And the winner is.... RYAN and DEMINY! CONGRATS!!!!
Comment #252:
Ryan and Deminy... said...
We eat a lot of lean protein as
well. I also try to "hide" veggies in soups, casseroles.
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Timestamp: 2009-11-12 13:37:00 UTC
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*This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Ragu*
I LOOOVE to cook and try out new recipes every week---so I was beyond thrilled to review 4 different RAGU sauces: Homemade Style Pizza Sauce, Cheesy Classic Alfredo, Old World Style Margherita, and Old World Style Sweet Tomato Basil. The last two are brand new flavors and have a full serving of veggies in every half cup!--That's music to a sneaky Mama's ears! You see, my 2 yr olds are not fond of their vegetables and meals have become somewhat of a battle at times...so I am forced to get creative with my dinner-time-veggie-hiding-food-tactics.
I was VERY impressed with the Ragu website--you guys must check out all of their fantastic recipes! They even have short videos to walk you through your meal preparation- hosted by one of my Food Network favs, Robin Miller! Check them out HERE! But the BEST part about the RAGU recipe collection is a section devoted to Budget-Friendly items with the "cost per recipe/cost per serving" located at the bottom of each dish.
Affordable (many dishes less than $2 a serving), quick (20-30 minute prep) and super easy (5 ingredients or less) meals with a full serving of veggies??? Doesn't get much better than that! So now I'll take you through the Steece Family of Six- Wonderful Week of RAGU Recipes!
MEAL #1: EASY HOMEMADE PIZZA with RAGU Homemade Style Pizza Sauce
Ahhh...homemade pizza! The possibilities are endless--I am an artist and the pizza crust is my blank canvas! I take my pizza making skills VERY seriously---so, likewise, I must have the BEST of the best when it comes to pizza sauce.
I also have the best (and most adorable) little sous-chefs in the whole world!
Big Ben ready to help with the sauce...
...Sweet Savannah piling on the toppings and cheese (stopping ever so often to nibble as she goes--as evidenced by the pasta sauce surrounding her mouth!)
Everyone gathers around to watch the "magic machine" cook the pizza.
YUMMO! How good does this look?!
I must say, I was impressed with the Pizza Sauce---not too thin, not too thick---just right! It had the perfect combination of spices and flavors without being too powerful. (Andrew and Ethan chowing down--the pizza recipe was their favorite)
MEAL #2: CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH FETTUCCINE with RAGU Cheesy Classic Alfredo Sauce
My little helpers are back!
After cooking the chicken in the skillet, I add the RAGU sauce and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Mix it all together with the pasta--and PRESTO! Dinner is served.
This 4 ingredient meal was a cinch to make! Doesn't it look oh-so-good?
The true test...Ben (God bless him- my pickiest eater) got a couple of bites in
Sav LOVED it and asked for "MO PEEZ" (more please)
Andrew and Ethan ate about half of theirs (which is good)
Daddy was chowin' down! (Gotta love all of these eating pics...classy!)
And you know its good when you end up with Alfredo sauce on your glasses, covering your face and in your hair---Job well done, baby girl! The creamy Chicken Alfredo was easily Savannah's favorite.
MEAL #3: PASTA MARGHERITA with RAGU Old World Style Margherita Sauce
Drew with his RAGU
Cook the pasta. Throw in some cheese, pepperoni, and RAGU Margherita Sauce and WHALLAH! (easy as 1-2-3) Quite possibly the easiest, best tasting dish ever made.
Mr. Picky gave it 2 enthusiastic thumbs up! YAY!
Sav (always saying "CHEEESE"- how appropriate) enjoyed picking the pepperoni out with her fingers.
Drew loved playing with the stringy cheese more than anything
And I'll let Ethan's face do the talkin' (the kid couldn't get enough!)
MEAL #4: HEARTY BAKED RIGATONI with RAGU Old World Style Sweet Tomato Basil Sauce
Savannah- SO eager to help!
After throwing the pasta, sauce, and cheeses together- the dish baked for an easy 30 minutes. What I pulled out of the oven was warm and gooey GOODNESS!
Ethan loved it...Drew took a couple of bites but mostly played around with his pasta
I guess I know who my big-pasta-eater is...look at that mouth! (I don't know who she gets it from! Hee hee) Give her a fork and slap some pasta in front of Savannah and she's good-to-go!
And Benny boy...he was just absolutely sick and tired of eating pasta 4 meals in a row. (Can't help but laugh at this pic...poor guy! Ha)
To recap our favorite recipes:
1) Pasta Margherita was AMAZING!--easily our favorite. The robust flavor of the sauce mixed with the spicy pepperoni and mozzarella was out of this world. Cook it for dinner TONIGHT and you WON'T be disappointed! ($1.70 per serving)
2) Hearty Baked Rigatoni- great taste, love the ooey gooey cheese, reminded me of lasagna, the sauce is a wee bit sweeter than the Margherita sauce and has a hint of basil ($1.27 per serving)
3) Easy Homemade Pizza- can NEVER go wrong with homemade pizza, the sauce is perfect- wouldn't change a thing! Such a quick and EASY meal to put together within minutes! (cost varies with ingredients)
4) Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine- I was expecting the sauce to taste "store-bought" but was pleasantly surprised, great flavor- but not something that I cannot live without (cost not given)
For more fun with the Steece Family, please stop by our main blog: STEECE'S PIECES! We'd love to have you! ;)
AND NOW THE FUN PART!!! Want to win a $100 Visa gift card?
Simply leave me a comment below and tell me: "How do you feed your kids/family well?"
- Or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin on 10/1/2009 and will end 11/11/2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Link to the Random Number Generator: http://www.random.org/integers/
Check out the rest of the BlogHer Reviewers' RAGU meals by clicking on this link- you have 10 chances to win a $100 Visa gift card.
