6 Ingredient Chicken Tacos! (aka: Your New Favorite Lunch!)

We all have busy lives. We often complain that we don’t have time to eat healthy, that it’s easier to grab a sandwich and chips. In reality, it may be that we just don’t plan ahead sometimes. It happens to all of us! For me it helps to have some super easy favorites ready on stand-by for my weekday lunches. Even better if I can prep ahead on the weekend and just assemble at lunch time. It never fails… if I don’t plan ahead, I will grab whatever is quick and convenient which may not be the healthiest choice I could have made had I only taken a little extra time before my week started to prep.

Who doesn’t love tacos? Hands down, one of my favorite meals. And this may very well be your new favorite go-to lunch! Best part? It’s really, really easy and doesn’t require a list of twenty ingredients.

There are six main ingredients to this shopping list with three extra optional items if you choose.

1) 3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2) Soft corn tortilla shells

3) Fresh romaine lettuce

4) Sliced or chopped avocado

5) Tomato (diced)

6) Red onion (diced)

7) Monterey Jack cheese (shredded) (Optional)

8) Plain Greek yogurt (Optional)

9) Seasoning of your choice (Optional)

That’s IT!!! And there isn’t a lot of work required to prep this meal at all, and let’s be honest, that’s what you’re looking for out of this, right?! Here is the prep you need to do on Sunday if your workweek begins on Monday…

Place all your chicken into a small crock pot. Season if you desire with things such as onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, etc. I always just season to taste and tweak from there.

Cook until meat is fully cooked and you can shred down with two forks. (Check cooking times for your crock pot) You can also use a pressure cooker to get this done in WAY less time. And just like that, chicken is ready for the week! You can, at this time, put in individual containers so it’s ready to grab-n-go with you in your lunch.

While your chicken is cooking, rinse and chop your lettuce, avocado, tomato, and red onion. You can put them in separate containers as well. If you would rather, you can hold off on cutting up your avocado since it will likely start turning a little brown. Sometimes I store my tomato and onion together just so I have fewer containers.

Cheese is optional, because this is tasty without it but good with it, so I’ll leave it up to you. Plain Greek yogurt, if you’ve never tried, is an amazing substitute for sour cream and is great on anything you would use sour cream for. Give it a whirl if you love this topping with your tacos!

And that is it! Warm your shells however you like, assemble, and enjoy! It’s a lunch that I never get bored with, and feel free to make it your own. Sometimes I even slice up my onion and combine with sliced green pepper and cook it with the chicken for more of a fajita feel. Use green or red leaf lettuce instead of the romaine lettuce. Depending on the season, you can even add some fresh veggies from your garden, like orange bell pepper or a mild banana pepper, or maybe some fresh jalapeño. Throw in some fresh herbs such as cilantro. There are plenty of ways to vary this up and still keep it healthy.

Remember, I’ll say it over and over, preparation is key when you’re trying to stay on track nutritionally. So, make plans for the week ahead, and have your groceries purchased for the week in advance. You’d be surprised how much time this may actually end up SAVING you once you get started. If there are certain food items that you use consistently, buy several packages and freeze. I tend to do this with frozen veggies, some fruits, and also meat such as chicken breasts. There are plenty of ways to prep for your week without it taking hours in the kitchen. Time is precious, but so is your health, and if you plan ahead for an awesome lunch that you can not only enjoy but feel good about, your body will thank you!

Hope you love this and hope it’s your new favorite easy AND healthy lunch!

Here’s to YOUR health!