Looking for Kid Friendly Healthy Recipes

Lochniss
Lochniss Posts: 11
edited September 27 in Recipes
I've got a 4 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. Both of whom are a bit picky. Finding recipes that are both healthy and yummy is totally tricky! Any recipe ideas would be greatly appreciated!! Much thanks!!!!!

Replies

  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    bacon, lunch meat, cheese, fruit, greek yogurt. Granted, not meals by themselves, but any combination could be. Those are my 2yo's favorite foods and she's pretty picky.
  • SLaw4215
    SLaw4215 Posts: 596 Member
    A couple of weekends ago I made oatmeal craisin cookies and I swapped out all the bad stuff (apple sauce instead of oil, no butter, sweet n low brown instead of brown sugar) and I called them breakfast cookies to get my daughter to eat breakfast before school and it worked! I also invested in a juicer. What she doesn't see go into it doesn't seem to bother her and I've been able to get all kinds of fresh fruit juices and vegetable juice (we always warm our and add bouillon cubes otherwise the raw vegetables alone are too bland). You might try taking something the kids might think of as ordinary -- like apples and do something you wouldn't normally do to it like warm it in the oven with cinnamon and/or honey or make grilled peaches
  • missbp
    missbp Posts: 601 Member
    Meatballs made with ground turkey. Whole grain pasta. Grilled meat and veggies on skewers. Kids seem to like interactive foods. I serve taco's to my family and load my own up with more veggies and less cheese. I am also a fan of the sandwich. Again, I can customize mine to be more conducive to my new lifestyle, with leaner meats and more veggies. I have also been doing a make your own salad thing. I am finding that my daughter is following my lead with some of her own choices lately. This REALLY makes me happy, because setting a better example for her, was on of my biggest motivators.

    Hope these suggestions help a little.

    Michelle
  • Lochniss
    Lochniss Posts: 11
    Great ideas ladies!! Many things to try! If I find any recipes that are 100% amazing and get the thumbs up from my kiddos, I'll be sure to post them here for everyone!! :D
  • hamncheese67
    hamncheese67 Posts: 1,715 Member
    My son likes the buttermilk oven baked 'fried' chicken recipe I found from the weight watchers cookbook combined with mashed caulflower. Also ground turkey spaghetti over whole grain pasta and ground turkey tacos with whole grain tortillas.
  • Satya_Ayurveda
    Satya_Ayurveda Posts: 91 Member
    I have to be very creative due to my son's special needs and his dietary needs based on such. He has adhd/pdd-nos/sensory integration. Therefore we have placed him on the Feingold diet. I do a lot of homemade veggie soups/stews. I then puree them and use the puree as a pizza sauce on a homemade wheat crust. Sometimes I make honey mustard chicken (just mix honey and mustard, simple enough) and coat the chicken breast (organic, free range). I slice the chicken down the middle and stuff with broccoli and then cook in a pan. It hides the veggies and I will throw it over some quinoa. Easy enough and healthy. Gives it some flavor and sweetens it up without a ton of calories/fat.
  • crystalslight
    crystalslight Posts: 322 Member
    I've tried a few recipes from this website. I have 4 kids eating the dinners. They've liked everything I've tried especially the chicken rollatini with spinach. It's www.skinnytaste.com.
  • chrystalo
    chrystalo Posts: 1
    My sure fire hit with my four year olds is fried rice. Always goes down without fuss!
  • Lochniss
    Lochniss Posts: 11
    I've tried a few recipes from this website. I have 4 kids eating the dinners. They've liked everything I've tried especially the chicken rollatini with spinach. It's www.skinnytaste.com.

    Just looked over the website you suggested... LOVE IT!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!! I so totally and completely CAN'T wait to try some of the recipes out on my littlies and see how it goes! Thanks SOOOOO MUCH!!! :D
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
    homemade chicken nuggets! just cut up some chicken and roll in bread crumbs! sooo easy.
  • emcando
    emcando Posts: 48
    Family Fun Magazine has good ones.
    also Kids Health - http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/index.html

    Good luck!
  • mandysjourney
    mandysjourney Posts: 260 Member
    bumping to check out later
  • kristi3238
    kristi3238 Posts: 9
    hey I am always searching for new cooking ideas and recipes. I am a huge fan of Bobby Flay. I came across a healthy grilled individual pizza recipe a few days ago. this is somthing (depending on age) your children and help and make it their own!

