A Dinner Success!

There are few dinners in our household that please everyone. My three children span the spectrum of culinary preferences. My 11 year-old won’t tolerate chili or anything cumin-scented, but my 8 year-old is a big fan. However, this same eight year-old is not a taker when it comes to casseroles or sauces. And don’t get me started on my extremely finicky four year-old…how he is such a robust little man is a mystery to me. So when I happen to make a dinner that everyone eats with gusto, well I just have to share! I feel it’s my duty as a fellow mom. We’re all in this together, right? This really isn’t a recipe – just a dinner idea for when you want something healthy for your family and almost as important – want to one-stop shop! Sometimes I get in such a dinner rut that I forget about the other proteins out there besides chicken that are easy to prepare, healthy and palatable for kids. Pork tenderloin is one of our family favorites. I pair it with our Roasted Potato and Veggie Mélange. If your child doesn’t like a particular ingredient (like my son who won’t touch a potato), you can easily pick out the things your picky eater will eat. Serve with your favorite (let’s be honest here…your children’s favorite) greens, and you’ve got something with which a nutritionist would be quite smitten.

Pork Tenderloin for Four Year-Olds and Forty Year-Olds

One large pork tenderloin will usually feed my family of four and a half. (Okay, it’s really five but don’t four year-olds count as half when it comes to portions?) Make two if you have hearty eaters…I’m waiting for that day!

Take the pork tenderloin out of the refrigerator about ½ hour before you plan to cook it. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub pork with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. You may add any other seasonings you like here. Heat a little more oil in a large oven-proof pan over medium flame, and sear all sides of the pork tenderloin about 2 minutes each side. Transfer to a preheated oven and cook until meat reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees (this is for well-cooked meat; 145 degrees for medium). This can range from about 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. When done, tent with foil and let rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Roasted Potato and Veggie Melange

2 sweet potatoes (or regular russet potatoes or both)

2 yams

Small butternut squash (or package of precut which I then cut in half again)

1 sweet yellow onion

Other veggies you have on hand and need to get rid of (mushroom, zucchini and bell pepper work well)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut potatoes and veggies into 1-inch diced pieces. Divide between two baking sheets that are lined with non-stick foil. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Toss everything together to coat the veggies and potatoes. The important thing here is not to over-crowd your pans. If the pans are too crowded the veggies will steam. What we’re looking for here is a little bit of that roasted caramelized look. Bake for 30-45 minutes turning 2-3 times throughout.