Oh. I am a sneaky mommy. Last night, I thought of a fabulous way to get a little extra nutrition into my kiddos.
This may look like ordinary spaghetti sauce, but it contains 16 ounces of pumpkin. (I’ve had an abundance of pumpkin this year, homegrown and canned for me by my sister. I haven’t known what to do with it except make pumpkin bread. I wanted to use it in an “unsweet” method. The sauce tasted GREAT! I don’t know if it is because I let it simmer for several hours in the cast iron skillet, but whatever it was, it worked! They didn’t have any idea that anything was different about the sauce, until I told them…AFTER they ate it.)
The question I have for you today is this: What are YOUR favorite ways to boost extra nutrition in your children’s meals. Do they know that you are doing this? 
March 27, 2008 at 2:24 am |
Do they know – sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Spinach in lasagna – they can see it but don’t really taste it.
Flax seed (ground) in oatmeal, smoothies, muffins – can’t see it, can’t taste it.
I’ll have to come back to share more later; I’m having trouble thinking…but I can’t wait to see what everyone else shares! And I can’t wait to try the pumpkin the sauce thing!
March 27, 2008 at 2:30 am |
I buy chicken livers at the grocery store, cook them and then freeze them…then any time I make something with ground meat, I grate two or livers, and add them to the meat. The taste is imperceptible, and liver is absolutely full of nutrition. I also make my own salad dressing, and add flax seed oil to it.
March 27, 2008 at 2:31 am |
That was supposed to be “two or three livers”, sorry!
March 27, 2008 at 3:49 am |
I do stuff like this all the time! I got the cookbook sneaky chef and I’ve put white beans in cookies, blueberries and spinach in cupcakes, cauliflower and sweet potatoes in mac and cheese, tons of stuff in spaghetti sauce and taco meat, etc…I posted the cookie recipe on my site, so come on over and check it out =) I am always up for learning new ways…I have found that it works not only on kids, but husbands too! Sometimes I tell them and sometimes I don’t. I guess they’ve gotten used to it now and don’t really care. Some people have told me they think it’s wrong, why don’t I just put the veggies on the plate and tell them to eat them? Yeah, I do that too, but sometimes it’s easier to have everything in the same pot/dish/whatever…looking forward to others’ comments! Good topic =)
March 27, 2008 at 4:07 am |
I love the pumpkin idea. It makes complete sense now that I’m thinking about it, but it never, ever would have occurred to me to put it in spaghetti sauce.
Our sauce always has zucchini in it, but I’ve not gotten much more creative.
March 27, 2008 at 4:20 am |
Interesting idea for the pumpkin. I’m always looking for ideas like this (not only for my kids, who are in college, but for my DH as well
My family likes pumpkin pancakes, so that’s another way we used it. In bread and baked goods I like to add a tablespoon of soy flour and another of flax seed meal; sometimes wheat germ. I use powdered kelp too, in anything from spaghetti sauce to scrambled eggs. I sometimes grate veggies and add to tomato based sauces; it’s hard to tell they are there when the sauce cooks down.
March 27, 2008 at 4:56 am |
Mere, my eyes automatically read “two or three.” I didn’t even notice until you pointed it out.
BTW, that is a dutch oven, not a skillet. Oops.
And you know…my kids would eat whatever I put into the meal, too. They aren’t very picky at all. BUT I like to play the “Guess the mystery ingredient.”
They crack me up with the things they yell out when we play – they are SO used to their mama putting strange things in their food.
March 27, 2008 at 7:01 am |
Holly, I think it is Jerry Seinfeld’s wife has a recipe book out on how to add sneaky ingredients to kids’ food. She adds mooshed up sweet potato (you could use pumpkin) to thick pancakes, I think – stuff like that. Speaking of your pumpkin, have you ever tried it on pizza? I like pumkin, pine nuts, fresh mozzarella and torn up fresh basil, then baked. When it is ready, serve with fresh rocket over the tops. I think you may call rocket aragula?