(If not working, this link will be up and going sometime today)
For kid-friendly recipes, healthy tips and more, be sure to visit Ragu.com.
Happy Cooking & Good Luck!
522 comments:
1 – 200 of 522 Newer› Newest»As much as we can, we slip fruits and veggies in every meal...including pizza night. Though the kids only like pepperoni, we require that they each a portion of fruit or veggies FIRST then they can eat as many slices of pizza they need.
I try to eat a lot of lean protein, like chicken, along with veggies and normally some kind of bread to go along with it!
We use whole grain pasta, bread and flour, and I often puree or dice up extra fruit and veggies to add to our meals. We also have a family rule to only drink milk and water with meals and we don't keep soda in the house.
I use a lot of Weight Watcher recipes which also sneaks in veggies! woohoo!
So cute! I just want to eat those yummy little pieces up!!
You know I LOVE to hide veggies from my picky eaters! LOVED this review!
Eating every two hours, packing the day with fruits, veggies and good carbs is my fav way eat healthy. For the kids, it's getting them into the action. If they cook it.. they eat it! ;)
I love you so much. Just wanna hug your neck!
XOXO
Gen
gmcnulty@gmail.com
I tend to eat alot of chicken and steamed veggies. And fish! I also include fruit and veggies thru out my day for snacking.
Nicole
As a mom of five I try to fill their day with fruits and veggies with pork, chicken, or beef thrown in for meals.
I am going to try these easy recipes!
Thanks Suz!
Teresa
barnteresa@gmail.com
I feed my kids well by trying to give them fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
I blogged about this:
http://grand-giveaways.blogspot.com/2009/10/visa-100-gift-card-sponsored-by-ragu.html
I feed my kids well by limiting their sugar intake.
mfalcon13 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Luckily, my son LOVES fruits and vegetables, using eating these before anything else on his plate! (My husband is another story!) We can't seem to keep any fruit/veggies in the house. What can I say? I'm blessed in this respect! :)
I sneak veggies into lean ground beef or turkey - meatloaf, meatballs, burgers...if she can't SEE it, she'll eat it! Love the pics.
My kids love any kind of italian food. We all are big fans of whole wheat pasta, flour and bread. My kids have never had anything else so they don't know the difference. I'm lucky also, that I don't have to hide many things in my girls' food. One of their favorite snacks are apple slices with peanut butter. They love their veggies also!
Kristine
kristine_houser18@yahoo.com
I sneak veggies into everything I cook for my hubby and friends. My twin baby girls get home-made baby food-fresh, no additives and cheaper than the store-bought stuff!
Jenny T
chajenli35@yahoo.com
I like to add flaxseed to spaghetti sauces, soups, and anything else where we won't know it's there. Happy to read about the full serving of veggies in every 1/2 cup of the Ragu sauce, I might just switch over and start using it! It's cheaper also than the brand I buy. Bonus!
HEY if you have Ranch any goes with my little girl! We eat a good amount of veggie and fruit
Michelle
couponfreak at ymail dot com
our drink of choice is normally milk (gotta get our calcium) and my kids LOVE fresh fruit! Blueberries, grapes, and banannas are some of our favorites that we always have on hand. In the cooler months we usually have some good old fashioned fruit cocktail after dinner! My boys also love broccoli...if I feel we're lagging in the veggie dept, I just whip up some broccoli and watch it disappear!
We always try to offer fruits and/or veggies at every meal.
khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com
We use a lot of yogurt, fruit, and slip in the veggies whenever possible. My boys are VERY picky eaters so I have to be very sneaky with the veggies
jillk77 at aol dot com
www.thekennedyboys.blogspot.com
About a year ago I started cooking with ground white meat turkey instead of ground beef. At this point, ground beef hardly ever makes it into our cart. We haven't missed it a bit as the turkey is just as good and much better for you.
We also have a side salad at least 3 times a week and it's always spinach. My little one loves it so who am I to say no? Sugary snacks rarely make it into the house and, if they do, it's on a limited basis. We get a special sweet treat on the weekends but it's limited to one serving per day.
Loved the review - can't wait to try the pizza sauce :-)
We love, love, love home made pizza! The treo can eat a whole pizza there self and we use the Ragu Pizza sauce...Thanks for the link to the receipes I will check them out and try new things for the littles to eat, they also love nonels (noodles)!!!
My three year old is very picky. I have found that presentation makes a big difference in if she will eat something or not. If I make it sound special and/or look special, she will eat it. Like telling her that carrots help give you super spy vision~ she can't get enough!
I put shredded carrots in ground beef and oatmeal as well. Sometimes I puree veggies and add them to casseroles or cook pasta in tomato juice instead of water.
We eat a lot of chicken and have started to eat a lot more fish. It is great that my son loves green beans, so we them a lot. Also for snacks we try to stick with fruit, or whole grain snacks.
I try to have fruits and veggies at every meal and I also serve foods that contain high fiber.
jedoggett@embarqmail.com
We live in Austin and are blessed to have stores like whole foods and central market. I also love to cook and tweak recipes. Our kids take a piece of fruit to school as part of their lunch every day and we buy a ton of natural meats and organic veggies. We just try to instill in our kids that you do have a choice to eat healthy. We also walk to school each morning (weather permitting!)Thanks.
Adryn
adrynjester@yahoo.com
When my boys were little I hid shredded veggies in all of our pasta dishes or casseroles. And we had a policy they had to try one bite of everything, if they didn't like it they could spit it out, which didn't happen very often.
I'm looking foward to trying some of Ragu recipes.
I am making my own baby food and encouraging my little ones to eat as many fruits and veggies as I can!!!
I cut up fruits and veggies into fun small shapes or chip-like pieces. Makes it a little more appealing!
i am so lucky to have a toddler who loves fruits and veggies ... especially broccoli. needless to say, because of that love, we eat broccoli every day.
i am definitely going to try these recipes to give our meals a little twist. thanks for sharing!
