Thursday, July 29, 2010

its tricky...tricky, tricky, tricky

Could you get your carnivore to eat carrots, beets, spinach and tomatoes in one meal? What if it is all there right in front of there eyes? "Never!" you say. Well, never say never. I recently did just that with my uber-veggie averse husband.  

The secret to this trick - multicolored tortellini and red sauce. See whether you have ever thought about it or not when you buy colored pasta (the good stuff) it is enhanced by real vegetables. The green is hued by spinach, the orange by carrots, and the red by beets. And that marinara is full of vitamin C and lycopene rich tomatoes. Even your most adamant meat eaters won't turn their nose up at these veggies once they are added to pasta. Then stuff that pasta with cheese and you are well on your way to tricking them into eating this rainbow. The final touch - sweet sausage. Slices of this basil infused Italian meat will please your carnivore for sure.

Now, if you have a vegetarian at home you can make them happy too. Simply saute some broccoli florets and walnuts in a separate pan with a bit of olive oil seasoned with salt. Top the tortellini with these along with some sauce. This will add in a good amount of fiber and protein to fill up your veggie loving friends too. Simple, quick and a bit tricky!

What tricks do you have up your sleeve to get more veggies on the plate? Do you grate squash in your mac & cheese? Add zucchini to your brownies? Let me know - I am always looking for new ideas!

(As my friend Jen reminded my this is certainly freezer friendly - with a bit of planning. Buy a big bag of frozen pasta for starters. In my house we also always have marinara or the ingredients to make it in hand. You can just keep a jar in the pantry. The nuts can also be kept on hand - for snacking, pesto, or this recipe. And finally the broccoli and sausage are also readily freezable. Plan ahead and you can pull this dinner together in minutes!)

7 comments:

  1. We buy those in bulk at our house. I'm not kidding - get them at Sam's. I add meatballs to the husbands and to the kiddos I offer mozzarella sticks.
    Soups and pastas are always good places to add "the good stuff" but I need new ideas too. Also homemade pizzas and omelets are good hiding grounds.
    Thanks. Now I'll be singing that all night...

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  2. My kiddos get a green smoothie every morning. Sometimes I feel like cackling with glee and rubbing my hands together like some sort of cartoon evil genius! I just use frozen mixed berries and the baby spinach doesn't even show. (Or taste for that matter.) That, with coconut milk and a banana makes for a great morning drink.

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  3. LOL...I always have to hide veggies into dishes for my hubby too! Juicing carrots and apples together is a great combo and I always throw veggies into pureed soups and sauces...

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  4. The only veggie my honey willingly eats is tomatoes so I have to hide them too! For example I add spinach to the meat in my lasagna, carrots in my meatloaf and mushrooms in all my sauces. It works like a charm!

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  5. I just stumbled upon your blog and I have to say that I am in love with it! I'm in the same situation with my boyfriend, who refuses to eat any veggies except peas, corn, and potatoes. I frequently find myself trying to sneak veggies into his meals too, and your blog has given me some amazing ideas. Thanks and keep up the good work!

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  6. Jen - you are so right about buying this pasta frozen in bulk. i must add this to the post - it is certainly freezer friendly.

    spinach in smoothies and carrots in meatloaf now on my to try list. thanks for the ideas!

    Naz - glad you found the site! hope it helps...

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  7. Haha what a brilliant idea, never really thought about using different pasta.

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