Eating healthy is as important for kids as it is for adults. Children need essential nutrients to keep growing strong. What kids don’t need is an adult to prepare every meal. Many well-balanced dishes are safe and easy enough for kids to prepare. As long as you provide nutritious ingredients, such as lean protein and whole grains, your kids will have everything they need for a healthy meal.
Sandwiches
Stock your home with whole grain breads to ensure that your child consumes plenty of fiber when he makes his own healthy sandwich. Encourage kids to include lean protein in a simple sandwich to keep the food easy and nutritious. A low-fat peanut butter and low-sugar jelly sandwich on wheat bread is easy enough for a school-aged child to make in minutes. A low-fat ham and low-fat cheddar sandwich on multi-grain bread appeals to many kids.
Veggie Platter
Small and pre-cut vegetables are nutrient-packed items that kids can prepare without any cooking. Remind children to rinse each vegetable well before eating, preferably in a colander to make it easy for small hands. Stock up on cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, celery sticks and cucumber sticks. Kids may also enjoy radishes, mini pickles, artichoke hearts or palm hearts. Suggest pairing the vegetables with a light salad dressing, such as ranch, to help make the food more appealing to picky kids.
Yogurt Parfait
Basic spooning and pouring skills are all your kids need to turn granola and low-fat yogurt into a nutritious dish with calcium and fiber. Your little ones can alternate between a few spoonfuls of yogurt and one spoonful of granola to create a layered meal. Purchase small pieces of fruit that require no cutting, such as blueberries or raisins, to make it easier for kids to prepare a nutrient-packed dish. Advise children about appealing combinations, such as vanilla yogurt and honey granola with blueberries or strawberry yogurt and walnut granola with banana chunks.
Fruit Smoothie
As long as your child knows how to use a blender, she can create her own healthy smoothie as a quick meal or snack. A blueberry, banana, oatmeal and cottage cheese smoothie provides a filling drink with ample fiber and a mellow flavor for kids. A strawberry, banana and vanilla yogurt smoothie is a light drink that tastes sweet and provides calcium.
Snack Mix
Snack mixes don’t have to be fattening or cooked to taste appealing to kids.
Teach your child to mix dry-roasted peanuts, fat-free pretzels, dried cranberries and raisins for a simple snack that has sweet, salty and tangy tastes. Suggest puffed wheat cereal, sunflower seeds and dried apple bits for a healthy treat with a fall theme - or mixed nuts, banana chips, shredded coconut and puffed rice cereal for a tropical theme.
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