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These days, everyone's concerned about eating healthier. But it's often hard to pack enough nutrition into meals made with foods your family actually likes to eat. And the sad truth is that if they won't eat it, it really doesn't matter how many vitamins, minerals or high quality proteins it contains. Your best intentions are wasted dollars and effort if the meal ends up feeding the garbage disposal because the family won't eat it.

But don't despair. If you know the tricks, there are ways to get your family to eat "good-for-you" foods.

1) Realize that purees can be added to many foods with very little difference in the taste or texture of the meal. Spinach or broccoli can be steamed and made into a beautiful green puree that can be added to guacamole, pesto, and even meatloaf. Use sweet potatoes or carrots for a bright orange puree that can pump up the nutritional value of meat sauce for taco filling, pizza sauce, meatloaf or casserole. Mix steamed carrots and blueberries for a deep purple colored puree. This puree is sweet and can be added to brownies, cookies or cake mix. And an ultra-nutritious mixture can be made from pureed white beans - use it in casseroles and meatloaf or hamburger for a super nutritional boost. Made in advance and frozen in one cup portions (freeze in a cupcake tin, remove and store in freezer bags), these purees can be quickly thawed and used to increase the nutritional value of an endless variety of meals.

2) Instead of French Fries, try tempting your family with some baked sweet potato strips or chips. Cut sweet potato in strips or slices, shake in a bag with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, sprinkle with some chili or garlic powder and bake until tender.

3) Casseroles are not only a great way to stretch the family budget, but are a winner when it comes to sneaking some extra nutrition into the family's meals. When making a casserole, add a cup of one or more of the vegetable purees, and a topping of some crushed whole wheat cereal flakes (Wheaties, Total, etc), crushed Shredded Wheat or wheat germ. Also consider using low-fat cottage cheese or sour cream to get the benefits of a dairy product without the additional calories.

4) Instead of a milkshake or malt, make your kids or sweetie a fruit smoothie. Flavored with fresh or frozen fruit, the nutrition level of these treats can be boosted by the additional of soy powder. For a special treat for both the eyes and your taste buds, add a splash of grated dark chocolate on top. Shh -

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