Healthy eating with tomatoes! #HuntsHealth

Being a single mom of two, it makes mealtime hard sometimes. Lots of the recipes that I want to try are definitely not for my kids tastes, and Lil' Buddy is ridiculously picky. I have to search to decide on meals that are not only healthy but that these kids will eat, and that I will enjoy as well. Its hard at times, but with Boug being almost 7, and Bud being almost 3, I've had time to get a little bit of a handle on it.

When I make up recipes, pretty much 100% of the time, they're "dedicated" to my kids. They're kid friendly and yummy, and I'm happy to share them on my site with my readers. One day, I was in a complete bind for dinner, had no idea what I was making and hadn't been to the store in a bit so supplies on hand were limited. I came up with my meal and Boug quickly dubbed it "Quickie Mac," for obvious reasons.

1 box of macaroni and cheese mix, (with ingredients to prepare as specified)
1 cup frozen peas
1 can Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained
1/2 lb ground beef

I simply boiled up the mac for the mac and cheese, adding in the frozen peas, and browned the beef while I waited for the macaroni to cook. Once the mac was done, I prepared it as specified, and also stirred in the can of diced tomatoes that had been drained. I stirred in the browned ground beef as well. Next thing I knew, the kids were DEVOURING it!!

I love to use tomatoes in my recipes because they're one of those things that I know I can count on the kids eating. I feel good about them because they're a "heart healthy" food. There's a great article that outlines the dietary guidelines for 2010 to help you make some better food choices. There's also another great article that details the health benefits of tomatoes, and maybe it can help you make some better choices for your families health, definitely worth taking a look at. I learned that tomatoes are good for your heart, low in calories, rich in potassium, fiber, and the antioxidant lycopene.

Do you use tomatoes in your recipes? Do you have some favorite recipes that use tomatoes? Care to share?? I'm always looking for great recipes that my family will love!!