On this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, we share our favorite last-minute dinners … which come together quickly with ingredients we tend to keep in our pantries.  We hope you’ll tune in, and we hope you’ll share your family’s no-recipe dinner favorites too. Here’s what’s cooking at our homes:

Liz’s go-to dinners

> Quesadillas made with leftover meat/shrimp/chicken, canned beans, all-natural barbecue sauce, thawed frozen corn kernels, sauteed red bell pepper, and reduced-fat shredded cheese. Arrange the mixture on one side of several flour tortillas, fold in half, and cook in a nonstick skillet with canola oil until crispy and brown on both sides.

> Latin black bean soup (from Trader Joe’s) topped with shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips and served with corn bread or guacamole and chips on the side.

> Omelette stuffed with sauteed mushrooms and low-fat cheese with a simple salad and whole wheat toast on the side.

> Boboli pizza topped with pasta sauce, sautéed red onion, mushrooms, and spinach, and part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese.

Janice’s go-to dinners

> Whole wheat blend pasta (Barilla Plus or Ronzoni Healthy Harvest) topped with chicken sausage (sliced into rounds and broiled), sauteed veggies (whatever is on hand), and pasta sauce.

> Black bean burgers cooked on the outdoor grill and served with a salad and sliced watermelon — or whatever else is in season.

> Cheesy egg sandwiches made with fried eggs, whole wheat English muffins, and slices of low-fat American cheese.

Liz’s boys finished school yesterday, so life feels like it’s finally slowed down … just a tad. But believe it or not, Janice’s daughter Leah, is still in school; she has another full week. Carolyn has officially graduated, and in case you haven’t heard, she’ll be entering Connecticut College in the fall. Go Carolyn! In fact, Janice is throwing her a graduation party this Saturday night, and is busy planning the menu of honey baked ham and Swiss cheese on finger rolls,  pasta salad, coleslaw, buffalo chicken calzones (Carolyn’s favorite) and a few other surprises!

If you have some no-recipe recipes you’d like to share, feel free to post them to the blog!

Since we liked her blog so much, we asked Tiffany to participate in our No Whine with Dinner Q&A guest post and to share a recipe that all her children love.   She chose Bowtie Pasta with Feta Cheese & Lemon Pepper Chicken, a recipe she created a few years ago and one that became an instant family favorite.  We think you’ll like it!

Bowtie Pasta with Feta Cheese & Lemon Pepper Chicken

Makes About 8 Servings

• 3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• Lemon pepper seasoning
• One, 16-ounce box dried bowtie pasta
• 1 small bunch broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
• 2 to 3 carrots, chopped or ½ bag baby carrots
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 6 to 8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 1 ½ cups half & half, warmed

1. Season the chicken on both sides with lemon pepper seasoning.  Grill until cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water according to the package directions.  If you have a pot that’s big enough, you can add the veggies to the pasta during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.  If not, steam the veggies in a small amount of water in another pot.

3. Drain the pasta and veggies.  Stir in the butter, feta cheese and half & half.  Slice the grilled chicken into thin strips and serve along with the pasta.  Serve the lemon pepper seasoning at the table for those who want more on their pasta.

Note: I used to buy the bags of fresh veggies meant to steam in the microwave, but I’ve noticed that the bags have gotten much smaller in recent years.

Print Recipe

Q: What do you like about this recipe?
A: I love the flavor combination of this dish.  The lemon pepper is bright and the veggies are fresh.  Pasta is one of my family’s favorite types of food, so this dish is a hit.

Q: What do your kids think about this recipe?
A: Because the recipe combines some of their favorite vegetables, pasta, and chicken I think it was a good way to introduce them to the new flavors of feta cheese and the lemon pepper seasoning. We are a homeschooling family and are often home for lunch.  We make it a habit to eat up the leftovers at lunch.  Now that the kids are older, there aren’t as many leftovers … sometimes only a serving or two.  The kids will “call” a serving of this for their lunch.  Anything kids willingly eat as a leftover is good, especially when it is healthy too.

