I don’t know how anyone else feels about this, but for me, moving out of my parents’ house came with a whole lot of responsibilities I didn’t have to manage before. I had to keep the house clean, feed myself, feed the dog, make sure the bills got paid on time, and continue staying on track in school and working. It felt like a lot got dumped onto my plate all at once. And while I have it mostly under control now (although it’d be easier to manage if I only had one job instead of two), one thing I still don’t quite have a handle on is feeding myself good food. When you’re really busy with school and work and other work, it’s really easy to just grab fast food because it’s quick and you’re too exhausted to do anything else. But now that I’m done with school, I realized it’s a little ridiculous to spend $1,200 a year on Taco Bell (yes you read that right and yes I am ashamed). It’s high in calories, low in nutritional value, generates a lot of excess trash in the form of packaging, and it’s expensive! So this year I decided to try to give up fast food for good. I have caved once or twice since January 1st, but I’m doing way better than I was this time last year.
That said, my food prep game is still far from on point. I know I’m too lazy to get up early and pack a lunch (I am the type to launch myself out of bed, throw on some clothes and run for the door). But on Sunday, one of the only days I get to relax (kind of, thanks to renovations), the thought of braving a packed grocery store and then spending several hours packing myself snacks and lunches is just not very appealing. I’m working on that, but in the meantime, I’m going to share with you my favorite healthy convenience food right now: burritos!
I am in love with burritos because I can make them in huge batches, wrap them in parchment paper, freeze them, and then throw one in my purse on the way out the door. Then when I want to eat, I throw that baby in the microwave for 3 minutes (yes even right out of the freezer) and it’s ready to eat. If I’m feeling really on top of things I might even pack myself a little container of greek yogurt (my favorite sour cream substitute) for dipping. Easy peasy.
Here’s what I use to make them:
- Meat of your choice (see below)
- Onions, thinly sliced
- Bell peppers, thinly sliced
- Black beans, rinsed (I use canned)
- Mexican style shredded cheese
- Taco sauce (I like Ortega, but it’s totally personal preference)
- Tortillas (I use wheat or whole grain)
- Taco seasoning
- Parchment paper
- Gallon freezer Ziploc bags
When I sit down to make burritos I try to make a bunch in one sitting. Maybe 3 dozen or so. For a dozen burritos you need about a pound of whatever meat you want to put in them. I usually make mine with either ground bison or shredded chicken. In either case, you cook the meat and season it with a taco seasoning packet. I also like to add bell peppers and onions to my burritos, so I slice those thinly, season with garlic and cumin, and cook them until they’re soft. Then I assemble the rest of the ingredients listed above, turn on Netflix, and start assembling burritos. I add a line of meat, a line of peppers next to the meat, a line of beans, and top that with cheese and taco sauce. Make sure you don’t add so much filling that you can’t fold your burrito. Also make sure not to add too much “wet” stuff. If you add a ton of taco sauce for example, your tortilla is going to get soggy when you reheat your burrito.
When you fold your burrito, make sure you close off both ends. You want a neat little package that you can take with you. So you fold in one end over the line of filling, fold in both sides, then roll over to complete the burrito. Now, I like to use wheat tortillas for one very good reason: they hold up really well in the microwave. Flour tortillas roll up much easier because they’re softer, but when you reheat them they tend to get mushy. Whole grain tortillas hold up perfectly in the microwave so I tend to stick with those even though they sometimes crack a little during folding.
Last, you have to package your burritos. I wrap mine in parchment paper for one reason: you can stick it in the microwave. Foil and plastic wrap obviously do not do well in a microwave. If you don’t wrap your burritos in ANYTHING you can’t throw them in your purse and you also need a plate when you microwave them. Parchment paper catches any mess you might otherwise leave in the microwave AND protects your purse from your burrito (and your burrito from the dirty change rolling around in your purse). Win-win. Also, parchment paper is compostable, and so pretty environmentally friendly!
This recipe is also great because the variations are endless. As long as the ingredients hold up well in the freezer (no lettuce and tomato) and aren’t too liquid, you can basically fill these babies with anything you want. You can sub in refried beans, beans and rice, guacamole, etc. No matter what, just throw it in the microwave for about 3 minutes when you’re ready to eat. Oh, and it’s WAY cheaper than my cheesy gordita crunch at taco bell, coming in at about $0.65 each depending on the meat and toppings you use. Plus at about 300 calories each, 20 g of protein (more if you eat it with greek yogurt!), and about 20 g of fiber, they’re less calorie dense and way healthier. How’s that for convenience?
How do you keep yourself full of healthy foods on the go? I need all of the tips I can get! Share them below in the comments section!