By Kelli Swensen, Dietetics Student, Sargent College

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Think getting your kids to not only eat vegetables, but also to like eating vegetables is nothing more than a wistful dream? Think again. Meal Makeover Moms, Janice Bissex, MS, RD, and Liz Weiss, MS, RD, believe that if you make foods look and taste good, then kids will enjoy eating them – even if they contain vegetables.

Janice and Liz are registered dietitians and mothers, so they understand both the importance of good nutrition and the challenge of feeding a family on a busy schedule. They set out on a mission to provide recipes that are not only healthy, but that are also easy, quick, and non-threatening, in a word: family-friendly. They compiled these recipes in their two books: No Whine with Dinner: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms and The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers, Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time, as well as on their website: mealmakovermoms.com.

Healthier Hamburger Helper (image source)

In their books and on their website you will find recipes that pass both the mom and the kid tests, making mealtime a win-win. While there are certainly healthier versions of kid classics, the Meal Makeover Moms also want to promote variety by offering new recipes that your family may never have had before. To see recipes featured on their website click HERE!

Here’s just a taste of some of their recipes:

• Cowboy Breakfast Wraps
• Lime ‘n Honey Black Bean Dip
• Chicken Pot Pie Bundles
• No-Nonsense Chicken Nuggets
• Cookie in Disguise (these are delicious!)
• Healthy Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes

In addition to an archive of recipes, the website also features Mealtime Tools that are geared towards making eating healthier realistic. Examples of the articles include a Picky Eater Makeover guide, a Supermarket Shopping List, and a 7-Day Meal Planner.

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In need of more guidance than a recipe? The website also features fun, informative cooking videos that will help you not only prepare recipes, but that also provide general mealtime and pantry tips.

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For even more practical advice, the Meal Makeover moms have a weekly radio podcast, Cooking with Moms, a blog and are on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest (my favorite is their Berry-licious board). Be sure to check them out and sign up for their monthly e-newsletter!

If it wasn’t obvious yet how great we at the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center think Janice and Liz are, this semester we are featuring 9 of their recipes at our Sargent Choice Test Kitchens on Wednesday nights! If you want to attend a Test Kitchen specifically featuring their recipes be sure to go to one of the following dates:

• 2/13 – Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
• 3/6 – Mini Berry Cheesecakes
• 3/20 – Confetti Tofu Chili
• 4/3 – Brilliant Bean and Broccoli Cheese Soup
• 4/10 – No-Nut Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• 4/17 – Polka Dot Squash Quinoa
• 5/1 – Veggie Patch Tofu Pie

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