A busy schedule, finicky kids and a hungry family can challenge even the best chefs. Use some creativity in the kitchen to give the family what they want in healthy versions and on your terms. KidsHealth from Nemours recommends that the family eat regular meals together that serve a variety of healthy foods. If you involve the children in the process of making the meals and become a healthy role model, you can avoid a number of confrontations at mealtime.
Pizza Night
Get creative with pizza for a quick and easy dinner the kids are sure to enjoy. Keep things simple by using store-bought dough, pizza sauce and pre-shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese. Cut up the toppings ahead of time, and precook any meats, like sausage or ground beef. Let the kids help you assemble the pizza, or give them each some dough and let them make their own. A thin-crust pizza takes only 10 minutes in the oven at 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
Disney's Family.com suggests trying slices of fried potato, English muffins, French bread or flatbread instead of the traditional pizza dough. Make the pizza a little healthier by trying new combinations that include fresh vegetables, like red bell pepper, fresh tomato and basil with Canadian bacon or grilled chicken.
Stir-Fry
Make a quick and easy stir-fry instead of going for take-out Chinese food. Start with a combination of fresh vegetables, and add a protein like fish, chicken or beef. Get the children involved in the preparation by allowing them to select the stir-fry ingredients or, if they are old enough, to chop vegetables. If you use a store-bought sauce for the stir-fry, try to select one that is low in sodium and sugar. Instead of serving your stir-fry with the traditional white rice, try substituting brown rice, Ramen noodles minus the seasonings, quinoa, couscous or whole-wheat spaghetti.
Stay with tried-and-true favorites, or try some new combinations like chicken and peanuts, beef and snow peas or shrimp and peppers. Make the dish more kid-friendly by adding one or two fun ingredients like pineapple, baby corn or water chestnuts.
Burgers
Try some new twists on the perennial kids' favorite, the classic hamburger. Combine lean ground beef with shredded low-fat cheddar cheese and precooked, crumbled turkey bacon before making the burgers, or form the patties around a slice of cheese for an inside-out cheeseburger. Make the burgers healthier by substituting ground turkey for the lean ground beef, or making steak burgers using salmon, tuna or Portobello mushrooms.
Experiment with new toppings like avocado slices and salsa, a soy glaze with crispy Chinese noodles, or pizza sauce and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. Make it a meal by adding a side of baked sweet potato fries or steamed new potatoes, plus corn on the cob or a side salad. As long as you're creative with the toppings and the sides, the kids will probably eat it up.
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