I make sure to offer lots of new stuff and encourage the kids to try at least one bite. If they don't like it the first time I continue to introduce it, giving them lots of opportunity to become accustomed to the taste of something different and eventually learning to enjoy eating it.
I have been incorporating whole wheat items in our meals - bread and pasta.
I don't do it as well as I would like to do to busy schedules but I do like Ragu. Boil some noodles, brown some meat, open a jar of Ragu. Poof. Happy kids.
Smiles!
We always use whole grain pastas and breads. And, we always offer a veggie and fruit with every meal. My daugther will eat just about anything if she can dip it into something so I'll offer her a low fat yogurt as a dip for her fruits and she will eat just about any veggie with ketchup (strange I know, but at least she eats those veggies, right?). LOL! I also sneak in extra veggies into my pasta sauces or anthing else that I can.
I try to add in veggies when ever I can, but I'm like your kids and not a big fan of them! I love fruit though!
Glad the alfredo sauce was good! I've been meaning to try it, but was skeptical!
We try to eat a lot of fruit, nuts, veggies, salads (the ones who will eat it! HA) and oatmeal...would love to be healthier...but you know! HA
Stacy
We always do veggies and or fruit with every meal! They must eat some of them, or at least taste them!
We use body for life recipes a lot. Still very good meals just better subsitutes. I also try to include a veggie at dinner and fruit at lunch.
i really lucked out and got 2 kids who love to eat vegetables. the only thing my son won't eat are cucumbers! (i'm nervous to even type this...jinx!) my goal for every meal is to have some protein and a vegetable--we love the steamfresh frozen veggies--fast and sooo good! the corn tastes like it's fresh from the garden. we also make homeade pizze and some pasta dishes that the kids always love. ragu is always in my pantry.
jessicawaldstein@yahoo.com
We use Body for Life recipes! Heathier substitues and veggies at Dinners and fruits at lunch
I try to always have veggies at supper. DD is 15 months, so getting food that she can feed herself and that she likes can be tricky!
Try to choose water, whole grain/wheat products and limit sugar and HFCS as much as we can.
Thanks!
amyjbennett@gmail.com
I've been buying more whole grain pastas and foods, and I always try to have at least one fruit or veggie with dinner that the kids like. So even if that's all they eat, at least it's something healthy.
I just have one little girl who just turned ONE and we're just starting to get all the good finger foods in. With a few allergies to hold her back, we try to get in lots of veggies FIRST and then bring on the mail course. I have found that if I mix it all together she will pick out all the goodies first and leave the veggies, but if I do the veggies as an appetizer, she'll gobble them! I'm trying to mix them all in together by doing pastas, crock pot recipes, etc. :) mommaherrenbruck@gmail.com
As a college student I'm dealing with limited time and money! I eat a lottttt of veggies, and then try to do whole wheat/spinach pasta with sauce and meatballs. Yummy!
we try to eat a fruit or veggie at every meal...and our 3 year old is now in love with grapes and carrotts!!!
I am doing weight watchers right now and I love finding healthy recipes that my husbnad will enjoy. Sometimes he doesn't even know the difference! :)
I try to have fruits/veg w/ every meal and snacks too and hope that they get some in throughout the day. Also the more offered, the more they begin to accept them. Thanks for the giveaway!
i try to avoid a lot of carbs but that seems to be their favorites. a lot of our go-to items are yogurt, reduced sugar applesauce, reduced sugar fruit cups, and any form of cheese.
oddly, my kids also like turkey sausage so they like to chow on that as well.
Since I am single it is kind of hard to cook since it is just me. I love to cook but a recipe makes so much for just one person.
I love to make soups during the fall & winter (potato soup, homemade veggie soup w/ ground beef)...these types of meals are great because I can freeze them for later. During the summer & spring I will eat more salads. I also have an indoor electric grill & will get a couple chicken breast out of the freezer & have some sort of veggie.
We actually do a lot of Ragu-inspired meals. We eat a lot of chicken and rarely eat beef.
I always try to include fresh fruits and vegetable with meals! I also use whole grain options whenever possible.
shrimpsaladcircus(at)gmail(dot)com
I just started using E-Mealz. It's only $5 a month and you get to pick from several different meal plan options. Since my husband is doing Weight Watchers, I chose the Point System Wal-Mart for two meal plan. They put out a new list every Wednesday, complete with instructions and an aisle-by-aisle shopping list. It's saving us money and helping us stay slim and trim!
I try my best to disguise extra fruits and veggies into anything I make. My toddler daughter can't even tell the difference, but it is much better for her!
baumererica@msn.com
http://www.junebride2008.blogspot.com
we have started doing some bartering with the quads. ie..."If you take ONE bite of that you can have ONE bite of this..." it's working for now:) we have to do some trickeration like you suz:)
mmm.....i'm thinkin homemade pizza is on the menu soon!
Jenny
jennyhasquads (at) yahoo dot com
i make sure bennett gets a fruit or vegetable at every meal - including snack. i also like to use whole grains!
No kids yet, but my husband ia quite picky. I need to sneak veggies into his meals or else he'd survive on corn only! I'm thinking the pizza would be a good place to hide some thinly sliced zucchini! Its terrible that I'm forced to this but the man needs to stay healthy :)
Allison I.
theiannaccones@yahoo.com
New Jersey
My oldest son won't eat veggies at all so I have to sneak them into our foods. I love pasta night because he will eat the pasta and he doesn't even know there are veggies in it! My younger son will eat anything as long as he can dip it in something-he especially likes ketchup.
