Finding healthy versions of "normal" kid friendly foods.

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  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
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    My toddler actually loves kale chips - and when we served them at a picnic, the 4 and 5 year old guests liked them too.
  • mcmahoj3
    mcmahoj3 Posts: 13 Member
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    Have you tried Pinterest? I don't bother with other recipe sites anymore. So many interesting ideas from every imaginable source and all with pictures.
  • mjwarbeck
    mjwarbeck Posts: 699 Member
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    Our goal with our three boys was to expand the idea of what kid friendly meant. We were fortunate, we had the opportunity to travel and also living in a major metropolis we have access to pretty much anything. So our kids would rather go out for dim sum, sushi, Ethiopian, Indian vs a chain like Olive Garden or Cheesecake Factory.

    Now that said, to ensure they can be like the some of their friends we make some typical kids foods: pizza using pita (they love feta and spinach), pastas, risottos, gnocchi, wraps (grilled chicken and cheese), tacos or quesadilla (corn tortilla and cheese, bean or chicken, avocado), we will have a burger occasionally, I do make ribs for them, vegetarian chilli (can add to nachos), soups (kids love a dinner or borscht and perogies)...and lots of fruits and veggies...lots of salads. And of course eggs! Omelettes, frittatas, wraps, Mcmuffjns, scrambled with cheese....
  • ptsmiles
    ptsmiles Posts: 511 Member
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    Deceptively Delicious is a great cookbook with new spin on kid favorites. Chickpea chocolate chip cookies, macaroni and cheese with pureed veggies, brownies with spinach(make sure they are cooled before eaten because the spinach flavor will go away). You could also either puree veggies and add them to spaghetti sauce or chop them up and add them to the sauce.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    My kids tend to like all the "kid" foods too. In addition to the ones you mentioned mine really like having grilled cheese with tomato soup, fish sticks with macaroni, butter noodles with Parmesan cheese, and breakfast for dinner. I always give them a fruit and try to incorporate a vegetable where I can (raw carrots, sugar snap peas, frozen shelled peas (still frozen we call them pea Popsicles when they are frozen together in lumps of ice), corn and edamame are the ones they eat without complaining.

    I've also had good luck with stir fry - although they are a little iffy on the sauces. I cook the chicken and vegetables in the pan and pull a little of those out for the kids and give it to them with plain white rice, then I add in the curry sauce or whatever and give them a small ramekin of that as well to try. Some of them they like (peanut coconut curry chicken and butter chicken with naan bread) most they just eat the plain stuff.

    Most of our family dinners are pretty traditional though - a meat (they like chicken and pork tenderloin the best), a starch (mashed potatoes, rice or a box pasta side) and a vegetable (fruit for them as a backup to veggies like zucchini and asparagus). They don't eat a lot regardless so I'm not too worried about feeding them the regular kid food, it's more important for me to get cals in them than to expand their palates to exotic flavors.
  • LacednLace
    LacednLace Posts: 480 Member
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    Might sound very odd but homemade chicken nuggets with salsa if he likes Mexican. Chicken breast (or thigh) cut up into chicken nugget style pieces. Use egg white to paste. Then either homemade bread crumbs or pre-made. Add enchilada or taco seasoning (just a dash to each) and either bake with the salsa on top or use as dipping sauce. If you bake with the salsa on top add a dash of shredded pepper jack cheese for extra flavor at the last few minutes in the oven. :)

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