On Wednesdays, my teenager, Elizabeth, make dinner.

It’s the day I run errands and take the younger kids to music lessons.

This is a great opportunity for kids to be responsible and learn valuable home economics skills.

This week, Katie helped and Liz took pictures of the process.

One of our favorite family meals is homemade tacos.

Whenever we ask the kids what they want for dinner, their go-to is TACOS.

We make our own taco spice mix.

I made the spice mix so pretty, layered in a jar. It looks like sand art!

It’s much cheaper and healthier to make our own homemade taco seasoning.

Tacos are easy and quick to make and it’s a great frugal meal for a large family.

The girls browned two pounds of ground sirloin in a large pot.

Sirloin doesn’t have as much fat, so there’s nothing to drain.

You could also use a mix of ground beef and pork, or ground chicken or turkey – whatever you prefer.

About three tablespoons of taco spice mix for 2 lbs of meat.

Two cups of water and stir well. Eventually the water evaporates and leaves it just a bit saucy. After it’s mixed together, put a lid on top and let it simmer on low heat.

Katie enjoyed stirring in the spices.

Tacos are best with refried beans, cheese, and salsa – to make them even more delicious.

Alex and Tori like soft tacos.

Katie and I like taco salads. Liz likes crunchy tacos.

Why do we make our own taco seasoning?

It’s healthier and more frugal.

Spice mix envelope from the store:

Cuminum cyminum, Capsicum annuum,Origanum vulgare, Allium cepa, amalgam of globular proteins, glucose monomer of solanum tuberosum, citric acid, and sucrose.
In non-scientific jargon, it has chili pepper, cumin, paprika, oregano, onion, whey, salt, sugar, garlic, potato starch, and citric acid.
Cost per ounce = 58 cents.
I don’t need milk, sugar, potato, or preservatives in taco seasoning. And I like to know exactly what we’re ingesting. I like control.

My ingredients:

Chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder or flakes, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Cost per ounce = 27.5 cents!
The homemade taco seasoning costs half what the pre-made envelope costs.

And the best thing about this is you can adapt it to your family’s tastes. Substitute smoked paprika or Mexican oregano for a different twist.  If you like it milder, omit the red pepper flakes…if you like it with a capsaicin rush, double the pepper flakes.

It’s a versatile spice mix recipe. Customize it to your family’s tastes!

Check out the other participants in the Kids in the Kitchen monthly blog hop!

Princess Aurora Swirl Cupcakes | Sugar, Spice & Glitter

Quick and Delicious Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins | Living Montessori Now

Mud Pudding  | Raising Little Superheroes

Mouse-tacular Chocolate Cookies | A Little Slice Of Us

Roll-Out Butter Cookies | The Gifted Gabber

Marble Pound Cake | Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Simple Cupcakes for kids to decorate | Rainy Day Mum

Easy Zucchini Muffins | Mess for Less

Dairy Free Banana Nut Muffins | For This Season

Baked Mini Cinnamon Donut Holes  | Kidgredients

Chocolate Butterscotch Rice Krispie Treats  |  Royal Baloo

Easy Bite Sized Chocolate Dipped Pretzels | Sugar Aunts

Linking up:

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