Kids Cook: Spalfredo

I sprained my ankle last week. 

Not a simple sprain, mind you (because where's the fun in that?), but a grade 2 high ankle sprain. And to top it off, I also managed an eversion sprain and an injury to my shin, as well. The pain encompasses both sides of my ankle, the entire foot, and up through my leg. If you're going to do something, do it right. Right? I'm 7 days in and I still can't put any weight on it whatsoever. The healing process is going to be lengthy.

But this isn't a woe-is-me post.

Since I can't get off the couch and my family still requires food for sustenance, I knew I needed to do something. I gathered some simple meals that Leighton or the kids could throw together. No, these aren't our typical from-scratch, homemade meals. Though cooking is a passion and I love to create healthy dishes for my loves, this isn't the time for that. This is a time to keep things as easy as possible while everyone else is doing Mom's chores. This is exactly why it's so important for me to train my little ones, both to know their way around the kitchen and to know how to do chores around the house.

I picked meals for this week and then let Alyssa choose which one she wanted to prepare for Kids Cook Monday. Normally, the child has to pick the meal on his own, either by looking through cookbooks or just thinking of a favorite dish. Since I wouldn't be able to oversee the process, we went this route for now.

Alyssa chose spalfredo. 

Spalfredo? It's a pasta dish that combines spaghetti sauce with alfredo sauce. Clever name, right? We've been making this on vacation for years, because, again, it's super simple to make. I like to add ground beef and onions to it to give it more substance. You could toss in a variety of veggies to increase the healthiness of it, too, or swap the beef for chicken. It's a perfect base recipe, but still delicious as is. It's good paired with a nice garden salad, but I didn't want to give my 9-year-old too much to do on her own. 

Alyssa also made a loaf of bread in our machine to go with it, and since my mom was here helping because of my injury, she walked her through that recipe. She needed help getting the big pot of water on the stove and again to drain the boiling water. Otherwise, this dish is perfect for a child to prepare. 

It's a hit with the whole family, though Alyssa will tell you she prefers it without the parmesan cheese on top. I'm sure she'd think differently if it were freshly grated, but we're going with simple, remember?

I can't cook for my family right now, but I am so thankful my little ones have the skills they need to do it for me. I'm so proud of these kids and their abilities. 

And knowing that Mom trusts them to assume responsibility and do it well means they're pretty proud of themselves, too. 

Spalfredo

Ingredients:

1 box penne pasta

1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce

1 jar (11 oz) alfredo sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook pasta until it is not quite al dente (it will finish cooking in the oven). Drain water.

2. Add spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, and mozzarella cheese to the pasta in the pot. Mix well and pour into a 9x13 pan.  

3. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly. 

4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and bake another 5 minutes. 

Recipe slightly adapted.