...made with winter squash?!
I've been trying really hard to get Amelia to eat vegetables. She doesn't like them. Or rather, she just plain refuses to eat them whether or not she's even tasted it. She'll only eat green beans, and that's only if she's in the mood. It's not surprising because I'm pretty picky myself and will only eat a few different kinds of veggies, depending on if and how they're cooked. There are quite a few that I don't like at all. I found this recipe on food network in my search to "sneak" some veggies into Amelia's diet. She loves mac & cheese so I figured she'd eat it (she didn't). I made it for her today at lunch (although it's a little more effort than I want to spend on lunch) and I thought it turned out pretty good. I struggle and tend to make stupid mistakes when I'm cooking sometimes so it probably could have been even better...but such is my life.
While I'm on the subject...do any of you have any suggestions on how to get your little ones (or yourself for that matter) to eat vegetables? Or even any other recipes with veggies snuck in? She's too young to understand the "you'll eat what's in front of you" concept. Maybe she would eat carrot and celery sticks if she had enough teeth. We're just in an awkward age right now and I don't know what to do. I try to make sure we always have some kind of vegetable for dinner (usually a side salad - which Amelia won't eat - or green beans), but I myself don't even eat them throughout the day, I know I'm not getting as much as I should be, and if I'm not eating them Amelia's not going to eat them right? I'm not a salad person. I like it okay as a side, but I have to really be in the mood for a salad to eat it for a meal. I ate a chicken wrap with lots of veggies on it for lunch today - I guess if I have to do that every day I can....
Sorry about the novel, here's the recipe:
Macaroni & 4 Cheeses
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
- 2 cups 1% lowfat milk
- 4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 X 13 in. baking pan with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5-8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until deforsted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, sitrring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the cheddar, jack cheese, rocotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish. Combine bread crumbs, parmesan 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.
