MC2Charlotte

Today, lets take a classic Kid Meal and make it Healthier and Better for the Whole Family.  It is fine to adjust some Kid Faves and make turn them into a Family Meal.  This is far better then cooking separate meals.  I have a huge problem with kids getting separate meals at dinner and here are a few reasons why:

• Most parents try to eat healthy and kids get garbage foods, like pasta with butter, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, etc
• Eating the family meal teaches kids to eat veggies, fruits, proteins
• The kids should not be taught that they have the power over what they eat, the parents do. 
• If you give them the power at dinner, it will translate into the other areas of their lives
• No one has got the time or energy to create a BUFFET Service every night

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas are a kid favorite.  But it needs a bit of pep and effort to make it a healthy meal worth serving to the lot.  So here is How to Jazz This Meal Up and have the kids embrace good nutrition:

Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla 

Ingredients:

• Tortillas:  

  • Xtreme Wellness, High Fiber Low Carb
  • Great taste for even the picky people, No plastic taste, No “high fiber” taste
  • No Hydrogenated Oils
  • Made with Olive Oil and Flax Seed for Omega 3 and fiber
  • 1 Tortilla has 11gms of Fiber and 4gms of Protein – hard to find a palatable one with this kind of nutrition
  • I have searched many tortillas for the perfect ingredients and this one comes the closest, especially when you compare the taste and nutrition value.

• Rotisserie Chicken Shredded:   

  • local farm
  • antibiotic free
  • free range
  • no hormones
  • cooked without preservatives

• Cheese:

  • Organic Mexican Cheese
  • 

• Olive Oil Spray for Grill or George Foreman

  • Use organic olive oils spray without propellant – now at Target.   

Instructions:

• layer tortillas with cheese and super thin layer for those who only like cheese quesadillas and thicker for the cheese and chicken quesadillas fans
• grill 2 min on each side

Sides:

1. Guacamole – avocado smooshed, sprinkled with lime juice, and salt
   • I layer the quesadillas with he thin layer of guac before the cheese and no one notices
2. Salsa – buy organic from the refrigerator department of the store
3. Sour Cream – this makes everything palatable in my house
   • of course full fat, never low fat or fat free, organic if possible
4. Cowboy Salad, or Side of Sliced Red Peppers and Corn (not touching – you know whose kids this tip is for),
5. Organic Basmati Brown Rice – How To Cook Rice to Reduce Arsenic Exposure to the Family

Cowboy Salad 

Ingredients:  

• 1 Red Pepper Diced
• 1 Cup Frozen Corn Thawed
• 4 Scallions Diced or  1/4 Red Onion Diced
• 1 Bag or Can of Black Beans Drained/Rinsed
• Handful of Cherry Tomatoes Sliced or Not
• 1 Tbsp of Fresh Chopped Cilantro
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• Greek Salad Dressing with a squeeze of lime

In Good Health, Ana-Maria Temple, MD