So, I was making a pasta primavera/mac&cheese hybrid for dinner last night. I had spinach, broccoli & peas in the house. I’ll preface this by saying it ended up a huge hit with everyone, but here’s how I worked through the child psychology part of it.
I sauteed a thinly sliced onion in olive oil and then added 2 cloves of garlic. When those were cooked, I added a bag of baby spinach, which I had finely chopped. Well, the spinach turned a bright green (sure to be a little concerning for one of my children….) I added a tablespoon of flour and cooked that a bit and then added about a cup of chicken broth and 2 cups of milk. At this point, the sauce is quite brite (green!). I called my guy over and said “come check this out, dinner is going to freak you out tonight, the veggies are so green.” so he came over and said “yuck, eewwh, is that spinach? I am not eating dinner tonight.” and he walked away. Well, I finished the dish, adding 2 cups of shredded cheese and 1 lb of cooked pasta. I baked it at 350 with some parmessean sprinkled on top. It’s looking and tasting rather delicious at this point (at least to me 
). He came to the table, knowing what was awaiting him and I had him try 1 small bite. I told him it was a compromise dish – too many vegetables and too much cheese. The cheese part got his attention. He tried it, loved it and had seconds. Everyone in the family was a huge fan. Sometimes, you just have to work through perceived problems. It doesn’t always work, but when it does — hooray!!
