Healthy Meal Alternatives for Kids

Coming up with creative and healthy meal ideas for a picky pre-schooler can be pretty difficult. Often parents
will find their little one's taste buds wedged between the confines of chicken nuggets and french fries, with no intention of trying something new in sight. I will make a plate of steamed broccoli for my son, lightly salted and buttered - and put it in front of him expecting him to dive right in. I tell him, "they are tiny trees, pretend to be a dinosaur!" The novelty seems to wear off after he's made it through just one floret. I know what he's looking for; where are the carbohydrates, where is all the sodium, where is the deep fried, strangely shaped chicken nugget goodness?

Making a compromise between knowing my son has eaten so he won't go hungry, and skipping out on the nutritious stuff weighs in heavily for me. How can I get him to eat healthy items? A theme I have noticed among youngsters is that they generally prefer things to be items on sticks or finger food. As the old saying goes (well, let's making it a saying) "Kids love anything on a stick!" That can include speared vegetables, fruits, chicken, beef, tofu, cheese - you name it. Children prefer a more interactive meal that doesn't intimidate them with weirdness (otherwise known as grown up food - eww!) This can be accomplished through giving an array of several bite sized items, with a healthy dipping sauce. Sliced apples and pears accompanied by a little portion of peanut butter or caramel dipping sauce. Cut celery stalks stuffed with peanut butter or dunked into low fat ranch dressing. Carrots aren't any fun as just carrots. Cut them up into tiny disks or thin slices along with cucumbers and cauliflower - make a colorful presentation for them. Arrange the food into faces, animal shapes, the rainbow - whatever it takes to add some wow to the plate. Re-work what your child already adores, add some healthy components and cut out the scare factor. My son digs chicken quesadillas, a real hands on food that he can dress up with a sour cream and salsa. I add a scoop-able mound of brown rice alongside the quesadilla triangles and give him a selection of cut fresh fruit. Tiny pieces, kept simple and appealing to the eye - makes for a great kid's meal.

If you are having a hard time getting any decent proteins into your kiddo, chicken nuggets don't have to be a nemesis here, in fact if you bake them they can be quite a decent meal component. They can always hit the table alongside some applesauce and green beans (green french fries, anyone?) or incorporate peas and carrots into the already fabulous pile of mashed potatoes. Making food for your children shouldn't be a complicated, arduous task. It should be fun, easy, and something you can get creative with. Don't be afraid to break away from the PB&J with chips. There are plenty of healthy food options out there that your children can grow to love.