Tip of the week #01

Genius tips from my kitchen to yours.

This weeks tip: My easy trick for tuna melts that kids will love.

I love a good tuna melt, but the problem with a lot of them is that the tuna kinda falls all over the place. This can make them a little challenging for a lot of kids to eat.

Many years ago I figured out the easiest hack to make perfect tuna melts for kids - with just the right amount of melty, gooey, cheesiness, in a format that won’t have the tuna falling all over them.

So here’s the secret:

Instead of using a slice of cheese on top of the tuna, mix in shredded cheese with the tuna.

It seems so simple but I’m telling you it’s brilliant. Now when you grill your sandwich the cheese melts all throughout the tuna.

Not only does this taste amazing, because you get a much more even mix of tuna and melted cheese in every bite, but it actually makes the sandwich less messy. It’s less messy because the melted cheese holds the whole thing together. This works especially well if you let the sandwich and melted cheese cool just a bit before serving, so it firms up a little and holds together really nicely.

Kids love tuna this way, something about melted cheese just makes everything more kid friendly. But we like it so much that this is how I make tuna melts for my husband and I now as well. You can do this with just about any kind of cheese, for kids I usually use whatever bag of shredded cheese I’ve got. For adults I sometimes use a nice sharp cheddar or something with a little more flavor.

As far as the tuna mix itself, just make it however you normally do. We like our tuna very simple most of the time, just a good mayo and a little garlic salt. I usually cut back on the salt a bit when I’m adding cheese because cheese is already pretty salty.

And if you don’t already know the secret for really crispy grilled sandwiches, I’m about to blow your mind…

It’s mayonnaise.

On the outside of the bread.

My readers seem to be split about 50/50 on this one - you’ve either never heard of this in your life, or you know it and love it. There’s no in between. Mayo instead of butter or oil on the bread or in the pan will give the outside of your grilled sandwich that crunch that you think only restaurant melts can achieve. Now you know.

I hope you enjoy this quick tip - let me know if you try it!

Grazing Table For Kids

Grazing Tables and Charcuterie boards are all the rage these days and I am totally here for it. I have been feeding kids like this for years and it is the easiest way to get them to eat a good meal.

I am a huge believer in giving kids control over their food - they really will eat better if they feel like they are in control of it.

This doesn’t mean it’s a junk food free for all. It means you give them a variety of easy, healthy choices, and a few guidelines, and let them build their own plate. I do this regularly and it works really well.

A big mixed platter of protein, fruits, veggies, and a little carbs. I give them a guideline that they have to choose at least one protein, one veggie, and one fruit. The carbs are optional, and honestly if I leave them off the kids don’t even miss it and eat more of the other stuff.

This is basically a guaranteed way to get kids to eat. Seriously. 

It's a win-win for everyone. You get to know that your kids are eating food you want them to eat - healthy food! And the kids get to feel like they have control over their own meal. 

Every time I make a lunch like this my kids attack it like they haven't eaten for days. And a bonus tip for you - grown ups love to eat this way too. You don’t have to make a charcuterie or grazing table of fancy expensive stuff, fill it full of “kid food” and it will get devoured.