Kids (and many adults) need to eat more vegetables. The problem is that most kids don’t like vegetables. You can try all the Popeye stories you want, and most of them will still refuse the spinach or broccoli.
To get kids to eat the healthy choices may take some “creative cooking” or even a few tricks, games or other ideas.
1. Hide the vegetables. When you make their favorite foods (lasagna or even spaghetti) mix in some vegetables that have been roasted and pureed in the food processor. They get all the vegetables and don’t even know they are getting them (and the vegetable puree also makes a great tasting dip).
2. Let them choose and grow their own vegetables. The fun and excitement of seeing them grow AND actually picking them from the garden might help them be more excited about cooking them. They will also find that fresh vegetables (particularly carrots) are much sweeter than those purchased in the store).
3. Create creatures and other designs from the vegetables. Celery sticks with peanut butter in the center then covered with raisins and finally pretzel sticks for legs are great ugly critters that can be fun to eat.
Sometimes the only thing you need to get kids to eat well is to be creative. Having fun with food will make it more interesting and more inviting to everyone.
Good dinners don’t have to take hours to prepare or cost a fortune. Here are some quick and easy meals that anyone can prepare in around thirty minutes.
1. Manicotti is an easy dinner that looks like you spent hours cooking. Mix together a 12 oz container of ricotta cheese, two eggs, a tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder (you can also add any precooked veggies you might have like spinach, mushrooms, or roasted red bell peppers – finely chopped). Spoon the mixture into uncooked manicotti shells, and then place the stuffed shells in a casserole dish that has a thin layer of spaghetti sauce already in the bottom. Cover the shells with the remaining spaghetti sauce and top the whole dish with shredded mozzarella cheese and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the shells are tender (about 35 minutes).
2. Soft tacos with fresh produce make for a fun dinner. This is an easy meal to throw together is you brown your ground beef and keep it frozen. Just thaw the meat in the microwave, add some taco seasoning, and heat for five minutes. While that is cooking, chop your fresh roma tomatoes, lettuce (use a plastic knife because the metal will make the lettuce turn brown) and shred your cheese (or open the bag). Let each member take a soft flour tortilla and create their own masterpiece. If you don’t want the tortilla, then put your taco meat on a bed of lettuce and enjoy a fresh, warm taco salad.
3. Peanut butter noodles can be a surprising dinner treat for everyone. You’ll need some dried noodles (thin spaghetti works well), 1/2 tsp sesame oil (if you have it), 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce. Cook the noodles as directed. In a separate bowl beat together the rest of the ingredients. Thin the sauce with water until it is the consistency of heavy cream. Pour over the noodles and serve.
4. Have breakfast for dinner. Most meals of eggs, biscuits (from the can or now the freezer section), and bacon can be whipped up in well under 30 minutes. Save on the cleaning time by using the left over bacon grease to make some gravy. Just add an equal amount of flour to the grease in the pan. Let it start to bubble. Season the flour with pepper, salt, and garlic or onion powder to taste. Slowly whisk in some milk until the gravy is the consistency your family prefers.
Make it easy, make it quick, and make sure that clean up will be a breeze as well. Dinner doesn’t have to take all day to be enjoyed by everyone.
My husband doesn’t cook – so I rarely know what it is like to sit and wait for some one else to fix dinner while I am tortured by their culinary genius. The closest I have gotten is a meal in a crock pot. There is nothing more mouth watering than to come home from a long day – staved – and open the door to a house full of the smell of dinner.
Certain smells seem to make me hungrier than others. There is something about the smell of roasting garlic and onions that will get my mouth watering day or night – morning or evening. (I guess that’s why these are called “fragrants”). Chicken is also something I enjoy smelling while it cooks – for some reason it does more for me than beef or pork.
I don’t think I have much to worry about when it comes to being tortured while my husband cooks. He can scramble eggs and things of that nature, but for the most part my husband is a “warmer-upper.” The microwave just doesn’t have the same effect as freshly cooked foods.
Maybe there is hope for me yet. Both of my older sons have shown an interest in cooking. Before long, they could be the ones in the kitchen browning up some onions and causing me to wish that supper was already on the table.
Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, it is an art form in the south. It is best when it is fresh out of the oven and on the table and when the whole family gathers around from Grandpa down to the newest grand baby.
I always prided myself on cooking from (mostly) scratch. It’s been a long time since I didn’t use Bisquick to make my biscuits, but I still use buttermilk. Even when I did cook from scratch, it never dawned on me to make my own sausage.
It’s no wonder the women of old didn’t need to go to the gym or work out to stay thin. The act of just cooking three meals a day – completely from scratch – took all day and required so much energy that they didn’t have the energy left to feed themselves.
I have made sausage from scratch – venison sausage. I added some ground pork and lots of spices and even sent it through the food processor to make sure it had a nice texture. My first attempts weren’t thrilling. They tasted more like hamburgers than sausage. A few tweaks with the spices and I eventually found my niche – but it was an all day event. I made sure to make up enough patties that I could freeze them and not have to start fresh every morning.
My hats off to any of you who are waking up early enough to provide your family with a completely home made breakfast. The rest of us will be up later to start our versions of the great southern breakfast.