Cheap & Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning

I have a son who was diagnosed with a very serious dairy allergy as an infant, four years ago. In the time since, I've become a food-label reading expert and I can spot hidden dairy at 10 paces. I'm continually surprised by the amount of foods that are processed with dairy/dairy by-products as fillers; for this reason, we have to stay away from most processed foods in our house. Note: this does not make me a crunchy, holier-than-thou, I'm-superior-because-we-aim-for-a-whole-foods-diet kinda lady. Quite the contrary, because I'd give my left foot to be able to toss Kraft Mac 'n Cheese and goldfish at my kids and wrap the night up with warm, ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies.

Anyway, back to tacos: I was disappointed to find that lots of packaged taco seasonings contain dairy. Then along came Pinterest with more homemade (and ridiculously inexpensive) magic in the form of taco seasoning. Simply mix equal parts Ground Cumin, Chili Powder, Onion Powder and Garlic Powder. I cannot stress this enough: it fricking smells and tastes REAL. Like, Ortega-style real. The only thing I would change is to add 1/4-1/2 part salt to the mix. Example: 1 tablespoon of each of the spices and then 1/2 tablespoon of salt.

I threw a couple of tablespoons of this pretty little concoction into my crock pot with some chicken breasts and a few hours later, we had a delightful meal of chicken tacos which none of my children ate, but I gobbled with gusto and a heart full of homemade pride.

Here's another little tip to keep the cost down on this already very inexpensive mix: go get all the spices from the bulk section of your local co-op or Whole Foods. They're so much cheaper than the bottled spices that you usually buy and I guarantee they're much, much fresher and better tasting. If you're intimidated by the bulk section, here is my advice for you: Get Over It. I admit, I used to shield my eyes when I went by the bulk bins because I didn't know how to shop them; then I had the opportunity to listen to a speaker from my local co-op and I am now a very proud bulk shopper.

Try this out and let me know how it goes over at your house. And I'd love to hear about any of your special homemade seasoning mixes.

Link to the original Pin