macaroni, add 2-3 cups very thinly sliced potatoes. Simmer 20-30 minutes until potatoes are tender. Uncover and simmer until liquid has evaporated.

This recipe is easily adapted to your families dietary needs. Use whole grain pasta. Or gluten Free Pasta. Season and adjust the recipe to your needs and taste.

When you do the math this recipe is an incredible money saver!! You could easily take the $2 or so it takes to buy one preboxed ‘helper’ meal and buy enough pasta to make this recipe 2-3 times! The ‘Helper’ Mix cost about $2 to make & makes about 6 servings, so this mix is going to cost you about $.30 per serving!

With this mix you are going to save time. You can easily customize it to what you have. You are going to save shelf space, all those ‘helper’ boxes take quite a bit of room. You are going to save money, preboxed foods are expensive, and you are going to save your family’s health.

Ready to start making your mix? Go to www.shelfreliancemom.shelfreliance.com to get the very best in freeze dried and shelf stable foods. Contact me about making the most of your ‘home store’, or book a ‘make a mix’ party and share this and other great mixes with your friends while earning free products!

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If you are interested in earning the shelf for free, don't forget to like me on facebook and begin following me on my blog.  For full details, you can go to Win a Free Harvest 72".  For another great recipe in only 20 minutes, go to Easy Chicken and Rice.