10 Healthy and easy meals for kids
Guest post
Ensuring that kids eat healthy food can be difficult; children are notoriously choosy eaters, and they tend to develop a liking for food that is not necessarily the best for them (after all, don’t we all?) However, there are ways to cook that are healthier than others – you should steer away from fried foods, for example (but more about that later), and there are also many meals that you can cook using alternative ingredients that make them healthier than normal.
Healthy Burgers
Really, this can be done, and you don’t need to change much at all. Simply make your burgers at home – use lean beef and mix it with mushrooms to a higher ratio than normal, serve in a soft bun with a side salad, and you have a tasty, healthy mean that any child will enjoy. Remember to grill your burgers so the fat runs away – it’s the best way!
Tasty Pizza
Every kid loves a pizza, it’s just built into them! However, pizza can be very healthy food, especially if you make your own. Indeed, the Mediterranean diet is a very healthy one, focusing on fresh vegetables, fruit and fat-free meat, so you can pretend you’re Italian and enjoy a pizza that is as healthy as anything! You can buy pizza dough from your local supermarket, and then simply arrange a selection of healthy toppings – lean ham, for example, tomato, low-fat cheese, mushrooms and more, and encourage your kids to design their own! It’s fun, and results in a meal that all the family will enjoy.
Whole Wheat Pasta
Staying with the Mediterranean theme, have you ever made your own pasta? It’s easy – and great fun for the kids – and you can find all the ingredients in your local store. The beauty of whole wheat pasta is that it is both healthy and easy to cook, and also surprisingly versatile. Served with a mushroom sauce – also easy to make or you can buy one ready-made – and a choice of vegetables, this is a meal that the kids will take to very easily, and one that you will like, too.
Air Fried Chips
Let’s face it, kids love chips, there’s no getting away from it! The problem is that traditional, deep fried chips are not a healthy option. However, have you consider air frying as a healthy option? If you haven’t yet heard of air fryers you need to check them out, as these very clever appliances give you fried food without the need for fat, and offer the only genuinely healthy way of frying chips. They are easy to use, affordable and becoming very popular, so
check them out now and you may find that you need one!
Fish Dishes
Rather than give the kids chip-shop style battered fish, get them into fish cooked naturally in the oven, without batter. Breadcrumbs make a good alternative, and you will find the healthier fish are the tastier ones. Rainbow trout is a very fine fish and you can buy it from sustainable farms, while salmon is also healthy, as are shrimps, sardines and fresh tuna. Find a good fishmonger – or a supermarket with a well-stocked wet fish counter – and you will soon find that kids love fish, especially when seasoned and oven-cooked.
Garlic Chicken
The great thing about chicken is that it has very little fat content, and when cooked properly is very healthy indeed. We recommend you garnish your lean chicken breasts with garlic and pepper, wrap it in greaseproof paper – so that you keep the meant moist – and cook it in the oven as usual. Serve with a side salad of rocket, lettuce and tomatoes, and perhaps a slice of lemon as a garnish, and you have a superb meal that everyone will enjoy.
Delicious Curries
Despite its image, curry can be cooked to be a very healthy meal, and a tasty one, too. Eastern food is known to be healthy, so choose your ingredients and make a curry with spices and herbs – it’s easy and quick, and the kids will love it. The great thing is you have so much choice: you can make a very healthy vegetable curry, or use lamb, beef or – our favorite – white fish, so it’s a quick, healthy meal that can be different every time.
Make a Quiche
This is a great idea for a meal that everyone will enjoy, and the kids especially. Quiche can be made with or without pastry, so is very quick and easy, and is generally a vegetable dish. We recommend spinach, mushroom and broccoli for a fabulous range of flavors, or you could add salmon or cheese for something different.
Stir Fry Meals
Favored in eastern cuisine, the stir fry is an excellent way of making a very healthy meal with little fat and no fuss. Use lean beef, cut into strips for the best effect, and add a selection of chopped vegetables, and cook in a wok with no added oil. It’s quick, simple and very tasty, especially when served with noodles – Japanese style! If you prefer, try it with chicken as an alternative.
Don’t Forget Cakes!
Cakes can be healthy, too! Check the internet for healthy cakes and you will find a wide variety of healthy options – carrot and Brazil nut cake is a great idea, as it is made mainly from two ingredients that are very healthy (and your kids won’t even know they are actually eating vegetables!) and there are many other great recipes around so you can make sure your meal is topped off with a healthy dessert.
The above are just a few ideas for healthy meals that kids will love. We strongly recommend you look at air fryers, and you can read these air fryer reviews to get a better idea of what these very clever and useful devices are all about. Meanwhile, get your kids involved in cooking their own healthy, delicious meals, and make it a fun time for all the family.
I would love to hear your tips for getting your kids to eat healthy food!
Author’s Bio: Simon Barker is a keen cooking enthusiast who enjoys creating healthy meals for the kids, and likes to share his ideas with others to spread the word that healthy eating can be fun.
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