Sarah
Sarahmullins8@aol.com
As a mom-to-be for the first time, I really appreciated this post. My strategy to eat healthy without breaking the budget is that I buy the 80% lean beef for recipes where I brown it and mix it with other things. Once it's browned, I actually drain it and rinse it with water. This gets almost all of the fat off without having to buy the $4-$5 a pound super-lean stuff.
melissainabq@gmail.com
Oh I can't wait to try out the pasta dishes! My 2.5 year old loves pizza and pasta so this will be perfect for our family!
We make quesadillas for dinner and my girls LOVE them! I use my handy quesadilla maker and put whatever toppings inside that I prefer. My oldest doesn't really prefer chicken, however, I shred it very finely and she eats every last drop. I also add cheese (for added calcium) and black beans (loaded with fiber and protein) and olives. Yummy! I've also done it with red/yellow peppers and they were also a hit. As long as they have a scoop of sour cream to dip it in, they are great! They also love when I make blueberry waffles with home grown blueberries!
Can't wait to try out the recipies! My daughter use to eat and love all veggies! Now she is very picky! I am a veggie hider as well! If she eats mac and cheese her favorite I always mix it w/ green peas! She luckily loves fruit so that part is easy!! Thanks for sharing your sweet family w/ us!! Love Savannah w/ her glasses and huge smile!!
My biggest tip for healthy eating is to make things from scratch. I try to sneak all the work into the evenings after the kiddos are in bed so that all I have to do is pull the meals together and/or throw them in the oven the following night for dinner.
oops, forgot my email address: heb@keyspace.org
It's hard feeding my children healthy foods. Or I should say getting them to eat healthy foods. So I just slip in fruits and veggies where ever I can. I try, but it's just hard when you children are 10, 6, 2!
I was wondering where you found the booster seats your babies are sitting in? I need one of those!!
Thanks!
Krystal
We usually have applesauce with our breakfast, a fruit at lunch, and a veggie at dinnertime. My oldest is 4 so he is required to eat 4 bites of everything on his plate before he is excused. It may sound crazy but it works!
I have an 11 month old who has decided that veggies are a no go lately. I am always looking for ways to sneak them in,and that sauce I am definitely going to try. I always offer him a fruit and a veggie at every meal. Sometimes he eays it, other times not.
Approx once a year, we buy meat from local farmers and freeze it in order to keep cost down and to have the freshest selections. Also, we don't purchase junk food but rather enjoy ice cream out as special treats and give candy at holidays which lasts for months. We are just now finishing Easter candy. Some favorite snacks are yogurt, raisins, green peppers, apples, grapes, carrots and cheese. Sometimes we'll get bored and bake some homemade cookies. Thanks for the wonderful recipe ideas. We have such fun making homemade pizza and look forward to trying the Ragu sauce.
Michelle
mmgarner@aol.com
We raise and process our own beef which is very lean. I also sneak puried vegees in recipes when I can and add oatmeal to meatloaf, salmon patties, and hamburgers.
Glenda Musser
gsmusser@yahoo.com
Inez, TX
Yum,those looked great. You guys make pasta look good,lol. I have 3 super picky eaters and I've found that if I let them help me cook by assigning small jobs to the older 2 then they are more interested in dinner. Also, eating is more fun when you can dip. Our kids love dipping. I find that they will eat more veggies when they can dip them in cheese, ranch, pb, or you name it. My oldest thinks everything is better with ketchup.
Please delete my first comment. Didn't read the "well" part :)
My husband isn't a big veggies guy so I try to cook things that include the veggies so he doesn't realize he's eating them. Just like having a kid :) :) :)
I cook my meals at home as much as I can. I try and use as much fresh produce and foods. Restaurants and fast food are ok every once in a blue moon but nothing beats a home cooked meal. We substitute ground turkey for a lot of the red meats too.
I am constantly making different casseroles and sneaking vegetables in. I, too, also use Ragu and have tried their recipes. They are very yummy and easy to feed to a picky eater like mine!
We make mealtime fun- and incorporate fruits & veggies in every meal. I think the best thing that helped my daughter eat balanced meals was to buy those lunch tray-type plates ... she loves organization and things in such a way, those plates were perfect for her!
we try to avoid processed foods and serve lots of meats, fruits and veggies.
YUM!! Oh my husband will LOVE these recipes!! I use whole wheat pasta when we are craving good 'ol Italian meals. That's my attempt at making it a wee bit healthier!
We try to avoid super processed foods and eat from all the food groups! I cook from scratch as much as time allows. We simply love to eat at this house - milk and fruit are the first things we run out of.
Well-I don't have a family yet, but am expecting a baby in February. My husband and I both work full time so I think we have spaghetti at LEAST once a week because it's simple and easy and oh so good! Also love those steam in the bag vegetables because they are quick and easy too!
I offer lots of juice an water in place of pop.
I also keep plenty of Ranch dressing around to dip veggies in.
We try to push for extra protein and veggies at our meals! Thankfully our son is a huge fan of most fruits, and loves his veggies cooked! Our big secret is that snacks (a mid morning and afternoon) are fruit or veggies!! And he loves to help in the kitchen, one of his favorite meals to make is a stir fry full of veggies!! (because he gets to dump all of the veggies in the pot!!)
~josephine
josephine.parsons@yahoo.com
When you say, "a full serving of veggies"... would one have to consume the entire jar to get one "full serving" of vegetables??? I think as consumers we get hooked on a statement like this, but what does it really mean???? If it means Sav got her child size serving of vegetables in her serving of her ragu meal..GREAT... but I have a sneaky feeling that isn't what the case? Do you know? Thanks....Not being rude or judgemental, just being a inquiring consumer...
I love to make smoothies that include veggies...you can't even taste them when you add fruit with it.
April
aprilleanne@hotmail.com
I always offer a fruit and veggie at every meal. Our meals consists of lots of chicken and pasta meals where I can hide things in it. :)
I can't wait to try these recipes!
