Cheesy quinoa, Asianesque Tuna Salad, Carrots, and Oranges

Tonight I plan to make quinoa and add cheese to see if Nugget will eat it. The quinoa salads I made this summer were a huge success with everyone but him. "I don't like that teeny teeny little stuff," he says, with a grimace. For the protein, I'm phoning it in with some canned tuna but I'll be trying something a little new with it: Since Trent doesn't like celery (irritatingly, since it's a pretty innocuous veggie for kids) I thought I'd use water chestnuts to add crunch. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that included some soy sauce, so I'll throw that in with a little light mayo, and then some chow mein noodles from the pantry to go with the theme. And to round out the meal and ensure that there is something Nugget will eat, we'll have steamed carrots and sliced oranges.

The nutrition on this meal is excellent, but it came in much higher than I expected on price per person. Guess premium cheese and fresh fruits and vegetables will do that.

Menu/Ingredient	Nutrition	Cost
Organic Quinoa	Fiber (3 g/13%), Protein (6 g), Iron (12%), Riboflavin (50%), Phosphorous (23%). Very good source of manganese, good source of magnesium.	$1
Fontina	Protein (4 g), Vitamin A (3%), Calcium (8%)	$2
Chunk white albacore tuna canned in water	Protein (26 g), Iron (5%), Vitamin D (12%), Niacin (60%), Vitamin B6 (20%), Vitamin B12 (20%), Selenium (180%)	$1.50
Water chestnuts	Fiber (1 g/3%), Vitamin C (2%). Good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.	$1
Chow mein noodles	Fiber (1 g/4%), Protein (3 g), Iron (4%). Good source of Manganese and Selenium.	$0.10
Fresh organic baby carrots (steamed)	Vitamin A (266%), Fiber (2 g/9%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin C (5%), Iron (1%), Calcium (2%). Very good source of Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, and Manganese; good source of good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, and Potassium.	$0.50
Fresh Valencia oranges	Fiber (3 g/12%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (6%), Vitamin C (98%), Calcium (5%), Iron (1%). Good source of Thiamin, Folate and Potassium.	$1.52
Total	Fiber (10 g/41%), Protein (41 g), Iron (23%), Calcium (15%), Vitamin A (275%), Vitamin C (105%).	$7.62

Cost per person: $3.05
Nutritional Goals: Excellent Vitamins A and C, Good Fiber, Fair Iron and Calcium. One favored protein source, one full serving of whole grains. 

Update: A Reasonably Successful Dinner: 

Meal in Monochrome

Nugget only ate a few bites, but I thought the cheesy quinoa was delicious. It tasted quite a bit like good mac & cheese. The tuna salad was pretty good too, though it would have been better with some diced bell pepper.


Recipes: 
Cheesy quinoa: Bring 1 cup quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil; cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork then add 1 cup shredded fontina, about 1 T butter, and about 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well and serve immediately. 
Asianesque Tuna Salad: Mix 2 cans tuna, 1 can water chestnuts, 1/4 c. light mayo, and 1 T soy sauce, (and 1/2 cup diced bell pepper). Sprinkle with chow mein noodles and serve.