Anyway, it is another idea for your abundance of pumpkin! lol! BTW, this recipe works best with sweet pumpkin, like butternut pumpkin.
Also, pumpkin soup – onions, garlic, fresh rosemary, pumpkin – delish! I like a thai version where you fry green or red curry paste, add the onions/garlic then the pumpkin and stock. I can’t wait for winter, and soup weather!!
love, Val
ps one more – how about pumpkin scones?
March 27, 2008 at 7:35 am |
Thanks, everyone! Great ideas!
Val, I tried pumpkin soup last week….didn’t do the curry…but I think that would help.
I have not tried it on pizza, but what a great idea! I have just basically had tunnel vision here regarding pumpkin…
March 27, 2008 at 9:04 am |
we had green salsa enchiladas last week, it called for green salsa (2 -16 oz jars) – not this family, we can barely handle mild salsa, so i used 1/4 th cup green salsa, and sub’ed spinach for the rest – with the little salsa, and the cream in the sauce it tasted great!
but then again, my kids eat sardines in tomato sauce out of the can – cold
– grandma taught them that one!
i’ve put finely chopped spinach or kale in chili, and grated carrots, also left over cooked oat meal,
i’ve never thought of pumpkins — i’ll try it !
March 27, 2008 at 8:43 pm |
Well, I’ve added grated zucchini , carrots and summer squash to my spaghetti sauce, but never pumpkin. A few weeks ago I made sloppy joes, to which I added lots of green pepper, onion, celery and lentils. My pickiest son commented on the wonderful “junk” food and ate two of them!!! On whole wheat buns, I might add.
March 27, 2008 at 9:40 pm |
As long as it’s small, my kids will eat just about anything. I add flax seeds to almost everything; my kids actually enjoy it. I’ve never though about adding anything to tomato sauce, which I make all the time. I think I’d be more worried about my husband’s reaction, not the kids, lol!!
A handful of dried nettle really boosts the nutritional value of any soup or stew or chili or pot of beans. My family’s never even noticed that I put it in any ‘liquid’ meal like that, because I cook with so many herbs, they think that’s what it is! (Please don’t tell my husband. It’s a secret!)
I love some of these ideas, and I’m going to try many of them soon.
~Brea
March 28, 2008 at 2:14 am |
When dh cooks he purees veggies and puts them in the soup, stirfry, or meat- and they never notice!
~Annette
March 28, 2008 at 2:18 am |
I always put a small can of V-8 in every red sauce we have–spaghetti, chili, manicotti, etc.
If I serve the meal by candlelight, the kids do not notice we are eating whole wheat noodles, or brown rice–they assume it’s white and eat up without complaint.
I sneak flax seed into smoothies, and I can also sneak spinach into a blueberry smoothie.
I would never lie if asked, but I do try not to get noticed. I don’t feel bad about that. I know they wouldn’t eat it if they knew, and we don’t force our kids to eat things. We each had enough food issues from our childhood and being made to do that. Not judging others by any means, just where we are coming from. I keep the house stocked with good foods.
I’m also always amazed at how my kids will eat fresh fruit or veggies if it is cut up and put out. They would never ask for it, or look for it if hungry, but when I set it out, they eat it. Now, if I would just remember to do that more often.
March 28, 2008 at 8:41 am |
We are able to get milk from some Amish farmers (grass fed). Of course the more they will drink the better. So we mix up many interesting things in the blender. I am able to get good honey too, to use as sweetner instead of sugar or chocolate syrup. Milk, honey, and a little coco makes a better chocolate milk than other choices on occation I have even put a couple tablespoons of olive oil in without anyone noticing. I look for opportunities to add my better oils…Olive, coconut, flax. Olive is easy and almost never noticed.
March 28, 2008 at 9:05 am |
Drama Mama…I can’t comment on your blog because I don’t have a blogger account. Sometimes I use my son’s account, but I can’t get into his tonight!
Robin, your are the QUEEN of nutrition!