WALKING Tacos

It's not been too difficult to avoid fast food restaurants. I usually cook dinner 2-3 nights each week, leftovers other nights, and we'd go out Friday nights for takeout. The hard part has been preparing something that Charly wants to eat. Charlotte and I spent Saturday afternoon going through recipe books to decide what to shop for dinners this coming week. Naomi's request was for the week was that she wanted Yorkshire pudding ... that means a pot roast in the crock pot, because honestly... what is Yorkshire pudding without the gravy to put on top? Charlotte's sum total desire was canned soup...Bean with Bacon and Chicken Noodle. Working our way through "Secret Ward Recipes" cookbook, the recipe entitled "Walking Tacos" caught Charlotte's eye.

"That's so silly! Tacos can't walk!" Charlotte laughed. Reading the recipe, I mentioned how I saw people at Bismarck's street fair the week before eating these as they wandered the fair. After explaining how they were considered "walking" tacos, Charly demanded that we make that for dinner.

Last night, we made the walking tacos. Naomi begged to go to the High School for a Mascot competition. She was going with a cheerleader pal and their family. While she primped and hairsprayed and checked her makeup with her pal at our house, I started cooking the hamburger for taco meat. I figured I could kick her out the door with a meal in her hands.

Charlotte was excited to leave Lego Star Wars on the Wii when I asked her if she would help me prepare the walking tacos by running the salad spinner. For 15 minutes, she happily pumped the salad spinner. We talked about the principle of centrifugal force and how that helps get the water off the lettuce as I prepared the rest of the ingredients. Then I called Naomi and her friend to the table to eat. In front of Naomi's friend, I cut the top of the long side on a snack size of Doritos. Then, Charlotte took the bag, crunched the chips up and scooped taco meat, lettuce, black olives, tomatoes, sweet peppers, avocado, and sour cream into the bag on top of the chips. Happily, she stuck her fork into the bag and began to eat.

Naomi started to giggle nervously. "This is the weirdest meal you ever made!" and she began constructing her dinner. I could tell she was concerned if her friend thought we were bizarre. "Does your mom make dinner a lot?" (I happen to know this girl's mom works during the day, like yours truly)

"No, we go out to eat for dinner or eat take out."

"We don't go out as much as we used to, because of Charlotte. I'm glad my mom isn't a super crazy healthy cook. She usually cooks good food."

Excuse me while I blush.

Charlotte in the meantime was so happy with her dinner, that she decided we needed to walk with our WALKING taco. We wandered outside... then went next door to see our neighbors, the McDaniels. Charlotte proudly showed off her walking taco to Ashly and dropped a bit of hamburger on her floor. While Ashly and I chatted, Charlotte decided to sit down and finish her dinner at Ashly's kitchen table. When she was done, she asked if we could take the McDaniel kids and go to the park.

We gathered up Cooper, Lillie, and Mady and made our way to the park on wiggle cars. I wish I had time to run inside and get my camera. Watching Charlotte with her black and white checked hat with a red bow, her yellow sunglasses, and her purple and pink flowered jacket made me smile. She was wiggling the handles to her car and pushing with her legs to keep up with the other kids. It was the most effort I've seen her expend in over 2 months. Charly was pretty frustrated that she was having difficulty keeping up, but it was not enough to deter her from trying. At the park, we found two grasshoppers, and we spent 15 minutes startling them into jumping. Then they went to the playset, where Charlotte climbed across the hanging steps.

I admit it... I hovered. She hasn't quite got her balance back. I had visions of her falling and hitting her head and the doctors reaming me out for not having a helmet on her. So overprotective mom was standing next to her the entire time. Thankfully, we had no mishaps.

After we returned home and said goodbye to the McDaniels, Charlotte hugged me and declared, "That was so fun! I want walking tacos tomorrow for lunch!"