Stealthy Healthy

I'm good at being sneaky when it comes to ingredients.

Oh yeah.

Now, let me just say that I fully espouse the notion that  kids should eat what they are served.  They need to learn and respect nutrional values.  I have told my children from the beginning that I am not a 'short order' cook and I refuse to cook two or three separate dinners for different members of the family.  They can eat what I serve or go hungry. 

However, sometimes I take secret delight in sneaking healthy stuff into their diets and watching them enjoy something I know they would balk at on it's own.

Case in point:  Spinach.

Plopped out of a can...I agree.  Yuck.

But...

Fresh spinach sliced thinly and tossed in salads?  On sandwiches or wraps in lieu of lettuce?
Stirred into spaghetti sauce until just wilted?  (Just tell them it's parsley.)
Also, stirred into homemade chicken noodle soup or veggie soup? Chopped fine and mixed into
 meatloaf or meatballs?  And if you make homemade broccoli soup...its all green so it matches and looks pretty.

The possibilties are endless.

Wheat germ.  My daughter thought they were bacteria.

Mixed with bread crumbs and used as a crispy coating for baked chicken nuggets...mmm.
Mixed in to yogurt or even a bowl of cold cereal.  Added to cookies or brownies.  Shhh...no one will know.

Same goes for flax seed meal.  (Note- use the ground flax seed, not the whole seeds.  Those whole ones just pass on through without doing much good.)  You can even add this to sauces and soups.  Mix it into ground beef, taco meat, meatloaf, etc. 

You can also buy frozen, mashed butternut squash, which is bland enough to even stir into mac and cheese (well, a small amount, but it's still something!), sauces, stews, cakes and cookies and brownies..oh my!

Have fun sneaking some nutrion into your children's diets!

I promise...I won't tell.  Shhhh....