These are easily just as good as what you'd find in any Mexican restaurant but you get to enjoy them at a fraction of the price in the comfort of your own home.

What are Carnitas Anyway?

If you haven't had Carnitas you are probably trying to figure out exactly what "Carnitas" means. It's a spanish word meaning "little meats."  It's a Mexican dish and generally it's made by braising or roasting pork then shredding it and simmering in lard or vegetable oil until crispy.

But here we switch that up and use the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours or use a pressure cooker and cook for 1 hour. And the pork carnitas are broiled it instead of sautéing it in oil to get that same crispy effect. Broiling it takes less time, creates less mess, and requires less oil.

And I go for semi-crispy. I like the ends of the meat to be nice and crispy but I recommend that you don't overdue it. You don't want to dry the meat.

With this simple recipe you end with tempting, crispy little pieces of pork that you won't be able to stop "taste testing."

Throw the finished carnitas into warmed corn or flour tortillas, add some cilantro and diced onion and voila. Such a simple, satisfying dinner that everyone will love!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This healthy crockpot chicken tortilla soup is a perfectly hearty, feel good soup. After a tiring, busy day it's just what you'll look forward to coming home to!

The recipe has been revisited and improved recently for increased flavor. I also personally prefer it with chicken thighs now for the better texture (and also more flavor).

The prep for this crockpot soup couldn't be easier, you simply layer and pour everything into a slow cooker without pre-cooking required. No chopping or searing meat first, or sautéing vegetables beforehand. It's one of those lazy, throw it together and turn on the power dinner meals.

I love to load it up with toppings but even without them you'd still have a completely satisfying soup. Tasty toppings additions include all those classics - tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, and some hot sauce if you want it spicy.

It's also a highly adaptable soup. For recipe variations you can trade out vegetables for others, increase spices, try other chilies, and even use other types of protein (such as cooked ground beef or seared pieces of stew meat).

Start with this base recipe the first time around then after that change it up to your hearts content or using up what you have on hand.

Love these types of easy dinners? Also try my one pan Ground Beef Stroganoff and American style Goulash.

This hearty, cheesy taco pasta is two homestyle dishes combined into one and people of all ages love it! It's a simple one pan dinner that you can have ready in just over 30 minutes.

If you aren't familiar with this dish it may sound strange but trust me it's actually such a super satisfying, completely enjoyable dinner. It's like those pasta dishes from the 90's that maybe started with a box, but this is 100 times better!

It's a very adaptable recipe too. You can add different mix-ins to use up ingredients you may already have, or try swapping out the protein or pasta. Just stick with the base and seasonings used, and always add cheese because it's truly a main highlight of the dish.

Watch the Video!

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Want to make the best fajitas ever? Then be sure to serve with my homemade flour tortillas if time allows (prep while the chicken marinates). Easily worth the extra bit of effort!

Easy Homemade Chicken Fajitas

Chicken fajitas are most commonly made with chicken breasts but chicken thighs are the best, and this is my tested and perfected recipe I'm so happy to share with you!

Chicken is soaked in a seasoned, lime and oil based marinade then pan seared in a hot cast iron skillet to achieve a flavorful charred exterior with crisped edges, and juicy, tender interior.

After which fresh multi-color bell peppers, and boldly flavored onions and garlic are sautéed to a perfect tender crisp texture in the same piping hot skillet.

Then to assemble fajitas chicken is sliced, and mounded over flour tortillas along with those flavorful veggies.

It's a restaurant favorite, classic Tex-Mex recipe you'll never want to lose!

Healthy Tofu Tacos

For a long time tofu has had have a bad name. Not many people seem to care for it, and I used to be one of them. But I'm telling you if you season it right it can actually be really delicious and even something you'll want to make again and again!

In these tofu tacos the tofu is abundantly seasoned with a variety of Mexican spices, soy sauce and lime juice which builds up much more depth and a welcome vibrant flavor.

Believe it or not you may find you like them just as much as the classic ground beef tacos! And these are a healthier alternative to rotate with, plus tofu is about half the price of ground beef and ground turkey.

These tacos come together quickly for a simple weeknight meal, they are perfectly filling, and they make a great leftover lunch the next day if you have any left.

