By Week after. The year settles around the anniversary the way water settles after you drop a stone — it takes a few days to go back to flat. By Wednesday I was fully present in Room 108 again: morning circle, small groups, the documentation log, the note I sent home to Rosa's grandmother about Rosa's good week. The grief goes back to being a frequency I live at rather than the whole broadcast. That is what two years looks like.
Parent conference season is starting. I have two this week — Rosa's grandmother and T.'s mother. T.'s mother was nervous coming in, I could tell, the particular tension of a parent who has had meetings before that went badly. I said: I want to start by telling you what T. can do. I said: he is reading at a second-grade level and he has strong comprehension and he is curious in a way that I am building around. She said "That's not what they said last year." I said "That's what I'm saying this year."
Rosa's grandmother brought tamales to the conference. I said you did not have to do that. She said "I know." I ate one at my desk at lunch. It was excellent. The connection between families and teachers in this work runs through food sometimes, through the thing someone brings because they want you to know they value what you are doing. I kept the container. I am going to give it back washed.
Made beef tacos this week — ground beef seasoned with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion, a splash of water to steam it. Corn tortillas. The usual toppings: shredded lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheddar, salsa from a jar. Under three dollars for dinner twice. After Rosa's grandmother's tamales I felt slightly humbled by my tacos. They were still good tacos. They were just not tamales.
Rosa’s grandmother’s tamales set a bar I was not prepared for on a Tuesday, and I laughed at myself a little finishing my ground beef tacos that night — good, honest, under three dollars, and still not tamales. So when the weekend came and I wanted tacos again without the weight of that comparison, I went sweet instead of savory: raspberry banana breakfast tacos, which are cheerful and quick and belong to a completely different category where nobody is judging them against anything. Sometimes you just let a thing be what it is.
Raspberry Banana Breakfast Tacos
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 small flour tortillas (6-inch)
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or whipped cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup granola (optional, for crunch)
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Warm the tortillas. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Warm each tortilla for about 30 seconds per side until soft and lightly toasted. Stack and cover with a clean towel to keep warm.
- Prepare the fruit. Slice the bananas into rounds. If using frozen raspberries, pat them dry gently with a paper towel so they don’t make the tortillas soggy.
- Mix the honey and cinnamon. In a small bowl, stir together the honey and cinnamon. Drizzle half of it over the sliced bananas and raspberries and toss gently to coat.
- Spread the base. Spread about a tablespoon of Greek yogurt or whipped cream cheese down the center of each warmed tortilla.
- Fill the tacos. Layer banana slices and raspberries over the yogurt. Sprinkle with granola if using.
- Finish and serve. Drizzle the remaining honey-cinnamon mixture over the filled tacos. Garnish with mint if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 210mg