Quick Healthy Meals for Kids
Q & A With Sunny
Here's a great question I received:
My son is going away to day camp for a few weeks. What kinds of breakfasts and lunches can I make for him that are healthy and easy to take along?
Well, it's tough when it comes to kids. And it all depends on what he's used to so far, you know? I mean, if he's been eating fast food and chips and ice-cream, giving him quinoa and black beans just won't fly. :)
I serve my kids stuff that's "relatively" healthy - meaning, I eat way cleaner and leaner than what I serve them, but I still give them some "real" foods as they call it.
For breakfasts, I make a big batch of incredibly yummy granola bars and pass them out for a few days. Yogurt is perfect (look for kinds with fewer ingredients). Tons of fruit. Goes with breakfast and great for snacks. Seriously, my kids will down 2 bananas, an apple, and a handful of cherries in a sitting.
Dried cereal is alright... I usually stick some 
healthy kind (flakes or puffed rice) and add some raisins and nuts for them. If he eats eggs, you could do egg sandwiches (cut out most of the yolks if you're trying to lean him out), with whole wheat bread - throw some veggies in the sandy if he'll eat it.
At home, I make grits or oatmeal or waffles for breakfast. Sometimes smoothies. But, if he's eating away from home, you could always pack some pancakes or waffles for him to snack on later. (Try throwing as much healthy crap into the batter as possible - I add 1/2 whole wheat, a handful of oats, a little flax, some wheat germ... etc - be creative and do it gradually, and he'll never know. :)
Lunches for Kids
Healthy sandwiches (natural peanut butter or hummus/veggie or - I know this sounds weird, but try putting low fat cream cheese, then sprinkling sunflower seeds, and then spinach or lettuce and a dab of dressing for a sandwich. It's awesome, and the kids dig it. Air popped popcorn, sliced veggies (celery, carrots, broccoli, etc) with some kind of dip (like hummus or low fat ranch or something are all good snacks or sides.
Grains and beans with tons of herbs is great. I always throw a handful of veggies into the pot to cook along with it. I'll give my kids a big bowl of grains/beans, maybe a smidge of cheese to keep them happy, and healthy crackers and fruit on the side.
Good grain/bean/veg combos are :
quinoa/black beans/green beans
brown rice/pinto beans/tomatoes
wild rice/navy beans/carrots
Good stuff – and it's all one pot. I always have some tortillas around for them, too. They'll stuff them with their grain mix, or put peanut butter/banana/wheat germ in there, or just cream cheese and veggies.
As for treats, I don't give them to my kids everyday. I maybe let them have a sweet treat 2-3 times a week, after dinner. And it's usually really bad (like a candy bar, ice cream, etc.) There's always room for a little junk. :)
Let me know if you need me,
Sunny
Try out some more quick healthy meal ideas, too.
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- Quick Healthy Meals for Kids, Kids Lunch Ideas
- Sunny