Q: Other than the fact that this recipe makes everyone in your family happy, do you have any other tips you’d like to share with fellow parents for taking the “whine” out of dinner?
A: Some kids are naturally picky and others will try most anything.  I’ve got two of each of those types.  I’m sad to report that I’ve not been able to turn the picky kids into adventurous eaters.  But as they’ve gotten older, they like to experiment in the kitchen especially with spice combinations.  I think this helps broaden their tastes.

Although we do insist our kids eat enough variety of foods to have a balanced diet, we don’t have hard and fast rules.  I try to fix veggies that they like, but also introduce new things every so often.  And there are some foods that a child just won’t eat.  I respect that.  One of my sons really doesn’t like shrimp.  I don’t force him to eat it, but it doesn’t keep me from fixing it for the rest of us occasionally.  He can eat the other part of the meal and is free to snack on other foods to fill him up.  I don’t fix alternate foods if a child is just being picky, versus truly not liking a food they have tried.  Thankfully, it all becomes easier as they get older.

Q: Please provide a brief description of your blog:
A: Eat at Home provides recipes, menus and complete grocery lists to help families put dinner on the table fast.  The meals are easy, use common ingredients and are kid friendly.

Note from The Moms:  Janice made this recipe for her family the other night, and it was a huge hit!  Leah went back for seconds, and everyone enjoyed it reheated the next day.  The Bissex family will definitely be making it again!

For the Kiwi story, we featured three recipes: Crushed Tortilla Chip Casserole, Sweet & Nutty Rice Casserole, and a makeover of the classic kid favorite, tuna noodle casserole. For this recipe, we added an updated twist by switching from tuna to boneless, skinless canned salmon (salmon is one of the richest sources of brain-boosting omega-3 fats), using a whole wheat blend pasta versus white, and by adding peas for a kick of color and fiber. We also topped it with a mixture of Panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. We promise you won’t miss the crushed potato chips on top!

Silly Salmon Noodle Bake

Makes 8 Servings

The soy sauce in this recipe may surprise you, but it adds a deep, rich umami flavor to the dish. Leftovers freeze really well.

• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• One 12-ounce package whole wheat blend egg noodles
• Two 5-ounce cans boneless, skinless pink salmon, drained and flaked
• 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 8 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 ½ cups 1% lowfat milk
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a bowl and set aside.

2. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to saucepan. Stir in salmon and peas and set aside.

3. While pasta is cooking, add butter to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, dill, and onion powder and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes (there may be liquid from the mushrooms in the saucepan, but that’s okay).

4. Stir in olive oil and flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly (it may look lumpy at first, but keep whisking). Whisk milk slowly into flour mixture. Add soy sauce. Raise heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Pour sauce over pasta mixture and stir to combine.  Place mixture evenly into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or dish. Top with breadcrumb mixture.

6. Bake until casserole is bubbly and topping turns golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 370 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated, 0.4 omega-3), 600 mg sodium, 22g protein, 47g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 25% calcium, 10% iron

Print Recipe

We have other heatlhy casseroles on our website and blog.  A few you may want to check out include Simply Delicious Shepherd’s Pie, Chicken & Broccoli Casserole with Crunchy Almond Topping, and The Whole Enchilada Bake.

For this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, we featured two of those recipes: Mac & Cheese & Carrots and Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies. Read on for the recipes or take a look at our Kiwi magazine story.

Mac & Cheese & Carrots
Makes 5 Servings

The carrots in this recipe are tiny so they blend right in.  Another option is to shred the carrots.

• 8 ounces dried whole wheat blend elbow pasta (about 2 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup 1% lowfat milk
• 1 cup all-natural chicken broth
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and carrots and cook according to package directions until the pasta is done and the carrots are soft. Drain and set aside.

2. In the same saucepan, heat the canola oil and butter over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly (it may look lumpy at first, but keep whisking until smooth).