Kelly
wardrops@hotmail.com
My husband hunts, so we don't purchase a lot of beef - we substitute deer for beef in many recipes. We do buy other meat, but try to watch for it to go on sale & buy bulk during those times & put in our big freezer.
We have a child with food allergies, so we are trying to cook with fresh ingredients & not use processed foods. It has not been as hard as we thought it would be - our favorite meals are one dish meals that have meat and veggies combined - my husband calls me the casserole queen!
I, too add flaxseed to some sauces and try to slip veggies in where I can. Also, mine loves cheese so she gets lots of calcium there and in yogurt. I also always keep bottles of water cold in the fridge and Crystal Light packets or Sugar-Free Kool-Aid to help cut down on sugar-laden drinks.
mollyg33@gmail.com
Suz - Thank you... As I RE-READ your post you are VERY clear - 1/2 cup has a serving of vegetables... so I can suspect a kid would not get a serving of vegetable in their meal. THANK YOU for being clear and easy to understand and stating the facts!!!!
: )
We usually have fruits and vegetables at every meal, and I get my kids to eat them by telling them all of the good things that good food does for your body. I'm sure this won't work for much longer, but it's okay for now!
Love the recipe ideas! And Sav is rocking those glasses. They look so BIG now!
Love you Suz & I will definitely be checking out these recipes.
I am very sneaky he he he. My teens do not like veggies, the girls do but they dont SO I hide them in soups, spaghetti sauce, anything I can find. So every meal there is some fruit or veggies.
grissell.barros@gmail.com
I often use the cookbook deceptively delicious! I don't use all the recipes but I take ideas and add to my own (i.e. Sweet Potato Pancakes or Pumpkin Pancakes, add carrots pureed into poasta sauce, etc)! Great way to sneak in veggies for kids (and husbands!).
Amcg326@hotmail.com
I aim to make one new recipe every week that is meat free. This has given us opportunities to try vegetables we would not have tried before (eggplant, kale, collard greens, artichokes ...). Leaving meat out has saved us money, but it also gives us a chance to eat WELL and try new things. I also attempt to add in a grain we don't use very often with that recipe - quinoa, brown rice, couscous - all of these make us more adventurous eaters as well as better eaters. And we are healthier to boot!
forgot my email!
jen(dot)sonntag(at)gmail(dot)com
I work really hard on feeding my kids vegetables cooked the way they like them. I don't try to hide vegetables, I want my kids to like them and know they like them. Right now they're favorites are broccoli, orange cauliflower, brussels sprouts, raw carrots and asparagus. Pretty good, I'd say.
We're lucky, in that my 2-year-old LOVES her veggies! But she's going through a picky, anti-meat stage. So we find low-carb, high-fiber items to mix with vegetables, then hide small pieces of chicken or tofu in the mix! Yummy!
I have used Ragu sauce and love it!The sweet tomato basil is our favorite. I use the whole wheat noodles and low fat cheese to make baked ziti (or really any other type of pasta). It is good!
I am always trying to find new ways to sneak in veggies and fruit. My son won't eat apples, but will now eat applesauce. I always give my kids a little bit of the fruit and vegetable for each meal and hope they will try it.
omg. now im hungry!!! my secret is having fresh fruit & veggies cut up all the time, so when the kids come home from school and are starving, they go crazy for the fruit and veggies!
i also give them good stuff to dip carrots into, like hummus - thats a total favorite!
I have actually used the alfredo sauce and pizza sauce by Ragu. I have a 5 and 7 year old and we love to make personal pizzas. Everyone gets to make their own and we all the toppings that we choose. I like to cook with whole grains and try to sneak vegetables into as many meals as I can, because they are still picky eaters at their ages. We like to eat "fast food" like pizza but I don't like paying the price, so we make lots of things ourselves... As my kids have gotten older, I've had to use the line... "Try one bite. If you don't like it you can spit it out. I wouldn't make you try it if I didn't think you'd like it." This usually works and they end up liking more than not. Lots of things are called chicken at our house... fish is chicken, pork is chicken, chicken is chicken. That works for now too!
Good luck with your little ones!!
I feed my husband well by making sure he gets his daily nutrients (fiber, vitamins and minerals) from our meals and that there are leftovers for him to take to work.
I give my almost 2 year old her veggies before anything else. If she sees any other foods, forget it. But she will eat some green beans, etc before the "good part" is served :)
I do a lot of cooking from scratch. We also drink green smoothies. ;)
Great post that gave me awesome ideas! I'm mommy to one two-year, VERY picky eater so I'm still trying to figure out creative ways to sneak in veggies! Thanks for the great review!
www(dot)therobinnest(dot)blogspot(dot)com
Emily
We eat lots of fruits and veggies! My daughter loves them both!
I have fresh fuits and some kind of veggie at every meal. Now that my daughter is used to seeing it at every meal, the veggies especially don't seem to bother her anymore.
My kiddos don't care too much for pasta w/sauce. But love whole grain pasta with a bit of butter and parmesan cheese. They also like to make their own pizza using whole grain tortilla shells. Eating fresh fruits and veggies are usually an easy sell at our house. (YEAH!!) But they like it when we "jazz it up" by putting fresh fruit and a bit of dry cereal with our yogurt. Sort of like a parfait.
i try my best to make a menu for the week every sunday night, then we get the groceries on monday morning. i've found if we already have healthy stuff on hand i don't want it to go to waste, and so we will actually eat at home instead of getting takeout:)
Simple recipes with healthy ingredients.
I require that my kids eat at least one bite of everything on their plate. Then there is no pressure from then on to eat something they don't care for. We also have a chart on the fridge that we use to vote for our dinner. The kids can vote for "love it," "like it," or "no thank you." Even Mom and Dad vote, which helps the kids be more honest. Lastly, I have found that roasting the vegetables in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper is all of our preference. My kids now say broccoli is their favorite veggie since I started roasting it. Who knew?!!!
