Taco Night!

Well I'm upright and in the kitchen. That's something these days. This viral thing has hit our family hard. Dh and I have been sick since the middle of February. We'll feel better for a day or two and then the fever and sore throat come right back. The kids have all been sick and ds2 and dd1 have both missed a whole week of school with it. Maybe we'll all be healthy in time for spring break!

Running is still in the back burner. This has settled into my lungs and while the fevers are gone finally, I am still very short of breath. Walking across the room does me in. I've decided to withdraw from my relay team and dh and I have been discussing the feasibility of walking our half marathon since we've already spend $250 on the race so far(not counting the cost of new shoes!)

I may not be out on the track yet but I have made it back into the kitchen. (Can you hear my kids cheering in the background? LOL!) After running errands all afternoon, I opted for quick and easy tonight. I picked up a new cookbook while dd and I were at the library and I think it was written just for me: The Family Dinner Fix: Cooking for the Rushed by Sandi Richard. I flipped through it while waiting on ds to come out after school. Since I already had ground beef in the fridge I decided to try Soft or Hard Shell Tacos with Toppings for dinner tonight. Nothing new and exciting. Just a quick and easy recipe to make good, old tacos without using a pre-packaged seasoning mix. Prep work was done in no time and dinner was on the table in under 15 minutes. The kids all ate it with no complaints. Dh said it was "okay". I think it was a little bland but next time I'll just serve it with some spicy salsa and maybe top it with a few slices of jalapeno.


Soft or Hard Shell Tacos with Toppings
Recipe from The Family Dinner Fix by Sandi Richard

1 pound ground beef, extra lean
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons onion flakes
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
4 green onions
1/2 cup cilantro
4 Roma tomatoes
1 head lettuce
1/2 cup sour cream, fat-free
1/2 cup chunky salsa
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, lowfat, shredded
6 tortillas or hard taco shells

Brown ground beef in a large nonstick frypan at med-high intil no longer pink. Add spices while meat is browning, stirring occaisionally.

Add ketchup and water after meat has browned. Reduce heat to a simmer. Meat mixture will thicken within 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop green onion and cilantro and slice tomatoes.

Rinse lettuce in salad spinner and spin dry.

Set out toppings in small serving bowls on dinner table.

Spoon meat mixture into tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Add your favorite toppings. Roll up your tortilla, folding bottom up to prevent leaking.