What are some healthy dinners for kids?

Question

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Answer 1

Roasted vegetable lasagne and salad
Sheperds pie and fresh veg
Home made pizza
I think anything cooked from scratch is better than ready meals
and if the kids can help make it it encourages them to eat it too!

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

2

Answer 4

After reading these posts, it's become apparent that there's a problem with suggesting all these healthy alternatives. It's all very well voting for steamed fish, or grilled chicken, or whatever, but there are a few points to consider:

Cost - Chicken's not exactly cheap these days, and is usually pumped full of water, so you're getting even less meat for your money. 'Fresh' veg (not guaranteed to be that fresh) from the supermarket (where a large percentage of people will get their vegetables from) are not cheap either, and with veg markets and greengrocers dying out, there're fewer alternative places to shop.

Time needed to make the food - after a hard day at work, or first thing in the morning before sending the kids off to school, do you actually have the time to make, say, a grilled chicken salad, or home made fishcakes, or whatever?

Effort - Related to time here. How difficult will it be to prepare and make the alternative lunch for your kids?

Will your child actually eat what you give them? - It's all very well if you have the time and money to make these wonderful dishes I'm reading, but kids are used to the same old stuff. Will they turn their nose up at your immaculately made salad? If so, then all your time and money has been wasted trying to feed them properly.

I'm not suggesting it's a waste of time, but a foot in reality might be a good starting point with answering this question, I think.

Answer 5

The answer is simple! Meat and two veg and gravy. That's what the army marches on. I'm 71 and have fed on traditional English food since I was born. In Summer we eat lighter meals in the form of salads.
What I cannot understand is how I have been fed this way since I was 3 ? and nowadays it's more looked up to.
Now I wouldn't want you to think that's all I eat; I do have a varied diet but nothing Indian or Chinese, although I might venture into a little Italian stuff. But Fish is also important in my diet.
Also note that I've never taken drugs! Why? Because my diet is right and so is my Mindset; I am never bored.
I am a County Cross Country Champion and I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. I put that all down to my Mum feeding me right and then continuing her wisdom during my life.

Answer 6

Healthy chips with healthy pizza.
Ingredients:
Baby potatoes (4-5 per person)
Carrott (one per 3 people)
Button mushrooms
onion (red/white)
cucumber
baby tomatoes
grated cheese (low fat)
Italian herb mix
Garlic(any kind-garlic and herb shaker is what I use)
One calorie spray oil
One panini bread (one to two people)

Method:
Cut the baby potatoes and carrott into thin slices maybe half an inch thick.Spray the one calorie oil in a thin layer on a baking tray.Place the carrotts and potatao onto the tray and cover with a dusting of italian herb and garlic.
Place under the grill at high temp (takes about 5 mins and a further min when you've turned them over)
About half way through the potato &carrott cooking time add the mushrooms (just place them stalks up on the tray)
and the pizza slices.
For the pizza slices:
Cut panini in half place slices of cucumber and tomato on each slice plus some finely chopped onion.Place some grated cheese on top and dust with Italian herb.Place in oven with the rest until cheese has melted.Mushrooms are ready when they have a pool of "juice" around the stalk.
Serve all with some low calorie garlic mayonaisse or a tablespoon of beans.

Answer 7

Spiralli pasta with the following as a sauce - perfect for children and healthy too:

Stick a roughly chopped onion and a few garlic cloves in a mini food proccessor and chop it fine.
Put 3 tblsp virgin olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion mixture then heat gently (dont let it go brown)
Add 1 tin chopped tomatoes, freashly ground black pepper, handful chopped fresh basil and half an italian oxo cube.
Allow sauce to simmer for 15 mins then server over the cooked pasta.

You can use this recipe with any sort of pasta - wholemeal or spinach and also add veg such as peppers and courgettes.

I find my kids love it and I know what goes into it so I feel at ease too!

PS. The odd portion of chips never did any harm - everthing in moderation.

Answer 8

To make healthy meals for my very fussy eaters I have found using the following veg chopped small works.

