Kids Eat Healthy When Food Is Fun

Is getting your kids to eat healthy foods a battle in your home? If so, you’ll love these tips that will make your kids happy and give you the satisfaction of knowing you are feeding them foods that are good and healthy. Let’s take a look at fun and healthy eating throughout the day:

Start the Day Right – Give your kids a delicious, healthy breakfast by getting rid of the prepackaged cereals, pastries, and bars. Many of these handy foods contain lots and lots of sugar and ingredients you and I can’t pronounce. And, yes, that includes the so-called healthy breakfast bars.

Replace these sugary foods with healthy foods like whole grain pancakes with naturally sweet fruit toppings. Make the pancakes the night before and warm them in the microwave in the morning to make your breakfast time a bit easier. Try whole-wheat tortillas filled with things like fruit, scrambled eggs, cheese, and turkey bacon. They are delicious and nutritious, and your kids will have fun eating them, too. Wrap the filled tortillas in parchment paper and they make a great grab-and-go breakfast.

Time for a Snack – Kids typically will ask for sweets when they’re looking for a snack. Give them their sweets, but in a healthy way with applesauce and homemade oatmeal cookies. You want to make a batch of your own cookies so you can control the sugar, even substituting honey. Fruit roll ups that are 100% fruit are great ways to give your kids snacks without tons of sugar.

Fresh fruit juice is a delicious substitute for those sugary fruit punch drinks. You can even cut the expense by adding a little water to the fruit juice. Poured over ice and your kids will think they have a grownup drink and won’t even notice the lack of sugar. Say NO to all sodas by serving flavored tonic water with a pretty slice of fruit for garnish. This is a sparkly drink that your kids will grow quite attached to and never miss the soda again.

Lunch is Served – If your child is brown-bagging their lunch for school or if you need ideas for kids at home, you want foods that are healthy and fast. Your day is busy, and so is your kids’ day! Look at what your kids typically like to eat for lunch and see if you can make it better. These simple lunch box tricks will have your kids fed quickly and healthier.

Two of the foods that come to mind are mac and cheese and chicken nuggets. You can make both easily and with healthier ingredients than the prepackaged varieties. Cook a batch of whole wheat pasta and mix with a cheesy sauce made with skim milk and creamy low fat cheese. Cut chicken breasts into two inch pieces, roll in a milk and egg bath, dip in crushed corn flakes or cornmeal, and bake on a cookie sheet until crispy. These are two simple foods that can be made ahead and packed up for lunch or heated quickly at home.

Dinner Time – It’s the end of a busy day and your kids are hungry again. If you make a dinner for grownups like pot roast, mashed potatoes, and carrots, you may not have happy kids around the table. Instead, get your kids involved with the meal planning and they will eat healthier; and happier. Look at the dinnertime menu as a time to find kid-tested dishes that you can make healthy.

A great place to start is with homemade pizza. Choose healthy toppings and let your kids create their own personal pizza. You can even use flattened biscuits or tacos to create individual pizzas so each child can have their own favorite toppings. Tacos are another fun way to let kids get creative. Choose healthy fillings like shredded chicken, low-fat cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and green peppers and let each child fill their own. Normally when kids can make their own meal, they are more likely to eat it; and like it.

The secret to getting kids to eat healthy is in the fun presentation. Arrange an assortment of healthy foods in a fun way on your child’s plate, and you are most likely going to watch that food disappear. It’s not difficult to get kids to eat healthy foods when you use a little extra thought and planning. Start with these simple tips and you may be soon be surprised to see how healthy your child will eat.

Are you a mom who likes to play rather than cook? If so, you won’t want to miss FreeQuickRecipes.com where youll find frugal cooking tips for mothers and others.