Ideas for Kids' Meals
Encouraging children to eat a range of healthy foods can be challenging, and coming up with creative kids' meals seven days a week can seem impossible. While it may be quick and easy to plop sugary, salty, microwaved dinners down for the family, there is a better alternative. These kids' meals combine healthy foods with creative presentations, resulting in meals that are sure to please.
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Essentials
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Keep the kitchen stocked with a few essentials to make meal time quick and easy when you're busy. Set aside one day each week or two to restock your kitchen. One great time saver is the homemade pie crust. Make a large batch of dough and roll out several at a time. Stack them in the freezer and pull them out for a quick dinner anytime. Fill your crust with spaghetti for spaghetti pie, browned meat and vegetables for a pot pie or any other combination of foods. The possibilities are endless. In her cookbook "Deceptively Delicious," Jessica Seinfeld provides a wide selection of recipes using pureed fruits and vegetables to sneak in extra servings of produce. Puree and freeze several foods over the weekend to provide ready ingredients for her healthy and creative recipes throughout the week.
Give It a Face
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Kids love food that has a face or other recognizable shape. This may seem like an extra step in the cooking process, but there is a variety of meals that are just begging for a bit of quick and easy decoration. Mini English muffin pizzas are great canvases, ripe for some pepperoni eyes and a green pepper smile. Pancakes are great for this too, with faces of fresh fruit. Sandwiches can be given a fun shape with a cookie cutter.
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Keep It Recognizable
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If you love collecting cookbooks and trying new recipes, it may be tempting to unveil your new creations to the kids. Getting kids to try new foods is easier when undertaken one item at a time. If you're serving a new main dish, stick to a vegetable that you know they love. If you're sneaking a new fruit or vegetable onto their plate, provide a tried and true favorite for the main course.
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