Fast food is often a tempting alternative to nutritious meals for busy families, but is not always the best choice for parents seeking to serve balanced meals to their children. The United States Department of Agriculture has published dietary guidelines that stress making the right choices from every food group, balancing food intake with exercise, staying within daily calorie needs and trying to get the maximum nutrition out of the calories that your children eat.
Breakfast
For school-aged children, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It not only helps to jump start their system from the long evening stretch without food, but a balanced breakfast helps to keep them alert and focused through the long school morning until lunchtime.
When pressed for time, whip up a simple smoothie in the blender with some milk, fruit and honey, and serve it with two pieces of whole-grain toast, or mix cooked oatmeal or farina with some milk, and add cut-up fruit or nuts for an extra kick. A breakfast wrap is a quick and easy option for families on the go. Simply serve scrambled eggs with some shredded cheese wrapped up in a whole-grain tortilla. Add chopped ham or cut-up vegetables for a fancier wrap.
Lunch
When cooking for children, remember that nutritious does not have to mean boring, and that presentation is half the battle. Use a little creativity to create lunches that your child will love, whether at home or at school. Serve turkey with some low-fat cheese, lettuce and tomato in a pita pocket, on flat bread, foccacia, bagels or rice cakes instead of the normal bread slices. Pair it with a juice box, a popsicle stick skewered with chunks of fresh fruit and a small cup of yogurt for dipping.
Make pinwheels by placing ham slices and low-fat cheese between two slices of whole-wheat bread, and flatten with a rolling pin. Roll up the flattened sandwich into a cigar shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Cut into discs for a fun pinwheel sandwich. Serve it with celery sticks stuffed with peanut butter and topped with raisins, a cup of milk and a small fruit salad.
Dinner
Your child will probably not make nutritious choices at every meal every day, so use dinner to catch him up on any nutritional opportunities he may have missed. Dip chunks of boneless chicken into melted margarine and crushed baked potato chips, and bake in the oven along with sweet potato fries for a healthy meal that looks like junk food. Pair it with a small salad made with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, chunks of cheddar cheese and low-fat dressing, and end the meal with vanilla pudding topped with granola and sliced strawberries.
Everything tastes better with bacon. Brush the top of a turkey meatloaf with ketchup, and top it with slices of turkey bacon before placing in the oven. Place a slice of the cooked meatloaf on top of some brown rice or couscous, and serve with a side of ketchup for dipping. Saute green beans in hot skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add some slivered almonds and a squeeze of lemon juice for a tasty side dish. Remove the seeds from a halved cantaloupe. Fill with the center of the cantaloupe with flavored gelatin and refrigerate until firm. Cut into wedges and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or low-fat whipped topping.
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