Homemade Taquitos- Great Make Ahead Lunch Idea

Made with chicken or beef, these Mexican inspired tacos-to-go will please adults and children alike.  These were simple to make and made enough for two meals.  I made them with chicken and liked them so much that I made them the next week with ground beef.  See the ground beef version pictured below:

I like to make meals that can be recycled at lunch time.  In theory, I think it would be incredible to have a freezer stocked with homemade convenience foods such as taquitos, soups, mini pizzas, muffins, etc. but in reality we eat them as fast as I can make them and they don't make it to the freezer for more than a couple of days.  But, we usually do have something we can thaw out for lunch so in my book, good enough, is good enough!

The recipe for these taquitos is pretty simple:
1 lb lean ground beef or chicken (I preferred the chicken)
4 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1 cup salsa (your favorite)
2-3 green onions chopped
2 Tbsp. Homemade Taco Seasoning (see below)
1/2- 2/3 cup 2% sharp cheddar cheese
around 14 Whole Wheat tortillas*

Directions
If using ground beef-- brown in skillet until no longer pink and drain excess grease.
If using chicken-- boil chicken in lightly salted water until no longer pink.  Remove from water and shred using two forks.  Season meat with taco seasoning (recipe follows)

Homemade taco seasoning is easy to make and potentially, you already have these spices on hand.  The following amounts will yield about the same amount as what you get in one of those seasoning packets at the supermarket and seasons 1 lb of meat.  If you are really into measuring, you can make up a large batch ahead of time and measure out 2 tablespoons each time you need taco seasoning.  I don't really measure, I just dump--- so I just eye the amounts each time I need a Mexican seasoning blend.

Taco Seasoning Mix:
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin (I love cumin!)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (you can also used crushed red pepper flakes)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 tsp coriander (optional)

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 15 seconds and mix it with the salsa.  Chop green onions and add onions and cheddar cheese to the salsa mixture.  combine salsa mix with the meat and stir until combined.

Soften tortillas by warming them for about 30 seconds in the microwave (keeps them from cracking when you roll them)  Fill each tortilla with a spoonful of meat mixture about 1 1/2 inches from end.  Wrap each tortilla as tight as you can to form a cigar shaped tube.

Spread taquitos on baking sheet so they do not touch one another.  Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray and bake in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, turning taquitos over halfway through cooking time.

*One note about the tortillas...we sampled these with corn, whole wheat, and whole grain tortillas.  The whole grain tortillas were a bit too grainy. I really liked the taste of the corn tortillas, but they were hard to bite into. they were more chewy than crunchy because it is hard to bake them to their crunch point.   Overall, the whole wheat tortillas were our favorite.

Homemade Taquitos easily fit into a 1600 calorie meal plan as shown below:

Breakfast- 460 Calories

1 slice toast with 

Natural Peanut butter* and

1/2 banana, sliced

*Check out this cool Peanut Butter Mixer that helps stir natural peanut butter so you don't get the oil all over your hands and counter tops.  I'm not one for excessive kitchen gadgets, but I think this one is worth a try.

Snack- 155 Calories

10 natural almonds

1 Tbsp Dark chocolate chips

Lunch- 450 Calories

Taquitos (1 1/2 taquitos)

Mexican Corn and Red Bell Peppers

Snack- 110 Calories

1/2 cup canned peaches

1 oz 2% sharp cheddar cheese

Dinner- 430 Calories

Basalmic Garlic Chicken

Roasted Garlic Cous Cous

Steamed Broccoli

Total Calories = 1606