Hi Suz,
Thanks for the great tips! I try to make healthy meals for my family by eating lots of chicken, turkey sausage, and turkey bacon. My toddler loves fruit, we're working on the veggies and my 7 month old loves his fruits too and I plan on making him some home made veggies soon. Looking forward to the new ragu recipes.
bwntw@yahoo.com
Fruits, veggies, yogurt...are our typical snacks.
we do lean meats, whet pasta, rice and bread.
I have 2 little picky eaters (& HUBBY). they LOVE pasta dishes though!
Hmm what I love to cook is anything fresh and new. I know it sounds cliche but I hate eating processed garbage. I always try and pick one new thing from the grocery store whether its a new veggie or fresh scallops and try my hand at a new recipe. I know my family would be huge if we decided to eat boxed mashed potatoes or spam :)
We try to eat as much as we can organically - I'm not over the top with this, we just try to do it with major things like chicken, milk, produce, etc. We LOVE the frozen veggies in the steam bags that you can just pop in the microwave too - how easy and delish!
I love to make a menu for two weeks, then make a grocery store run. Having easy meals like you mentioned is great to have on reserve!
After working a long day, an easy meal is always the best!
My kids love pasta so we use a lot of the ready made sauces. The chicken alfredo - we cook at least once a week, we add sliced carrots, broccoli, and peas to it. My kids are big vegetable eaters, but if they try something that they don't necessarily like - the rule we have is - If it's in your mouth, you can not spit it out. Alot of times, they see that it wasn't as bad as they had thought =]
I'm not much a cooler per se but I feed my family (aka) boyfriend b making delicious baked treats for him! :)
We eat as many fruits and veggies as possible. I have toddlers and I started them out young with fruits and veggies as snacks, and now, that is what they prefer!
I am not a fruit and veggies person, but I try to eat at least a banana every morning and some kinds of veggie with dinner. If I am making a casserole, I will try and throw some kind of veggie in there to get more veggies into my diet. When I do have kids, I will make sure to start them young, giving them fruits and veggies as snacks in hopes that they will like them more!
I swap recipes with other mommy friends. I try and offer a veggie with dinner and have fruit for snacks. It's hard having 2 picky eaters!
Melissa
liss815@hotmail.com
My favorite healthy meal is a black bean salad I make. I rinse a can of black beans, mix in salsa, italian dressing, and fat free cheddar cheese. I also like to add flaxseed to anything I can.
Jenn:)
jennpowers84@aol.com
Anything with dip in our house...ranch, ketchup, bbq sauce, or salad dressings! Being able to dip foods makes eating good food more fun!!
cori.benson@gmail.com
I love cutting up veggies to include in pasta. It gets hidden so well. Squash, red pepper, carrots? Who knew they could hide so well! We love fruit around here too. We try and find orchards nearby just to make it super fun! It helps to have everyone help with the cooking process too.
Myers.Laura@hotmail.com
From day 1 of eating we have always given an option of veggies/protein/carb and we LOVE to try tons of different types of foods. Our family rule is you HAVE to have 1 bite (and it can't be a pathetic bite), if you like it that's great, if you don't at least you tried it. Sometimes if it's food that I KNOW my 4 year old doesn't love I will make it fun, like making a sandwich face with it or something cute.
I also linked your blog post to my twitter!
http://twitter.com/cori_shelley @ ~3:46pm today
cori.benson@gmail.com
I offer and fruit and a veggie at every meal. You don't eat it, no snack. That usually helps!
jgolowin (at) yahoo (dot) com
We host a produce co-op, so we always have lots of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables on hand.
Sorry my email is pebblesbuddy@yahoo.com Thanks
I like to use Weight Watchers recipes and also any WW foods. I also LOVE 100 calorie packs for snacks.
I make smoothies as snacks that are packed with not only fruit to sweeten but tons of spinach. You don't even taste it!
kevindormer @ hotmail dot com
my son is 11 months old. he isn't too fond of veggies. but he loves mashed potatoes. so i had veggies in them. i just puree some veggies, add them to potatoes & voila, instant healthier potatoes & he has no clue! i also cook with whole grain pastas for me & the hubs. i try to use frozen veggies as much as possible & i buy canned goods with no added salts.
p.s. your 4 little helpers are adorable!!
Sounds good. Especially the marinara sauce.
In the last year, we've made the switch to ground turkey (instead of beef), skim milk (instead of 2%) and whole wheat grains (instead of white). It's amazing how quickly you can adjust to and enjoy the healthier versions of your favorites. Also www.recipezaar.com is a must-visit site- lots of good ideas.
Amy C
Great Review Suz! We have recently become big fans of quinoa. It is a grain but provides a high level of protein. It is great with veggies, can be served hot or cool, and easy to prepare! Did I mention super delicious?!?!
We make homemade pizzas all the time! Hannah Noelle thinks she's a for real deal chef when we do!!! Love your stories and pictures!!
I think including the kids in the cooking process definitely inspires them to eat better. They have ownership, and if I can sneak veggies in, EVEN BETTER!
Mmm....those meals looked great! I enjoy sneaking some veggies in with delicious, hearty meals.
My family is actually great veggie eaters. Our dinners revolve around chicken or lean ground beef with a veggie and a carb.
I'm lucky and have good eaters, they fight over the last green beans or asparagus. We started them young and make veggies part of every meal, it makes life much easier that way!
I sneak ground flax seed into nearly everything I feed my kids! So even if they're eating store bought waffles, there's still something healthy in it! Also, I always give fruits and veggies for snacks. Once they have some healty stuff in them, I don't stress if they don't eat a big meal or have ice cream for dessert.
I love to use Ragu and I chop up an entire bag of spinach (really fine chop, or you can use frozen) and add it to my sauce. The kids gobble it up and never know the difference.
