Taco Family Night! (muy bien)

Yesterday I got home from work around 4:00 in the afternoon. My kids had spent the day at the pool with my Mom and Aunt and they came home STARVING.I walked in the door, got my kisses, immediately followed by "What's for dinner?" I had no clue. I didn't even take my shoes off yet. But I knew I had to think fast and come up with something good. I am a believer in better to eat an early dinner (hello early bird special) than to eat junk and eat just more.

I had just been to Trader Joe (the best) a few days earlier and I had been meaning to try out a taco night with my kids. I had some ground beef waiting to be cooked in the fridge, and I knew I had all the toppings, so this was the night the tacos were coming out.  It was a huge success in my book. Here is how I made it happen. 

I quickly grabbed my pound of ground beef (feel free to substitute ground turkey or veggie crumble) and I browed it up in a pan with some garlic powder, salt, pepper, taco seasoning and a tablespoon of tomato paste. Then set that aside. I chopped up fresh romaine, tomato, corn (I didn't have fresh, so I used can, almost as good) and some sliced back olives. I had some rice already made from the night before. Feel free to also include guacamole, sour cream, salsa, beans,  or some shredded cheese. I lined everything up in brightly colored bowls and called the kids over to come and build their own taco.  They were delighted that everything looked so fun and they got to build their own taco. 

Here is how it all looked.

Every night and each family should define their successes differently. My son made his taco and was willing to taste and take a few bites, that is MAJOR for him. My daughter is my adventurous one, she picked almost every topping and enjoyed two tacos. for the grown ups, we made taco salads. Pile it all high on a plate and toss in some hot sauce. It was delicious and fun, and we all enjoyed being together. To me, that is 100% a successful family meal! Give it a try and see what toppings can bring your family around the table together.