# Healthy meals that kids love???



## mandy moore (May 26, 2009)

i need ideas for healthy cooked meals for my 3 years old....

she is not picky at all..and loves healthy food.. she HATES SWEETS AND stuff that all children seem to love ..! 

i am so proud of her ..

any ideas for good home made healthy food ?


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## MomsKitchenAndStuff (May 26, 2009)

Your three year old needs to have a talk with my three year old....

However, my girls love to dip veggies - even the green ones - in salad dressing.


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## kadesma (May 26, 2009)

My grand kids very in food likes and dislike, two of them adore fruits and veggies meat comes in second. They love pasta with my ravioli sauce or just evoo and parm add a little chopped up tomato and basil and they dive in..They do all love homemade chicken strips..I just use chicken tenders, that I  dust with flour, then  dip in egg, then into panko pat well to seat panko, put in a sprayed baking dish..I do add some melted butter to each strip, espically when one of them is being picky a little salt makes them all happy..Two of  them like them plain, two others like ranch...add some green beans with garlic and bacon and they dive right in..EAch one loves some wither French or Italian bread and butter..Put out a plate of carrots,celery, jicama, sliced zucchini, blanched cauliflour and broccoli with ranch dip they fight over it..A platter of watermelon,grapes,apples,cantaloupe,mangoes, strawberries,bluberries, these kids are like buzz saws Oh and they love deviled eggs...
kadesma


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## Deathbysoup (May 26, 2009)

I have 3 much younger brothers and a 6 year old niece. Some are pickier than others but they all generally like most of these things. 

Tortellini tossed with butter - Kids like noodles and plain stuff is my theory on this one . 

Homemade chicken fingers as the poster above me  wrote. My niece is a big fan of chicken nuggets ( probably the frozen variety ) but she eats these up and then at least it's healthier.
Same goes for fries. I usually chop up a few golden fingerling potatoes and a sweet potato and bake them . Of course ketchup or a dip is required. 

What I call de-constructed salad . I just chop up the veggies and put them on their plate with a dip , some cheese cubes, cold spiral pasta in dressing , some grapes, strawberries etc. 

Mini burgers. 

French toast strips . 

Tortillas spread with cream cheese, veggie salsa , shredded cheese and chopped in a roll. Sour cream for dipping.

Cheese qusadillas . Massive hit with my brothers and so easy for me to make all at once in the oven on a cookie sheet

Frozen fruit as a snack . They always ask for more.

Healthy muffins always go over well . Especially if you spread something on them . Strawberry perserves , peanut butter etc.

Eggs and Soldiers for breakfast . Easy and quick . Most kids love to dip . ( soft boiled egg with toast cut in strips ) 

Pancakes with a variety of sliced fresh fruit to top with .


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## mandy moore (May 27, 2009)

kadesma said:


> My grand kids very in food likes and dislike, two of them adore fruits and veggies meat comes in second. They love pasta with my ravioli sauce or just evoo and parm add a little chopped up tomato and basil and they dive in..They do all love homemade chicken strips..I just use chicken tenders, that I dust with flour, then dip in egg, then into panko pat well to seat panko, put in a sprayed baking dish..I do add some melted butter to each strip, espically when one of them is being picky a little salt makes them all happy..Two of them like them plain, two others like ranch...add some green beans with garlic and bacon and they dive right in..EAch one loves some wither French or Italian bread and butter..Put out a plate of carrots,celery, jicama, sliced zucchini, blanched cauliflour and broccoli with ranch dip they fight over it..A platter of watermelon,grapes,apples,cantaloupe,mangoes, strawberries,bluberries, these kids are like buzz saws Oh and they love deviled eggs...
> kadesma


 
Your grands are so lucky to have you )))
god bless you ...
your fooood sounds so yummyyyyyyyyy


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## mandy moore (May 27, 2009)

Deathbysoup said:


> I have 3 much younger brothers and a 6 year old niece. Some are pickier than others but they all generally like most of these things.
> 
> Tortellini tossed with butter - Kids like noodles and plain stuff is my theory on this one .
> 
> ...


