Dinner in a Crunch & on a Budget

Some days there is just not enough time for everything you need to do.  In fact, that is most everyday around here.  There's cleaning to be done, meals to be fixed, homeschooling of four of the kids to be done, guests to socialize with, and all the other normal stuff that life throw your way.  When I am in a crunch to pull together dinner in a hurry I go to one of my old standby meals.  Fortunately, it is also one of my favorite meals and it is versatile.  You can keep it simple or complicate it and it is still a well rounded meal.  T

Yesterday was one of those days, so when I realized I was going to be short on time and somehow managed to end up with four heads of lettuce in my fridge I knew it was good day to have Taco Salad.  This is how I do it:

Taco Salad
-Brown a pound of ground meat in a pot.  Add 2 packages (or 1/2 cup) of taco seasoning to that and four cans of Ranch Style Beans (or Great Value Southern Beans which does not have the high fructose corn syrup) and about a cup of water (to preference) and simmer that for 5 minutes or so.  
-While that is simmering cut up your lettuce, tomatoes, and whatever other veggies.  Set the table and set out any condiments you want to go with it, such as, cheese, sour cream, salsa, chips, cheese dip, bean dip, etc..
-Dinners done!  And if you don't have a thousand interruptions you can pull this dinner together in under 20 minutes.

This is a frugal dinner because a little meat goes a long way.  Way back in the day when it was just my husband I made this with one pound of hamburger, 1 package of seasoning, and one can of beans.  As our family has grown I added extra beans to make it bigger and since my kids are the type to pick out meat I have never had to add more meat.  The flavor is there with the texture it adds to the meal without the expense or need for more meat.  And I have learned over time that this really is much healthier anyway.  Beans are so beneficial to the body and more red meats in the diet or not as beneficial.