A lot of people ask me what my family eats on a regular basis.  With our crazy family schedule, it has to be quick and easy.  It also has to please a crowd.  My youngest has texture issues with food, my daughter is experimenting with being a vegetarian, my husband loves his man food.  I want my meals packed with lots and lots of nutrients.  My teenager sums it up for all of us when he says, “I want it to taste good.”  That is a whole lot of demands for one little dinner.  Fortunately, tacos or burritos fill all of our demands.

 

We start with whole wheat tortillas.  We then add on one of our two favorites.  We like beef tacos seasoned with our homemade taco seasoning or the crock pot salsa chicken tacos.  We prefer to buy grass-fed and organic meats.  They are costly so using meat as an ingredient (like in tacos) rather than the entire entree helps us to stretch our food budget.  A lot of the meat’s flavor is based on what the animals eat, so the grass-fed and organic really does taste better.  My daughter often opts out of meat when eating tacos.  I am working on teaching her about alternate sources of protein like beans and quinoa.

I try to get a rainbow of foods into my family every day and eating tacos makes that easier.  There are so many toppings that we like to eat.  The toppings can also change depending on what is in season which helps the food to be more flavorful and at the peak of its nutrition.  Tomatoes, avocados, and pickles are some of my favorite toppings.  Yes, I said pickles.  Probably not a typical taco topping, but it is one that I grew up eating.  My folks would also can pickles so we always had pickles in the house.  We ate them on everything………..including tacos.  Give it a try ……. if you dare.  Pickles are a wonderful fermented food to add to meals.

A word on cheese.  We use cheddar cheese, but you may notice that it is not orange.  We prefer to buy cheese that is not colored just because it is not necessary to make it taste good.  We also like to buy cheese that is made from the milk of grass-fed cows.  It is so much more delicious and nutritious.  Seeing a pattern here?  We also shred our own cheese.  I’ve never liked that powdery substance on my shredded cheese and that was before I knew what it was.  I’m not interested in eating cellulose.  Although our government says that it is safe for us to eat, I’ve decided that I would rather not feed wood pulp that has gone through a multi – chemical process to my family.  It takes just a few minutes to shred cheese by hand and even less than that with a food processor.  The extra time is worth it to me.

We also love to experiment with different salsas.  My husband likes things a little bit spicier so he adds the spice with salsa.  Corn and mango salsa are some of our favorites.  What are your favorite taco toppings and salsas?  Have you thought about how quickly tacos can be prepared?  They really do take only a few minutes to get to the table, especially if you can get some help with the chopping and shredding.  Taco prep is a great opportunity to get the kids involved.  Children can easily shred lettuce, spoon out sour cream, and cut tomatoes with supervision.

Tacos may just be the best family meal ever invented.  Giggle.  Oh, how I love to eat soft tacos.  My family all likes them, they are filled with a large variety of nutrients, and that makes me happy.  The soft taco………….one of my secrets to Juggling Real Food and Real Life.

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