Cooking with your kids is a good opportunity to introduce healthy meals in a fun, interactive way. The more you engage your children in the meal preparation process, the more knowledgeable they will be. Here are some tips for parents:
Build-Your-Own-Pizza Party!
Buy whole-grain pizza shells. Top with favorite pizza sauce. Have an assortment of veggie toppings for kids to choose including sweet onions, assorted colors of diced bell peppers, tomato slices, mushrooms and black olives. Top with reduced-fat grated cheese. Bake as directed on pizza shell package. For dessert, make a Graham Cracker Fruit Pizza. Beverages – serve healthy fruit spritzers – half 100% fruit juice, half seltzer water garnished with pineapple wedges and fun paper umbrellas.
Vegetable Kebobs
On the savory side, for lunch or dinner, try the following: cut boneless chicken or pork into large bite-sized pieces, then assemble with a piece of chunked sweet onion, piece of meat, mushroom, meat, sweet onion and grape or cherry tomato to finish. This is a great way to introduce children to different flavors and textures.
Lettuce Roll Ups
Take your favorite sandwich ingredients including sweet onions and roll them up in lettuce leaves instead of the typical bread sandwich.
Edible Soupbowls!
Make soup bowls out of baked acorn squash or hollowed out baked baby pumpkins. Scoop out just enough flesh to allow soup to be poured into them. Pour hot onion, tomato or vegetable soup into “bowls.” Serve with grilled cheese made on whole grain bread. Here’s the fun - don’t use spoons yet! Use the sandwiches for dipping and when the soup has cooled down, drink out of the bowls.
Ideal Meals®
Produce for Kids has created a variety of easy-to-prepare, healthy meals that your family can make and enjoy together. From Delectable Dinners to Lunchbox Faves to Let’s Do Snacks, your family will enjoy these chef-created, nutritionist-approved meal solutions. For more great tips on cooking together with kids with Ideal Meals, click here .
Here are some great tips from Produce for Kids