 


GREAT !!!!!!! WOW .... a lot of ideas to ry , thanks


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## mandy moore (May 27, 2009)

MomsKitchenAndStuff said:


> Your three year old needs to have a talk with my three year old....
> 
> However, my girls love to dip veggies - even the green ones - in salad dressing.


 


Hahhahhahaha   ill send her for a talk !!!!!  


ill try the salad dressing .. thouh i always find her oppening my friedge for
a veggie !!!  i wish i were like her !!! i am so much into sweets .. 
i am trying to control though !!!! :

anyway ... Have a happy healthy cooking !!


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## Claire (May 27, 2009)

My younger friends vary a lot in their tastes, but most children I know like macaroni and cheese and to get them to go for veggies, raw with dip.  Children in large families like things that appear to be packaged just for them.  In other words, a small baggie of veggies for each of a few kids might go over better than a big platter for all three of them.  My nephews loved anything you could dip.  Fruit with a cool whip (buy the low fat if you're kids have weight issues) or cream cheese based dip (again, you can buy lower fat versions if there's an issue) with almost anything.  I had a young friend who had juvenile diabetes, and her mom loved the both my mother and I tended to make stuff without extra sugar in it.  They thought we were doing it for our young friend, but in fact, none of us had much of a sweet tooth to begin with.  So you simply don't find a lot of sugary snacks around my house, nor chips .... once every week or two I buy a small bag of chips of some kind, the dollar sized little bag at the checkout stand, and my husband and I share it.  We just don't keep that stuff around.  My parents didn't, my husband's parents didn't.  In order to get junk food, it took a special trip.  This can help keep your kids healthy.


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## MaconClearStar (Aug 22, 2009)

Healthy Hearvest pasta whole grain and all natural cheese. Instant mac and cheese. Let it soak long enough or it comes out really dry. Down sides: high carb, some salt from cheese otherwise very healthy, very yummy.


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## apple*tart (Aug 23, 2009)

There's a recipe for Everyday Macaroni and Cheese in Cook's Illusrated's The Best Light Recipes that I love.  When the weather is cool, we eat it pretty regularly with loads of produce on the side - usually steamed veggies and chilled fresh fruit.  We use 2% cheese rather than the 50% reduced fat cheese the recipe calls for, which ups the fat and calories some, but tastes much better.  You could use full-fat cheese and it would still be better for you than conventional homemade mac n cheese.  I use the Barilla Plus elbow mac.  You get creamy mac n cheese with a relatively low ingredient count, no cream, and no butter.  I save that stuff for a once-in-a-while indulgence.


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## pua.melia409 (Nov 6, 2009)

easy shoyu chicken with rice....

6-8 pieces chicken
1/2 soy sauce (i use kikoman)
1/2 cup water
1/2 sugar
1 tablespoon shredded ginger root
1 tablespoon fresh garlic

combine the above and pour over chicken in a casserole dish. bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30-35 minutes. cook rice in either a pot or instant, either one works. i truly enjoy white rice with this but you can make brown to make the meal even healthier.


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## kerstenpretty21 (Nov 10, 2009)

*reply*

when i was young i love fried chicken but hate to eat veges. my mother had a way she would tell me i can only eat my favorite food if i eat veges. so i get used eating veges. cook her mashed potato with a gravy on top (make the gravy tasty) or try baking a pizza with chopped meat and veges (make it on tiny pieces so that she wouldnt know she is eating it).


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## SmartTips (Dec 9, 2009)

Healthy and quick homemade pizza bread.  Our mother used to take a whole wheat role.   Layer some tomatoe paste/all natural sauce and sprinkle low fat fortified Mozarella Cheese on top.  Put in Toaster Oven.

Toast (might have to do it 2x) and Serve.   Takes 5-7 minutes, is filling, and pretty healthy.


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## CookLikeJulia (Jan 14, 2010)

mandy moore said:


> i need ideas for healthy cooked meals for my 3 years old....
> 
> she is not picky at all..and loves healthy food.. she HATES SWEETS AND stuff that all children seem to love ..!
> 
> ...


I remember I had leftover soup in a day I was not able to go do my grocery and cook, so I fed it to my daughter 2 1/2 years old, she loved it.  May be you can give it a try, and it's very healthy. 