3. Whisk the milk and broth slowly into the flour mixture. Raise the heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and honey until the cheese melts.  Stir in the cooked pasta and carrots, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Reheat if necessary, and serve in individual bowls.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 cup): 340 calories, 11g fat (5g saturated, 0.4g omega-3), 390mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 19g protein, 80% vitamin A, 30% calcium

Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 3 Dozen Cookies

Liz’s 11-year old son describes these cookies as “creamy.”  Tell us what your kids think of them!

• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup  dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup  ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup  canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly oil or coat two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Whisk together the oats, pecans, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, dried blueberries, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients, and stir until just moistened.

4. Working in batches, scoop the batter by rounded tablespoon and place on the prepared baking sheets, flattening slightly with the heel of your hand, leaving about 1 inch between.

5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 cookie): 120 calories, 6g fat (0.5g saturated, 0.5g omega-3), 75mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 2g protein

For other kid food makeovers — things like fish sticks and chicken nuggets — check out the Kid Food Makeovers Recipe section of our website. By the way, whenever we make “kid” foods for dinner, the whole family eats them – including adults!

Today, Liz’s 10-year old, Simon, took our new Better-Than-B-Plus Pasta Salad to school. When he got home, he said (and this is no lie), “the flavor of the bell pepper was heaven in my mouth.”

Better-Than-B-Plus Pasta Salad
Makes 5 Servings

• 8 ounces dried bow tie pasta (3 generous cups)
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
• 8 ounces cooked chicken, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup Italian or Caesar salad dressing

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. When done, drain, rinse with cold water and drain well.

2. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Add the bell pepper, chicken, feta cheese, and salad dressing and stir to combine.

3. Serve in individual lunch box containers.

Moms’ Tip > Add a little bit more dressing if the pasta gets dried out the next day.
Moms’ Tip > If your kids don’t like bell peppers, add a cup of peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber instead.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 ½ cups): 330 calories, 10g fat (3.5g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 460mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate,2 g fiber, 23g protein, 20% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C, 10 % calcium, 15% iron

Our second recipe for this Asian-inspired noodle salad took a lot of tweaking and retooling before we gave it our Meal Makeover Moms’ seal of approval. We took a photo of Janice’s kitchen to prove how hard we worked to get it right!  Can you guess who did the dishes (hint: it wasn’t Liz)?

Squiggly Chow Mein Salad with Snow Peas & Tofu
Makes 4 Servings

• 3 tablespoons lite soy sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons honey, divided
• 2 tablespoons tahini (also known as ground sesame seeds) or 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
• One 8-ounce package cubed super firm tofu (we like Nasoya), drained and patted dry with paper towels
• 4 ounces snow pea, strings removed and sliced on the diagonal into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• One 6-ounce package chow mein stir-fry noodles

1. In a large bowl, make the sauce by whisking together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, the tahini, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, and ¼ teaspoon of the ground ginger. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and ¼ teaspoon ginger. Gently stir in the tofu and snow peas until well coated.

3. Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and snow peas and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 5 minutes. Set aside.

4. Cook the chow mein noodles according to package directions. When done, drain, rinse in cold water and drain again.

5. To assemble the salad, mix the noodles in with the sauce and stir well to combine (we find that tongs work well for this task). Once the noodles are well coated with the sauce, gently stir in the cooked tofu and snow peas.

6. Chill and serve in individual lunch box containers (or heat and store in a lunch box thermos).

Moms’ Tip > If you can’t find chow mein noodles, use 6 ounces of linguini or spaghetti, broken in half before cooking (we like the whole wheat blend options from Barilla Plus)

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 ½ cups): 330  calories, 12 g fat (1.5g saturated), 550mg sodium, 45g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 15g protein, 25% vitamin C, 10% iron

If you have a favorite lunch box salad, sandwich or snack recipe, feel free to share it by posting a comment to the blog.

