Taco Salad

Unfortunately, Van refuses to nap on a schedule. He usually takes one 2-hour nap a day but it is entirely up to him when he will take it. This means I have to be creative when making dinner. Some days the only free time I have is from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm so I need a meal that I can prepare ahead (during his nap). Taco salad is one of those meals. You can chop the vegetables, grate the cheese, and cook the meat then store it all in the refrigerator until dinnertime, when you assemble everything. Another reason I love taco salad is because it is a delicious way to sneak veggies into your diet. I listed all the veggies Michael and I like in our taco salad but you can omit or include anything your family will eat: olives, squash, onion, shredded carrots, etc...

Serves: 4 large servings
Start to Finish: 30 minutes
Recipe By: Amber Brunson

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey you can use ground beef, but turkey is a little healthier for you
1 pkt taco seasoning
1 (16-oz) can kidney beans
1 bag Frito's Chips
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3 hearts of romaine lettuce or 1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 (8-oz) can corn
1 cucumber, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Catalina salad dressing

Directions:

1. In a skillet cook your meat over medium heat until browned. Many times I will cook up twice as much ground turkey (enough for two meals instead of just one) and refrigerate to other half to use later in the week. It saves time and I don't have to heat up my kitchen again later. Cooked ground beef/turkey can be safely refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for up to 4 months.
2. Add taco seasoning to your skillet according to package directions.
3. Add kidney beans to your skillet heat through
4. Chop your lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, and any other vegetables you are adding.
5. Grate cheese
6. Here you can refrigerate each of your items for assembly later in the day
7. To assemble your salad: add Frito's Chips, meat mixture, lettuce, vegetables, top with Catalina dressing, and sprinkle with cheese.