Several years ago, I spent my summer break working in a day care. The funniest part of the day was when all the 3- and 4-year-olds in my class would share little secrets about their home life. There were never any bad tales told, just stories that would embarrass the parents slightly if they ever found out, such as a certain parent's secret love of bad metal music or that one father only wore tighty-whities around the house and nothing else. The best was when one little girl shared that her family watched The Nutty Professor every night for a week; she memorized all the lyrics to KC and the Sunshine Band's "Get Down Tonight." She went on to perform the song during show-and-tell every day the next week. Oh, good times.

The absolute worst part of the day was trying to get the children to eat a healthy lunch, especially if there was a vegetable anywhere on the plate. I often thought they would rather starve than eat anything green.

A few weeks ago, I came across a recipe for a mashed potato sundae and realized just how perfect it would be for 3- and 4-year-olds. It's made by layering mashed potatoes, gravy, veggie burger crumbles, and a vegetable of your choice in a sundae glass—a sneaky way to add healthy items to a child's diet.

To make this a 10-minute meal, you can always sub instant mashed potatoes, quick-mix gravy, and frozen veggies. A balanced meal with minimal effort. Now, if I weren't one of the recipe judges for the Cooking With Kids contest, then I just might enter this recipe.