If you haven't given tofu a chance yet I'd say this is an excellent place to start. And as always with tacos, just be sure to pile high all those tasty toppings!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

In this bountiful salad you find it's rich in Tex-Mex flavor and has so much freshness in every bite. There's a beautiful variety of color, flavor and textures, with each ingredient enhancing the dish.

It's layered with nutritious Romaine lettuce, crispy tortilla chips, a zesty citrus marinated chicken, salsa coated beans and veggies, plus rich cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

The chicken is pan seared then the taco salad filling is cooked in that same pan. And it's convenient that you don't need a grill for this recipe and it can be made any day of year no matter the season.

If you happen to have any leftover filling you can use it in tacos, quesadillas or burritos the following day for lunch. There's just so much to love about this delicious Chicken Taco Salad!

Healthy Carrot Soup

Though this gingery carrot soup recipe may seem ideal for spring it's actually an excellent soup to serve any time of year because you can almost always get good quality carrots at the store year round. And they are a staple food most of us keep stocked in the fridge.

This soup has such a delicious inviting flavor between it's sweet carrot goodness, the bright ginger and garlic, a light background spice boost, and the richness of the coconut milk.

It's a vegan soup but can also be adapted to use what you have on hand if you don't intend to make it vegan. Ingredients such as chicken broth, and half and half or heavy cream can be used.

Guests will love it as an appetizer for dinner, or serve it as a main course at lunch with whole grain bread or no knead homemade bread (great for dipping of course), or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Baja Bowl Inspired by Panera

These flavorful bowls, inspired by Panera version, include layer after layer of fresh flavor and a variety of textures. You get some nutty chewiness with the grains, tender softness and sweet flavor from the sweet potatoes, tart tang from the cilantro lime dressing, and a crisp bite from the fresh bell pepper and corn.

Collectively they create one beautifully colorful and deliciously satisfying grain bowl.

After you try this Mexican spin on grain bowls you can try building your own grain bowl from scratch. Wondering how to build a grain bowl? Simply include a base layer of grains, add fresh and/or roasted vegetables, a protein (such as legumes, meat, tofu, eggs) or cheese, fresh greens, and finish with a dressing or sauce of choice.

They make such a filling dinner and are an excellent option for make ahead meal prep for lunch too.

Possible Variations

To build these bowls include the grain and black beans, from there you can add your own substitutions:

• Protein: These can also be made with chicken thighs or chicken breasts in place of the sweet potatoes, I've included instructions in the note of the recipe.
• Cheese: You can add cheese such as feta, cheddar or queso fresco.
• Sauces: They are also delicious with a heaping spoonful of salsa, pico de gallo or a finishing drizzle of Mexican hot sauce.  If you want more creaminess try serving them with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
• Veggies: You can subsistute some of the vegetables here for others you may have on hand, that's the beauty of a grain bowl. Poblano pepper, zucchini, winter squash, or tomatoes are a great fit.
• Grains: These could also be made with farro or barley. Or you can use all brown rice or all quinoa rather than a blend.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

You'll love that this is a vegetable chili you can feel great about eating and feeding the family, and it doesn't taste too much different than a meat-heavy chili thanks to all those flavorful Mexican spices.

It comes together quickly, it's just a bit of chopping and has a fairly short simmer time compared to that of traditional chili. It's hearty and filling thanks to the beans and fiber rich vegetables and it's still a great base for piling on all the best chili toppings.

We love it with avocado, cheese, and sour cream atop but if you if you want to make this a vegan chili then opt for a vegan cheese and sour cream, or just omit them both altogether.

Chili Con Carne

Chili con carne is a robust and rich chili made with beef roast that includes deeply flavored Mexican chilies and spices all simmered together in a stew-like dish. This is a Texas style chili and it's made of mostly beef and chili sauce without lots of added fillers.

It uses a generous amount of browned beef chuck chunks rather than ground hamburger and this really builds up the meaty flavor. Whole dried chilies are used in place of pre-ground store-bought chili powder, and those chilies are toasted in a skillet then soaked in liquid and pureed in a blender to build the base of this hearty chili.

The chili is simmered low and slow on the stovetop for well harmonized depth of flavor and to tenderize the beef.

It's an impressive made from scratch chili that may seem intimidating at first but once you try it you'll see it's easier to make than you'd think.

It's also a tasty change from the original style chili and you may find tasters to love it even more, especially meat lovers! Plus it could just win your next chili cook off!