1 can chicken broth
3 T chicken base
2 quarts water
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 inch chunk ginger, peeled and crushed
2 bay leaves
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 large red pepper, chopped
12 baby carrots, thinly sliced
2 red potatoes
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 cup of cooked lentils (to make the soup thick and it's tasty too) 

Put everything into a soup pot and simmer gently for 1-2 hours adding water as needed.  You can also add some of your favorite soup seasonings, the one I used is Badia Complete Seasoning.


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## Claire (Jan 14, 2010)

Smarttips, thanks for reminding me of that one.  I'm just going to add one thing.  Buy smaller loaves or pre-cut the loaves into portion size.  Put on the sauce, then let the kids personalize their own french bread pizza.  Slice the toppings you want them to have, and let them decorate their own pizza.  I'll never forget being in a travel trailer in the mountains of NC, just coincidentally when sis was camping with her boys (tent camping in very cold weather), and we had the crew over to the (warm, heated, albeit small) camper and the boys were thrilled to be making their own pizzas.


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## Tuscan Chef (Jan 30, 2010)

We do vegetarian lasagna in our course. Not heavy using besciamel instead of cheese.
Need a receipe? 
We also do a tiramisu without coffee and eggless pasta with pesto


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## vagriller (Jan 30, 2010)

Not sure how healthy thes are but here are some things my kids (7 and 2) like.

- homemade pizza, they get to help pick toppings
- stromboli, really just a pizza with everything inside
- quesadillas
- chips and salsa, we like to mix salsa and sour cream 50/50 as a dipping sauce too
- angel hair w/ marinara sauce
- herb roasted chicken

Many more too, will add them as I think of them.


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## Kathleen (Jan 30, 2010)

When my nieces were very small, we would make pasta with a hand-crank pasta maker.  They loved mixing the pasta and cranking the noodle sheets.  I have a ravioli maker where you handfill the ravioli.  It was like playing with a playdough fun factory.  The kids would eat pretty much anything we made because they made it.  All were especially partial to squash ravioli.  I would toss the cooked pasta with some butter and nuts like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, or pecans.  Something different but yummy.

~Kathleen


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## CookLikeJulia (Feb 22, 2010)

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Most kids love eating fast food. Aside from chowing down on burgers, fries, and pizza, they are also drawn to the appeal of establishments that have mascots, playrooms, and free combo-meal toys.[/FONT]
  [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]But parents have to set a limit,[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]As what i have read some article they said that :
[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]By eating too much fast food [without equal amounts of exercise], kids become obese or overweight. With a high intake of sodium, they overburden their kidneys, too,” they explains. 
[/FONT]


[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]There some Ti i would like to share with mom's. I Have serch this article for better way of giving our kids right nutritions foods heres some :[/FONT]


[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]*1. SKIP THE SODA*[/FONT]
 [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Soft drinks, juice, shakes, and even iced tea made from processed mixes consist mostly of sugar and not much else. Choose fresh fruit juice instead so you give your child her fix of vitamins A and C, folacin, potassium, and other important nutrients.[/FONT]

 [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]*2. GET GRILLED *[/FONT]
 [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Chicken or fish may seem like healthier alternatives to beef patties, but when they are breaded and deep-fried, they soak up more fat. It’s the same story for fries, onion rings, breaded shrimp, and nuggets. Opt for grilled items instead since they contain less grease. However, when eating grilled food, first remove the charred or burnt part as it may contain carcinogens.[/FONT]

 [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]*3. SHARE AWAY*[/FONT]
 [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Try not to order individual servings of French fries for everybody. Get a single order instead and spread it over a tray. Lining the tray with a paper towel absorbs excess oil.[/FONT]

 [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]*4. MAKE YOUR OWN COMBO*[/FONT]
 [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]It may be more convenient to pick a combo meal from the restaurant menu, but this leaves you with little or no freedom to substitute the soda and fries with healthier alternatives. Choosing combo meals could also induce you to upsize your drink and fries. It would be better to order a regular sandwich or pasta and add a salad or vegetable dish.[/FONT]


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## linicx (Feb 22, 2010)

You can make hamburger, meatballs and stew meat healthier by making your own. Removing chicken skin and fat is healthier. I make chicken strips from skinless chicken breast. fry in peanut oil and drain well. I use sea salt. 

