I love my nephew as if he came from my own loins. He is mature for his age - he is very loving, incredibly analytical, but bottom line, he doesn't like Aunt Amy's food. He won't eat anything he hasn't eaten before. He loves chicken nuggets and french fries, broccoli (go figure) and mac and cheese from the box. His sister loves what her brother loves, but arguably has a more expanded pallet. Still, she is only 4. She's not going to freely gobble up Aunt Amy's quinoa and kale. My nephew is my challenge. My niece will come along.

When they came to visit recently, my competitive edge set in. "Get these kids to eat twigs and berries and kale and hummus, and I have won the heart and wonder of healthy eating in the most challenging of circumstances."

That weekend, I won some, I lost some. The green kale ravioli with chicken meatballs and organic homemade tomato sauce was a misfire - "this really isn't pasta, Aunt Amy." Hater faces ran amok. But they finished because I bribed those little beasts with 3 peanut M&Ms - a rather challenging situation for all. And I ain't no quitter..

The next night, I got wise. I asked those young kids what they wanted for dinner. Here were their responses:

Nephew (age 6): Mac and Cheese
Niece (age 4): cheese quesadillas
My son: whatever they are having since this is clearly a pass into free eating

I decided to adhere to their wishes.

I got: 100% whole wheat elbow pasta, 6 Bonney Bell mozarella cheese circles, lemon pepper and 2% lowfat Clover milk. I cooked 2 cups of pasta in chicken broth and then drained. I kept the gas stove on low and added the mozarella cheese circles, milk and spices and stirred on low for about 10 minutes. I even snuck in some mushrooms and shaved carrots. It's all about blending in. If they see it, you're toast. I covered the veggies in the cheese/milk concoction.

For the quesadillas, I sprayed each side of a 100% whole wheat tortilla with coconut oil and added a very small palm of chedder cheese, a layer of Applegates ham, a couple of handfuls of shaved carrots (they look just like cheddar cheese) and a shake or two of cajin spice. Piled it on the other side with another sprayed whole wheat tortilla and let that sucker sit in a very lightly coated pan of oil for about 10 minutes on each side.

It smelled like a friggin taco stand in my kitchen, but the skeptics didn't flinch. Their hater faces were fierce.

I cut it up with a pizza cutter and served it with the mac and veggies and cheese to 3 haters. No bribery this night. It was a first: I saw the bottom of their bowls.

We topped it off with "Alligator" juice which is filled with kale, broccoli, apples, mangos and bananas. We have an alligator who lives in the backyard. We milk it every night. The kids love alligator juice. I love watching them drink the green goodness after the labor intensive milking we do. Alligators get cranky if you do it too often.