This is such an easy way to get veggies in for kids...We have to do a small one for our dairy free girl... hers has soy or rice based cheese but other than that it has the same fixings... 1 box wheat lasagna noodles (may not use all) 1 lb ground meat 1-2 cans crushed tomatoes (or jar of fresh canned) 1 small can tom. paste oregano basil sugar salt pepper onion garlic in oil red/green peppers sliced mushrooms 1 each sliced zuchini and squash leaves of spinach 1 large container ricotta 1/2 cup fresh shredded parmesan parsley 2-2 1/2 cups fresh shredded mozzerella
Boil lasagna noodles for 7 minutes... they will be firm, but continue to cook in oven. Brown a lb of bison (or ground beef or ground turkey) with 1 cup of minced onion and peppers, a spoon of minced garlic... once browned add a large can of crushed tomatoes (we use 2 cans) a small can of tomato paste and 2 T basil, 1 T oregano, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper...mix well.
mix ricotta, 1 T parsley and parmesan
spoon a tablespoon-ish of sauce in casserole dish, then 3 lasagna noodles, spread ricotta mix over noodles, spread mozzerella over ricotta,layer spinach leaves and mushrooms, another layer of noodles, then squash/zuchinni layer, sauce, more noodles and repeat until filled dish and top with mozzerella. Bake 350 for 15 minutes. IF you have picky veggie eaters, chop the veggies very small in chopper and add to meat/sauce mixture... we add carrots as well. If veggies are steamed they mush well in sauce!
poptarts are one of those quick meals that all kids love but after we got the dairy and egg allergy in our family it became a no-no! It is one of those that I have always felt guilty on anyway... there are SO many ingredients and most are hard to pronounce/unknown! We have started making our own and keeping ingredients simple. They are probably no less fattening, but I would have to think better for you! The variations are endless! Crust... you can use a homemade pie crust recipe or buy the pack of two and roll them out more and cut into desired size, place one on top, then "fork" the sides down. Filling...we like blueberry or orange marmalade, or dark chocolate chips and mini marshmallows to make s'more ones, crushed oreos, or a brown sugar and cinnamon mixture...or come up with one on your own! Icing...we mix powdered sugar and a few drops of almond milk, to desired thickness... this is good on s'more and oreo ones, put a little of the cinnamon mix in the icing for the brown sugar and cinnamon ones, and a few drops of jam in the fruit filled ones.
Roll out dough and place a small amount of filling in center and place top on, press sides down with a fork and place on pan. Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. Remove and cool, then ice. After icing is dry, place in container or ziploc bags and store in cabinet. These need to be warmed in a toaster oven... NOT toaster, or eat straight out of bag. Enjoy!
It is my goal to encourage more young families to eat at home and as a family....It is a challenge but I also feel that it is an art that is being lost in our generation. Eating out is convenient, but unfortunately can be costly, bad for us, and teaching our children that options are endless at dinner time..but more than that, the "family time" of the dinner table is gone. It is the one time of the day when the family can give thanks for a meal, talk about their day, and even prepare a meal together. I plan to share menu ideas, recipes and family activities with other families...we have 4 children with plenty of sports and ballet and church activities, and still manage to eat home most nights...it CAN be done! Enjoy!
