Healthy recipes your kids love?
HeatherMJones14
Posts: 7
Try to teach my kids eating healthy doesn't have to be bland or taste bad but only have 2 recipes they like. Anyone have any that their kids love?
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my kids love fish, pork or chicken breaded with baking miracle and baked in the oven it is a little high in sodium but make things almost taste fried. They also love sweet potato fries baked in the oven with just a little salt and pepper also reg baked potatoes with light sour cream, 2% cheese and bacon bits even with all the extras I figured it out to still be less calories then mac and cheese. Veggies is where I am at a loss they will only eat salad, corn and canned green beans.0
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I am lucky enough that there is not much that my kids say no to. Some of the things they love are Kale chips we toss them with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and bake in the oven. Sausage and Kale soup is another. Suggestion for getting veggies in are put veggie in the spaghetti sauce and blend it. Then they are getting the nutirents another way if they are eating salad can you toss veggies with noodle or a veggie fried rice? We have a lot of recipes and another way I got my kids in was having them find recipes and help me make it.0
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We've done Caesar salad night with grilled chicken and freshly shaved Parmesan cheese. Letting them shave or grate the cheese is a big hit. Just put all the different fixings on the table and let them build their own. Whole wheat garlic bread would be a nice side.
Have you done chicken tacos? I think this recipe has made the rounds, but if you haven't tried it just search for slow cooker (or crockpot) chicken tacos n the net. I am sure several versions will pop up. If not, reply and I'll post mine. . Basically it is fresh salsa, seasonings and skinless boneless chicken cooked in the crockpot until you can shred the chicken with. 2 forks.
Serve with whole wheat tortillas, lettuce, low fat cheese etc. black beans as a side is good too.
If. You like to grill, try kabobs. Kids seem to go for food on a stick. LOL.0 -
Fresh veggies with a little dip is usually a hit, especially with fun names! Broccoli - trees, cauliflower - flowers, carrots - snow man noses...
I like to add black beans (dinosaur eggs!) to foods they already love for an extra bump of protein. Ramen noodles with black beans seems to be the favorite. Make it a little better by using only 1/2 packet of seasoning.
Another favorite is veggie pancakes! Use regular pancake batter, add blueberries, then go crazy! They seem to like shredded/grated sweet potato, carrots, spinach, kale, zucchini...
A good tip to remember is to get your kids involved. Let them help and they're more likely to try new things and enjoy them. Kids can help choose what to make, mix, chop (pampered chef has some safety knives), and serve. If you have the time and resources a vegetable garden is a fantastic thing for kids of all ages. And remember that it may take awhile to wean them off macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, French fries, etc. they don't necessarily understand why they shouldn't eat asuch of these foods. They just know that it's yummy!
Experiment with herbs as flavor boosters. Chives are very popular at my house which took me completely by surprise! And encourage but don't force them to eat the new foods. That's a whole separate issue.0 -
What are the two recipes they love?
My kindergartener loves these super simple healthy recipes.
1. Roasted cauliflower, I make sure to toss the cauliflower in a generous amount of olive oil and good quality sea salt and turn the heat up to 400 and cook until a little browned, golden, and crispy on some little edges. They taste like the healthiest 'chips' ever!
2. Baked sweet potato or yam. Finished with olive oil and sea salt. She also likes it with vegenaise and tamari but 'not as much.' You could try sweet potato fries, but that's hit or miss with her, I know other kids dig it!
3. Beet greens or tender swiss chard sauteed with just about any kind of salt and sugar. I mostly do a bit of tamari or bragg's liquid aminos, and will put in a trace amount of sugar or agave or just omit it, it doesn't really need it, especially if it's fresh, and she will eat it undressed as well.
With our vitamix she will have any smoothie with fruit, a lot of bananas and berries, have done apples, mango, anything in season or fresh---variations are endless-- homemade raw almond milk or coconut milk, and she does not mind one bit the green color with the addition of spinach or kale, the taste disappears in it!0 -
I bought a waffle maker a year or so ago. I make tuna melts on it, adding spinach, and they love it. It's a bit heavy on the cheese for me to eat, but I think it's healthy for them, and we don't eat a lot of cheese to begin with. They'll also eat anything with shrimp. And we do taco night, which is so easy to make healthy with beans, avocado, grilled onions and peppers, and tomatoes.0
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WOW! Waffle iron as a sandwich press. What a genius idea. I am so doing that tonight. Thanks for the tip.0
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learn to make coconut milk ice cream, so much better than cow milk ice cream. use fresh fruit. (google is your friend).0
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Early Childhood teacher- a fun snack our preschoolers love is fruit kebabs. They get to make them all by themselves. We have a bunch of fresh fruits they get to pick from, add to wooden skewers, and then dip in coconut shavings. You can also do a veggie spin off of this, just make sure to pick "lighter" tasting veggies if they're not a big fan. If they're really not big on veggies I suggest looking into the SneakyChef's stuff. I love adding spinach puree to things. After a few rounds of "This is my favourite!" You can say, you know what it has in it -x veggie- that must mean you like x too!
