Nick was helping me cook dinner tonight because I was way behind after an unexpected trip to the doctor for Madeline this afternoon. Double ear infection, my poor little baby. Luckily our dinner guests were late, so with Nick’s help we actually got everything done before they arrived.
As we were cooking, he was asking me questions about why I do certain things in the kitchen and said that he doesn’t cook with The Ex’s Girlfriend because she does a lot of “knife cooking.” Then he went on to tell me that she uses oil and it’s one of the groups in the food pyramid (they’re studying it a bit in Health class in school now). And that’s when I told him to stop stirring the rice and to go Google “food pyramid,” print out the picture he finds and bring it to me.
Yes, indeed, “good” oils are marginally represented on the food pyramid by that tiny thin yellow line on the right, but it is definitely not one of the major food groups like he was thinking. Not that I had any doubts, but I thought it was important for him to see a visual and that we talk about it. I explained about good fats and bad fats and then we talked about which of the major food groups our dinner would be hitting. With tonight’s Mexican feast, we managed to hit grains, meats and fruits, and then added dairy on the side. Not bad, and a healthy, well-rounded meal that fed two adults and five kids for under fifteen bucks.  I’ll take it.
The main course was a recipe I found on The Creative Mama’s website for Baked Turkey Taquitos, and everyone at the table inhaled them. Well, except for my sick little. She pushed the food around on her plate and ate a bowl of strawberries, chased down by applesauce and carrots. She feels so out of it, I can’t blame her.
The recipe could not be simpler, is full of flavor, inexpensive to make and can be on your table in under 30 minutes. Add a side of Mexican Rice (I used brown), homemade guacamole and salsa, and a bowl of fresh fruit, and dinner is done. Aside from the browning of the ground turkey, Nick made the Turkey Taquitos completely on his own, so this is a perfect recipe when your little helpers are clamoring to assist.
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