Beef & Brown Rice Taco Bake

Here's a dinner recipe that the kids weren't so sure about when they just looked at it, but once they tried it they gave it 2 thumbs up!! Me and the hubby agreed!!

Beef & Brown Rice Taco Bake (from www.fitmomangelad.com)

ingredients

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Jalapeno, chopped (optional)

20 oz lean ground beef

Red, yellow or green pepper,chopped

1-2 tsp fresh lime juice

2 T Chili Powder

1 tsp Oregano

½ tsp Thyme

2 tsp cumin (optional)

1/3 cup Cilantro, chopped

Hot Sauce (to taste – optional)

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce (low sodium)

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9X13 baking dish with EVOO, set aside.
2. Boil brown rice in water on stovetop. Set aside
3. In a 12” pan, spray with EVOO or cooking spray, add onion, garlic & jalapeno & sauté over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
4. Add ground beef, breaking it up as it browns. Cook for about 5 minutes & add peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.
5. Add lime juice and seasonings. Stir to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste.
6. Remove from heat - add rice (see notes below), tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of cheese & hot sauce (if using) to the skillet and stir to mix well.
7. Pour mixture into baking dish. Top with remaining Cheddar.
8. Cover with foil & bake for 20 minutes.
9. Remove foil & bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted & edges are bubbling. Remove from oven & let cool for 10 minutes.

21 day fix counts

1. 1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Yellow, 1 Blue, 1/4 Purple

notes

1. You may sub out quinoa for the brown rice and turkey for the beef.
2. *1 cup uncooked brown rice = 2 cups cooked (roughly) -- 1 yellow container is about 1/2 cup. If you are following  the Fix, measure out 4 yellows of rice to add to the meat mixture to ensure an accurate container count.