I was inspired by my mother-in-law to make my latest creation… okay so it’s nothing fancy, but it was a BIG WINNER at my house.
Of course when anyone comes to my house, they will be encouraged to eat more veggies or change favorite meals by adding a few veggies to them. (My in-Laws are on a spaghetti kick.) I am always pushing them to eat healthier so they can be around for many years to come. (yes, I actually like them!)
Sometimes its like pulling teeth to get my MIL to cook better foods. She wants to, but for some reason has a fear. Well being the smarty pants that I am, I tricked her! I searched through my cupboards, something I do often, and found a box of macaroni shells. I started boiling the water and asked my MIL to chop up some veggies for me. I secretly timed her. It took her less than 5 minutes. She whips up spaghetti all the time, it was fun to show her the simple change she can make. Here is the recipe I came up with.
A twist on traditional spaghetti: (my recipes are usually BABY STEPS, so don’t judge 😉
1 box of whole wheat or brown rice pasta. any shape.
1 1/2 cups prepared pasta sauce (no meat)
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1/2 bunch of kale
1 red pepper (any color)
Cook pasta according to directions on package. While the water is boiling, chop veggies and throw into a steamer ( I use a cheap one I got from costco). Steam for 6-7 minutes, until tender. Drain pasta and toss with sauce and veggies. HINT:chop veggies even smaller after they are steamed so the kids cant really pick them out. the texture becomes similar to the pasta itself. OOOHH another HINT: Add as many veggies as you can think of, broccoli, eggplant. red onions… endless possibilities.
I served mine with a simple fruit salad: chopped strawberries, banana, grapes, and apples. I got two thumbs up from my kids on tonights dinner!
Source: WFM 1-10