The month of May is coming to an end, and we find ourselves scrambling to get this newsletter to you. The Meal Makeover Moms – accustomed to living life at 100 mph – came to a crashing halt last week. Janice had surgery on her foot and was warned by her doctor to sit on the couch or else, and Liz got slammed with a week-long fever (gasp … no, it was not H1N1) and spent her days moping around the house. As you can imagine, the laundry piled up and the local pizza shop made a quick profit! Anyway, long story short, we’re back on our feet and ready to take on the world once again.
Before our minor setback, we created a family-pleasing dinner recipe for Crushed Tortilla Chip Casserole that we hope you’ll all enjoy, and we gave the classic Tater Tot Casserole a “Recipe Rescue.” We love our new Smiley Face Casserole so much that we decided to feature it right here in the newsletter. We also teamed up with the Manic Mommieswho are now featuring one of our recipes every Wednesday on their blog (if you haven’t listened to their podcast, be sure to check it out).
This month’s giveaway is awesome! It’s designed to save you time and money in the kitchen. Along with a $100.00 Visa gift card – perfect for helping with groceries, one lucky winner will also receive a bunch of other great stuff (compliments of our friends at the U.S. Potato Board) including a kitchen timer, apron, potato recipe book, and grocery list stationery. The giveaway ends on June 12th so be sure to enter ASAP by visiting our blogand commenting on your best tip(s) for streamlining your time in the kitchen and/or stretching your food dollar. Good luck!
On a final note, stay tuned for our June “Update.” In it, we will share the latest on the status of our next cookbook. So far, we’ve created nearly 100 new recipes, and we’ll be looking for Moms’ Club members like you to contribute to the book by testing and critiquing our recipes and sharing your best-ever strategies for turning mealtime complaints into compliments. Details to follow!!
Makeover Recipe
Smiley Face Casserole Makes 10 to 12 Servings
Every month on our blog, we offer a Recipe Rescue, and this month, we chose Tater Tot Casserole, sent to us by Michelle, a mom from Cincinnati, Ohio via our friends at VickyandJen.com. Her original recipe called for such things as Tater Tots (clearly), cream soup, lots of cheese, and a stick of butter. To transform this dish, we used lowfat milk, reduced-fat cheese, and nixed the butter altogether, and we tossed in some mushrooms and carrots. By topping the casserole with potato Smiles, we added major kid appeal.
One 26-ounce bag frozen potato Smiles (we used McCain)
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake the potato Smiles according to package directions. When done, remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the meat, carrot, and garlic powder and cook, breaking up the large pieces, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Stir in the soup, milk, and, 1 ½ cups of the cheese (the mixture will seem very liquidy at this point, but don’t worry) and heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Arrange half the Smiles on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top with the meat mixture, the remaining half cup of cheese, and the remaining potato Smiles. Cover loosely with aluminum foil, and bake until the mixture is bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Nutrition Information per Serving:270 calories, 13g fat (4.5g saturated), 550mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 18g protein, 40% vitamin A, 20% calcium
Expect the Best:
Advice on what to eat before, during and after pregnancy has changed a lot over the past few years. With the newly released book, Expect the Best, author Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD, takes the guesswork out of good nutrition with the latest guidelines for women and men (some may surprise you).
Smartfood Popcorn Clusters:
With 5 grams of fiber and 20% calcium, these small packs of popcorn clusters are a fun way for moms and kids to stay energized when they’re on the go. The flavors are fun too: Honey Multigrain, Cranberry Almond, and Chocolate Cookie Caramel Pecan.
Nutrition Unplugged:
This is by far one of the best nutrition blogs out there, and we read it weekly. Written by dietitian Janet Helm, she does a great job cutting through all the clutter and focusing on the fad-free facts about nutrition.
Join the conversation on our Meal Makeover Moms’ blog as we share healthy recipes and helpful ideas for feeding your family. We welcome comments and questions!
Tune into Cooking with the Moms, our weekly radio podcast available every Wednesday on our website and on iTunes. This week’s show on Sports Nutrition for Kids features tips and recipes (even one for a homemade sports drink) from Nancy Clark, author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook.
Do your favorite recipes need a healthy makeover? We're here
to help. All you have to do is send us an email with the
recipe, the number of suggested servings, why you and your family like it,
and why you think it needs a makeover. Keep those recipes coming!
This newsletter is published by The Meal Makeover Moms, 40 Glen
St., Melrose, MA 02176.
