Welcome to the world of picky eaters! You have children. They make fun of everything from peas to oatmeal. There are two main goals when it comes to cooking for kids. First, you want to cook what they like to eat, or at least what they will eat. This means searching through their vast library of cooking ideas to satisfy your hunger. Second, you want them to eat healthy foods. They learn about the food pyramid at school, but getting them to experience it at home can be challenging.
Sitting at the table ordering them to eat their vegetables can sometimes be effective, but that doesn’t mean it’s fun for you or them. You can add some perennial favorites to the health-packed ideas. Try putting peanut butter on celery sticks. This also works with cream cheese. Use cucumber chips and ranch sauce instead of French fries. You get a vegetable in their system and they’re getting a treat at snack time. The same goes for cantaloupe and melons. These make great snacks and are a much-needed fruit in these all-important diets for little ones.
You know you can’t have mac and cheese for every meal, but meals don’t have to be complicated either. There are easy dinner recipes that kids will love. We do a lot of mixins. We put chicken or turkey in the spaghetti sauce. We added tuna and a vegetable to the macaroni and cheese. Cheez Wiz ® on a Veggie seems to entice my kids to eat their veggies. The result is quick and easy recipes that kids love to munch on.
The other thing to remember is that while we like the idea of easy cooking, it needs to be more than just easy dinner recipes. We must plan healthy and easy recipes. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, always opt for fresh ingredients. If you can’t get fresh, use frozen. There are fewer additives in frozen fruits and vegetables. The water or juices that contain sugar and preservative are used in frozen products. They make a healthier choice in their easy dinner recipes.
Boldly go where no child has gone before in your kitchen. Try new foods. This is especially a good idea if you are cooking with children. They are more likely to taste what they helped cook. It also gives you great family time. If you cook something easy with the children, neither you nor they will get bored of the process and will be willing to try new foods and different flavors. This will add a fresh look to some quick and easy recipes and provide your family with great meals.
Work on the main things. You need healthy and easy recipes. Great culinary ideas often make great dinners. You need affordable, kid-approved meals. This may take a bit of effort to rewrite what you use for a cookbook, but it definitely has some long-term benefits. Using easy dinner recipes and cooking in crock pots will save you time, money, and aggravation. You want meals that are kid-friendly and affordable. Make it fun. Make it healthy. Keep it easy. It’s worth the rewards.