Healthy Meals For Me And My Kids????????

heathercherise

I am having a really time creating meals that my children will eat that are healthy and lower in calories. I have a really hard time because my children want things like grilled cheese, pizza, pasta, and anything fried.

I love to cook but when I cook something healthy my children generally won't eat it.

PLEASE HELP...ANY SUGGESTIONS? I need some healthy meal ideas that are easy, quick, and great for all of us.

heathercherise

I am having a really time creating meals that my children will eat that are healthy and lower in calories. I have a really hard time because my children want things like grilled cheese, pizza, pasta, and anything fried.

I love to cook but when I cook something healthy my children generally won't eat it.

PLEASE HELP...ANY SUGGESTIONS? I need some healthy meal ideas that are easy, quick, and great for all of us.

kistinbee

Use whole wheat pasta...it is so much better...when you're making pasta dishes. Make mini pizzas on half of an English muffin or half a bagel. Celery with PB is a great snack...add raisons for ants on a log. Ranch rice cakes are like chips. Nook a sliced apple in the microwave and add a little cinnamon for a yummy warm treat! We eat a lot of chicken...use it for everything! I make caseroles with chicken instead of pasta or anything. I add some light cream of mushroom and some veggies and seasoning. Yummy! Do some online searches...there are some great ideas for fun meals that you can even have your children help prepare!! Hopefully this helps a little.

*Kistinbee*

yoginimary

I eat like a kid in a lot of ways, so here are my suggestions:

grilled cheese - use a "george forman" type grill and make panini - or use pam instead of butter - or cook open faced in the oven (need to toast slightly first) - use WW bread of course

pasta - ww pasta (may I recommend the brand bella terra?) and marinara is perfectly good for you

pizza - make your own - it's fun - you can usually find ww pizza crust (either frozen or vacuumed packed), add marinara and part skim mozzarella (or fresh mozzarella) - have lots of veggie available to put on top or have a romaine salad ready - don't offer dressing unless they ask.

For fried - I make fried potatoes - slice potatoes, soften in microwave, cook in pam and/or olive oil with salt, pepper, and parsley or rosemary - most foods you can "fry" in the oven - like oven fried chicken (dipped in skim milk/egg white, covered with corn flakes, sprayed with pam, baked) - most other things can be "fried' the same way.

Hope this helps.

Junie05

My sister got "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies For Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids Favorite Meals" by Missy Chase Lapine. It uses pureed veggies cooked with regular food. You can spend part of one day prepping the veggies and then just grab the baggies out of the fridge or freezer when you are ready to cook. Jessica Seinfeld has a book as well called "Deceptively Deliciious" on the same idea. You can make mac and cheese, brownies, etc. with califlower, broccoli, etc. and the kids don't even realize the difference!

mechanicmom

One thing that has become a new favorite is a homemade cheese pizza. Someone put it in the recipe section on the site. Use a flour tortilla (wheat might work too) and top with sauce and low skim mozzarella cheese (add other toppings if you like. I add pineapple) and bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. It's like a thin crust pizza. Even my hubby was skeptical at first but he has asked for it again since he first had it! If I come up with any more ideas I will post them!

heathercherise

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will definitely try them.

And I thought I'd thought of everything! :-)

Nich0le

Have them help make the food and encourage them to try new things. My husband is a chef and my dad likes to cook so my kids have really great palates but when I wanted to start eatting healthy that meant less cream and butter and red meat so we designated one day a week for a month as "new food day" and I cooked a new healthy meal from cooking light or one of the many heart healthy cook books I bought. After a month we started with 2 days a week and then I discovered if I handed them the magazines and told them to pick out food that "looked yummy" that they actually started picking healthier options than I would have.

Also, you can make pizza at home and put lower fat cheese on it and veggies and stuff and the kids have a blast. It takes more time and clean up effort but kids really do like to help cook and they always want to try what they cook!

Good luck!