August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

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August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

Potatoes are a staple of the American diet. This is because they are such a versatile food. Potatoes can be boiled, fried, mashed, baked, or turned into chips. We won’t be frying any potatoes today, but by using the other ways a potato can be prepared, you can turn it into a meal your kids will love.

Let’s create a baked potato deluxe. To make the skin of the potato peel back easier rub them with olive oil before you bake them. I personally like that better than using the foil wrap. I’ve seen people cut the potato without removing the foil and I wonder how many small pieces of that foil are in that potato. While the potatoes are baking, enlist the aid of your kids to help you prepare the potato bar. Let them add a few of their favorites to your list. I would recommend that a good list start with: shredded cheese, bacon crumbles (they taste better than bacon bits), chopped green onions, salsa, butter spray or low calorie margarine, and sour cream. While the potatoes are piping hot, split them open and add the butter spray and the cheese to give it a chance to melt. Then, add the other items if desired. This loaded baked potato doesn’t require anything else unless you want a salad. Kids will like that fact that they get to fix their own dinner.

For a light lunch, scoop the potato out of the baked skins. Mix the mash the potato and mix it with shredded cheese, bacon crumbles, green onions, and low-fat margarine. Refill the potato skins and bake again until the cheese is melted. Cut the potato into four pieces to make it easier for your kids to handle. These twice baked potatoes are delicious.

Soup anyone? Potato soup is delicious. It is best in the fall or winter to warm you up on a chilly day, but on a spring evening, it can be a treat. But, potato soup is boring with just the potatoes. Here’s another chance to make a meal for your kids using a potato. Add a few tasty items to your soup. You can almost add the same things to the soup that you can add to top a baked potato. My favorite toppings for potato soup are shredded cheese, broccoli florets, bits of ham or bacon, chives, and green onions. The meat gives it more protein to sustain your kids until the next meal. Potato soup can be eaten as a lunch meal or a light dinner. All of the additions give it great taste for the kids.

The potato even works in a salad. Everyone makes their potato salad a little differently, but however they do it, it is good to eat on a warm summer’s day for lunch. Potato salad is usually a side item at picnics or housewarming parties. Here we will turn it into a light meal for the kids and you. To give it a little crunch, add chopped celery and onion to the salad. For the meat, use chopped shrimp for a seafood twist or ham cubes. The potato chunks should still be the biggest thing in the bowl since it is the star of the dish. Mayonnaise and mustard round out the list of ingredients with salt and pepper added to taste.

Potatoes are delicious and economical. There are so many ways that they can be prepared which adds to their appeal. If you are looking for a way to fix them that will be tasty and satisfy your kids, try the suggestions above along with some of your own.

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Kid Approved Meals
Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!

August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

Grilled cheese sandwiches are the easiest meal to make. Kids can even learn to make it themselves. The ones I used to make contained regular cheese and white bread with butter to cook it. Here are a few ways to make that grilled cheese sandwich healthier for your kids.

First of all you need to slim the cheese. Full fat cheeses are a thing of the past. A slice of fat free cheese melts just the same with less calories and fat. If American cheese is too ordinary, try a slice of Swiss or provolone cheese. Monterey Jack is good on a sandwich, also. One slice of cheese will do, but if you are using the fat free variety, you could probably get by with two slices for a creamier sandwich.

What about the bread? The bread is important. White bread contains too many sugars that are bad for you. Try whole wheat or seven grain bread. Sourdough bread would make a good substitution. What you want is bread with less calories and carbohydrates per serving.

What about some meat? When they would add bologna to a grilled cheese sandwich when I was in school, they called it a “flying saucer”. Adding a slice of meat makes the sandwich more of a complete meal. Depending on what their favorite is, you can add roast beef, sliced ham, sliced turkey, bacon, sausage, or sliced chicken breast.

What about some flavor? Add flavor to their grilled cheese sandwich with a few choice condiments. Adding mustard gives the sandwich a tangy taste. For an even better taste add brown or Dijon mustard. Go Mexican with a bit of salsa added to the sandwich. The salsa will make the grilled cheese sandwich spicy. Roast beef goes well with a dollop of barbeque sauce added for good measure. If your child is into the simpler tastes, add a bit of fat-free or reduced fat mayonnaise or ketchup to the sandwich.

Add some crunch to your sandwich. Slice up an apple and place it on top of the cheese. People eat a slice of cheese with apple pie, why not on a grilled cheese sandwich? Use a Granny Smith apple. They will maintain their shape better than a red apple.

