Soft Tacos

Heh - it's the little, simple things that keep them fat & happy. Like soft tacos.

We tried these before with little success, but I figured out the secret...let them build their own. We line up their little chairs in the kitchen amidst a vast selection of cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, pico (only in the summer - we use our garden's cilantro, tomatoes, diced onions, salt, & lime), and taco meat. They just love making their own little tacos. I have to emphasize soft tacos, not hard. They're still picky about that.

Get yourself a taco dinner kit or go all out & use the following taco seasoning mix from allrecipes.com. It makes a bunch, so you can save it in a jar for future use. (2 very heaping tablespoons equals about one seasoning packet.)

* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (less if preferred)
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 teaspoon black pepper (or cayenne)

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.


Turn on some salsa music & dance while the meat is cooking & veggies are getting chopped. They love it! Joe's quite the little dancer lately, too! He was able to pick up a few steps on his first shot - amazing!

I really need to invest in some sombreros...

Pasta Dish

This one is from a friend of mine named Andrea - she said they make it all of the time, and I think the ingredients will be on my next grocery list. Sounds great!

Quoted Text from Andrea:

Use the Barilla Plus a multi grain angle hair pasta - in the yellow box-Wal-Mart has it...( really great- taste like reg noodles- but good for you) cook them as normal ... with a little salt

At same time ...In a skillet combine Saturnine ( white) cooking wine with garlic and lemon juice as much as you like of each.

If you want some butter- throw that in too... Add some black pepper..

Add some fresh basil leaves (take them out before giving to the kids cuz they are green!!!!)

Stir it together add the cooked angle hair pasta and throw in some sliced roma tomatoes- all done in about 10 minutes! We LOVE THIS!!! Its really good! And good for you!

If you add cheese any kind it's good and cheesier

And another trick if you want it creamy just add a little pet milk- hummm very good.

We do eat this a lot!


If you've never tried the multi grain pasta here's the link-

http://www.barillaus.com/Home/pages/Barilla_Plus.aspx

We've tried wheat pasta its not so great- but this looks like reg pasta and tastes even better- even my dad will eat it...

End quote.

Thanks, Andrea!

Chicken Enchiladas

(Guess who bought tortillas at the grocery store this week)

You might want to add more seasoning to this and maybe tomatoes, but it was bland enough for the kids to eat, and it was much better the second day. I'd probably use chicken that I cooked myself next time, but I was pressed for time & this was super fast! And the kids ate it as long as they were able to cut it with our butter knives.

And I know that Mom & Ms. Susan have better alternative recipes than this - so if you send them to me, I'll post them!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes


1 Tbs butter
1/2 c. chopped green onion (I used a little less because I can't find my kitchen shears)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I used minced garlic)
1 (4 oz. can diced green chilies)
1 (10.75 oz. can) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast meat (here's where I went wrong & used the canned stuff - but it was easier - one day I'll have time ;) )
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
6 12 inch flour tortillas
1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish.
In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and saute green onions until tender. (about 3 - 4 minutes). Add the garlic, then stir in the green chilies, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream. Mix well. Reserve 3/4 of this sauce & set aside. To the remaining 1/4 of the sauce in the saucepan, add the chicken and 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese. Stir together.

Fill each flour tortilla with the chicken mixture & roll up. Place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the reserved 3/4 of the sauce with the milk. Spoon this mixture over the rolled tortillas and top with the remaining 1/2 c. cheddar cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Not bad, the kids ate it. :)

Wraps

I know it's not the most creative of all meals, but it's the only way I can get Lilly to eat a sandwich. I know sometimes I get into a rut of making the same thing, day after day, so this is a gentle reminder that there's more than one way to make a sammich.

Basic Wrap:
1 soft tortilla (white or wheat - our kids actually prefer wheat, go figure)
thinly sliced lunchmeat (the cheap kind that you can get 2 for $1)
provolone cheese (1 or 2 slices)
thinly sliced tomatoes (can add salt & garlic powder)
lettuce or sprouts
avocado, thinly sliced (if it's on hand)

You can put condiments like mayo, mustard, etc., but we usually don't. They don't care much for the stuff. I haven't tried dill relish, but I bet the pickle queen would love it! You can use any normal sandwich stuff. I know, everyone probably knows all about wraps, but like I said, ya just get into a rut sometimes and need something different.

Roll it up & keep it stuck with a toothpick if you think they'll take it out before it punctures the roof of their little mouths. Otherwise, well, I don't know. Tie it with string?? Heh.

Also try PB&J. But mix it up before you spread it. It'll stick better. And you won't have to use the toothpick. Or string.

Hummus

I know it's not a meal, but it's a great snack.

Here's a really simple recipe for hummus dip (courtesy of MediterrAsian.com) that Alec and Adrian absolutely love. Alec will happily eat it with a spoon. It's the funniest thing to kiss an 18 month old and find that he has major garlic breath.

2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
14 oz can chick peas drained and rinsed
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste you can buy in decent grocery stores--not in my town!)
salt to taste

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until creamy. I usually add cumin or chili powder to make it interesting, but it's delicious as is. You can make a double recipe--it freezes really well.

We usually dip Triscuits in it, but we especially love it when we can either find pre-packaged whole wheat pita chips, or I take whole wheat pita bread and make my own chips (cut into strips and put them in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes). Last time I even made my own pita bread and discovered it's good but not worth the trouble.

For low carb, celery sticks also taste great dipped in hummus.

Who really has the time to cook anyway?

I don't have enough on my plate. And now, neither do the kids! And that's a good thing because...

We're slowly discovering that there are other things out there than chicken nuggets, french fries, and PB & J. My goal is to post easy recipes for food that Lilly & Joe will actually willingly consume without the fancy decorated airplane spoon entrance into the hanger of Joe's tic tac teeth filled mouth.

So, without further ado, I'll post tonight's recipe. It was a hit, which I'm so happy to say Zac prepared for us with a side of his world-famous salad and green beans! Mmmmmmm. I didn't even miss my sweets on the first day of Lent after this meal...

(compliments of allrecipes.com)

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ready In: 15 minutes
Yields: 8 servings

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tbs. Mayonaise (Hellman's)
2 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil (we used Italian seasoning because it was on-hand)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt
2 lbs. tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. (we used the high setting - ours has 2 settings)

Grease a broiling pan or line with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayo & lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder & celery salt. Mix well & set aside.

Arrange fillets on a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over & broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven & cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook the fish.

And that's it! Easy breezy!