Susan’s bars are made with 4 sticks of butter, so you can bet your bottom dollar each bite is sure to be voluptuous (and then some). While dessert recipes appear frequently on the blog, there are plenty of other recipe categories — things like seafood, pasta, casseroles, and beans. One recipe that caught our eye was Susan’s Pasta e Fagioli, her grandmother’s favorite “go to” dish.  In the post, she says it can either be a thick, stewy dish or more like a soup. Her grandmother preferred the former.

This stick-to-your ribs dish takes minutes to make. It’s kid friendly (all four of our kids gobbled it up happily) and nutritious thanks to the fiber-rich beans. For all of those reasons, Susan’s Pasta e Fagioli is the official winner of this month’s Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award.

Pasta e Fagioli (from Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy)

• 1 pound dried ditalini pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups marinara sauce (fresh is best, but any good quality jar sauce will be fine)
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.  When boiling, cook the ditalini until al dente, about 10-11 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat olive oil and saute onion over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and saute a few minutes more.

3. Add marinara sauce and water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beans and continue to simmer until heated through.

4. Add pasta and mix well. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the pasta water to thin it out a little, if desired.  Serve in a large bowl with grated cheese and parsley sprinkled on top.

Here are a few additional cooking notes from The Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen:

> When we drained the pasta, we reserved some of the pasta water. We then added some to thin the sauce a bit.
> The next time we make this, we’ll probably sauté a finely diced large carrot with the onion.
> If you don’t have cannellini beans, you could also use Great Northern beans.
> You could serve this dish with fresh basil if you think your kids would prefer it over parsley.

We hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as ours did.  Thanks Susan for sharing it!

Last November, we attended a a dynamic and information-packed conference in Boston hosted by BlogHer, an online community for women who blog. At the meeting, we met a bunch of amazing food bloggers – Lydia from The Perfect Pantry, Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen, and Maris from In Good Taste. Connecting with fellow foodies fired us up and fueled our hunger for a new blog design and even a new name.

Anyway, to make a long story short, a few weeks ago, we got an email from Maris telling us she was coming to Boston and wondered if we wanted to meet up for a cup of coffee.  We upped Maris’s offer and suggested she stop by The Meal Makeover Moms’ headquarters for a yummy lunch and a sit-down interview for this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast … featuring the delicious world of food blogging.  We hope you’ll listen in as we dish about some of our favorite food blogs and a few of Maris’s original recipes including the recipe below for Baked Penne with Sausage and Spinach.  We adapted it a tad given our children’s particular food preferences.  

Baked Penne with Sausage and Spinach
Makes 6 to 8 Servings

• 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 to 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 lean chicken sausages, squeezed out of their casings and chopped (we used a chicken/olive sausage), 8 ounces
• One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• One 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups dried penne, rigatoni, or rotini pasta (preferably a whole wheat or whole wheat blend)
• One 5-ounce bag baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 ½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and golden, about 7 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Add the meat and cook, stirring frequently, until fully cooked, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the tomato paste and bring to a simmer.  Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the pesto and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and stir into the sauce along with the spinach, mozzarella, and half the Parmesan cheese.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pasta mixture in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or dish, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until bubbly and golden, about 30 minutes.

There are more food blogs out there on the world wide web than we’d ever venture to guess. If you’re interested in reading food blogs, a great place to start is our blogroll, where we list the blogs we read on a regular basis.  There are even a few blogs dedicated solely to showcasing highlights from other food blogs. Two you may want to check out are Food Blog Blog and Food Blogs.  And if you’re ever surfing the web for a particular recipe, instead of heading over to google, you can visit Food Blog Search and look there (they feature recipes from food bloggers only).  Food Blog Search has a great description of food blogs on their site which really sums up the spirit of what foodie blogs are all about:

Food blogs are a wonderful source of recipes, stories, and opinions about food. These blogs are the labors of love of countless people from around the world who are so passionate about what they cook and eat they spend hours photographing and writing about it. Food bloggers usually give much more information and personal touches to what they write about than commercial cooking or recipe sites.

