Get Your Kids To Eat!
Healthy dinner
hacks that your kids (hopefully) will eat
If you're
anything like me, you struggle to find healthy, easy, and appealing dinner
options that your family will be happy to eat. It's so hard to please everyone,
especially little ones whose tastebuds aren't quite as mature as ours. When
you've got picky eaters and allergies or intolerances to account for, it can
get down right difficult! I figured I'd share a few of my go to meal ideas,
with the hopes of inspiring others, and helping with those dinner time battles.
I strive to
create healthy meals for my family, with lots of veggies to keep them growing
and ward off illness. Of course, many children aren't fond of a variety of
veggies and fruits, so I take every opportunity I can to hide them! Frozen
butternut squash, canned pumpkin purée, finely chopped kale, minced mushrooms,
grated zucchini, and grated carrot, these are all things I slip into my dishes
and the kids are none the wiser.
My kids love
pasta, especially macaroni & cheese. I love to steam frozen butternut
squash cubes and stir it into the sauce, adding fibre and vitamins C, A, and E.
You can also add puréed pumpkin, a good source of beta-carotene and vitamin A.
To keep the sauce a little lower in fat, I make a roué and add milk and chicken
stock (rather than heavy cream), and I use a sharp cheese like old cheddar,
which allows me to add lots of flavour without using as much cheese. There are
lots of options out there for "healthier" noodles, depending on
whether you're trying to avoid gluten, carbs, etc. You can choose quinoa based
noodles, spelt noodles, rice noodles, whole wheat noodles, I often choose an
Italian brand that I know has very few ingredients, even if it is higher in
carbohydrates.
When making
spaghetti sauce, I finely chop kale and mushrooms, grate zucchini and carrots,
sautée with a bit of oil, and then throw in the tomato sauce, giving us a
vitamin packed nutritious sauce. If your kids are super sleuths, you could
easily purée the veggies in a blender prior to adding them to the sauce.
Whenever I make pasta, I like to pair it with a salad full of veggies I know my
kids will eat, cucumbers, avocados, celery & tomatoes. Make your own oil
& vinegar based salad dressing, there are tons of delicious flavours available
at Barrie Olive Oil, or read the labels on the bottles at the grocery store to
make sure you're choosing a healthy option for your family, not one full of
mysterious ingredients.
Tacos are a huge
hit with kids, and I don't waste the opportunity to inject a little more
nutrition in one of their favourite meals! Throw in finely chopped kale and
minced mushrooms once you've drained the excess fat off the ground meat in the
pan. It will cook up nicely with your meat ( I often choose chicken for a
leaner meal). I sometimes add frozen corn kernels to the pan, just to add
variety. You can even stir in puréed squash, that will be masked by the taco
seasoning. While I'm on the topic of seasoning, have you switched to a homemade
Mexican seasoning yet? If not, I highly recommend it. I was horrified when I
checked the sodium content of the typical taco seasoning packet. By following a
simple recipe, I was able to make a bulk jar of seasoning, saving me time in
the future, money (much more cost effective than purchasing a packet each
time), and far healthier because I don't even add any salt to mine. Here's a
great recipe I follow, omitting the salt and adding very little red pepper
flakes. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/46653/taco-seasoning-i/
When building
your tacos, offer healthy options like Greek yogurt, in place of sour cream,
and guacamole made from avocados rich in nutrients and vitamins. Don't forget
the salsa to get that metabolism going!
Occasionally, we switch it up and have fish tacos instead, I choose a
white fish, bake it first, then serve it with coleslaw made with a Greek yogurt
dressing, chopped mango and red peppers, cooked corn, and of course, guacamole.
Does your family
have a pizza night? We love it here, and the kids especially love when it's
make-your-own pizza! If I'm in a rush I purchase the pre-made flatbreads, but
when I'm on the ball I make whole wheat dough in our bread maker, it tastes
amazing and there are so few ingredients, you don't have to worry about the
unpronounceable list found on many grocery store varieties! If you have the
time, steam some frozen squash, roast
some peppers, grate some zucchini and you can blend it all in to your tomato
sauce for a delicious, healthy sauce your kids will gobble up. Make lots and
keep it in jars, on hand in your fridge for the next time you make pasta.
Provide lots of yummy ingredients for them to top their pizzas with, and once
baked, serve with a side of carrot and celery sticks for a well balanced meal.
My kids haven't
quite got on the smoothie train, and I sure wish they would, it's such an easy
way to pack nutrients and vitamins into a tasty beverage.
I have, however, won
them over with soups! Chicken noodle, vegetable, and even broccoli soups, all
made from scratch. I once made a double batch of broccoli soup, and we devoured
the entire pot in one sitting! Fortunately, it was a healthy version that I
found in a great cookbook, 'Eat, Shrink & be Merry' by Janet & GretaPodleski. I threw in a few additional
veggies like celery and carrots, and you can definitely add puréed squash or
kale (again!) to make it really nutritional. The soup is a stock base, rather
than cream, and I stirred in Greek yogurt just before serving, to add
creaminess and protein. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese to win the kids over,
serve it with some whole wheat garlic bread, and you've got yourself a great
meal.
Looking for
another meatless option? We love vegetarian chilli, and I love how easy it is
to prepare. I make mine in the crockpot, throwing in all the ingredients in the
morning, for a delicious dinner ready when we are. Chickpeas, black beans,
kidney beans, corn, yellow peppers, diced tomatoes, celery, onions, and tons of
spices combine with tomato sauce and vegetable stock to make a flavour packed
meal. When picking out your canned goods, choose the ones that say low sodium,
or no-sodium added on the label. I add a dollop of Greek yogurt to each bowl,
some grated cheddar cheese, and sliced avocado to make it super tasty (bonus,
it also helps cool the kids' portions!). If you're worried about fats, you can
omit these, but in my experience, the kids love it!
Here's my last
healthy hack, as we head into summer barbecuing season. When preparing
hamburgers, choose to make your own. It's super simple, very cost effective, and
a much healthier option. Select extra lean ground meat (beef, turkey, or
chicken), to the meat add grated zucchini to keep the patties moist and
flavourful. Instead of reaching for breadcrumbs, choose rolled oats to help
bind your burgers, adding fibre. When serving your burgers, offer healthy
toppings like sliced tomatoes, lettuce, low sodium pickles, and sliced
avocados. Lastly, for added fibre, you could serve your burgers on whole wheat
buns. Serve with a side of coleslaw with chopped apple and raisins, dressed in
homemade Greek yogurt dressing, and you've got a delicious delicious back deck
dinner!
Hopefully these
ideas help with some of those tricky meal times. If you have a great recipe
that gets your family eating healthy options, leave it in the comments below,
we'd love to hear it!
Until next time,
happy cooking, and good luck at dinner!
B.
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