In The Kitchen - Tacos & Guacamole

As a mother of three kids under the age of 7, I do my best to serve as much ‘real’ food as possible. I’m far from perfect, but over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to replace some of our frequently-used-but-not-so-good-for-you products with healthier, simpler alternatives.

I try to spend time in the kitchen with my children because homemade will always trump processed when it comes to unnecessary additives and ingredients that I can’t pronounce.

We make tacos A LOT, three times a month would not be an exaggeration. I’d always used the store bought taco seasoning - because that was how you made tacos, I never gave it a thought. Without going into too much detail I will let you know that we started noticing some stomach issues coinciding with our taco nights. Then one day, I happened to look at the seasoning packet ingredients and decided I could do better. I found a great, simple seasoning recipe on 100 Days of Real Food and I haven’t looked back (no more taco tummy trouble!).

Here are the details:

1 tablespoon of chili powder and 1½ teaspoons each of cumin, oregano, and salt. Add some red pepper (I use very little). Then I store it in a small mason jar. I make a big batch and then use 2.5 teaspoons per pound of ground meat.  

We pretty much use all the traditional Tex-Mex taco toppings - tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, onion. And I usually make Ina’s Guacamole to top it off. In the summer, I often add corn salad to the menu.

It’s not a fancy meal, but tacos are a crowd-pleaser and the kids love the freedom to choose their toppings. And any meal that gets my kids to eat willingly is a victory!

-Cassandra

 

Ina's Guacamole

Ingredients

4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
8 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced

Directions

Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. (I use my hands.) Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.