“
”
Health Tips for Today - Healthy Recipes for Kids. Give your kids what they want to eat yummy recipes that will have them running to the dinner table! Teaching kids to eat healthy foods at a young age will help them develop healthy eating patterns for life, so we’ve included kid-friendly recipes with a variety of vegetables, using proteins that are naturally lower in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals. These delicious kid-friendly recipes will help your kids learn to love whole grains (most kids should be eating at least 6 ounces a day!). And don’t forget calcium-rich recipes to build strong bones. This collection of healthy kid-friendly recipes gets high marks from kids of all ages and is designed to make meal planning easier. We think your whole family will love them also..
Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers
Instead of batter-dipped, deep-fried nuggets, we coat chicken tenders in a seasoned almond and whole-wheat flour crust and then oven-fry them to perfection. With half the fat of standard breaded chicken tenders, you can enjoy to your (healthy) heart's content. Health Tips for Today - Healthy Recipes for Kids.
Makes: Makes 4 servings
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
Fish Sticks
You can make these homemade fish sticks in about the same amount of time it takes to bake a box of the frozen kind. Make it a meal: Serve with lemon wedges, coleslaw, roasted new potatoes and a dollop of tartar sauce. Health Tips for Today - Healthy Recipes for Kids.
Makes: 4 servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers
Makes: Makes 4 servings
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- Canola oil cooking spray
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 pound chicken tenders, (see Ingredient Note)
- Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.
- Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.
- Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.
- Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.
Tips & Notes
Ingredient note:
Chicken tenders, virtually fat-free, are a strip of rib meat typically found attached to the underside of the chicken breast, but they can also be purchased separately. Four 1-ounce tenders will yield a 3-ounce cooked portion. Tenders are perfect for quick stir-fries, chicken satay or kid-friendly breaded “chicken fingers.”
Nutrition
Per serving: 174 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 66 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 27 g protein; 1 g fiber; 254 mg sodium; 76 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (31% daily value).
Exchanges: 3 very lean meat, 1/2 fat
BBQ Baked Beans & Sausage
Here we turn baked beans into an easy main dish by adding chicken sausage and collard greens. Serve with: Coleslaw and cornbread. Health Tips for Today - Healthy Recipes for Kids.
Makes: 4 servings, about 11/3 cups each
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce, (see Shopping Tip)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cups chopped collard greens, (about 10 ounces), tough stems removed
- 9 ounces cooked chicken sausage links, (about 3 links), halved lengthwise and sliced
- 2 15-ounce cans great northern or navy beans, rinsed (see Note)
Directions
- Whisk barbecue sauce, water, tomato paste, molasses, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and collard greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until the collards are wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes more.
- Reduce heat to medium-low; add beans and the sauce mixture to the pan. Gently stir to combine, cover and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
Tips & Notes
Shopping tip:
Check the sodium of your favorite barbecue sauce some can be quite high. This recipe was developed with a sauce containing 240 mg sodium per 2-tablespoon serving.
Note:
While we love the convenience of canned beans, they tend to be high in sodium. Give them a good rinse before adding to a recipe to rid them of some of their sodium (up to 35 percent) or opt for low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties. (These recipes are analyzed with rinsed, regular canned beans.) Or, if you have the time, cook your own beans from scratch.
Nutrition
Per serving: 444 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 45 mg cholesterol; 66 g carbohydrates; 28 g protein; 14 g fiber; 653 mg sodium; 987 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Folate (61% daily value), Vitamin A (50% dv), Vitamin C (35% dv), Magnesium (33% dv), Iron (23% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 3 1/2
Exchanges: 3 starch , 2 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 2 plant-based protein
Cheese-&-Spinach-Stuffed Portobellos
Here we take the elements of a vegetarian lasagna filling ricotta, spinach and Parmesan cheese and nestle them into roasted portobello mushroom caps. The recipe works best with very large portobello caps; if you can only find smaller ones, buy one or two extra and divide the filling among all the caps. Serve with a tossed salad and a whole-wheat dinner roll or spaghetti tossed with marinara sauce. Health Tips for Today - Healthy Recipes for Kids.
Makes: 4 servings
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 large portobello mushroom caps
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped kalamata olives
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3/4 cup prepared marinara sauce
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place mushroom caps, gill-side up, on the prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mash ricotta, spinach, 1/4 cup Parmesan, olives, Italian seasoning and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Place marinara sauce in a small bowl, cover and microwave on High until hot, 30 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes.
- When the mushrooms are tender, carefully pour out any liquid accumulated in the caps. Return the caps to the pan gill-side up. Spread 1 tablespoon marinara into each cap; cover the remaining sauce to keep warm. Mound a generous 1/3 cup ricotta filling into each cap and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until hot, about 10 minutes. Serve with the remaining marinara sauce.
Nutrition
Per serving: 201 calories; 10 g fat (5 g sat, 4 g mono); 28 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrates; 14 g protein; 2 g fiber; 680 mg sodium; 677 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (31% daily value), Vitamin A (25% dv), Potassium (19% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 1
Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 medium-fat meat, 1 fat
Fish Sticks
Makes: 4 servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- Canola oil cooking spray
- 1 cup whole-wheat dry breadcrumbs, (see Shopping Tip) or 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
- 1 cup whole-grain cereal flakes
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large egg whites, beaten
- 1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into 1/2-by-3-inch strips
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet; coat with cooking spray.
- Place breadcrumbs, cereal flakes, lemon pepper, garlic powder, paprika and salt in a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish.
- Place flour in a second shallow dish and egg whites in a third shallow dish. Dredge each strip of fish in the flour, dip it in the egg and then coat all sides with the breadcrumb mixture. Place on the prepared rack. Coat both sides of the breaded fish with cooking spray.
- Bake until the fish is cooked through and the breading is golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.
Tips & Notes
Shpping Tip:
We like the Ian's brand of whole-wheat dry breadcrumbs, labeled “Panko breadcrumbs,” for their coarse and crunchy texture. Find them in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets or substitute plain dry breadcrumbs (they're finer so you need less).
Nutrition
Per serving: 274 calories; 3 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 57 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 29 g protein; 3 g fiber; 479 mg sodium; 464 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (86% daily value), Folate (24% dv), Iron (15% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 2
Exchanges: 2 starch, 3 1/2 very lean meat
Please read our previous post Health Tips for Today - Healthy Habits That Will Help You Live Long
Also some of our related post Health Tips for Today