By The business is growing. Slowly, but growing. Dustin did nine jobs in March. Nine. Furnace repairs, A/C tune-ups, a duct replacement. Word of mouth is doing the work — his old customers tell their neighbors, the neighbors call, the neighbors become customers. Turner Heating & Air has nine customers. The revenue covered the truck payment and insurance. It didn't cover our mortgage. Not yet. My food bank salary is carrying us, and the carrying feels familiar — the familiar weight of being the steady income while the other person builds something. Mama carried us when Travis was between jobs (which was always). Now I'm carrying us while Dustin builds. The difference: Travis was avoiding work. Dustin is building work. The difference is everything.
I tightened the grocery budget. Back to $30 a week for five people, which I haven't done since the apartment days. The blog readers don't know about the tightening — I didn't post about it. Some things are private. Some math is between a wife and a spreadsheet. But the meals are the same: chicken and rice bake, taco soup, spaghetti, beans and cornbread, crockpot everything. The $30 week is my original skill set. The skill set that started the blog. The skill set that started everything. I can do $30 a week with my eyes closed and one hand on a baby. I can do $30 a week because I've been doing it since I was fourteen, and the fourteen-year-old girl is still in here, stretching every dollar until it screams.
Dustin noticed. He said, "We're eating a lot of beans." I said, "We're in a beans phase." He said, "Are we okay?" I said, "We're always okay." He said, "Kaylee." I said, "We're fine. The beans are temporary. The business is forever." He kissed my forehead. He went to fix a furnace. I made pinto beans. Mama's recipe. Page 47. The recipe that has gotten this family through everything. The recipe that will get us through this too.
Mama’s pinto beans have been anchoring every dinner this month, and I’m not complaining — that recipe has carried this family through harder stretches than this one. But somewhere in the middle of the beans phase, I needed to put something on the table that felt a little festive, a little fresh, something that told the kids (and Dustin, and honestly myself) that tight weeks don’t have to feel heavy. A few ripe avocados, some tortillas from the back of the pantry, a lime, a handful of cilantro — these guacamole cups cost almost nothing and they make the table feel like a party. That’s worth something when you’re stretching every dollar until it screams.
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
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Fold in the mix-ins. Stir in red onion, tomato, jalapeño (if using), and cilantro. Taste and adjust salt or lime juice as needed.
- 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