Mini Chili Cups

My kids don't like chili.  It's no surprise, really.  They don't like beef.  They don't like beans.  They don't like tomatoes.  Since these are the 3 main ingredients of my chili... well... you get the idea.

Ben and I love chili, and I have a rule that the kids have to eat what we are having for dinner - although they don't always eat the ingredients the exact same way.  Normally I just make a small bowl of chili for the kids with sour cream and cheese to make it not so spicy, and they can dip tortilla chips in it for dinner.  At least they are getting used to the taste, right?

This past week I got the idea to do something a little different that would actually require them to eat the beans.  And hopefully not gag in the process.  (Can we say "melodramatic picky eaters"?)

I call them Mini Chili Cups.  And they went over pretty well with Olivia, so-so with Connor, and Kelsey even choked down a couple before dinner was over.  I thought I'd share in case anyone else out there is in a similar situation.  There's  no real recipe with this - just assembly instructions.

First you take some of those Tostitos Scoops chips and put a few on a plate.  I made each child 6 because I'm obsessed with even numbers and 4 seemed like too few.

Then I spooned a little chili inside each cup - including at least one kidney bean and a little tomato.

Sprinkle with a little shredded cheese.

Then microwave it for about 20 seconds to melt the cheese.  I also put a tiny little dollop of sour cream on top of each.

They were so good, I snitched a couple off Connor's plate when he was done eating.  These would also make a fantastic party snack.  Or late night snack.  Just in case you were wondering.