Homemade Mexican Food

If you were to ask me what food I could eat every day and not get sick of it, I would say Mexican food. I absolutely love Mexican food. What I don't love about Mexican food is that it is hard to find a restaurant that you love, at least for me it is. I found one in our new town but unfortunately, they know that they're the best in town so they are a little on the pricey side. If we want Mexican food, we have to make it ourselves or be willing to spend the cash. While grocery shopping yesterday I made a split decision to make Mexican food for dinner. I was already at the store so it was easy to grab what I needed! For under $20 I was able to make beef tacos, Mexican rice, beans, guacamole, and homemade tortilla chips. We are a family of three (technically 2 1/2 since Baby A doesn't eat nearly as much as we do) and we had a ton of left overs, I would confidently say that you can feed a family of four (two adults, two children) and still have some left over to snack on the next day. Here's how to make Mexican food MCO's way.

Beef Tacos

What You Need:

Ground Beef (enough to feed your family, I got a little over a pound).
1 Tomato
1 Head of Iceburg Lettuce
1 8 OZ bag of Mexican Shredded Cheese
1 Package of Tortillas
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil (I already had it, so no cost in this dinner)

Total: Approx $13

Rice & Beans

What You Need:

1 Can of Black Beans
1 Box of Mexican Rice (I took the easy way out and used All Natural Farmhouse Mexican Rice, you could also use brown rice, wild rice, or even white rice depending on what sounds good for you and your family).
1 Lime

Total: Approx $3

Tortilla Chips

What You Need:

1 Package of Tortillas (I used the same package from the Tacos, so I didn't count it as an extra cost)
Olive Oil (I had it on hand so again I didn't count the cost)
Salt (I had it on hand and didn't count the cost)

Total: $0

Uncooked

Cooked

Guacamole

2 Ripe Avocados ( I would recommend 3-4 for a larger family)
1 Teaspoon of Mayonnaise (we had it on hand so I didn't count the cost)
Salt (To Taste)
Pepper (To Taste)
Garlic (To Taste)

Total: $2

What You Need To Do:

Preheat the oven to 425*. Take a stack of tortillas (make sure to leave enough for your tacos) and cut them into triangles.Spread them out on a baking sheet and spray light olive oil onto the tortilla triangles (or if you're like me and don't have a nifty sprayer, take a paper towel and dab olive oil onto your chips) and top with light salt. Bake for 7 minutes or until they are at a desired crunchiness. You will most likely do several batches. In a medium sized pot, combine a tablespoon of olive oil and ground beef, cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the ground beef is completely cooked (NO pink showing whatsoever). While your ground beef is cooking, dice your tomato and chop your lettuce. The rice may take the longest to cook so follow the directions according to the box for preparation. Open your can of black beans and drain the juice out of it. Pour the beans into a small pan and squeeze half (or the full) lime onto the beans. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally.While everything is cooking/heating up, combine your two avocados in a bowl and squish them with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and garlic and stir until everything is combined. When your ground beef is cooked, take it off of the heat and set it aside. Your beef tacos are ready to be assembled! Heat up your tortilla's in a skillet and add whatever ingredients you want! I personally put everything in the taco but you could eat your rice and beans to the side! This is a quick and easy dinner that the entire family will love, especially the tortilla chips!

Now you have a tasty meal that the whole family will love! Enjoy!