Our centre is also very big on the "Munch and Move" program. http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/campaigns-programs/about-munch-move.aspx It's Australian, but there are a lot of good tips on how to talk to your children about "sometimes foods" and ways to get them involved with their meals. Personally I find that the more they're involved with the growing & cooking process, the more likely they are to eat it.0 -
Zucchini fries, baked onion rings, oven baked fries, roasted broccoli/cauliflower (roasted veggies are so much sweeter), grilled chicken (I have a cast iron grill pan I bought at the dollar store - great investment), frozen tilapia, glazed carrots, turkey smoked sausage.
I try my very very best to not fry anything. It's either grilled, roasted, baked or in a crock pot. Also, if I make like tacos, I buy leaner meats and sneak in some refried beans. They never taste it.
Oh a few more great ones: eggplant parm (slice, salt and roast eggplant), top with marinara and cheese. Or chicken parm doing the same. Flat bread pizzas (toast flat bread in oven with a light spray of nonstick spray - keeps flat bread from getting soggy; top with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings). Very kid friendly!
I have 4 children. LOL !
Good luck!0 -
My son loves the baked chicken nuggets and zucchini tots from skinnytaste.0
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My kids love...
Skillet Fajitas Supreme
1 Lb Chicken Strips
1 C Salsa
1 Tbs Flour
1 ¼ Tsp Ground Cumin
½ Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Veg Oil
1 C Slivered Onion
1 C Green Pepper Strips
1 C Red Pepper Strips
2 Cloves Mined Garlic
8 7-Inch Flour Tortillas
Cheddar Cheese
Combine salsa, flour, cumin and salt. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet. Add onion and peppers, cook and stir 2 minutes. Add meat and garlic, cook stirring frequently, 3 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Add salsa mixture, cook and stir 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Spoon 1/3 c mixture down center of each tortilla, top with sour cream, tomatoes.
as well as...
Crispy Baked Chicken
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (3 1/2) pound broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
Combine the first six ingredients.
Dip chicken in milk, then roll in the cornmeal mixture.
Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Drizzle with butter.
Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 50-55 minutes or until juices run clear.
plus...
Kofta Kebabs
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound ground lamb
3 tablespoons grated onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
28 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Directions
Mash the garlic into a paste with the salt using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a chef's knife on your cutting board. Mix the garlic into the lamb along with the onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, ginger, and pepper in a mixing bowl until well blended. Form the mixture into 28 balls. Form each ball around the tip of a skewer, flattening into a 2 inch oval; repeat with the remaining skewers. Place the kebabs onto a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate atc least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours.
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
Cook the skewers on the preheated grill, turning occasionally, until the lamb has cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 6 minutes for medium.
Oven 350 for 25 minutes.
and one more...
Chicken Schwarma
2 boneless (skinless) chicken breasts, cut into thins strips
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Mediterranean (Greek) yogurt
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp seven spices
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs olive oil
Pita, kabees, pickles and garlic for sandwich.
Directions Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat pan and add 3 tbs olive oil, add chicken and let cook for 10 minutes until chicken browns, cook for an additional 2 minutes if necessary to brown.
To make sandwich, use pita bread, spread garlic sauce on pita, add chicken, kabees and pickles (you can add tomatoes and lettuce if desired).
Roll sandwich and press in the grill press to make sandwich crispy for 3 minutes. Enjoy with fries, pickles, garlic sauce and salad.
There are others, but this is a good start, isn't it?0 -
back2happy2005 wrote: »my kids love fish, pork or chicken breaded with baking miracle and baked in the oven it is a little high in sodium but make things almost taste fried. They also love sweet potato fries baked in the oven with just a little salt and pepper also reg baked potatoes with light sour cream, 2% cheese and bacon bits even with all the extras I figured it out to still be less calories then mac and cheese. Veggies is where I am at a loss they will only eat salad, corn and canned green beans.
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my kids love all kinds of veggies grilled in oven under broiler, first I chop, then put in bowl with olive oil and spices -you can change them up, experiment with a little at first to see what you like, my kids and I love turmeric spice on it, or sea salt. Grill and turn, maybe 10 minutes or so. We have this a lot. Also my kids love broccoli, brussel sprouts, or cauliflower steamed with just a bit of cheese melted on top. If your kids help cut up the veggies or make the food, they will be more likely to like to eat it-takes lots of tries sometimes for them to like it, keep offering it0
