chicken taco quesadillas

So, we have a weekly "Taco Tuesday" in our house.  Pretty much it means that we have some sort of Mexican dish every Tuesday.  Usually, it's chicken tacos, but sometimes we try something different.  This week, I decided to try some quesadillas with some canned chicken I had in the pantry because my chicken supply in the freezer has dwindled.  For something that I just threw together for the first time, they actually turned out quite good.  My 2 year old wouldn't even taste them, so I don't know if they are toddler approved, but they are definitely hubby approved.  Here's what I did:

Chicken Taco Quesadillas

Ingredients:

One 10 oz can of shredded chicken

taco seasoning

cheese (I used cheddar because it's what we had.  You can use your cheese of choice.)

Tortillas

Steps:

Spray pan with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat.  

Open your can of shredded chicken and drain it.  

Put chicken into a medium sized mixing bowl. 

Mix in a fair amount of taco seasoning.  You can use a little or a lot depending on your family's preference.  I didn't measure, so I'm not exactly sure how much I put in.

Mix in 1-2 cups of cheese.  Again, I didn't measure, I just poured enough in to where I thought it looked like enough.

Spoon chicken mixture over half of tortilla.

Fold second half over first and place in pan.

Cook each side for about 2 minutes.  This may take more or less time depending on your pan and how well it heats.

Remove from heat, let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy.

Hidden veggies mom win

So, the other night I was making macaroni and cheese for the 2 year old and trying to figure out f it was worth it to try and make her some vegetables when I had a genius thought. I would add the vegetable right to the mac and cheese.  So, I added some sweet potato that I had made into baby food to it.  Not only did she eat it, she asked for more... twice. Many of us know the struggle that is getting a balanced diet into our children.  They don't touch the veggies on their plate and if they do, they may love them one day and suddenly the next it's a crime to even try them.  I call this a huge win... at least for today...

Here's what I did:

Cook the pasta according to directions.
Drain and put back in the pot.
Add 3oz  of ground sweet potatoes or baby food.
Add remaining ingredients according to the macaroni and cheese package.
Mix and serve.


*You can add more or less sweet potato depending on how you feel or what you think your child's preference will be.
* I made the sweet potato myself by steaming it and blending it in the ninja with some water.  Then I froze it in ice cube trays as baby food, but next time I think I am going to try actual baby food.
* I use Annie's brand macaroni and cheese, but you can use whatever you prefer.
* If you don't want to use sweet potato, you don't have to.  Make sure you use an orange vegetable, though.  You don't want to alter the appearance so your child doesn't even try it.

I tried it myself and it was actually quite good.  It made it a little thicker and more richer.  I think next time I may try it with one of the orange food pouches we have stored in the pantry and see how that turns out.

I hope this helps get an extra serving of vegetable into your child.  Enjoy.