Supper prep = family time

Kari and I are big believers in having our boys "own" as much as they can as early as they can in life. This includes the kitchen and meal/food prep. One of the reasons I started as a Tastefully Simple consultant over 6 years ago - when the boys were 5 and 2 - was to have multiple ways to model what a man/husband/father can do to contribute to the household, both as a business owner and contributing in the kitchen.

Food has long been a passion of mine, and the time spent in the kitchen to me is enjoyable. However, family is a bigger passion for me. So, we very intentionally encourage the boys to be involved in whatever areas of the kitchen they feel most comfortable.

I have said before Kayden is for sure a foodie, enjoy the art of coming up new flavors and always willing to try anything put in front of him. Jayce also enjoys helping but more from an angle of just that, helping. I honestly think I have a chef and sous chef on my hands some days.

We recently did taco salads for supper. And when we do taco salads, you can immediately wipe the taco shell bowl from your mind - as we sub in nacho flavored tortilla chips for ease and on some level, maybe not as deliciously greasy and guilty of a pleasure. Notice I did not necessarily say healthier, but it might be. :)

The boys each assisted with the prep of the ground beef - one putting in a healthy dose of Wahoo Chili Seasoning and the other helping getting it stirred in while the meat cooked. Once done, it was time to get the hands dirty as we each went about building our own salad.

Mine started with a bed of torn up lettuce, followed by crunching up some of the nacho flavored tortilla chips, as much meat as you desire, topped by shredded cheese, some garden fresh tomatoes and finally some salsa.

My finished product, ready to eat!

While Kari's resembled mine, the boys each have different ingredients they like to emphasize more than others - and it usually involves less if any tomatoes and sometimes a little more cheese than is needed. In the end though, they eat this meal really well because they had a hand in not only preparing their plate, but also the meal for the family. I have some video clips from this meal prep I hope to post soon as well. For your own taco salad night, the recipe is below.

Taco Salads at Home
2 lbs. ground beef
3 to 4 Tbsp. Wahoo Chili Seasoning Blend
Romaine Lettuce
Nacho flavored tortilla chips
Tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, etc. - personal preference for taco toppings

Brown ground beef with Wahoo Chili Seasoning, drain; layer plate with lettuce, chips, meat, the rest of your taco toppings. Enjoy!