Eat your cheese & carrots!

I have a hard time getting my kids to eat carrots. It baffles me, because out of all the veggies, carrots are so yummy & naturally sweet. 

Today I came up with a really simple, fast way to sneak some carrots into one of the kid's favorite foods:

Shredded Carrot & Turkey Quesadillas

All you need are two flour tortillas (wheat would make an even heartier version!), your favorite reduced fat shredded cheese with a shredded carrot mixed in, and thinly sliced turkey.
Slap it all together & cook on your griddle until cheese has melted (no oil necessary beyond a light spray of Pam or something similar).
Two of my kids didn't even notice there was anything different about their lunch, and the one who did notice said it was "the best quesadilla ever, Mommy!".

I know that hiding veggies isn't the optimum in getting kids to learn to try new things, but they do say that it takes several times for a child to like a new food. So why not hide it if you have a particularly picky eater?
Then after they've eaten the new food a few times you can start offering it alone, reminding them how much they liked it in other dishes. It could work! Try it!

These are my favorite kinds of tricks-
ones that require almost no extra effort,
add essential vitamins, and
<-----see that little smile?
Everybody's happy :)

Not Your Mom's Cacciatore

My kids love *zucchini, or as my 2 yr old calls it "bikini" so I tend to add it to any dish I can.
If there is a vegetable you or your kids are particularly fond of, don't be afraid to switch things up & use it in place of a veg you guys don't like.
Making small concessions like that can save you from an exhausting battle at dinner time, and it opens up a plethora of recipes that you may have otherwise never tried.

This recipe is so easy, your kids could make it (but you should probably keep them away from the wine) 

This will feed a family of 5 and was pretty inexpensive to make:

2lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 T olive oil
1 large or 2 small zucchini (quartered & sliced to desired thickness)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
Can diced tomato w/liquid
Can tomato paste
1/2 C red wine
1 t EACH-marjoram, oregano, basil
1/2 t salt

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium.
Brown chicken on each side for about 15 minutes
Remove chicken, set aside, but reserve the drippings
To the skillet add onions, garlic, and zucchini & cook about 5 minutes
Add chicken back into skillet
In a bowl combine red wine, spices, salt, tomato &tomato paste
Pour tomato mixture over chicken, bring to full boil, then reduce to simmer
Simmer, covered for 30+mins (chicken should be cooked to an internal temp of 170)
Serve over rice.
Enjoy!

*Traditionally this dish is made with mushrooms & bell pepper instead of zucchini, white wine instead of red & served over pasta, but I like to make things my own.  I also removed the sugar from the recipe, and have used chicken breast instead of thighs, making it a little healthier than the usual recipe.