A Fun Recipe to Get Your Kids to Eat Veggies

Kids love interactive eating: If you let them build it, they will overlook the veggies.

One dinner-time favorite at my house for this exact reason are chicken wraps. Kids of all sizes enjoy being in control over the contents of their wrap; and they each have their own technique.  

What I love about chicken wraps-night is knowing my family is eating healthy, while loving every bite. Sliced veggies, cheeses, salsas, and sauces are welcome accompaniments, make an impressive display, and can’t be simpler to prepare.  

The best way to serve wraps is buffet-style, with a colorful display of accoutrement options to suit every taste, from spicy to sweet. The family moves down the line to assemble their wraps, production-line-style, with wide-eyed anticipation.

Cans, jars, store bought all look just as nice in a pretty dish. They can't get enough of fresh guacamole.

3-Way Chicken Wraps begin with basic chicken tenderloins, sauteed on the stovetop; the kids then get to choose their style and sides, from buffalo chicken and sour cream, to fajita with all the veggies and cheeses, to Italian chicken parm.

I use 10” flour Mission tortillas, but whole wheat ones work well too. I always cook a little extra chicken with designs on leftovers, as it is easily transformed into next day’s chicken salad.

3-Way Chicken Wraps

• Cook tenderloins on medium heat on stovetop, use olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and a little cracked pepper-cook through both sides, about 10 minutes total time. Set aside in glass bowl, lightly cover with foil to keep warm.

Buffalo Wraps

• ½ cup T. Marzetti’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
• ½ cup Texas Pete’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
• Serve celery, carrots, sour cream on the side
• Spoon sauce over chicken, assemble into wrap

Fajita Wraps

• sliced tomatoes
• shredded lettuce
• diced olives
• salsa
• shredded nacho cheese
• guacamole
• Spoonful of each into wrap with chicken, assemble wrap

Chicken Parm Wraps

• Marinara sauce
• parmesan cheese
• shredded lettuce
• spoon marinara and cheese over chicken, add lettuce and wrap up

Guacamole

• 3 ripe avocados
• ½ red pepper
• ½ green bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno
• ½ red onion
• handful fresh chopped cilantro
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• juice of ½ a lime
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
• sea salt, pepper to taste

Scoop out avocado, crush with a fork; dice all vegetables, mix all ingredients together. Use a little of the lime juice to cover ther top of the guacamole for freshness, presh down and flatten plastic wrap directly on top of guacamole in bowl, squeezing out all the air to preserve color and freshness. Chill and serve.