Squashy Mac

sneaking in squash was too easy... they're the same color!

What do you do when your child loves macaroni and cheese and eats it well but you would like to up it's nutritious content? You make Squashy Mac!
I bought a little frozen box of winter squash puree in the frozen veggie section because i know that Ben loves squash and it would be easier and cheaper to thaw the block of it than to buy squash, roast it, scrape it out and then consider freezing it if it made more than Ben would eat in a week.  So I skipped a few steps.

Well a couple weeks ago I was making macaroni and cheese for our lunch and thought that I should defrost the squash for Ben's dinner while I was in the kitchen.  Then, when I looked at the pot and pan in front of me... the concept for Squashy Mac was born!

Polishing off a trayful

Ben seemed to have no idea that a good portion of his beloved Mac and Cheese was actually squash!  The squash also made the quantity larger so I was able to serve it for a few meals over the course of the week by just putting portions in the microwave.

I'm starting to think I'll make mac&cheese like this all the time and hope my kids just think that it has a naturally earthy flavor to it :)

Peas mom, no more?

To continue with entertaining videos...

Ben tried peas a few weeks ago and sadly was not thrilled by the idea.

New day, new food...

Last week I froze a bunch of different puree baby foods.  Among them were carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, green beans and pumpkin.  Ben's a big fan of the pears, sweet potatoes and now prunes.  He pretty much gagged on the peas ha ha.  He's not a big fan.  I tabled that taste to try again later. 

It's very convienent to have my little ice cubes of food in the freezer to just heat in the microwave and stir.  It's worth several hours in the kitchen to have them on hand for the next month or so as we keep trying new things.

It's funny, as soon as you get past one phase you're onto another. :)