5 Quick And Healthy Meals For Kids

Most parents can relate to the fact that time passes quickly and children go from infant to toddler to adolescent in what seems like a flash.  During this short, but critical period of growth and development, it is important to serve them a variety of healthy, nutrient-dense foods every day.  You, as parents, can make a significant impact on the health of your children when they become adults by how you feed them when they are little.

A busy schedule can make serving healthy meals a little challenging but it can be done.  Here are 5 quick and healthy meals ideas you can try with your kids:

Banana boats with yogurt and granola.  Slice a banana in half lengthwise.  Pour some vanilla yogurt on top and sprinkle with granola.  Let your kids add their favorite toppings like toasted almonds, walnuts, peanut butter, or raisins.
Peanut butter and honey wrap on a whole-grain tortilla.  Spread some peanut butter and honey on a tortilla and roll it up. Let your kids add their favorite fruit like banana slices or raisins.
Burrito made with a whole-grain tortilla.  Let your kids add their favorite healthy ingredients like corn, brown rice, low-fat cheese, black beans, avocados, tomatoes or olives.  I recommend buying frozen brown rice that is pre-cooked so that it takes just a couple of minutes to prepare.
Mini Pizzas on a whole grain english muffin or baguette.  Slice the baguette in half (length-wise).  Spread a layer of part-skim ricotta cheese on the bread.  Add a layer of your favorite pasta sauce over the ricotta cheese.  Sprinkle on some parmesan cheese.  Let your children add their favorite toppings ? olives, peppers, tomatoes, etc.  Top with mozzarella cheese.
Custom trail mix.  Have your kids mix their favorite ingredients in a ziploc bag for a quick and healthy snack.  Give them several healthy options like whole grain cereal, nuts, seeds, dried fruits and granola.
I know I said 5 healthy meals but I just though of one more.  Try this quick and easy homemade smoothie.

Serve a variety of healthy foods to your kids early in their life so that healthy foods are not foreign to them.  This will hopefully prevent them from becoming stuck on wanting to eat only processed foods like chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese.

What healthy meals do your children like to eat?

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Lisa

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