I love to cook and I tend to be quite creative when I do. From vegetarian lasagne to shrimp curry to ginger beef, I love finding a few favourite dishes from all different styles of cuisine and then tweaking them until they’re just the way I want. Unfortunately, my boys are picky eaters and invariably refuse to eat anything that I’ve cooked when supper arrives. “I don’t like that,” is a common refrain in our household and it drives me absolutely crazy!
As a result, I’ve found myself stuck in a dinnertime rut and it’s not one that I’m happy about. Instead of the fun and exotic dishes I want to create, I tend to stick to kid-friendly basics like spaghetti and hot dogs. After all, what’s the point of working so hard to make a fancy and delicious meal when I’m the only one that’s going to be eating it?
Fortunately, there is one dinner that the boys and I both get excited about having…Mexican food! From the first time Zackary, the more stubborn of my two picky eaters, bit into a taco and declared it delicious, I knew we had a new dinnertime star. And since our days are busy and meal prep time is often at a premium, Old El Paso is a favourite in our household. The dinner kits make enjoying Mexican food so quick and easy!
My personal favourite kit is the Old El Paso Stand ‘n Stuff Taco Kit. Part of the fun of tacos in our house is letting each boy make their own and the Stand ‘n Stuff hard taco shells make that so much easier! The wonderful thing about tacos is that they’re such a customizable meal, so while the boys tend to stick with just meat, cheese and lettuce in their tacos, I can load mine up with tomatoes, green onion, guacamole, sour cream and salsa as well. When everyone gets the meal they want without a lot of work, that’s a dinnertime success in my book. It’s one of the reasons I am thrilled about being chosen as an Old El Paso Ambassador!
Over the next few months, I’ll be featuring tasty meal ideas, fun giveaways and tips for getting out of the dinnertime rut. Make sure to check out the brand new Old El Paso Canada Facebook page for all the latest news from Old El Paso. And keep an eye on the #YouMexiCAN hashtag on Twitter to follow along with the conversation as the other ambassadors and I set out on a mission to shake up our dinner routines!
The spaghetti I cook every Monday may not be my favourite meal of the week and the boys may refuse to do more than pick at the stir-fry I whip up on Thursday, but Taco Tuesday is one day that we all leave the table full and happy. And if tacos aren’t your family’s thing, there are tons of other great Old El Paso Dinner Kits available too that make whipping up a family-pleasing Mexican meal fun and easy! Check them out and find your family’s favourite to help get you out of that mealtime rut!
Disclosure: I’m part of the Old El Paso Ambassador program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
Who DOESN’T love a good taco?! :D Way to go on making it more interactive (for lack of better words) for the boys too by having them add their own toppings!
Old El Paso is the only way we make tacos at home. I recently tried the new one they have where you mix some seasoning and sour cream together – so good. But I used greek yogurt instead.
Looking forward to your new recipes. These are a favourite with my girls too!