Healthy Meal Ideas

Kids sure can be picky when it comes to food. Between one and seven years of age, it’s normal for them to be suspicious of all those unfamiliar types of food they are trying, and to refuse new foods. This is particularly so when the new types of foods are healthy ones, such as fresh vegetables. So what are some ideas for healthy meals you can feel your picky eaters, short of tricking them into it?

Pizza Faces

Kids love to eat food that’s presented in a fun manner. So make your own wheat pizza crust, spread a fresh organic pizza sauce on top, add some fresh veggies and low fat meats, and make pizza faces. Each child can pick their own crust, put the sauce on top and then create a face using peppers, pepperoni, cheese (with all that dairy goodness), and so on. Then you pop it into the oven and bake for ten minutes. Take out and serve up with carrot or celery sticks on the side, with ranch dressing to dip into.

Fish or Chicken Dippers

Kids love finger foods too. Fish and chicken are both healthy foods, with lots of protein for building brains. So put strips of these in the oven and bake, then take out and place on a plate on the table. Put bowls if different dipping sauces around, using fresh dairy ingredients. Kids will love all the new tastes as they dip the chicken or fish strips in the sauces. A glass of apple juice or milk on the side makes it even healthier.

Mystery Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are popular with most kids. You can add other veggies in with the potatoes, such as lima beans, carrots or peas. You can make it a mystery game, trying to find the hidden veggies in the mash, but the aim of the game is to eat the veggies too. Kids will love eating if you make it fun. Kids get lots of energy from the vitamins and carbohydrates in potatoes. You can make them healthier by using margarine instead of butter, or low fat sour cream or milk.

Macaroni Magic

There are lots of fun pasta shapes on the market, so you can use some imagination and make pasta meals with twists, wheels, alphabets and bow ties. If you let the kids choose the shapes they want they’re more likely to eat them at meal time. Try using a variety of sauces, preferably using organic ingredients, and put a little of the sauce on the side. Kids can then pick up a pasta shape with their fork or their fingers, and dip this into the sauce themselves. This is more fun for them than if you had mixed the sauce into it yourself, and that means they are more likely to eat it.

Meal times can be fun as well as healthy, if you can make eating a pleasant experience for your kids. They are then more likely to eat what you give them, get the nutrients they need and in the end avoid fighting obesity. They might even ask for seconds!

About the Author:

Dana Sherman is a certified nutritionist, with extensive experience in the area of dieting and weight loss. Dana's approach places a large emphasis on changes in lifestyle to better your eating habits and your overall approach to food.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Feeding Picky Kids: Ideas for Healthy Meals

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