Fun healthy food for kids
When it comes to food, we all know that kids are harder to please than any picky dinner guest. If it isn’t something totally unhealthy, kids probably aren’t even going to smell it. They gobble up a full cheese pizza or a fried chicken burger, but when it comes to greens and fruits – it’s easier to pass a candy crush level than to convince them to eat such stuff! You can give them all the threats of the world, but the second you turn your back, your dog is gobbling up their greens. So what’s the solution? It’s time to make healthy yet fun meals for kids..it’ll be something they can’t resist.
Instead of trying to feed them raw carrots, cucumbers and tomatos why not make a pinini. It sounds much cooler than a sandwich and they’re not going to say no to anything stuffed with cheese and grilled. Cut up all these vegetables into tiny pieces and throw in some meat – you’ve got yourself a balanced, healthy and surprisingly tasty meal. One way to trick them into eating vegetables is by baking them. Remove the insides of any vegetable – capsicum, zucchini, potato and fill it up with literally anything as long as its topped with cheese! Let it bake and they’re going to dig in without realizing it’s a veggie.
For those kids who only want ‘junk food’, you can make burgers stuffed with vegetables (in the patty as well as the relish). Home made whole wheat base pizza’s topped with a variety of vegetables and meats will also have them fooled. For the kids who love maggi, just add some vegetables and chicken ..and tell them it’s a special masala maggi. Make interesting stuff like chicken tacos, a burrito bowl (all the burrito ingredients stuffed into a bowl), stuffed grille cheese roll ups(basically where you roll up some cheese and veggies in a piece of bread and lightly fry it). The more you experiment with food, the more they will be willing to eat without complaining.
When they’re looking for something to snack on, one will usually find them eating chips or biscuits. Try making homemade cookies and biscuits – oatmeal cookies, banana and chocolate chip cookies and many more. You could make healthy concoctions like slicing an apple and spreading peanut butter on it, which you further top with dried fruits. Even items like carrot pancakes and banana waffles are a great hit with children.
There is no child who doesn’t over indulge when it comes to dessert. So instead of feeding them store bought dessert, try making it at home. Homemade flavored ice creams are always healthier than store bought ones. One way to make cupcakes, chocolate cakes and muffins is by making them healthy – use atta instead of flour, use brown sugar or honey instead of sugar.(2) This way you might just get your child addicted to healthy carrot cakes, pumpkin biscuits, apple bundt cakes and many more such homemade desserts. If you can’t beat them, join them!
