This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Rubbermaid®.
I love eating, and I love food. But there are weeks when I do NOT love food prep. For those heavily scheduled weeks, I try to save our suppertime by choosing make-ahead meal ideas! These meals are usually simple, like my Make-Ahead Taco Bar that saved not one, but TWO suppers and a lunch last week!
Make-Ahead Taco Bar Will Save your Suppertime Too!
I teamed up with Rubbermaid and their new BRILLIANCE meal prep containers to show you how easy it is to gather your family around the table, even on busy nights.
Now, as I'm sure you know, making tacos is not that hard to do. But as it does tend to use a large variety of ingredients, it can sometimes be hard to pull out of your hat last minute. Here's what I did one weekend to get dinner ready in advance so I wouldn't rush around and get stressed.
Prep a Make-Ahead Taco Bar
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 2 heads lettuce
- 2 packages taco shells or soft wraps
- 1 tub sour cream
- 1 jar salsa
- 1 8-oz bag of shredded cheddar cheese (I like to use the finely shredded because it sticks into the little grooves easier!)
- 1 cup of sliced black olives (or substitute another favorite topping of choice).
Directions
Prepare the meat by browning in a pan, then draining the fat. Mix seasoning packet according to directions and simmer a few minutes. Cool.
Slice lettuce finely and run through a salad spinner to remove all water.
Store. Heat. And dinner is saved! Er, served! Well... both, actually!
Store and Serving is the key to Saving Suppertime!
Now here's the brilliant part. Pun intended. I used our new Rubbermaid BRILLIANCE storage containers to store the individual ingredients since I wouldn't use them until the following day.
The large container held all my lettuce. The medium containers held meat and cheese. The smaller containers held salsa and black olives. My sour cream was the squeeze variety so that didn't need a container. And wraps can just go on a plate.
The BRILLIANCE containers are rectangular with nice lines that fit together nicely in the fridge. The tops seal out the air, then snap shut for a firm lock that won't pop open unexpectedly. The seal pushes the air out, so my food stayed fresh for days! And check out the salsa above - not a drop leaking out! That's because these containers are 100% Leak-Proof Guaranteed!
When it was time to have our Make-Ahead Taco Bar, I just took my containers out of the fridge and arranged them on the table. The meat container I popped the top off and sat it loosely on top to heat in the microwave (which isn't really my heating of choice, but just so you know it can be that simple).
I literally had our Make-Ahead Taco Bar ready to eat in minutes. These gorgeously clear containers look fabulous on the table, so you don't have to empty the food into other serving ware. That means, no extra dishes after dinner! And then? Even better... after dinner, I just popped the tops back on the containers, and clean up was a breeze! And our second dinner was ready to go! I even had enough left for a lunch for hubby after that!
What's awesome about the Rubbermaid BRILLIANCE containers is that they are crystal clear, and their rectangular shapes are classic and sleek. Their modular design saves space in my fridge, because all the containers fit together perfectly.
These food storage containers are so clear, they look almost glass-like, and one day when I opened the fridge, I had a shock, thinking someone took the top off the cheese container. No, it was just SO clear I didn't realize it had a lid on! Ha!
Okay I could go on about my love for our new containers, but I think you get my point: you don't have to sacrifice family meal time just because you're busy. With the right tools, like a good set of store-and-serve containers, and a good make-ahead meal idea, you can sit down and eat dinner without the stress! This is really what happy, strong family time is all about!
This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Rubbermaid®. I was sent product to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.
Our favorite Make Ahead Meal is Chili...We make a huge pot of chili & freeze individual portions...our kids favorite.
My favorite tip is to cook meats like hamburger and sausage ahead of time, then freeze them!
I love to make chili ahead!
Cut up onions then freeze them. I do this with peppers as well. This way when I want to add it to my dish I just grab and toss in pan.
I like to make ahead and freeze lasagna
I like to prepare salad ingredients ahead of time. I do taco ingredients as well.
I really like making burritos ahead of time. They are so easy and you can make different varieties!
Make ahead white chili for us! Thanks so much for the chances to win.
Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna!
Deviled eggs
salad
Definitely salad.