I usually do this to an entire big jar and then just put it back in the jar and into the fridge to have handy for quick english muffin pizzas and pasta lunches. the spinach is alrady in it and that's more veggie goodness for everyone.
I have one picky eater and one who will eat almost ANYTHING (love her). I try to make sure they eat at least one veggie, and thank goodness my daughter loves them but my son well we try. I try to shop with coupons but sometimes you just have to spend the money on good for you stuff. I also try to ask what they would like for dinner so maybe they will eat it.
I love the Ragu pizza sauce. We like homemade pizza about once or twice a month and I love their sauce. We usually do at least one veggie at dinner and lunch and they get fruit for snacks and with meals.
I try and cook a healthy meal every night for my family. Lucky for us, my kiddies eat well and are not too pickey. They usually get at least one veggie for dinner and thankfully they eat them. Also I don't allow sodas in our home, our kids mostly drink water with maybe one cup of juice every couple of days.
Melissa Jones
meljustjones@sbcglobal.net
We try and do a lot of meats along with vegetables. It is hard to have a well balanced meal, but I try to do that for our kids.
I like adding "hidden" ingredients in everything I cook. For example, when cooking meatloaf, I often puree carrots, celery, and onion, and mix it in with the meat. My kids don't know it's there, but we still get our daily serving of veggies!
I am lucky and have a girl that LOVES her fruits and veggies! Thanks for the great review and ideas. tulips_19@yahoo.com
I serve as many raw fruits and veggies as possible. The kiddos love the crunch sound that they make. I also give them fat-free dip which helps them go down easier. Fun review!
Darcie
drjacks34(at)yahoo(dot)com
We try to have salads and veggies with our dinners, and some sort of veggie or fruit at breakfast and lunch. We buy mostly organic and try to stay away from the processed foods as much as possible.
we use whole wheat bread and try to buy some organic foods! lots of fruits and sneak in veggies when we can!
WOW! Who knew you could make a jar of sauce look so good. We do homeaid pizza alot Turkey pepperoni and lots of veggies, covered with cheese of course.
email:adeskins@windstream.net
I do a sneaky chef version of my own since my kids (especially one) hate veggies. I either puree fresh sweet potatoes, carrots and some spinach or buy organic baby food jars and stir right into my Ragu original sauce. The kids loved it so much I finally told them and they thought it was funny. It makes it sweeter and really is yummy.
Protein, healthy fat, and good carb at EVERY meal (including breakfast). Oragnic unless impossible, whole foods (NO preservatives!), and no junk food unless a special treat. :-)
We try to lay off the red meat and substitute leaner meats and more veggies!
sblilly14(@)yahoo(.)com
As a busy mom with two boys who play competitive sports, we eat whenever and whatever we can find! :) Recently switched to whole grain pastas and the boys didn't even seem to notice! Loved your reviews
Sheila
rskk@aol.com
My eat well trick is to generously sprinkle ground flax seed into just about everything I make. High in fiber and omega 3's! I also like to finely shred carrots into ground beef for hamburgers, and they never know it's there when it's between a bun!
My kids are so picky, but I try! These recipes sound yummy!!!
I feed my family well by choosing as much organic produce as possible (milk, eggs, fruits, veggies, meat). We also try to eat a carb, a protein, and fruit or veggie with each meal. Doesn't always happen, but we try. :)
Lauren
churchik918[at]hotmail[dot]com
I love whole grains and meals packed full of fresh produce. Healthy and amazing. I was brought up on it, so I love it.
I love having my kids pick out fresh fruit and vegetables at the store! Sometimes we go to the Farmer's Market, too, to try new things. We also have a rule that you have to try everything at least once--- the broccoli won't kill anyone! ;-)
Appreciate the recipe ideas. Our tip is to keep the variety up. We eat a lot of variety ourselves. Our daughter is only one but so far she's really surprised us by how much of what we eat goes into her mouth. She's just starting with the solids now so she's taken bites of avocado, rice, veggie burgers, broccoli. Wow.
we don't buy chips or candy and hardly ever any baked goodies. those are special treats. my son is a great fruit eater so he has fruit each meal. and my hubby loves veggies so i try to offer both at meals so everyone is getting something healthy.
My husband and middle child have celiac, so it is gluten free at our house! Eating gluten free brings us back to the basics, fruits, veggies, meats. It is always a challenge to create new meals!
It's just my hubby and I in our family, but with me working full-time, him working for Young Life AND being in grad school, life gets hectic! I've found I HAVE to plan ahead for meals or we end up eating out too much (which we can't afford). I like making a pot of something early in the week (chili, soup, etc.) that's easy to re-heat for lunches or on-the-go dinners. If I plan ahead, I can pre-make several healthy meals on Sunday night that can be stuck in the oven any day.
Well I just found out that I have high cholesterol so our diet has changed. We usually just have chicken or fish, some kind of starch and some kind of veggi. Filling and without a lot of work.
My twins are only 5 weeks old, so I don't have to cook for them yet. BUT, I will be cooking soon enough. I hope to incorporate vegetables in every meal. I love that these sauces have full servings of veggies.
purrfectmeg@aol.com
(my blog is private)
I try to sneak veggies in everything! And we have switched most all of our grains to whole grain products.
Thanks
tlstickland (at) netscape (dot) net
We generally don't eat meat, try to keep the sodium low (so not many processed foods), and do lots and lots of fruits and veggies!
I offer a ton of veggies and fruits with most meals and am teaching my kids about portion control and serving size.
mellisarock at yahoo dot com
I try to get the boys to eat their veggies with every meal. We also use whole grain pasta and limit sugar.
jenzima@aol.com
My husband always grows a garden and my 2 1/2 year old loves all kinds of veggies...broc. sprouts, cabbage, carrots! It's wonderful to have so many veggies in the summer. Now if I could only get him to do a winter garden. -Becky
(balmanza7@sbcglobal.net)
I cook from scratch, use one third less sugar in anything I bake.