Happy listening and happy food blog surfing.

Little Monkey Muffins
Makes 18 Muffins

• 4 ripe bananas, mashed, plus another ripe banana, thinly sliced for garnish
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup canola oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla  extract
• ½ cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork; stir in brown sugar, egg, and oil. Using a hand-held mixer, beat on medium until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually mix in the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until smooth. Mix in sour cream and vanilla extract.

3. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full. Sprinkle each muffin with chopped pecans and top with a slice of banana. Bake 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

Pasta Salad with Chicken, Tomatoes, and Corn

• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels (or frozen, thawed)
• 1 ¼ pounds plum tomatoes, chopped
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
• 8 ounces dried penne pasta, cooked
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Whisk four tablespoons of the oil with the vinegar and basil in a large bowl until well combined.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and garlic and sauté for three minutes. Add to the dressing in the bowl.

3. Add the tomatoes, pasta, chicken, and cheese to the bowl. Toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note:  You can use a pint of grape tomatoes cut in half, versus the plum tomatoes.

Squash-A-Roni & Cheese
Makes 8 Servings

This is a much healthier version of the old-time favorite, Macaroni and Cheese. The pureed winter squash makes the sauce creamy and adds loads of antioxidants to the dish at the same time.

• 1 pound dried elbow macaroni
• Two 10-ounce packages frozen pureed winter squash, or 2 cans pureed winter squash (I find mine at Trader Joe’s)
• 2 cups 1% lowfat milk
• 2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unseasoned dried bread crumbs
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 teaspoons olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 minutes. Do not over cook since the pasta will continue cooking in the oven. Drain into a colander.

3. Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted. If using canned squash, simply mix with the milk and stir until combined.

4. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the cheeses and salt.

5. Empty the cooked macaroni into the cheese mixture. Stir to combine and transfer to the baking dish.

6. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Here’s how the kids can help:

> Spray the baking dish
> Grate the cheese
> Stir squash/milk mixture and tell the adult when it has fully defrosted
> Measure the ricotta and add to squash mixture
> Add cheddar to squash mixture
> Stir to combine sauce and pasta
> Press the button on the food processor to turn the bread into breadcrumbs (if making at home)
> Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of pasta in baking dish.

Q:  Where did you get the recipe?
A:  My daughter and I were inspired to make this dish after watching the Food Network show, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger.  My daughter’s mouth was watering – so we made it with the ingredients we had on hand, and made a few other adjustments to suit our tastes.

Q:  What do you like about this recipe?
A:  It is one of the few dishes that my daughter asks me to make (and then eats!).  She is notoriously picky, but when I serve this meal, she eats with gusto!

Q:  What do your kids think about this recipe?
A:  Almost every time I head to the grocery store, I ask my kids if there is anything they would like me to buy.  My kids almost always say, “Mom, do we have the ingredients to make Squash-A-Roni & Cheese?”

Q:  Other than the fact that this recipe makes everyone in your family happy, do you have any other “Michelle” tips for taking the “whine” out of dinner?
A:  After teaching kids to cook for over 6 years, it is so clear to me that kids who are included in the kitchen are more likely to eat!  Not only does it expose kids to new ingredients, but they are so excited to taste the results of their efforts.  Even if kids are unwilling to eat the foods that they have prepared, repeated exposure to ingredients will help them later when they are ready to give them a try.

If parents are unable to get their kids into the kitchen, they can still include their children in the meal planning process.  By involving them, parents can learn what foods their kids are excited to eat. Not only does it help with preventing “whine” with dinner, but it enhances your relationship too.  Being asked for their opinion by a beloved parent or care-giver is such a huge confidence booster for your child!  Try it – you will get much better results than saying “tough, this is what’s for dinner.”

Q:  Tell us about your cooking classes and your blog:
A:  What’s Cooking is a certified green business in the San Francisco Bay Area.  We offer healthy and seasonal cooking classes for children. We also speak to parent groups about cooking with kids, meal planning and how to avoid the power struggle at the dinner table. Our online store offers waste-free lunch items and fantastic gifts that encourage kids and their families to spend time together in the kitchen.

