Healthy Cooking for Kids

Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Well
Getting kids involved in cooking is one way to encourage healthful eating. If they help prepare it, they just may eat it. Following are suggestions, tips, the best and worst foods for kids, plus some healthy recipes you're children are sure to enjoy!

An eating regimen that is too rigid or rigorous also has pitfalls. Moderation is the key to success.

As children develop good eating habits, praise them. Reward an all out good effort with an occasional non-edible treat, such as a movie pass or tickets to a ball game.

Do not expect immediate results. Changing eating and exercise habits gradually offers a much better chance that your child will make them a way of life.

It may be more convenient to feed kids smaller meals and give them nutritious nibbles between meals when they are hungry. That is one way to sneak in fruits and vegetables when the kids are not expecting them and are the most likely to eat them because they are hungry.

Remember to combine different colors and textures at mealtime to make it more interesting and enticing.

The Worst and Best Foods for Kids
Following are ten of the worst children's foods, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The Worst:

  1. Soda
  2. Hamburgers
  3. Hot dogs
  4. Ice cream
  5. Bologna
  6. Whole milk
  7. American cheese
  8. French fries and Tater Tots
  9. Pizza loaded with cheese and meat
  10. Chocolate bars

The Best:

  1. Fresh fruits and vegetables (especially carrot sticks, cantaloupe, oranges, watermelon, strawberries)
  2. Chicken breast and drumstick without skin or breading
  3. Cheerios, Wheaties or other whole-grain, low-sugar cereals
  4. Skim or 1-percent milk
  5. Extra-lean ground beef or vegetable burgers
  6. Low fat hot dogs
  7. Non-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt
  8. Fat free corn chips or potato chips
  9. Seasoned air-popped popcorn
  10. Whole wheat crackers or Small World animal crackers

"Build-Your-Own" Recipes for Kids

Pita Pockets:
Put out whole wheat pita breads sliced in half, small pieces of sliced turkey breast or low fat cheese and vegetables such as lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, sliced cucumbers and bean sprouts. Let the diners spice up their sandwiches with mustard, cranberry sauce or salsa.

Baked Potato:
Offer healthful toppings for baked potatoes such as grated part-skim Parmesan cheese, plain non-fat yogurt flavored with curry or dill, ratatouille, vegetables sauteed in water or a little oil, canned (without salt) or frozen peas and salsa.

Chef's Salad:
Set out washed and torn lettuce, fresh spinach, diced turkey and lean ham, low fat cheese, hard-cooked eggs or egg whites, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and carrots. Serve fresh bread on the side.

Burritos:
Offer cooked ground turkey, cooked kidney or black beans (drained if using canned), hot sauce, black olives, cooked rice, torn-up lettuce, diced tomatoes and warmed flour tortillas.

Recipes

Gobbledygook

Ingredients
4 cups Cheerios or other toasted oat cereal
1 cup chopped shelled peanuts
1 cup raisins or dried pitted prunes or apricots, chopped
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped pretzels

Directions
Mix cereal, nuts and raisins in large bowl. Pour melted margarine over cereal mixture and toss lightly with fork until coated. Sprinkle in seeds and pretzel bits and toss again. Or, place whole mixture into large plastic bag, seal and shake well. Serve in sandwich bags or small bowls. May be refrigerated in airtight container up to one week.

Recipe makes six to eight servings.

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Teddy Bear Carousel

Ingredients:
One apple, sliced
Eight Teddy Grahams
Two Gummi Bears
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
Eight toothpicks

Directions:
Cut cored apples crosswise into ¼-inch slices to form circles. Discard or eat top and bottom of apple. Spread two circles with peanut butter. Stick four toothpicks, equal distances apart, around edge of one apple circle, peanut butter side up. Top with second apple circle, peanut butter side up, and secure to tops of toothpicks to form carousel. Stand four Teddy Grahams in peanut butter between toothpicks on bottom apples slice. Place Gummi Bear in center of carousel roof. Repeat to make second and third carousel. Serve, but be careful with toothpicks.

Recipe makes three servings.

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Fresh Fruit Shake

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen ripe strawberries
One large, ripe banana
3/4 cup pineapple, cranberry or grape juice
Three ice cubes
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
If using fresh strawberries, cut off stems with small, sharp knife. Peel banana and break into chunks. Put chunks into container of blender. Add berries to blender, then add fruit juice and ice cubes. Add honey to make a sweeter shake.

Place lid on blender. Fold kitchen towel in half, drape it over blender and firmly hold down lid with your hand. Turn blender on to high speed - continue pressing down on lid so it stays in place and is not forced off by the whirling liquid inside. Blend until shake is thick and smooth, about one minute.

Pour shake into one or two glasses.

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See also:
Diabetic Recipes for Kids
10 Tips to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity For Youth

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