We require polite bites of new foods at our house. The rule is they must have as many bites as they are old. In that way, we can introduce new foods and work on the not so favorites at our house. Our boys generally like most foods because of this simple rule. We also started offering a treat such as a cookie or fruit snacks if our 4 year old would eat all the food on his plate at dinner. He wants the small treat so bad he is eating more than just his "polite bites".
Also an awesome place for some new recipes with easy instructions and pictures.
twolittlechefs.blogspot.com
We are a fruit and veggies family with lots of pasta and proteins on the side. :)
It's so hard right now. My son is playing football so he and his daddy are gone two nights a week to practice so we eat supper in shifts. We are stuck on a Hamburger Helper kick right now. My kids like the different varities and I can always get them to eat some veggies with that. I will definetly have to try this recipes. They all look so good!
The key to eating healthy, not wasting food, and keeping to our grocery budget has been planning our weekly menu each week and buying only what we need and are planning to eat (it also cuts out the day-to-day decisions of what's for lunch or dinner). We eat mostly vegan so really enjoy buying/eating fresh, in-season fruits and veggies.
We've found that variety works best, especially for the little one. We look to the Mennonite cookbook "Simply In Season" for recipe inspiration. The cookbook is organized by season and is great.
We try to post our weekly menus and original recipes online at: www.ourweeklymenu.blogspot.com.
Or you can follow us a little more personally at www.slowlygrowingoldtogether.blogspot.com.
Our goal is to eat at home most meals, and make most from scratch. We started about a year ago, and we've stuck to it! I now have two kids who eat almost anything! It's great!
My kids' snacks are either fruit or vegetables and they also have a serving of one or the other at meals. They definitely have their favorites, but I always encourage them to taste new ones!
My girl doesnt enjoy veggies either anymore. So thank goodness she loves her some fruit. Mandarin oranges are her fav so I have to stock up on those.
She also gets organic milk- less hormones!!
i still buy baby food and slip it into whatever i can! when i make homemade pasta, i use baby food squash instead of eggs. i also mix squash in when adding the cheese mix to boxed mac'n'chz.
the food processor is my best friend when it comes to hiding veggies!
To keep my family healthy, each meal is served with a veggie and a fruit...with the hopes that each person will like at least one of them!
We eat a lot of vanilla yogurt with fresh starwberries. Jacob loves brocolli, so we try to have that often....and he LOVES chicken fried rice from Pei WeEi. Not that i "make" that, but it is great way to feed a 2 year old when out and on a budget.
We eat lots of fruit and vegies in our home. I try to stay away from high fructose and MSG and white sugars. Jacob loves cooking and baking...especially sugar cookies made for Aggie game days!
I have been in a rut of fast food or sandwiches since school started back up and schedules have gotten so busy. You (and your little cutie patooties)have inspired me to try something different tonight. I'm headed to the store for some Ragu! tammyjo@cox.net
I do things in casseroles so that I can get the meat and veggie in.
Great review! I love the pictures. I try to encourage my kids to try new foods. Always to eat their fruits and Veggies. I also love to buy organic foods when I can afford them. They love organic stuff!
hottmomma_03(at)yahoo(dot)com
I just try to keep everything balanced. Moderation is the key.
We try as often as possible to have something green and a fun fruit with each meal! I try and cook a lot of casseroles since I work away from the home, it gets the coking down quick with a great meal. Stephanie (steph41581@hotmail.com)
As a mother of 3 teenagers, I lighten up recipes by using low fat alternatives, lots of veggies, whole wheat/grain breads and pastas, and lean protein. I bake instead of fry.
Try spaghetti squash instead of pasta, my kids love it.
I feel my kids well but putting fruits & veggies on a stick! There is SOMETHING about a "kabob" that gets them to eat the healthy foods all of the time. I could put the same foods on their plate and they won't touch it, but on a stick is another story!!
I try to buy lean meat to cook for my family.
great post!
shellystripling (at) gmail (dot) com
To feed my daughter well I try to pick up as much organic food as I can & I make sure she gets as many servings of fruits & veggies a day as I can. Usually the fruits are easy & the veggies are the challenge!
Great giveaway!
:-)
I involve the boys in cooking - if they put it in, they will at least try it!
My little boy eats his veggies with ranch dressing!! It's really the only way he will eat them! I love the ideas that you and your readers have about sneaking them in though! I will definitely have to try it!
gregandhil@gmail.com
With twin 18 month old boys that both have a laundry list of food allergies feeding them has been a challenge for months! We try new things often and "let" them have bites out of mommy and daddy's bowls. We eat a lot of lean meats and I sneak in pureed veges daily! Thankfully the boys love fruit and will gobble up as much as I let them!
Fruits and Veggies!
I have a great southern but light cookbook that I use. It is great b/c I love southern food but it does bad things to my waist line!
I try to keep fresh fruits and veggies (lettuce & carrots) that the boys like in the fridge and include them with each meal. That way, if they don't want to eat what we're having, they'll at least eat the fruit & raw veggies.
i always have fruit with lunch & dinner. we also use whole grain pasta & breads. my kids aren't milk drinkers (due to one having milk protein allergy) but we try to have lots of yogurt & cheese. we also have our vitamins every day!!
thanks for the recipes & reviews!! your kids are precious!!
I bought, from Costco, Veggie Sticks. My kids love them. That is their before meal snack so they get some vegetable in before dinner and then we try to get them to eat their vegetables at dinner. We have found a little bit of cheese on anything and my "irish twins" will eat it up. Also if you they like to dip stuff put a little catchup or ranch on the tray and they will dip and eat all night!
Great Review! Kraft Foods also has great recipes and they have a magazine that comes out quarterly and it's FREE!!!
lieberts@verizon.net
Thanks for the great reviews,
Wende Liebert
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