SPINACH????

Not only is it cold outside, but most of the time when we ask our kids to eat spinach they either give us the cold shoulder or the look that could be misconstrued as the eyes of ice. Brrrr! I say thaw them out with Moon Rock Soup. That’s right, you can stir up a galactic mixture that keeps them warm and introduces them to a host of flavors that are healthy and includes spinach (shhhh!).

As a mother of three, it’s not always easy getting kids to try the foods we want them to eat. I have found three methods that have worked in my favor over the years;

1. get them in the kitchen cooking, they tend to try more,
2. if they won’t try it because they think they won’t like it then don’t let them know what their helping you create; disguise it,
3. adopt my motto; some recipes are thumbs up, some are thumbs down, but you never know until you try!

Moon Rock Soup is really a ‘cover up’ to get kids to eat a healthy combination of ingredients. If they want to help and you are afraid the spinach package will send them running, simply put it into a bowl, discard the package and let them pour it in. When they ask what their adding to the ingredients, remind them that the moon is part our galaxy and it is a mysterious galactic particle that any young scientist is sure to enjoy tasting.

Moon Rock Soup
My twist on Italian Wedding Soup!

1 pound ground turkey
1 Cup parmesan cheese
16 oz. pasta rings
3 large fresh carrots
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
1 large can chicken broth (48 oz.)
4 eggs
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Pre-cook the pasta as directed on the package, drain; set aside. Mix the ground turkey and parmesan cheese together thoroughly; set aside. Pour the chicken broth into a pan. Fill the can half full of water and add to the chicken broth.

Make small meatballs with the meat mixture approximately 1 to 1 ½ inches in diameter to form moon rocks for your soup. As you make the moon rock meatballs add them to the chicken broth. After you have added all of the moon rock meatballs, bring the broth to a boil and let them simmer on high in the broth for 30 minutes.

Peel and either shred the Carrots to add to the soup or put them into a food processor. Add the spinach, carrots, bouillon, salt and pepper to the mixture and simmer until the carrots are tender.

Scramble the eggs in a separate bowl and add to the soup. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add the pasta to your colorful galaxy mix, season to taste with additional bouillon, salt and pepper if desired and serve.