1.Stir fry the following:
Few cloves of garlic
onion (or red onion)Red and green peppers
Then allowing for time and contents of fridge add no other veg or a combination or all of the following:
mushroom
Maybe sweet red peppers, yellow or orange peppers they love the colours
courgette
aubergine
brocolli
grated carrot
peas
chopped frozen spinach
any canned beans or lentils

2.Now is the time to add and stir fry chicken or minced meat.If adding fish canned or fresh anything will do add at the same time as the sauce.

3. Add a sauce, I add organic curry or pasta sauce jars mainly or a tin of tomatoes. Chuck in herbs if you want. Cook half an hour - or less if you have less time, they still eat it.

4. Serve with your choice pasta, rice, quinnoa (protein, omegas 3, 6, 9 +iron), cous cous with cheese for calcium on top if it matches.

Nearly every meal I make is based on this.

Answer 9

Their is an easy alternative to chips. My kids love them too.
Get some big baking spuds, slice in half, and then slice each half into quarters. You end up with 8 wedges. Toss these is a little olive oil, along with some italian herbs, a little cruched garlic, some chilli powder aswell if you like. Add salt and ground black pepper. Bung them on a roasting tray and bake them in a hot oven for about 30-40 minutes. If the wedges are thick, they may need a little longer. They come out golden brown, and full of flavour. And because the only oil you use is olive oil, and you dont use much of it, they are also quite healthy.

Serve these as a direct alternative to chips.

Answer 10

On days' when we're in a hurry, I make a whole wheat pasta with a simple marinara sauce (essentially canned stewed tomatoes and some herbs and spices). Also some frozen garlic bread and pre-packaged salad go well with the pasta. Mashed potatoes and gravy, with some roasted chicken (you can buy them all ready to go at the deli section of your supermarket), and some veggies or a salad. Usual veggies are asparagus, carrots, squash (zucchini, yellow squash), peas, okra. Eggplant or Chicken Parmesan--this sounds hard to make but it's super easy. Just take some chicken breast or sliced eggplant. Dip it in a bowl of beaten eggs and then dip it in breadcrumbs. Then you can fry it or bake it in the oven. If frying it, put some cheese on top as soon as it's done so it melts, or if you're using the oven you can just put the cheese on top when it's almost done and the oven will melt it. We like to put some marinara sauce on top and pair it off with a salad. Stir fry is a quick easy choice too. Pretty much just saute a bunch of cut-up veggies(your choice) which can be fresh or frozen. You can add strips of chicken or meat if you like as well. Add some soy sauce, terriyake, sweet and sour, dried or fresh herbs or what ever combination you like to make it special and good for you guys. We like to eat the veggies with chow mein (found in the grocery store, easy directions on the back) or white or brown rice. This is one my daughter's favorites because she likes to use her hands to pick up the chinks of veggies. I know it can be hard to feed a little one and maintain a healthy balanced diet. I'm vegetarian but y husband isn't so I totally understand your dilemma. These are some of the staples in our house that I can think of right now. If you want more recipes or ideas I absolutely love cooking and would be more than happy to give you some recipes or dinner ideas that are good for adults and little kids, just send me an email or something. Hope this helped!

Answer 11

I'll answer for young kids:

Start how you mean to go on - get your kids used to good healthy options from the start. Be firm with granny if she tries to undermine your regime.

Whatever you prepare, make it interesting, and let your child help prepare the food, so far as it is safe to do so. They are much more likely to eat (and force mum and dad to eat) something they feel they've prepared themselves.

a couple of ideas:-

Mini jacket spuds. Nothing bigger than golf balls. Bake the small potatoes, split and fill them with grated edam and a mini bacon rasher. The child can help, (with very close supervision), or could at least decorate the plates with a side salad to their own design (prepare salad pieces beforehand so no knives involved).

Dalek's dinner. cook up some mashed potato and shredded cabbage in a pan with chopped corned beef. Once it's all mushy, put it in a low sided heatproof dish and smooth it flat; then put upturned halves of cherry tomatoes all over it in neat lines (the child could do this). Pop it in the oven or under the grill until the tomatoes are done to your preference.