-
Cooking for Kids: How to Sneak Nutritious Foods into their Meals
Kids love to eat. What they frown upon is too many vegetables. If your child is like many others and shuns vegetables or other healthy items, learn to give them their daily dose of good nutrition within the foods they love to eat.
Hide as many vegetables as you can within the food. Sneaking veggies into a meal is not as hard as it seems. For example, if your child likes cheesy salsa with chips, add a few extra peppers and tomatoes to that salsa. Finely chop the vegetables so they blend in without the salsa looking like it is overcrowded. As for the chips, choose lightly salted, reduced calorie tortilla chips or make your own using corn tortillas. Add a splash of color to their macaroni and cheese with baby broccoli florets and chopped tomato pieces.
Kids are exposed to so many not so good treats at school and at the malls that they get addicted to them. Sugar tastes good to them. The more they eat, the more they will want. Asking them to eat a carrot or a celery stick will garner a horrified look from your kids. They do not want anything that is healthy. Have you ever seen them hide the peas in the napkin or under their plate? They will go to great lengths to avoid certain foods. You must also go to great lengths to keep them healthy.
Substitute healthier versions of their favorite meals. If they like hamburgers, try buying some preformed turkey patties instead. Jennie-O® turkey burgers look just like beef and are tasty. Once they add condiments and a slice of cheese, your kids will never know the difference. My kids love fettuccine alfredo. To make the meal more nutritious I use whole wheat pasta noodles and light cream or half-and-half instead of heavy cream. I add boneless chicken breast chunks to add protein to the meal.
Spaghetti is a good place for substitutions. The red sauce will cover up whatever ingredients you decide to add. Using sweet Italian turkey sausage instead of hamburger gives the sauce a tangier taste. Chopped peppers, onions, and tomatoes can be added to the sauce along with spices to give the meal a healthier slant. All the kids will notice is that you are gladly allowing them to have seconds.
Create more meals at home instead of buying pre-packaged foods and processed meats. Processed foods contain all sorts of preservatives that are no good for your kids or you. Instead of buying the ready-to-eat beef roast in the store, buy lean beef cuts and use a crock pot to prepare dinner. The meal can be prepared without as much salt and you can add more potatoes and carrots to the meal. Homemade meatloaf can be made more nutritious by substituting ground turkey or lean hamburger meat for the fuller fat variety. Minced vegetables will add taste and texture to the meatloaf as well as good nutrition. When you prepare meals at home, you control the amount of each ingredient that goes into the dish. There are no preservatives to harm the body.
Kids love desserts. Transform their favorites with a few ingredient substitutions. Adding applesauce and water instead of oil will give cupcakes and brownies greater moistness without sacrificing taste. Make smoothies with fruit instead of ice cream. Adding fruit, sugar substitute, frozen or fresh yogurt and a few ice cubes produces a tasty drink without all of the calories. Invest in low-fat snacks like 100 calorie snack packs or fat-free cheese and crackers. Kids get just enough of a snack to taste good without the extra calories and fat.
As parents, we are charged with teaching our kids good eating habits for life. They may not like all the vegetables, but there are ways to get around that. Keeping them healthy is a full-time job, but the long term benefits are worth the effort.
Article by:
For a little extra help planning meals visit www.healthymenumailer and join us for a free 7 day trial of our menu planning service. Each week you get 7 delicious and healthy dinner recipes sent to your email inbox along with a grocery list. You also get access to our member area with more healthy recipes and a private forum. Join Healthy Menu Mailer today at www.healthymenumailer.com
Comments