I love to make spaghetti ahead of time. It is always better the next day
I make chili ahead of time.
Make ahead for chicken enchiladas
my favorite make ahead meal is pot roast in the crock pot
I'll double a recipe and freeze the extra. Saves a lot of time!
When we make tacos I will cook up 3 batches of the meat and taco seasoning mixture and free 2 so they are ready to go. Tacos in the time it takes you to set your bar while the meat simmers to defrost in a skillet.
I like making a pasta bar ahead of time.
Chicken breast with salad. I would make enough for 3 days worth of lunch and dinner. But with the dinner, I would add sweet potatoes or broccoli.
I love the chili idea.
Oh I love the Taco Bar idea! That would be so great for those busy school/sport nights! I have to do that! One that I do sometimes is when I am cooking, I make a double batch and freeze one for the next week!
Potato soup. Keep the cheese onions and bacon separate til needed.
I make lasagna and freeze half for a later meal
I make things like lasagna and other casseroles and freeze them. But we also love Taco and Potato bars where everyone can help themselves.
I make up the Taco ingredients and store them until the night we have it for dinner.
Set our every ingredient you will need. I have skipped an item occasionally.
Burritos and salad fixings are my favorite make ahead meals.
I plan ahead each week and make my salads. As a teacher, I need to be ready to go in the morning and since I am not a morning person, it helps me to be ready by planning ahead.
salad is my favorite to go meal. Its easy to mix a weeks worth at once.
We love making salads ahead of time!
I like making pancakes ahead of time, that way they just need a little reheat in the oven and everyone can eat at the same time!
Tortellini Salad.
We make home made meat sauce for spaghtti or lasagne.. or whatever you want to use it in. So delicious!
I like to prep a stir fry ahead of time.
My favorite make ahead meal is Garden Rotinini with 2 meat sauce..
I like to make extra soup when I do make it, then freeze the extra for a quick lunch. Soup takes a while to make so it's great to have homemade soup whenever you want without too much fuss.
We have a yummy taco casserole that is a big hit in the family - if I have all the items ready to go the grandchildren will be happy to "make our meal" and it makes them feel good and no room for errors as everything is ready to mix together. It will be great to have containers that won't spill/leak or dump out due to lids not being secure. THANKS.
My favorite make ahead meal is either burritos or tacos.
I like to make salad and tacos
we make ahead >>>> meaty baked ziti
anything in the crockpot!! thai chicken curry.
I love to make my Baked Ziti recipe that everyone loves!
I am loving the taco recipe
I would use these to meal prep stir fry and definitely taco fixings.
My favorite Make Ahead Meal is Breakfast Burritos.
Fajita fixings for Friday nights!
Prep veggies ahead of time.
MY make ahead meal is fixings for a chef salad
Rice is one food that we always make ahead in large batches. We usually cook 10 servings worth at a time and put the rest in containers.
Prep ahead salad and tacos for sure!
My suggestion is a big pot of soup. Make it and reheat it whenever needed.
I love to make a huge stir fry for the week, its easy to make ahead and so good!
We love tacos and they are so perfect to prep ahead!
My favorite make ahead meal suggestion is Chili!
I like to make chili for a make ahead recipe.
I will make a big thing of baked ziti. It's great to freeze or just store in the fridge for left overs.
I make a large pot of pasta sauce and freeze it in portions for a quick meal any time.
I love to prep chicken spaghetti beforehand and then cook it when I get home. That doesn't really call for these awesome containers though! I can use them to store the leftovers 🙂
I like making the breakfast egg casseroles the night before serving them.
Saves me valuable time the next day.
thank you
I love to do make a head broccoli rice and cheese casserole!
I meal plan during the week for the week ahead, shop on the weekends and prep a lot on weekends for easy weeknight meals. I also portion out snacks like bagged carrots and hard boiled eggs on weekends for the week ahead.
When I saw this post in my email I had to come comment right away because this is exactly what I'm doing today! Prepping for a taco bar for a dinner this week!
You forgot the important guac! 🙂
We love baked potato bars. Pop a bunch of potatoes into the oven, grab all the fillings and toppings from the fridge, and everyone builds their custom meal