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/family-favorite-dinner-recipes/pictures/index.html

    you can mix up the ingrediants of course with more veggies too. I think kids would have a great time creating their very own healthy pizza!

    I also have found a great breakfast recipe in Hungry Girl cook book for a breakfast cookie. It is made of pumpkin, pureed peaches, two kinds of raisins, fiber, and i have substituted french vanilla powdered cofffee creamer for my powdered vanilla protien. let me know if you need the reciped they are actualy very good and a good grab on the go breakfast. sure does beet poptarts!

    Kristi
  • bbush18
    bbush18 Posts: 207 Member
    Itry not to make my 2yo's meals any different from what me and my husband eat during breakfast, lunch, and dinner so during his snack time, i incorporate the things he missed during the 3 main meals. If he didn't eat his veggies then it's not a big deal because I can throw some spinach, carrots or broccoli in with his afternoon smoothie (along with pineapple juice and other fruits.) I can get more creative during snack time with his food groups. I tend to get really OCD about him making a mess during dinner so snack time gives him the opportunity to eat how he wants. Also, if there are things he wont eat, then I make dips...he thoroughly enjoys dipping everything in anything!! I think it's more about being creative with what you've got...setting thing out plain as day is boring to kids...so make it fun to eat and fun to look at!! :)
  • nuviag
    nuviag Posts: 131 Member
    A couple of weekends ago I made oatmeal craisin cookies and I swapped out all the bad stuff (apple sauce instead of oil, no butter, sweet n low brown instead of brown sugar) and I called them breakfast cookies to get my daughter to eat breakfast before school and it worked! I also invested in a juicer. What she doesn't see go into it doesn't seem to bother her and I've been able to get all kinds of fresh fruit juices and vegetable juice (we always warm our and add bouillon cubes otherwise the raw vegetables alone are too bland). You might try taking something the kids might think of as ordinary -- like apples and do something you wouldn't normally do to it like warm it in the oven with cinnamon and/or honey or make grilled peaches


    can you be more specific on the cookie recipe?
    id like those for me...maybe i can just google it but if possible i would like to know how you made these cookies and nutritional values
    data
    thanks
  • bugabaer
    bugabaer Posts: 15
    @satya..that sounds very tasty and it's obviously made with lots of love and special attention. way to go!
  • jwd28
    jwd28 Posts: 765
    I have a 6 year old and a 3 year old. I often feed them "ingredients" for dinner rather than giving them the completed version of what my husband and I eat.

    For example, hubby and I had tacos last night. The kids ate: veggie crumbles (our ground beef substitute) that I separated out before putting the taco seasoning in, black beans (warmed straight from the can), cheese, corn, pieces of avocado, some pieces of tortilla, and some tortilla chips. They were totally happy with it and would NEVER have eaten a taco or burrito if I'd given them the completed version.

    I do this with a lot of our meals and it seems to go better than trying to come up with recipes that they'll eat.

    However, I will share this recipe with you because my kids both LOVE it and I'm surprised they do. It doesn't seem like a "kid" recipe but the gobble it up!

    Hamburger Stroganoff

    1/2 cup chopped onion
    1-2 cloves garlic
    1 pound ground beef (again, we use veggie crumbles but you can use whatever meat you like)
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 can cream of mushroom soup
    6 oz plain yogurt (can substitute sour cream)
    4 cups dry egg noodles

    Cook the egg noodles and set aside. Saute chopped onion until very soft. Add crushed garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Add beef and heat until fully cooked. Add salt, soup, and yogurt. When heated through, add the cooked egg noodles and stir. For the kids we put it in a bowl and cut it up so the noodles are small and kid friendly.

    Enjoy!
  • BodyByBrusselSprouts
    BodyByBrusselSprouts Posts: 49 Member
    I have a 4 year old. We have been trying avoid wheat and gluten. I saw on here a recipe for Mac and Cheese substituting the macaroni with yellow squash. I made it last night, cut the squash into macaroni sized pieces, sauteed in some butter to soften it up threw in some broccoli and american cheese and cream cheese and voila. I made enough so there would be some left over today, but there is none left over today ;) Good stuff.

    Remember kids, especially little ones need a lot more fat in their diet for their developing brains.
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