Two Days of Dinner - Taco Style

I hate leftovers, but I also hate to cook. Getting home after a full day of work with two under two in the kitchen plus four more is nightmarish. The last thing I want to do is manage that while also managing hot pans and boiling water.

But, I've yet to become a millionaire and have that in-home personal chef, so we manage.

When I can, I cook two days of dinner at a time. Here is a cost-effective, time effective menu for tacos.

Day 1:

Tacos, (duh):

1. Cook extra meat, (and if you have growing children, portion some of it off and put it out of sight before dinner is served)

2. Cook taco shells (we like tostadas too)

3. Make tortillas available for burritos (or save these for day 3. I typically don't like to push cooked meat to day three though).

4. Add canned corn, black olives, and black or refried beans.

We do tacos buffet style. I leave the meat in the pan and sit it out with sour cream, shells, tostadas, tortillas. I also sit out toppings cheese, veggies, lettuce, tomato, avocado/guacamole , canned corn, beans, and olives. The kids enjoy making their own.

Day 2:

Nachos:

1. Put chips (and broken leftover taco shells) on a lined cookie sheet (for us it's 2 pans, one layer of chips on each)

2. Top with Cheese and the extra meat from last night. Add in the extra corn, beans and olives if there are leftovers. I typcially do one pan of all cheese, one pan with toppings

3. Bake at 350 for about 7 minutes -or- broil on low for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

4. Put the cookie sheets, salsa, and sour cream in the middle of the table and tell everyone to wash their hands.

Boom! Dinner is done and the toddler hasn't even gotten into trouble yet.

Day 3 (optional):

Burritos or Taco Salad

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Kristian is a mom of six, Program Manager by day, active Professional Photographer by trade, and a big believer in finding beauty in the everyday chaos.

Life in our house is loud, messy and full of literally everything. Love, noise, laundry, laughter, and definitely could use a bit more grace. I'm happily married to my best friend, grounded in my Catholic faith, and fueled by five to six hours of sleep per night and adrenaline.

I try to find joy in the everyday — even when it's wild, because without the little bit of joy, this life would be unbearable. This space is for the moms in the middle of it all: the ones juggling family, faith, work, and wonder. The ones that need someone else's messy life to make their own seem better or somewhat normal. You're not alone, and you're doing better than you think.

Welcome to Six Sweet Smiles — where we celebrate the mess, the miracles, and everything in between.