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Growing up, we didn’t eat out often (like never) so it was always a really special treat to go to any restaurant. When we did go somewhere to eat, we often chose Mexican food because our whole family enjoyed it and because it was pretty much the only non-chain decent restaurant in our small town.
I had simple tastes back then and almost always ordered the kids’ tacos. Then one day in high school I decided to branch out and order the fajita salad (I think I was trying to be healthy). The salad I ordered may not have been all that healthy, but it was delicious and I loved the flavors of cumin, chili powder, onions, and peppers.
Reinventing Old Favorites the Healthy Way
As a grown-up, non-kids-meal eating amateur food blogger, I’ve graduated to grown-up (real food) versions of my favorite foods of yesteryear. We still don’t eat out that often, but now I’m the mom insisting we cook at home. My kids skipped the kids’ meal phase all together and are used to the tastes and textures of real food.
Now that I know spices are about more than just good flavor, I look for every opportunity to work herbs and spices into our meals. Fajitas are the perfect excuse!
Of course eating healthy rules out not only kids’ meals but also those premade packets of seasoning found in the store (seldom… or never… do they contain only spices). Making a spice mix at home avoids the additives and other fillers, not to mention that it is much more economical.
I’ve found that using homemade seasoning can be just as easy and quick if I take out my spices and measure and mix just once rather than having to do it each time. Having a mason jar of fajita seasoning ready to go saves me that many more steps and seconds when I’m throwing dinner together at the last minute for a hungry brood. It also frees me up from having to look up a recipe each time to remind myself of the ratios.
Just wash and chop veggies and meat, cook, add spice, and… fajitas! That’s my style of cooking!
Fajita Seasoning from Scratch
This healthy fajita seasoning spice blend is great on my fajita slow cooker chicken, fajita chicken salad, or steak fajita salad recipes. I especially love adding some to omelettes for a little kick. This blend is also versatile enough that it can be used in place of taco seasoning in a pinch.
Using quality, dried herbs from a reputable company (or, growing and drying them if you have the time and interest!) makes all the difference. I get my spices in bulk (we go through them quickly!)… see all the links below for the ones I order.
I use this spice blend strategy for more recipes than just fajitas and you can find them all here. I made sure to put a few into my cookbook too because these spice blends are some of the most used items in my pantry. I’d be lost without them!
Homemade Fajita Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 TBSP salt
- 2 TBSP paprika
- 1 TBSP onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 TBSP cumin
Instructions
- Combine all spices in a jar and shake to mix. Store in airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!
Do you enjoy fajitas? Have you perfected the art of making them at home? Share below!
Healthy Real-Food Ranch Dressing
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My family loves this fajita mix! I love that it has no msg or sugar in it!
I’ve made carnitas, fajitas, tacos, I’ll even use it on a mixed vegetable
side dish. it is wonderful!
How much would you use in 1 lb of ground beef? We’re adding 2 bell peppers & an onion.
Good receipe. I used 1/2 the salt called for and still found it a tad on the salty side. Other then that if was pretty darn good
This was seriously the best! I’m reading the other comments and I can’t wait to try some of their add in to the fajitas like lime juice or honey. I did my pretty simple. I used the raw boneless tenders instead of chicken breasts because they come out tender in the oven. I sprinkled the spice mix on them and added the carrington cooking coconut oil (not to be confused with regular coconut oil. The stuff I used was liquid), and I baked the tenders for about 45 minutes at 350. While I was cooking the chicken, I poured a little more of the cooking coconut oil in the pan and sauteed my veggies. After a few minutes once the pan was little liquified from the veggies and oil I spirnkled more of the seasoning mix onto my veggies. When the chicken finished cooking I shredded it and it added it to my pan of veggies. I sauteed the chicken with the veggies for about a minute. That gave an extra boost of flavor to the baked chicken. Anyway very good. Next time I’ll add some lime juice to the sautee pan.
Thank you for the quick response! <3 🙂
Do you think it would affect the flavor if I cut back on the salt?
You can definitely cut back 🙂
Looking for a good spice house/source. Can you recommend a mail order one please? Thanks!
I list all my go-to resources for various spices on this page under “Bulk Herbs and Spices” 🙂
Thank you I found it looking at your recipe for fajitas 🙂
Going to make this!
This fajita seasoning was PERFECT!
I cut up my chicken and put olive oil and the seasoning on them and refrigerated them for a few hours. In a separate bowl, I fajita sliced my peppers and onions and also tossed them with about 2T olive oil and 1-2 T of the seasoning and refrigerated those too until I was ready to cook dinner. I put the chicken in my grilling bowl on the grill and put the veggies in my iron fry pan also on the grill and kept the kitchen cool. The veggies took a little longer to cook on the grill that way than the chicken did, because that iron fry pan is so heavy. BUT… it tasted like the best southwest fajitas that you could purchase at a restaurant! They disappeared immediately and I bet you can guess what is back on the menu for next week!
Thank you SO much! We LOVE good, spicy food in our house!