Lunch Lady Confessions

Have I ever told you I am a former lunch lady? No, no not the kind that Adam Sandler Sings about

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP-dbTvwrYs)...well I did wear a hair net, and I do have this weird beauty mark thing.... OK anyways, yes I was a lunch lady. The title was actually Kitchen Manager, but I knew what it meant. 

But man, I could get those kids to eat anything, I tell you I have a gift for this sort of stuff. The stuff that consists of tricking kids into eating healthy food. The staff was amazed at what I was doing with such a small budget and a small staff (ME).  I loved my job. I kept things as natural and healthy as I could, and the kids loved it. So here's one of many "Kid Friendly" recipes I'll be posting.

Turkey Tacos

1lb of ground turkey (I try to substitute ground turkey for ground beef as often as I can)

1 8oz jar tomato sauce (you know that unseasoned sauce in the little jar) 

1 1/2 tbs ea. Onion powder, Garlic powder, and dried oregano

2(+) tbs Chili Powder

1/2 tsp ground Cumin

1/2 med onion diced 

1 sm. red bell pepper diced

1/2 15 oz Can Kidney beans drained and smashed (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Note-The spice amount can be increased to your tastes, I myself prefer a little more cumin, but for the kids, i choose to keep it a little more basic

In a large saute pan brown the meat, onion and pepper, until turkey is cooked through, then drain most the grease. In a separate bowl mix the spices with the tomato sauce and add a 1/4 c. of water. Pour this mixture (And beans if desired) over the taco meat and let simmer until sauce is thickened. 

 The beans aren't necessary, but they are great for a couple reasons: 1. They stretch your dollar big time 2. High fiber, High protein, Low fat. That's pretty much all you need to do for the taco filling, most of the work in this recipe (and with most kid friendly recipes) is the presentation..

What do most kids love, what food don't they complain about? Pizza? Yeah, I agree. SO make their food resemble it.

I take one tortilla, put about a quarter cup of taco meat, and a sprinkle of cheese over 1/2 of the tortilla. Then I make a quesadilla out of it. I like to use my panini maker, it makes them nice and crisp with out any oil. I've been known to sneak chopped fresh tomatoes into them as well.

For the adults I leave the meat and tortillas out with different toppings (cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, etc) as normal.

The best part about this is that essentially it's almost like having two different meals, a kid meal and adult meal, but its really all the same, just served differently.

Also- These tacos freeze really well. Just double the recipe and freeze half for a later date, or freeze the leftovers.