Wednesday nights in our house have become taco salad night.  I’ve never been one to fix the same meal weekly, but for some reason it’s turned out this way.  Since the kiddos aren’t complaining about it, I take it as a sign that it’s a good thing and will keep it up as long as I can!

Time for cooking on Wednesday night is short.  I usually get home from work at 5:30 and we leave for mid-week Bible study at 6:35.  Putting together this flavorful taco salad is so easy and fast that it works perfectly in crunch time!

 Ingredients:

For the Protein…

2 pounds ground turkey breast or extra-lean ground beef (I always overcook for my lunch the next day)

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon minced garlic

pinch of salt (optional)

For the Salad…

Chopped mixed romaine and butter lettuce

chopped tomatoes

cucumber

avocado

red onion

fresh limes

salsa

jalapeños (optional)

fresh cilantro (optional)

Making Supper in 30 Minutes:

In a large skillet brown your ground turkey or beef on medium high.  Season with the chili, onion and garlic powders, as well as the minced garlic and salt if you desire.

While the meat is browning take just a few minutes to chop your fresh veggies and the limes for your meal.  I try not to use more veggies than what I have time to prepare as the meat cooks.  This keeps you on schedule for having supper on the table in a 30 minute time frame.

Layer lettuce, fresh veggies, protein and salsa on your plate, then top with salsa.  I love to use deli salsa from Publix (if I don’t have any homemade on hand) because it tastes so much fresher than what is in a jar on the shelf.  Squeeze lime juice over your salad and sprinkle a little fresh cilantro over the top.

Since I don’t eat cheese, the kids (even my son) will sometimes help in the kitchen by shredding a little cheese for their salads.  Also a dollop of greek yogurt really adds a dressing twist to the salad.

This meal is made even easier by taking a little time for meal prepping on Sunday afternoon.  There are many times I will chop Gladware containers of onion, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, lemons, limes, etc…. for use in meals all throughout the week.  It takes about an hour and its a real time saver when trying to have supper on the table in a timely manner after work each evening!  If I see that I won’t use everything those same fresh ingredient make great toppings for a fresh green salad to carry to work for lunch.

The beauty of having an easy meal like this for crazy, busy nights is that if I am running behind at the gym, my girls have had supper waiting on the table for us on more than one occasion.

If you would like to check out another one of our “fast food” at home options, you can try these fabulous Buffalo Chicken lettuce wraps.

Do you have a go-to meal for those busy nights?