Our grilled cheese sandwich is really coming along. We have added meat, changed the cheese, changed the bread, and added sauces for an extra kick. What’s left to do? Let’s see if we can add some vegetables. Pickles work well on a cheese sandwich with bologna. A juicy slice of tomato would add color and flavor to any meat and cheese combination. Get a slice of green with a leaf of romaine lettuce or some shredded iceberg lettuce.

Ditch the butter. I used to spread a thick layer of butter on both sides of the bread before I put the sandwich in the pan. Here are a few alternatives to that. Use spray butter or non-stick cooking spray in the pan. Your kids will still have the butter flavor without all the butter calories. Another choice would be to brown the sandwich in the oven. Using a cookie sheet, spray both sides of the bread with butter spray. Bake the cheese sandwiches in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for about six minutes per side.

Grill cheese sandwiches are getting a new look. By adding meat, flavoring, and veggies, your sandwiches are now a meal unto themselves. Get your kids involved in the process. Let them create their own sandwiches.

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Kid Approved Meals
Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!

August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

My lunch was filled with peanut butter sandwiches when I was a kid. I just couldn’t get enough. If your kid loves his peanut butter as much as I did, here are some ways to get him or her to combine that peanut butter with something else for a healthier snack.

Change your peanut butter. If you use the regular version of your brand of peanut butter, choose the lower fat jar the next time you go to the grocery store. The lower fat peanut butter has a third of the fat and calories. Peanuts are a good source of fat, but if you can lower it a little, that’s okay, too. So, even if your kid does eat a sandwich, the peanut butter is healthier.

Give that peanut butter a crunch. One way to enjoy peanut butter is atop a piece of crunchy fruit. Spread creamy peanut butter on a slice of red delicious or Granny Smith apple. The sweet combined with the tart apple will yield an interesting flavor. There is a snack called “bumps on a log” that’s made with celery and raisins. Chop a stalk of celery into thirds. Spread peanut butter on each piece. Top with three or four raisins. Voila! Your snack is ready to go.

Try mini sandwiches. Instead of buying those peanut butter crackers in the store, make your own. Take some saltines or low-fat Ritz® crackers and spread peanut butter on them. Top with another cracker and serve as a filling snack to your son or daughter while they wait for dinner or when they come in for a break from play on the weekends. Crackers give your kids a reprieve from eating so much bread. With the crackers, they are not eating as much peanut butter as they spread between two pieces of bread.

Instead of butter, use peanut butter as a spread. If your child likes to eat muffins, ask them to spread a little peanut butter on a low calorie muffin instead of butter or margarine. The fat and protein benefits are better than using the latter.

When you purchase snacks for your kids, buy granola bars with peanut butter. Don’t choose bars that have peanut butter flavoring only. Read the label. Make sure that the snacks contain bits of peanut butter that your kid will be able to taste. Along with the peanut butter, they will be getting a healthy dose of oats, granola, crisp rice, and other grains. Granola bars are an excellent source of fiber and calcium.

Your child will still crave those peanut butter sandwiches. Give them wheat or whole grain bread for their sandwich. Also, if they like jelly, see if they will use strawberry preserves in combination with their peanut butter. Polaner® makes a strawberry preserve that is pure strawberry. It looks like homemade. You can see bits of strawberry in the spread. The preserves are not as sweet as the grape jelly which is a good thing.

Your peanut butter kid doesn’t have to give up his favorite food all together. Try adding other foods to his peanut butter to create healthier snacks. The new tastes will give him even more reasons to love peanut butter.

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Kid Approved Meals
Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!

August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

Some may remember when classroom bulletin boards displayed the food pyramid. The pyramid – there was only one. One size fit all. Everyone needed to follow the same nutritional guidelines. Everyone was supposed to merely look at the pyramid and find out how many servings were needed each day.

Many would agree that it is s a good thing that obsolete food pyramid is now history! It may have taken a while, but the idea that not all people require the same food intake finally caught on. Nor are children expected to follow the same nutritional guidelines as the adults.

If you’re hoping we’ll show you the “kid’s guidelines” there simply isn’t a set guideline. The amount of food from each food group that each person needs to eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle is dependent on their age, sex and physical activity level. One size doesn’t fit all. You can go to mypyramid.gov to type in some variables to get an idea of how much from each food category to consume each day.

Remember balance is the key. Make sure your children are eating fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats and beans and grains each day. Then top it off with water, fresh air and exercise. To get started, below you will find a couple of nutritious meals for kids.

This turkey avocado sandwich wrap uses kid-friendly ingredients for a healthy lunch or snack.

