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Getting Kids To Eat Spinach


My kids are just about the pickiest eaters on the face of the Earth, but I have found a way to get them to eat spinach. That's right. I said spinach. That yucky, slimy, green stuff that my mom always had simmering in a pot on the stove. She would love to eat it just like that with some vinegar. Nasty. Well, when I finally grew up and had kids of my own, I realized that it's got some much needed vitamins for growing bodies. I knew there was no way they would eat it like my mom did, so I had to come up with something......duplicitous. I found a recipe in one of my cookbooks for manicotti. It had spinach in it, so I thought I'd try it. Of course, they asked what the green stuff was. Did I tell them the truth and said that it's spinach? Fat chance. I wasn't about to ruin everything! I totally lied straight to their faces. I said, "Spinach?! Are you kidding? That's nasty! These are just herbs." They ate every single bite and asked for seconds and sometimes thirds. Looking at my husband's face, I would have to bite back a giggle. He would say, "You're so bad." I know, but my kids are getting their spinach.


Here is a recipe that I've made my own:


1 box of manicotti- cook according to directions and then cool

Filling- 1 box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained, 1 16 oz. container of ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Combine cheeses and seasonings with a mixer, then stir in spinach.

Spray 8 x 10 glass pan with butter spray, then put a small amount of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the pan.

Fill up each manicotti with the filling and put in pan.

Cover with the rest of the spaghetti sauce.

Cover with aluminum foil and put in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Take off foil, put some more mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for 5-10 more minutes.


So yummy! Check out more WFMW tips at Rocks In My Dryer.

Comments

Ellen said…
You can also sneak spinach into spaghetti. Just add a package of frozen spinach to the water while you are boiling the noodles. (the water will turn green, so don't let the kids see). Add some sauce to the noodles and spinach and the spinach become "herbs" in the sauce. I hate cooked spinach and love it this way. It does not taste "spinachy."

Ellen in Texas
June 13, 2007 at 8:41 PM
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