It is no secret that children today are particularly difficult to prepare the food. Perhaps the culprit is too much dependency on consumerism or whatever. But suffice it to say, perhaps the major culprit is television. The children often find delicious are those that are visually appealing and they can relate to and, of course, watch on television. Fast food has become a novelty, for example, children only see the type of crispy fried chicken, which we all know is swimming in a pool of cholesterol, and not the good guy in that. The thing is that children have an overall idea of what is good food. And no amount of flattery or threats, even lead them to eat anything else.

A neat trick you can try is to keep healthy side dishes along its main course. No matter if you're serving meat loaf or chicken or pasta - this ingredient goes with almost anything. The answer is in the potatoes. They are delicious, rich in nutrients, and generally easy to prepare. Sure, the fries are not as healthy and normal mashed potatoes are getting old - but you can always try something new.

Why not try pesto baked potatoes for a change? Here is a recipe that will certainly work with any dish. Also guaranteed to be friendly to children. The secret of a good meal is in the herbs. If there's one thing the Italians have got the right that must be your diet. After all, they have been known for their longevity and good health.

All you need is a pair of Russet potato pieces, a small onion bulb, a couple of cloves of garlic, half cup of vegetable stock, half cup of cream, salt, pepper, olive oil, fresh basil and walnuts pine (optional). You can choose to serve or assign a potato per person.

For starters, give your potatoes a good wash and poke several times with a fork. After that, you can give them a good brush of olive oil and give them a good rubbing of salt. Once you've done with that, just pop in the oven for about 30 minutes.

While waiting for the potatoes for roasting, chop the onion and garlic and saute in a small amount of olive oil. Pour the cream and broth and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Chop fresh basil and incorporate it into the broth simmering. You can add a fresh squeeze of lemon just to give you a little taste. Once finished, it would probably be time to get your potatoes from the oven.

Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the innards, leaving a thin layer of skin behind. Incorporate the inside of the potatoes with the broth simmer and mash with a bit of a fork. You can then go ahead and scoop the potato "shell" and top with parmesan cheese. * You can include pine nuts in the soup if you want a bit of texture .*

Then pop the potatoes back in oven for another ten minutes or so and you're good to go. It is the perfect accompaniment to a healthy lunch you know your children will always love you.