Seven Layer Tostadas!

This is a pinterest inspiration! It's obviously not a very hard "recipe", but sometimes I need a little push in the right direction. It's so easy for us to get stuck in a rut of the same meals over and over again... so it's ALWAYS exciting to try something new! Tostadas are basically open-faced tacos... here's what we used:

Tostada shells (not pictured... they were just the Taco Bell brand. OR... you can pan-fry your own!)

Refried Beans

Sour Cream mixed with Taco Seasoning (I loved this idea!)

Homemade Guacamole

For lettuce, we just used baby spinach since we already had it.

Tomatoes

Cheese

Olives

Salsa

Green Chilies, for a little extra kick

I realize there are more than seven layers listed, but it's the general idea of seven layer dip... we just did them buffet-style so we could make them exactly like we wanted them!

Here's Parker's version:

He LOVES to dip his food in something so this was absolutely PERFECT for him!!

And here's my version:

I think I did tortilla, beans, guacamole, sour cream, spinach, cheese, tomatoes and olives, and finally green chilies. They were delish! It was the absolute EASIEST meal to make.

Don't skip this if you're scared of the guacamole... I know some people that just don't like it because they don't like what they've tasted in Mexican restaurants. Most of the places I go basically just mash up avocadoes and mix them with shredded lettuce. I know I'm not the final word on authentic, but I don't consider that true guacamole! My Gramps makes the BEST guacamole ever, and he's taught us his ways! Here's how:

Ingredients:

(I can't give you measurements... I just play it by taste!)

Avocadoes

Salsa

Lemon Juice

Garlic Powder

You want your avocadoes to be barely squishy. Most often the rind should be black (NOT green). If you squeeze them and they give a little, then they are perfect! (You don't want to be able to smoosh them a bunch!)

Cut your avocado in half (around the pit), remove the pit, and scoop out the green goodness.

Mash the avocado a little bit using a fork. At this point, add a little salsa and mix. (It seems like we do close to 1/4 cup salsa per avocado.) It will turn everything an ugly brownish-green, but trust me... it's perfect. Add a squeeze or two or three of lemon juice (just test it out... if you want it tangy add more... no tang? Add less...). Finally, sprinkle a bit of garlic powder to taste. Mix it all up and enjoy!!

It may take a couple tries to get it just how you like it, but I promise it's the BEST guacamole recipe ever. Kyle hated guacamole until he tried this one! Now we make it all the time!!