Your kids don’t like green vegetables? They will as soon as they try these Kale Chips!

What’s a calzone you ask? A delicious pizza pocket filled with all kinds of delicious treats. Making fresh Spinach and Prosciutto Calzones is so easy and you and your kids will love the surprise inside. If you’re vegetarian you can easily substitute the prosciutto for another vegetable or food you crave. You can make these for lunch or dinner and all of your family will think you’re a gourmet chef!

Recently, we took Kenya out for pizza and since then whenever I ask him what he wants for dinner he says “pizza”! I love making pizza for him at home, but last night I tried to switch it up a bit and make calzones.

Calzones are basically an Italian turnover made with pizza dough and stuffed with cheese, meat, vegetables or a variety of other stuffings. The best part is that if you don’t love the combination I used in my recipe, you can improvise with your own favorite fillings.

My husband showed Kenya how cool it is to hold the calzone with his hands and bite right into it. After Kenya’s first bite I could barely make out his loud “mmm,” which was stifled a bit by all the spinach and gooey cheese stuffed in his mouth. He ate the entire thing and even asked for more! If I can get a carbohydrate, vegetable, protein and dairy into my son and only have to cook one dish, I’m a seriously happy mommy!

Spinach and Prosciutto Calzones (Serve 4)

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 6 oz Bag Baby Spinach (about 8 cups packed)
1/2 Tsp Italian Herbs Seasoning
3 oz. Prosciutto or Ham, chopped (about 6 slices)
1 Cup Shredded Cheese (I used a mix of Parmesan, Mozzarella, Fontina and Provolone)
1/2 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Package ‘Ready to Bake’ Pizza Dough (I used whole wheat dough from Trader Joes) or Whole Wee-Eat Pizza Dough
Flour
Cooking Spray or Olive Oil

1. Preheat to 425 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Add the spinach and italian herbs and saute for 3 minutes or until wilted (if there’s any liquid in the pan, drain it off). Let cool.
4. Add the prosciutto and cheeses to the spinach mixture and combine.
5. Flatten the dough with your hands and cut into 4 equal pieces with a pizza cutter or a knife.
6. Place each quartered piece onto a lightly floured surface and roll or press into a even circle or square (don’t make yourself crazy with creating a perfect shape!)
7. Place 1/4 of the filling on one side of the dough. Fold half of the dough over the filling to cover and crimp the seams together to seal the calzone.
8. Place the calzones on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
9. Serve.

I’m not a huge fan of serving bottled and canned juices to kids because they’re usually packed with sugar and fillers. If your kids love juice — Kenya certainly does — this is a great replacement to what you would buy in the grocery store because it’s like a meal in a glass. But it’s juice. How is this possible, you may ask?

I’m totally aware that just the thought of collard green juice will make most of you nauseous. I get it, most of us don’t even cook collard greens to eat, let alone to drink. The best part of this juice besides the nutritional value from the greens is the gorgeous bright green color of the juice — we may find this an unusual color for a beverage but if your kids are young enough, it’s actually fun for them to have green juice. Collard greens are packed with vitamin C, soluble fiber and contain multiple nutrients with anti-cancer properties. It has also been known to help with bronchitis and blood circulation problems. Collard greens are available year round, but they’re at their best from January to April.

I made the recipe on a total lark and Kenya was instantly addicted. I’m not kidding. Watch the video that goes along with the recipe. He slurps up every sip of his — and mine! — over and over again. Trust me, he’s not a weird kid, it’s really that good!

Super Green Juice (3-4 Servings)

1 1/2 Cups Collard Greens, coarsely chopped
Juice of a large Lemon
2-3 Tbsp Agave, or to taste
2 Cups Water

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender and mix on high for 1 minute.
2. Drink and enjoy.