INGREDIENTS:
• Whole wheat tortillas
• 1 avocado mashed
• Sliced deli turkey
• Shredded carrots
• Shredded lettuce
• Shredded Monterey jack cheese

PREPARATION:
Assemble wraps in the following order: Spread mashed avocado on tortilla Sprinkle shredded carrots and lettuce on avocado; Lay on slices of deli turkey; Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Additionally, you won’t get any wrinkled noses if you tell the kids you’re making chicken nuggets for dinner. This kid favorite is just as good in the low-fat, oven-baked version. For easy clean-up and maximum crispiness, lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet; and, then place a wire rack on top of the foil.

INGREDIENTS:
• skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in 1-2 inch squares
• non-fat or low-fat buttermilk
• flour for dredging
• finely crushed corn flakes for dredging
• salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 375. Prepare three large bowls for dredging chicken - 1 with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, 1 with buttermilk, and 1 with crushed corn flakes. Prepare baking pan by laying a sheet of foil over a cookie sheet; and then place a wire rack on top of the foil. Season chicken with salt and cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Shake off excess flour and coat with buttermilk. Next, generously coat chicken with corn flakes, and place on rack of your baking pan. Bake nuggets for 15 minutes. These keep well for the next day’s lunch box so make plenty!

The next time you reach into the pantry or freeze to grab something quick to make for dinner, take a good hard look at the ingredients. The goal is not to serve food that is “not too bad” but rather food that is nutritious. Remember that not all of your children may require the same servings of food.

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Kid Approved Meals
Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!

August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

Today, more than ever kids should be eating healthier. For millions of kids in America eating junk food and not being active enough has contributed to obesity and many children being above normal weight. Not only is it important to teach your child which snacks they should eat, but educating them during the early, formidable years may help them sidestep obesity and becoming overweight in the future when they are adults. Here are some tips on delicious healthy snacks for kids.

One way for your kids to enjoy healthy snacks is to get them started on naturally sweet foods. Since most kids crave sweets for snacks, naturally sweet foods such as fruits are perfect. Let them enjoy a banana, orange, apple, cherries, strawberries and other berries whenever they have a sweet tooth. You can mix in yogurt or even make a fruit smoothie for them with some milk and a drop of chocolate or other natural flavors.

Another great way for your children to enjoy healthy snacks is to give them fresh nuts. Children love peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, etc. One of the things to recognize about children is that if they try enough types of natural and healthy snacks, they will find one that they enjoy. The problem is that many times parents give up trying to find the snacks that their kids like and settle for popular junk foods instead.

When choosing a healthy snack, what you want to stay away from are products with boatloads of sugars, unneeded preservatives and empty calories. While most kids will fight you tooth and nail if they have to eat wheat germ and tofu, many kids will be more than happy to eat snacks if they have a sweet taste and are presented in the right way.

Other healthy snacks that many children like are dry cereals. For instance, there are many breakfast cereals that are made from corn, wheat, bran and include nuts and honey. These cereals when eaten during breakfast usually include milk; however, you can easily serve them dry to your children. One of the most common dry cereals which are healthy and nutritious for your child at almost any age is Cheerios. Cheerios is lightly sweetened and delicious either moistened with milk or dry. If your child is looking for a delicious treat for lunch or to take a long for camp or little league, dry cereal is not only nutritious, but delicious.

For those children that are terribly finicky and only want junk food, one strategy to use in order to get your child to eat nutritious snacks is to buy prepared natural snacks. Today, there are tons of packaged snacks that might look like junk food, but are healthy and nutritious for your child. They include certain fruit roll ups, string cheese and granola bars. Many of these snacks resemble junk food, but are actually made from natural ingredients and include relatively little sugar and empty calories. If you are looking for a great way for your child to stay healthy, check out the above tips on healthy snacks for children.

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Kid Approved Meals
Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!

August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

With dance practice, basketball, the science project that’s due tomorrow and tae kwon do, who has time to concoct easy meals for the kids in the evening? You do! You will have time if you focus on easy kids meals.

Sure it’s a no-brainer to throw a hotdog in the microwave or set a tortilla in a pan on top of the stove, sprinkle on some cheddar cheese and ninety seconds later have a plain quesadilla, but what’s the joy in that? There are other easy kids meals that are a bit more interesting.  Try experimenting with Casseroles or one-pot meals which in most cases go over well with the kids; and are easy to put together.

Try this easy kids meal:

1 – lb. ground beef
1 - 16 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 - cup water
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 - cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Sprinkle beef in a three-quart glass baking dish and microwave for 4-5 minutes, or until beef is no longer pink. Mix & turn part way through cooking time. Drain Beef. Mix in sauce, water and macaroni. Microwave another 12 minutes, stirring part way through. Crumble mozzarella on top and allow to sit covered about 5 minutes before eating. Creates an easy kids meal that serves a couple hungry kids.

