It’s hard enough try to figure out what to make for dinner every night. It always seems like I end up making the same 7-10 meals all the time. Even my kids make comments to me “Not pork chops AGAIN”.

I would love to make different meals but I happen to live in a household of picky eaters, including my husband. It’s THEIR fault that we eat the same things over and over again. Unlike me they are not always willing to try something different.

I have more then a dozen great cookbooks with recipes that make me drool just looking at the photos. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to get my family to agree to try something new, but usually one or more of them ends up not liking it and I never make it again, even if I absolutely loved it. Personally I haven’t met too many meals I didn’t like. Except lamb. I can’t even tolerate the smell of it, let alone the thought of eating it.

Since I don’t have much flexibility as to what I make as a main dish, at least I can still have some fun with the side dishes. I’m always looking for something different. There is no way I can stick to the usual mashed potatoes, rice and noodle. Thankfully my family enjoys most vegetables, including spinach, Brussel sprouts and broccoli. At least the vegetable can be different each night.

I recently had the opportunity, thanks to Alexia Foods, to try out some totally tasty side dishes. My favorites were the Sweet Potato Puffs and Sweet Potato Crinkle Fries. We usually stick to white potatoes because no on in my family, except me, are overly keen on sweet potatoes. I happen to love them and wish we could eat more of them. Whenever I make baked potatoes for my family I always make a sweet potato for me.

I don’t know why they don’t like sweet potatoes. They have a bit of sweetness to them. You would think kids would love them.

Sometimes when I try out new foods on my family I don’t always tell them what they are eating until AFTER they have tried it. If I tell them up front they won’t try it. Often when I tell them after they finish it they will realize just how good it was after all.

Take for example the Sweet Potato Puffs and Sweet Potato Crinkle Fries. I didn’t tell my kids they were sweet potatoes (my husband knew). Obviously the kids knew the color was different the other fries and puffs that we have (made with white potatoes). When they questioned why the color was different I just shrugged my shoulders and said “I don’t know”. And you know what, both times they ate what was on their plate. They liked the puffs better then the fries. It wasn’t until after I sprinkled some black pepper on the fries that they seemed to like them more. They said they were too plain. They wanted me to add salt to them but I don’t use salt on my foods. So I tried black pepper instead (just a smidgen). One of the restaurants we go to once in a “blue moon” (I think it’s TGI Friday’s) sprinkles salt and black pepper on their french fries. I actually liked the black pepper on the Alexia Sweet Potato Crinkle Fries. It gave them a nice “kick”, plus the sweet and spicy taste complimented each other.

Another side dish that I get bored with is mashed potatoes. I don’t make mine from scratch. I should but it’s too time consuming. I cringe when I say this but I use mashed potato flakes to make mashed potatoes. How horrible is that? I do try and jazz them up a bit by mixing in some garlic, pepper or making them with chicken broth instead of water.

Alexia has a really tasty alternative to plain old mashed potatoes, Mashed Red Potatoes with Garlic & Parmesan. And they are as delicious as they sound.

My mom always used white potatoes. I don’t know why she never used red. Even though there isn’t that much of a difference, red potatoes do taste a wee bit different. I do use garlic on a lot of things I make but would never think to add Parmesan to potatoes. Parmesan and potatoes go so good together! It even has a touch of olive oil in them.

Even though they are pre-made, frozen mashed potatoes, once made they taste homemade. Even my picky eater family loved them. They are very flavorful.

Another side dish that most people wouldn’t even consider a side dish is bread. Alexia has a Garlic Baguette that is a wonderful addition to any meal.

Sometimes frozen breads don’t heat up well. I sometimes have a problem with the crust getting too hard and flaky while the inside is too soggy and under-cooked. In fact I have that problem even more with freshly made garlic breads from the grocery store. The Alexia Garlic Baguette heated up perfectly in the oven.

My family could not get enough of the Garlic Baguette.

Traditionally we have bread with Italian meals but the Alexia Garlic Baguette inspired me to try the bread with something different – pot roast. I don’t know why but they just seemed to go well together. Maybe it’s the garlic?

What I like about the Alexia bread is that it takes about the same amount of time to cook in the oven as the meal I am making. What I mean is I can pop the bread in the over and make dinner and they both are ready to eat and enjoy around the same time.

I use the bread in place of a starch (pasta, potato or rice) with our meal. I still make a protein and vegetables.

Alexia offers other bread products include rolls, Focaccia, Ciabatta and biscuits.

To learn more about Alexia products visit www.AlexiaFoods.com. While you are there check out their appetizer section. The Mushroom Bites and Onions rings look so good! While you are there don’t forget to download the free coupon on the site.

Alexia products are found at many retail locations across the country. Locally our stores don’t carry a large selection of their products so you really have to look for them in the freezer section.

You can also follow Alexia Foods on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/AlexiaFoods). You can also follow the conversation about the company and products on Twitter with the hashtag #AlexiaFoods.

Kimberly

*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

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