An Extra Meal Deal Health Article

Dinnertime is the hour of the day when many families would love to settle in, sit down and finally enjoy each other's company. But if you are like many working parents, it's a tag team effort just to get through your day. Getting kids to daycare and school, juggling shifts and then finally preparing dinner can make the meal seem more of a chore than a significant ritual that brings the whole family together.

Eating healthy at mealtime is a great way to model good eating habits for children, but those good intentions can be tough to put into practice, especially with time-stretched schedules. Many families do make the effort but find getting enough daily servings of fruits,vegetables and whole grains to be a challenge.

Many on our own EatingWell Test Kitchen Team can identify with kicking into dinner-prep mode with underage sous-chefs banging at the counter. They got to thinking about whether it was actually possible to get to nirvana -that time when you can actually relax and interact with the family—just a little bit faster. So our EatingWell team put their heads together and came up with some ideas for an easy, healthy meal makeover that can free up more time to spend with family and also give you a few leftovers with brown bag potential. Our plan can help your busy family eat better tonight as well as later in the week, and maybe save you a little money in the process.

For this Family Meal Makeover the EatingWell team decided to zero in on one of our favorite family dinners : chilaquiles casserole, often made with ground beef, salsa and plenty of grated cheese. Typically it's served on its own, since most families find there's rarely time to prepare a side dish or salad.

Our makeover meal boosts fruits and vegetables considerably, sneaking stealth vegetables into the chilaquiles and serving up an easy salad with a master dressing recipe that can be used all week long. And there's always room for a healthy dessert, especially when it's a crumble made from seasonal fruit that bakes during dinner. Best of all, since every meal component has built-in leftover potential, this dinner makes the rest of a busy week easier too.

Menu:

Chilaquiles Casserole

Baby Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Blueberry Crumble

Goal:

A heart-healthy meal with plenty of fruits & vegetables

Meal makeover

Adding "stealth" zucchini and tomatoes to the chilaquiles boosts fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Substituting reduced-fat cheese for regular cheese reduces the saturated fat and cholesterol by over two-thirds.

A healthier dessert provides a serving of fruit plus whole grains.

Replacing the butter in the crumble with canola oil almost completely eliminates saturated fat and cholesterol.

Goal:

Planned-for leftovers

Meal makeover

Keep extra salad fixings and homemade dressing in the fridge for a week's worth of quick side salads and lunchbox meals.

Doubling the casserole size leaves tasty leftovers for lunchboxes or the freezer.

Big-batch crumble topping is enough for several more quick desserts—including yogurt parfaits and sundaes.

Shopping List

(Not including regular pantry items)

Fruits & Vegetables

Onion, 1 medium

Zucchini, 1 medium

Corn, fresh or frozen, 11/2 cups

Baby spinach, prewashed, 6 cups

Red bell pepper, 1

Nectarine, 1

Blueberries, fresh or frozen, 21/2 cups

Refrigerated Aisle

Corn tortillas, 1 package

Shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese,

one 8-ounce bag

Orange juice

Dry Goods

Black beans, one 19-ounce can

Diced tomatoes, one 14-ounce can

Enchilada sauce, one 19-ounce can, or

tomato sauce, two 8-ounce cans

Ground cumin

Raspberry vinegar or red-wine vinegar

Old-fashioned rolled oats

Pecans or almonds, 3/4 cup

Whole-wheat flour

Resources

Healthy Eating for Kids Recipes and Menus
Chilaquiles Casserole
Healthy Mexican Recipes and Menus
Healthy Eating for Kids Center