Twice Baked Taco Potatoes

I am still here.  I am still meal planning and I am still cooking.  I just have a hard time finding time/motivation to write about it!  (I also don't even think about taking a picture anymore, sorry!)

I made myself some goals at the beginning of this year.  These goals were targeted around dinner/meal planning.  I feel like I have a fairly good system, but there are a few meals in the rotation that I'd either like to have less often or I just don't like them as much (either because of work required or taste).

My goals:
3 more great crockpot recipes  (Tuesday Nights)

2 more great premade meals  (Monday Nights)
1-2 more great quick meals  (Wednesday Nights)
New grilling ideas  (Friday Nights)

Well I found a treasure of a recipe in this Twice Baked Taco Potatoes!

I could see this recipe becoming a little overwhelming because there is a lot to do.  Bake the potatoes, cook the beef, hollow out the potatoes, make filling, stuff potatoes, bake.   The day that I tried this recipe (a Sunday) I had small spurts of time to work.  I cleaned and pricked the potatoes and put them in the crockpot.  I was also making Monday's night dinner (Minestrone Casserole) that day which happened to call for cooked beef (nicely planned out Past Krista!).  So I cooked the entire pound of beef and split it for the two recipes (different seasonings).  The potatoes took awhile to bake through in the crockpot, but it was better than heating up the oven and making the kitchen hot.  Meanwhile I made the casserole.  Then I did other things (played with my son, went to lunch with a friend).  Later that evening all I had to do was hollow out the potatoes (after they finished cooking, I just let them chill in the CP for a few hours) which was easier than I anticipated.  Made the filling and stuffed the potatoes.  They went into the frige until we were almost ready to heat.   These were really good and made a nice option for lunch during the week!  Brian reall liked them!   These will become a normal part of my "Premade Meal" group.  I think the key for me will be to cook the meat ahead of time (so if we are having tacos for dinner on Friday, I will just make extra beef for this dish on Monday!).