Growing up, we used to frequent the restaurant Long John Silvers on occasion. I used to love going in and getting a token for the treasure box, running around with my cool pirate hat on, eating the hush puppies and…. I’ll admit it… eating the little “crispies” you’d find in the bottom of bag of battered fish. You know, the fried batter crispies? Those were the best….

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Sometimes it is the most simple of ideas that makes you slap your forehead and say, “Duh… why didn’t I think of that?” That is how I feel about this recipe for Walking Tacos. Such a simple idea, inspired by a day at the county fair.

School will be starting again in just a short few weeks, which means that our schedules go from just slightly hectic to crazy always rushing around and hurrying out the door hectic. This holds true for dinnertime during the school year too, which usually has to be eaten around the table really late at night or snatched to eat on the go in the car. I will be 100% honest when I say I value family meal time more than just about any other ritual in our home, but as my kids get older and more involved in extracurricular activities, I recognize that a sit down dinner with all 6 of us together just isn’t going to happen every night. The next best thing is a home cooked meal that can be eaten on the go.

No, these walking tacos aren’t the healthiest of options, but I bet they are better than what you can get when you make a visit to your friendly neighborhood drive through. Plus, you can add beans, corn, veggies… you can add all kids of things to sneak some healthy into your bag.

The next time you are tempted to just give your kid another sandwich as you walk out the door to the next event, think again and think inside the bag… Walking Tacos. A delicious and hearty dinner that is about as super simple as you can get!

Walking Tacos

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Super Simple Supper (Recipe: Walking Tacos)

Author Dine & Dish

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef crumbled, browned and fat drained
• 1 package taco seasoning or I make my own with this recipe here
• 3 Tbs water
• 1 can Bush's Black Beans drained
• 6 individual sized bags of Doritos or Fritos chips
• Shredded Lettuce
• Shredded Cheese
• Diced Tomatoes
• Diced Avocados
• Sour Cream
• Basically whatever you like to put on top of tacos or taco salad

Instructions

• Directions:
• With your browned grown beef still in the skillet, add the Bush's black beans, 3 Tbs of water and your taco seasoning. Heat through.
• Gently take each individual bag of chips and crush the chips. Once the chips are crushed, cut open the top of the bag.
• Scoop your taco meat/bean mixture into the bag. Top with your favorite toppings...tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, avocados, sour cream...whatever your heart desires.
• Take a spoon and stir your chips / taco meat creation together
• Head out the door with your walking taco bag in your hand and a spoon and enjoy a hearty dinner on the run!

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Ella

Motherhood is funny sometimes. You don’t totally realize what you are getting yourself into when the babes are just tiny little creatures…demanding, yet still so vunerable. You watch movies, like Stepmom, and imagine that when your kids are older you will have lots of moments where the whole family is singing and dancing in front of the bedroom mirror using curling irons and brushes as your microphones. You dream of long talks over dinner, with your kids spilling their hearts out to you about everything that is happening in their lives. Oh, and that dinner? Every night it is well balanced and loved by all.  And as your babe lies in your arms, you cannot imagine words like “Ahhhh Dammit” coming out of their mouths, especially in public!

<<Enter screeching record player sound of reality>>

The truth about motherhood is that, yes… we have fun with our kids, but those “movie scene” moments don’t happen as often as we’d like. Dinnertime soul to soul conversations? Haven’t happened for us yet, but with the help of some Food for Talk conversation starters, we are getting there. And that well balanced dinner? It can happen, but sometimes in the form of what we had for dinner the other night… cheese, carrots with ranch, cereal and a slice of turkey lunchmeat. Not what you imagine a food blogger serving up at night, is it? Well, and how about that lovely language coming out of the mouth of my 2 1/2 year old? All I have to do for that one is look in the mirror. Yes… “Dammit” happens to be my cuss word of choice and apparently I’ve been letting it escape from my own mouth far too often lately. Remember this, moms… don’t say anything you don’t want repeated by the little walking voice recorders in your house.

Oh…and one more thing. Learn Karma the easy way. If you plan on raising kids, never, ever lift your eyebrows at something you see a toddler do in a grocery store. Chances are it will come back to haunt you!

So, right now when I tell you that the girls and I enjoyed funnel cakes this morning for breakfast, I expect you to just nod, move on and not judge.

County Fair Funnel Cakes (adapted from Recipezaar)

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 1 Tbs vanilla
• 3 2/3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• vegetable oil, for frying

1. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla together and then add the milk slowly–beat. Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour batter into a funnel and at the same time, use your finger to plug the hole. In a large cast iron pot, add 2 inches of oil to the bottom.
3. When the oil becomes hot, move your hand over the pot and slowly release your finger so the batter can start cooking.
4. Move the funnel around to make designs.
5. Brown on both sides–then immediately remove and drain extremely well.
6. Top with brown sugar, or honey, or cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar as a topping.

(Quick tip I learned from a Recipezaar member. If you don’t have a funnel, empty out a squeezable ketchup bottle and wash it thoroughly. Pour your batter into the bottle and squeeze the batter out, using that instead of a funnel. I prefer to do it this way because I can then easily store any leftover batter in the fridge for next go arouund!)

You have until tomorrow night to share your favorite family recipe with my family… you could win an Amazon.com gift certificate for doing so! Head over to this post to find out more.

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