Dinner for them AND dinner for me?!

How often do you find yourself making dinner for the kids and then sitting there, watching them eat it, while you're starving to death? I know that a lot of children are picky and want to eat a handful of specific things, so I'm on a mission to change that with my kids.

I do my best to make food that they'll eat and that I will want, too. Something that's nutritional, filling, tasty, and not packed with too many calories per serving so that it will not make me gain weight when I'm working to get my fat butt well... not fat anymore ;)

Tonight on the menu I took a recipe from Giada from the food network and adapted it for my family :) Here's a picture of the finished product:

 

Ingredients*:

• 1-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (I'm sure dark meat, sausage, pork, or even shrimp could be an alternate choice of protein. Make it your own) cut into bite size chunks (marinated from the store is optional, but what I used tonight) - season as you wish with your favorite seasoning
• large onion diced
• bunch of asparagus cut into half an inch pieces or so
• 1-2 cups of frozen peas (don't need to be defrosted) depending on how much you like peas
• 1-2 cups of carrots cut into small pieces so they can cook easily and quickly
• 1 can of chicken broth (14 oz)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 
• Cup of cream cheese
• 6oz of Velveeta cheese 
• one pound of mini bow tie pasta (it's fun for the kids! Any pasta will do, though!)
• salt or (what I prefer) onion salt - my secret seasoning for vegetables of any kind (yes, even onions haha)

* This meal is intended for a large family (8+). Cut the amounts of the ingredients in half and it should feed a family of 4-6

Directions:

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta as directed - drain water
2.  Saute chicken on medium-high heat until browned on both sides in a large saute pan. Chicken does not need to be cooked thoroughly to move to the next step
3. Add onion and carrots and cook till tender (at least 5 mins). If you prefer a bite to carrots, add them after a few mins :)
4. Season the vegetables - I do a few generous shakes of onion salt. I don't go overboard (you don't want to over-season and make it salty) BUT DO NOT BE AFRAID TO PUT SOME SEASONING IN IT! You season that food! Make me proud! ;)
5. Add asparagus and frozen peas. The asparagus will cook and peas will thaw quickly. 
6. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer-low boil for several minutes to allow flavors to combine.
7. In a large mixing bowl, add the pasta and veggie/chicken combination together.
8. Add the three cheeses and mix well! Taste and check for flavor - add salt if needed.
9. ENJOY!

 

My 2 year old assisting with stirring

 A side note: As shown above - if you involve your children in cooking and teach them about all the different foods and why we eat them (i.e. chicken is protein that helps make us strong, vegetables give our bodies vitamins to fight against germs, pasta is a carb that gives us energy to play, etc.) then they get excited and are more willing to eat what you give them. Allow them to stir or show them what you're doing, step by step. I've recently gotten my kids to try eggplant, squash, and zucchini and.. get this.. THEY LIKE THEM ALL! At least they will eat it, knowing it's good for them AND can taste good :)

Oh ya! And according to my app, Lose it!, this meal is about 400 per serving. A little more than a serving fills me up and about half a serving fills up my kids. You can adjust the amount of calories very easily by lessening the amount of cheese as well as increasing the amount of vegetables and chicken (or other protein) to pasta ratio.