Sometimes, getting kids to eat healthy meals turns into a daunting task. You might find your green veggies and whole grains are met with a less-than-stellar reaction from your little ones.
Luckily, there are so many creative ways to get your children to eat their veggies and enjoy healthy kid-friendly meals.
With a selection of healthy snack, breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes for kids (from watermelon salad to chocolate pancakes), we’re certain you’ll find something in this article for the whole family to enjoy.
But before diving into recipes, let’s take a look at five creative ways to get your kids excited about nutritious meals and fresh ingredients.
5 Tips for Healthy Food Success
Whether you’re making raw veggies fun with ranch dressing dip or enlisting the help of your kids as sous chefs, here are five tips for healthy eating habits among your children.
1. Combat Bitter Flavors With Butter
Kids’ taste buds are naturally sensitive to bitter tastes (like kale), so it comes as no surprise that they immediately back off when a plate of greens is put in front of them. If you want to integrate these greens, cut back on this bitter taste with butter. It adds creaminess and a nice taste to veggies like broccoli, kale and green beans.
2. Make It Fun
If you make things fun, chances are your kids will enjoy it! When I was growing up, raw veggies were a favorite. My mom would have an assortment of “veggie appetizers” like sliced carrots, celery and broccoli awaiting us before dinner. She’d serve them with homemade buttermilk ranch and we’d call it “snow.” We loved topping our veggies with snow and crunching on them before dinner.
3. Find out What Your Kids Like
Just as some adults prefer asparagus to brussels sprouts, kids do, too. Let them explore a rainbow of veggies and see what they like best. Maybe they prefer baked carrots with maple syrup or green beans with sliced almonds. My nephew even loves eating handfuls of raw chives! You never know until you try. So get creative and be open to new possibilities and variations with your vegetable recipes.
4. Go for a Smoothie (or Juice)
If the kids just aren’t into the idea of veggies, that’s okay! Opt for nutritious smoothies and juices where you can pack in vitamins and minerals of items like spinach, nut butter, banana slices, greek yogurt, and cucumbers without altering the taste too much.
5. Make Your Little Ones Chefs
Need an assistant chef for cooking your weeknight dinners? Perfect! The best way to find out which kid-friendly meals are a hit is to actually enlist the help of your kids. Take them to the farmers market or the local grocery store. Let them peel and slice, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with black pepper and sea salt. If they’re involved with and interested in the process, they may be more intrigued to eat the end result.
Kid-Friendly Recipes
From crispy zucchini fritters to homemade corn tortillas or an all-day quiche, here are recipe ideas for healthy kid-friendly meals sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.
5 Ingredient Zucchini Fritters
If you’re looking for a creative way to get kids to eat their vegetables, look no further. These 5 Ingredient Zucchini Fritters are crunchy, delectable and delicious. Enlist the help of the kids to shred the summer zucchini before mixing it with eggs, spices and flour. After the fritters are fried in oil, top them with sour cream and fresh chives and serve them as an appetizer or side dish.
Shrimp Tacos with Homemade Corn Tortillas
Taco Tuesday can be a fun event for the whole family, especially with this recipe for Shrimp Tacos with Homemade Corn Tortillas. Using Organic Masa Harina, salt and warm water, making fresh tortillas is actually really simple (and is something kids love to do). Once the warm tortillas and shrimp are prepared, have your little ones help assemble by spooning the slaw into the center before topping with shrimp and sliced avocado. Garnish each taco with cilantro leaves and serve with lime wedges on the side.
Hawaiian Pizza with Honey Whole Wheat Crust
This beautiful and tasty Hawaiian Pizza with Honey Whole Wheat Crust is loaded with Canadian bacon, cheese, and pineapple. It’s made with Whole Wheat Flour and Medium Grind Cornmeal (for dusting) and is a nutritious version of a kid-friendly favorite. After the pizza is baked, garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve it hot. Some even say a side of homemade buttermilk ranch dressing with fresh herbs is the perfect accompaniment.
