Wheel ham salad

Well, 's Monday.. and that means it's time to make dinner with your kids... One day a week.. encourage your children to cook with you... Have small jobs they can do .... It helps them feel important.. and they begin to appreciate food... and understand portions....

Evidence links family dinners to healthier life choices:

• Research from Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse suggests that kids who eat family dinners get better grades in school, develop communication skills and are less likely to try drugs.
• The American Dietetic Association found women who cook regularly consume a more nutritious diet than those that eat out often.
• Pediatrics found kids who ate dinner with their family regularly were less likely to be obese.

My son wanted to have ham.. so it's not a meatless Monday.. but a KIDS COOK MONDAY

It's been humid... so the oven.. and grill have been off.. but we made Wheel Ham salad... for dinner with french bread.....
Serves 4 for dinner... 25 minutes for prep... chill 2 hours or more
The ingredients..
Start with zucchini, 1 small, quartered from your garden .. is best.. show your child had to pick it..
4 oz lean ham, cut into bite size pieces
4 oz of dried wagon wheel pasta ( 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1/3 cup of bottled reduced-fat ranch salad dressing or regular ranch
2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed.. we have this in our garden.. and we just picked a lot to make pesto.. so we dried some.
3/4 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved... from the garden

Wash your hands... and let's begin

cut your tomatoes.. we did not have little ones ripe so we used a big one...

   Then cut your zucchini... he cut and I quartered

while the pasta cooked we played a game..
which letter does zucchini start with..
S Z N M R
He guessed it.. but did he really know?

      When the pasta is done... and you have cut tomatoes... and zucchini, ham and onions.. mix yogurt and ranch together add basil and salt and pepper.. chill till ready to eat... Don't add tomatoes till ready to serve.
* this recipe is from one of my son's own cookbooks it's called Better Homes and Garden Kid Favorite Made Healthy.. we add to it sometimes... and change it around.... to our liking...

 Enjoy your nice cool and light... summer dinner...

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