Food and Family

I never knew what a tremendous impact food has on our lives. My kids love it when I fix certain dishes and I never thought much about it until the last few years. Four and a half years ago my grandmother passed away. It took me a few years to be able to even say her name without my throat tightening up and choking back tears. As a part of getting beyond my grief, I had to start talking about my grandmother in general conversation. I found that more than not, I talked about the food she cooked. It was easy to bring up and truly was a vivid memory of mine even from my youngest childhood. 

The simplest things about food can spark a special memory. I don't think that it is necessary to repeat what we experienced as a child but I do think that it is important to give memories to our kids. In order to learn what my kids enjoyed, I started having them help me with preparing the menu. I noticed that it did not matter who was helping me with the menu they each would ask for something so easy to fix ... tacos. 

My friends always ask me to share with them some of my favorite recipes. So I figured I would share some meal ideas with all of you every once in a while. Do remember that if I happen share with you the amount of food to fix, it will be to feed a small army :) I also have to make a few accommodations for two of my children. To is a vegetarian and Jo eats very few carbs. Both have very strong convictions about their eating styles and even though I do not cater to my kids I do like to support them. 

I use chicken breasts instead of ground beef in our tacos. I simply pan fry the breasts in water and shred the meat before adding reduced sodium taco seasoning. I also fix black beans as an alternative to the chicken. When ever I use canned beans I drain and rinse the beans thoroughly then add fresh water for cooking. Of course we use the normal toppings of cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, finely chopped onions and salsa but instead of lettuce I use shredded or thinly sliced cabbage. My kids all prefer the cabbage to the lettuce since it stays crisp and adds some flavor. I also include fresh cilantro,  sliced olives (sliced up in my egg slicer to save some money) and some diced radishes! I can never decide myself if I prefer soft or hard tacos, so we just have both :) 

There is hardly another meal that offers such great opportunity for conversation and creativity at the dinner table. My kids love making their own variations of tacos with all the toppings. Jo loads up on the chicken while To can't get enough of the black beans. I think that is why this meal is brought up by each of the children, it feels as if it was made especially for each of them. Not to mention it just makes for a fun night!