Kids need a little fat and sodium, too, but they don't need to be obese.  .


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## Alix (Feb 23, 2010)

CooklikeJulia, are these tips for choosing restaurant meals? It doesn't seem that this is about home cooked food (which is what the OP is looking for. Its good info to have though, could you post a link to the site so we can read the whole article please? Thanks!


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## velochic (Feb 23, 2010)

I don't know if the OP is still looking for ideas since this is such an old thread, but I thought I'd put some ideas out there just in case.  We don't eat fast-food, btw, and dd, at 8 hasn't had nary a chicken mcnugget or soda in her life, so I don't agree that you have to feed them fast food to make them happy eaters.  She's been an adventurous eater all her life.

Some of dd all-time favorite dishes/meals:

- Grilled chicken (I marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts then grill)
- Lamb chops (grilled again)
- Turkish meals (dh from Turkey) like various meat köfte, börek, cold oil dishes
- Ham and beans - just like my granny made it
- Rice and beans
- Spaghetti aglio e olio (garlic and olive oil)
- Veggie lasagne
- Cheese tortellini with basil pesto
- Steak (grilled)
- Various Indian dishes (Keema mataar, mataar paneer, dal makhni)
- Just about anything Mexican... lots of healthy options here
- Panini... usually she prefers chicken, provolone, arugula, and pesto and only eats homemade bread or non-HFCS whole grains
- Soups (split pea is her favorite, but also likes just about anything)
- Egg dishes, such as quiche and frittata
- Steamed mussels
- Whole grilled fish (even likes it with the head on) and beer battered cod
- Grilled shrimp (really likes all seafood)

Sides:
- Legumes such as peas, green beans, warm bean dishes
- Any roasted vegetables (except asparagus)
- Oven roasted fries, home fries, most other potatoes, including sweet potatoes
- green salad, especially with caesar or ranch dressing (creamy, in other words)
- pasta salad
- rice pilaf
- bulghur pilaf
- zucchini fries
- fresh veg from the garden
- tabouleh
- various veg casseroles


Snacks:
- fruit of any sort (don't know of one she doesn't like)
- raw vegetables of any sort
- hummus and pita
- olives and feta cheese
- dill pickles and other pickled foods
- cheese and crackers
- smoothies made with plain yogurt
- plain yogurt, salt and water... what is called "salty lassi" in Indian restaurants, called "ayran" in Turkish
- frozen fruit bars (homemade from just fruit and milk, blended and poured into molds)
- nuts, seeds and legumes
- granola
- wraps cut into bite-sized

She has a really healthy diet and I think the key has been to offer lots of options and not cater to the mentality that kids need to somehow eat differently than adults do.  Hope this offers some more suggestions.  Haven't read the whole thread, though I did read the OP.


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## ChefJune (Feb 23, 2010)

mandy moore said:


> i need ideas for healthy cooked meals for my 3 years old....
> 
> she is not picky at all..and loves healthy food.. she HATES SWEETS AND stuff that all children seem to love ..!
> 
> ...


 
I was like that too, as a kid.  You're lucky she's not a picky eater. You should be able to give her anything you want and she'll eat it. Or at least try it!  

Are you  not sure what healthy meals are? Seems like just about anything you can think of to prepare would be welcomed.


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## CookLikeJulia (Mar 1, 2010)

teach you child to eat vegetables and fruit not a preservative food or in fast food meals. It is not easy to feed the children they very picky of food specially vegies.


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## linicx (Mar 1, 2010)

One of the more simple and healthy foods is chicken. I skin chicken and defat, add sliced carrits and celery, whole peeled onion and cover with water. I add a little sea salt and a touch of pepper and start the soup. Then I either scrub potatoes, cut them up into chunks to the pot, or, when the chicen is amost finished, I remove the onion and add noodles. In any case, I use onion for flavoring and remove it. You can always add a can of chicken broth, or a cube of chicken flavoring.


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## CookLikeJulia (Mar 2, 2010)

The best healthy meals for kids for me are vegetable and fruits is the best way to teach your children for meal s.


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