This is kind of a spin off of Rabbitt's thread about raising our children to eat SuperFoods and just healthier foods in general.
I'm loving the meals that I am preparing and my girls seem okay with them most of the time. But I am sensing a little food boredom at mealtimes! I'm looking for suggestions on how to make SuperFood/healthy meals fun and delicious for young children.
Please post your favorite kid friendly recipes that incorporate SuperFoods.
One thing that I do is prepare whole wheat pancakes for them. I needed to wean the kids off of syrup, so I began putting semi-sweet chocolate chips in them and topping them with whipped cream and a sprinkle of extra chips. We were out of whipped cream yesterday, so they just ate them with chocolate chips. They don't even miss the syrup! (Well, the 1 year old has never had commercially produced syrup before, so she really doesn't miss it!) I was also using pure maple syrup until we ran out. I don't think I'll need to buy anymore of it.
I've also tried using just fresh fruit (again no syrup) with whole wheat pancakes: bananas and/or blueberries in the mix, topped with fresh cut strawberries and blueberries. These are a big hit!
Oh, I'm also looking for some healthy recipes for oatmeal craisin or raisin cookies, preferably with nuts! I usually use the Betty Crocker cookies in a bag, but I want to make homemade ones. Any suggestions???
For the pancakes, maybe you could water down some honey instead? Honey is on the second superfoods list, isn't it? My sister-in-law smeared peanut butter on waffles for her little guy. He wouldn't eat them any other way.
My kids really like couscous. I like to make a sort of fried rice type mixture with it using a lot of mixed veggies, diced chicken breast and lite soy sauce. For very little kids, though, that would be pretty messy, I guess.
Here are some things we do (and my kids eat ww pancakes with a couple chips cooked in too) My dd tells me her favorites are:
ww pasta with veggies
pizza with ww crust, tomato sauce and a light sprinkle of cheese (they won't eat veggies on it)
oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon and a little honey
cheerios, not a health food but not bad
soy burgers vs hamburgers (satifies the kid junk thing)
tacos with ww tortillas
I make sweets so I can control sugar and flour
ww crackers w/ cheese or nut butters
try the internet for some healthy oatmeal cookie ideas
My kids also really like a salad I make with either canned chicken or tuna, finely diced apples, ww rotini pasta and ff mayo. It's really easy and doesn't heat up the kitchen too much.
Do you make this from mix, or scratch? We still have some "regular" mix left, but when it is gone, I've already primed the hubby for trying whole wheat or buckwheat or something like that. Just not sure where to find it...?
Oh, and I think it would be quite yummy for kids (and me!) with some peanut butter and fruit spread.
2 C ww flour (I like king arthur, if just switching maybe 1/2 and 1/2 white?)
1/2 C toasted wheat germ (I omit and add extra flour if out)
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1 Tb canola oil (I leave it out)
2-3 C buttermilk (I sour milk with vinegar)
I mix the dry ingredients in a cannister. I taped the amount of liquid ingredients per batch to it so it's a "mix". I make up triple or quadruple batches to keep on hand. You might want to try it first to see if it suits your family's taste.
Also, the Eatingwell.com website Jen415 posted has a whole kid menu section with recipes.
Well, I had been using a box mix (Aunt Jemima whole wheat pancake mix), but will definitely try joyofsix's recipe! And I'll check out that website as well.
My kids love Fajitas and tomato soup. I saute boneless skinless chicken breast pieces, onions, orange bell peppers, and mushrooms put in a fajita seasoning packet. serve with whole wheat tortillas, cheese, and ff sour cream and a bowl of tomato soup on the side (i mix soy milk in the tomato soup so the kids get the soy without even knowing.
Good idea trishn222! Kids love anything that they can put together themselves and customize their own meal! Fajitas will work great with mine. And both girls love tomato soup! Hey, any ideas on making homemade tomato soup?
Thanks for that suggestion. We might do that next week.
There is a recipe for tomato soup. It looks pretty healthy and it got good reviews. I'm not too big on tomato soup so I haven't tried it myself. Hope that helps
Here's a pretty good health cookie. It comes from a cookbook called "Wholesome Sugarfree Cooking" by Ray & Malinda Yutzy.
Health Rounds
3/4 c oil 3 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. honey 1 c. rolled oats
2 eggs, beaten 1 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 t. salt 1 1/2 c. nuts, chopped
2 t. vanilla 2 c. raisins
1 t. baking powder
Cream oil & honey. Add eggs, salt, & vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Stir in seeds, nuts, & raisins. Ungreased cookie sheet. 10-12 min. at 375.
3/4 c. oil
1 c. honey
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
1 t. baking powder
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 1/2 c. nuts, chopped
2 c. raisins
Kid Friendly SuperFood Meal Ideas...