5 Ingredient Almond Chicken Tenders
When it comes to kid-friendly meals that adults love, too, we just can’t get enough of these incredible 5 Ingredient Almond Chicken Tenders. They’re made with whisked eggs, almond flour, chopped parsley, salt and pepper, and chicken tenders. To create them, have kids help coat the chicken in the seasoned almond flour, then pop them in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve them alongside honey mustard or BBQ sauce and a big salad for a nutritious family-favorite meal.
Savory Butternut Tart
This Savory Butternut Tart can turn even the pickiest of vegetable eaters into butternut squash enthusiasts. The dough is made with Gluten Free Pie Crust Mix, butter, egg and cold water, while the filling is a mix of butternut squash, olive oil, salt, onion, butter, fresh thyme, gruyere and shredded parmesan.
Green Machine Smoothie
Sometimes the best way to encourage kids to eat their veggies is by way of a Green Machine Smoothie. In addition to being delicious, this drink is an excellent source of protein and fiber. Kids will find the color fun and the diced green apples on top are an added bonus for texture and flavor.
Potato and Kale Vegan Quiche
Quiche is a wonderful and nutritious kid-friendly meal. Think of it as a fancier version of scrambled eggs with veggies (but in a pie form). You can essentially eat quiche for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack or dinner, which makes it a beautifully versatile option to keep in mind. The crust for this hearty Potato and Kale Vegan Quiche is made with our Gluten Free Pie Crust Mix and the garbanzo bean flour actually acts as an egg replacement for vegans and non-egg eaters.
Crispy Rosemary Corn Flake Chicken With Cornbread Waffles
Chicken and waffles are a super fun recipe for kids and parents to make together. This recipe for Crispy Rosemary Corn Flake Chicken With Cornbread Waffles integrates nutritious ingredients like almond milk, Gluten Free Medium Cornmeal, Gluten Free Corn Flour, Sweet White Rice Flour, eggs, fresh rosemary and boneless skinless chicken breasts for a nutritious twist on a family favorite dish. Better yet, when popped into the oven, this chicken becomes golden, crispy and amazingly delicious.
Watermelon Quinoa Salad with Fermented Honey
Many little ones love the sweet and delicate taste of watermelon. So if you’re trying to get them to eat their fruits, veggies and grains, consider a dish like this Watermelon Quinoa Salad with Fermented Honey. It has a unique but tasty flavor that is complemented by ingredients like feta and fresh basil. It’s great for a summer afternoon picnic at the park alongside homemade sandwiches.
Sweet and Spicy Crispy Chickpeas
Chickpeas are legumes that are packed full of nutrition. That’s why we love this recipe for Sweet and Crispy Chickpeas so much, because it turns these garbanzo beans into a crisp and flavorful snack. They’re easy to whip up and kids will love helping drizzle olive oil over them before baking. Eat them on their own or throw them into a chopped kale salad with a creamy homemade cilantro dressing.
Healthy Chocolate Protein Pancakes
Pancakes are always a fun kid-friendly breakfast option, and they’re even better when they’re chocolate pancakes. These Healthy Chocolate Protein Pancakes are light and fluffy and packed with plant based protein and fiber in each bite. They’re made with a mix of Gluten Free Oat Flour, Chocolate Protein Powder Nutritional Booster, cocoa powder, coconut oil, eggs and almond milk. The chocolate sauce is created with chopped bittersweet chocolate, coconut milk, maple and maple syrup. Top your cakes with cut up strawberries and bananas, and you have a kid friendly breakfast that adults will love, too.
Whether you’re looking to encourage healthy eating or trying to inspire the nutritious chef within your kids, we hope these tips, tricks and recipes have helped you think outside the box when it comes to kid-friendly eating.
There are so many different ways to get kids excited and eager to eat well, to cook, and to enjoy meal time spent with family. Have any favorite tips you’d like to share? Feel free to comment below! We’d love to hear from you.
From all of us at Bob’s Red Mill, thanks for reading and happy eating!
