Sliders and Mini Pizzas for My Mini People

For some reason, I decided to add crumbled/pureed cauliflower to everything this week.   It is easy to hide and they haven't had cauliflower in a few weeks.  With that said, I also gave them some fun and not perfectly healthy options this week, but homemade and fresh is always best.  I love that I know exactly what they are consuming. The pizza and sliders are good to reheat and wrap in foil for a school lunch and I put the shepard's pie in a thermos. 


CAULIFLOWER AND SPINACH PANCAKES

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• 3-4 cups of fresh spinach  
• 1 cup pureed raw cauliflower
• 2 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 
• 2-3 TBS honey
• 2 eggs 

Instructions

1. Puree bananas in food processor until smooth
2. Add spinach and cauliflower to bananas and blend until smooth
3. Add all additional ingredients and blend until smooth (add more milk if too thick)
4. Heat a skillet on medium
5. Spray with cooking spray
6. Fill a ¼ sized measuring cup with the pancake batter.
7. Pour measuring cup onto heated skillet
8. Cook each side until lightly brown.

 GROUND TURKEY AND SWEET POTATO SHEPARD'S PIE

Ingredients:
For the potatoes:

• 1-1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 1/4 cup fat free chicken broth*
• 2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

For the filling:

• 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 parsnip, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced
• 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables 
• 2 tbsp flour (leave out to make gluten-free)
• 1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth*
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
• salt and pepper
• paprika

1. Boil sweet potatoes and garlic in a pot of salted water until cooked and
   soft. Drain and mash with chicken broth, sour cream, salt and pepper. 
2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
3. Saute ground turkey; season with salt and pepper. When cooked, set aside. Add olive oil to the pan, then add the onion and sauté one minute. Add the celery, parsnip, salt and pepper to taste; cook about 12 minutes, until celery is soft.
4. Add garlic and mushrooms; sauté another 3-4 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add frozen vegetables, chicken broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce,
   rosemary, cooked turkey, and mix well. Simmer on low about 5-10 minutes.  
5. In two pie plates,  spread the meat mixture on the bottom of each dish. Top each with mashed sweet potatoes. Use a fork to scrape the top of the potatoes to make ridges; sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes or until potatoes turn golden. Remove from oven and let it cool 10
   minutes before serving.
   

MINI PIZZAS (Not very healthy, but a great treat)

Ingredients

• 1 can Grands Homestyle Biscuits
• 1 1/2 cups of homemade  pizza sauce ( I was lazy an used organic tomato sauce)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Toppings- I used bite size pieces of cooked chicken and tiny pieces of pureed cauliflower (looked like the chicken, great disguise) 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Flatten each biscuit out on pan.. Spread a layer of sauce onto each biscuit.
3. Sprinkle cheese onto each biscuit and top with your toppings of choice. Sprinkle more cheese on top.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown on edges and cheese is bubbly.

SLIDERS

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 slices cheese
• 1 cup pureed cauliflower
• 12 slider rolls

 Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. In a large bowl combine hamburger meat, onion, seasoning salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Press mixture evenly in the bottom of an un-greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake, uncovered for 25 minutes or until meat is no longer pink in center.
4. Remove from oven and then carefully pour out the grease in the pan.
5. Add tiny pieces of cauliflower then Place cheese slices over the veggies and meat. Place back in oven for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
6. Cut meat into 12 equal size squares. Place each square of meat in the center of slider bun.