Guacamole Cups — A Little Bright on a Beans-Phase Budget

New Year’s week. Brayden is one hundred and eighteen weeks old. The Pantry Rules series continues with the second installment. The sixteen-week pregnancy ultrasound is Tuesday January 9. The week has been the small-quiet-reset that the year always asks for in its first seven days.

Guacamole cups are the small bright-and-fresh appetizer for the beans-phase budget — three avocados, two limes, one small red onion, salt, cilantro (mashed together into a guacamole), served in small wonton-cup-shells (a single package of wonton wrappers pressed into a muffin tin, baked at three-fifty for eight minutes until golden). The cups are individual-portion, kid-friendly, and the avocado-and-cilantro-and-lime brightness is the small visual-and-flavor counterpoint to the meat-and-potatoes-and-beans rotation that the Pantry Rules series will lean on.

The technique question on wonton-cup-shells is the muffin-tin-press. The wonton wrappers need to be pressed firmly into the muffin-cup wells, with the corners of the wrappers extending up like a small flower. The bake is short (eight minutes) and the wrappers go from golden to burnt fast — the seven-to-eight-minute mark is the window.

The total recipe cost is about $4.20 (avocados $3.00, limes $0.60, onion $0.30, wontons $0.30 from a $2 package). The cups serve twelve. The cost-per-serving is $0.35.

Aunt Linda’s small twice-weekly Tulsa-visits continue. She arrives at two PM. She stays for two hours. She holds Brayden (and later helps with both kids). She drinks the small cup of coffee I keep ready. We talk through the small week’s family-news. The small visits are the small social-thread that connects the Tulsa-apartment-life to the small Sapulpa-extended-family.

Brayden’s small developmental milestones have been arriving on the small typical-schedule. The pediatrician has been pleased at the small monthly check-ins. The small baby-and-now-toddler life continues to be the small foreground of the small family-of-three rhythm.

Guacamole Cups

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 12 cups

Ingredients

• 12 small (6-inch) flour tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 3 ripe avocados, halved and pitted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Shape the cups. Using a 4-inch round cutter or the rim of a wide glass, cut a circle from each tortilla. Press each circle gently into a muffin cup, forming a bowl shape. Lightly spray the tops with cooking spray.
3. Bake. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are golden and the cups hold their shape. Remove from oven and let cool completely in the tin — they crisp up as they cool.
4. Make the guacamole. Scoop avocado flesh into a bowl. Add lime juice, salt, and garlic powder. Mash with a fork to your preferred texture — slightly chunky holds best in the cups.
5. Fold in the mix-ins. Stir in red onion, tomato, jalapeño (if using), and cilantro. Taste and adjust salt or lime juice as needed.
6. Fill and serve. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of guacamole into each cooled tortilla cup. Serve immediately for the crispest bite, or refrigerate cups and guacamole separately for up to 2 hours and assemble just before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 118 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 175mg