Our blog offers tips for cooking with kids for a better body, planet and community.  We share healthy recipes, tips on family mealtimes, and ideas for how to use food and cooking as a means of helping the less fortunate.

Give Michelle’s mac & cheese a try and let us know if your kids love it as much as hers do.  And be sure to visit What’s Cooking — she’s got some adorable kid’s aprons on sale!

]]> http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2009/05/08/no-whine-with-dinner-squash-a-roni-cheese/feed/ 0 http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2009/05/04/recipe-rescue-chili-mac-cheese/ http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2009/05/04/recipe-rescue-chili-mac-cheese/#comments Mon, 04 May 2009 13:58:06 +0000 The Meal Makeover Moms http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/?p=5360 Every month, we take a recipe from one of our blog readers and give it a healthy makeover. In April, we teamed up with Sahar, host of Fat Fighter TV, and offered to do the same for one of her readers. We had plenty of recipes to choose from — everything from Philly cheese steak and chocolate chip cookies to chicken enchiladas and cherry dump cake!

Ultimately, we chose a recipe for Chili Con Queso Mac ‘n Cheese, sent by Sandy, a mom of five from Arizona. Sandy got the recipe from Rachael Ray (not personally, of course)! “The original was greasy, and although very yummy, there was that ‘ugghh my stomach hurts from the grease and the fat’ afterwards. Even though it tasted good, it was just not healthy and I wanted to cut down the calories.”

Given that the original recipe served 4 and called for a pound of pasta, 3 cups of full-fat cheese, whole milk, butter, and leftover chili AND had nearly 1,000 calories and 24 grams of saturated fat (more than most people should eat in a day), we certainly understood where Sandy was coming from.

For the Recipe Rescue, we made a bunch of ingredient switches — white pasta to a whole wheat blend, whole milk to 1%, butter to canola oil, and full-fat cheese to reduced fat.  We also reined in the portion size so it served 6 to 8 versus just 4, and we used a can of vegetarian chili for ease and convenience.

“My family all liked it. I hid the box of pasta before serving because we have had bad experiences with the healthier pasta. The whole wheat has a different flavor and doesn’t always taste good.” That said, Sandy and her family liked the whole wheat blend. “The pasta was delicious because it was covered up …you couldn’t tell it was the healthier pasta.”

In the end, we transformed Sandy’s Rachael Ray, stick-to-your waistline recipe into something a lot lighter with less than half the original calories and significantly less fat.

Chili Mac & Cheese
Makes 6 to 8 Servings

• One 14.5-ounce box dried whole wheat blend rotini pasta
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups 1% lowfat milk
• 3 cups reduced fat shredded yellow cheddar cheese, divided
• Kosher salt to taste
• One 15-ounce can vegetarian chili (Amy’s or Health Valley), or 2 cups leftover chili

1. In a large saucepan, cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

2. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate medium or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Gently cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture is smooth and the flour has had a chance to cook, about 1 minute.

3. Add the milk, raise the heat, and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.. Preheat the broiler on high or the oven at 400F.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir 2 cups of the cheese into the thickened milk. Add the chili and stir to combine.  Add salt to taste. Stir in the cooked pasta until coated with the cheese sauce.

5. Transfer to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Place the baking dish under the broiler and brown the cheese on top or place in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts.

Nutrition Information per Serving:   470 calories, 16g fat (6g saturated, 0.8g omega-3), 380mg sodium, 56g carbohydrate, 7g fiber, 31g protein, 30% vitamin A, 50% calcium

Sandy says eating meals together as a family is a huge priority.  “We eat a lot of homemade food.  My husband works from home and everyone is on an odd schedule here due to school, work, and activities, but I insist on everyone getting together for dinner.”

From now on, she plans to read labels more and make the switch to healthier foods like whole wheat blend pasta.