There are numerous easy kids meals you can cook with ground beef. Any recipe that calls for ground beef will work just fine replaced with ground turkey, chicken or venison instead. The simple recipe below uses ground meat. It takes close to an hour to cook but merely a moment to prepare.

Mix together:

2 pounds ground meat
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
One bag of Crinkle Cut French Fries

Brown hamburger and strain the grease. Add both soups to drained hamburger and place in a 9 x 12 greased baking dish. Top off with cut French fries and cook at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until fries are light brown.

Taco salads are very fast and simple to make. Start with lettuce. Add tomato, onion and cheese (if your kids will allow it.) Prepare some hamburger and add in an envelope of taco seasoning – or just include some taco sauce to the meat. Next add crumbled tortilla chips or Fritos. Top off with salsa or Catalina salad dressing. Remember the sour cream and guacamole too! Everyone will love this easy kids meal!

For a simple, on the go, nutritious, cold meal you’ll need:

Large lettuce leaves (not bagged lettuce)
Turkey or roast beef deli meat
Cheese slices
Condiments

Step 1: Peel off a large lettuce leaf.
Step 2: Assemble meat, cheese, and condiments.
Step 3: Roll up and stab a toothpick in the middle.
Step 4: Eat.
Step 5: Wipe your mouth, there is a bit of mayo. on your cheek.

What about an interesting twist on the famous mac ‘n cheese easy kids meal?

1 (16 ounce) package macaroni (elbow, seashell, bowtie – doesn’t matter, just not spaghetti)
1 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Prepare macaroni according to package instructions.
2. Mix sugar, cottage cheese, and cinnamon with drained macaroni.
3. Nibble and add sugar/cinnamon, if desired.
4. Serve immediately. Delicious!

Drum up a bit of creativity to create a spin on a tried and true meal and even with the crazy evening activities you’ll have time to cook a nourishing easy kids meal for your family.

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Kid Approved Meals
Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!

August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

If your children are like most, getting out of bed in the morning is one of their least favorite things to do. The process of getting them out of bed is not top on the list for most parents, either! Get up! Get dressed! Make your bed! Eat breakfast! Brush your teeth! Don’t miss the bus!

Breakfast – the most important meal of the day. Without the needed morning fuel, how can the rest of the day possibly go well, right? If it was entirely up to your child, he’d probably request chocolate cake and root beer for breakfast! No worries, breakfast doesn’t have to be a bowl of thick, lumpy, tasteless oatmeal. There’s a happy medium both parents and kids can live with.

For those kids who would rather just skip breakfast because they aren’t hungry don’t have time, smoothies make a quick nutritious drink. The kids are happy because it doesn’t take long to chug it down and mom is happy because her students aren’t leaving without a proper breakfast.

Try this one:

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup raspberry yogurt
• 1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt
• 1/2 frozen banana (chunks)
• 1 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

PREPARATION:
Place all ingredients into a blender in the order listed. Blend at a low setting for the first minute, then the high setting until smooth. Serves 4.

Oatmeal certainly doesn’t have to resemble wallpaper paste. Jazz it up with applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon and fresh fruit. Just a spoonful of natural sweetness helps the lumpiness go down! Actually applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon and fruit are wonderful staples to add to many breakfast items. Toss some in yogurt, on whole wheat toast, on top of cereal or add to grits!

“Here honey, eat a bran muffin before you go” doesn’t sound nearly as inviting as “Are you ready for another peanut butter muffin?” Peanut butter is a good source of protein, Vitamin E, Niacin, Folate, Phosphorus and Magnesium.

Your kids will love this recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. milk
• 1/4 c. banana (about 1 banana), mashed with a fork
• 1/4 c. peanut butter
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1/4 c. frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed (left out of the freezer until it’s soft)
• 1/4 c. nonfat dry milk
• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• nonstick spray

PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

2. In a small bowl, break the eggs and use a fork to beat them a little bit.

3. In a large bowl, combine the milk, mashed banana, peanut butter, vegetable oil, apple juice, dry milk, and the eggs from the small bowl. Mix with a mixing spoon until the mixture is creamy.

4. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into the large bowl. Mix again.

5. Line a muffin tine with paper liners or lightly spray with nonstick spray. Spoon in the muffin mix. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way up.

6. Bake for about 15 minutes.

7. When your muffins are finished baking, remove from muffin tin and cool them on the wire rack. Serves: 12
If you are able to take the ingredients that you know your kids love and incorporate them into breakfast foods, you will have children eager to jump out of bed in the morning! By the way, we’re still working on a healthy chocolate cake and root beer pancake recipe!

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Kid Approved Meals
Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!

August 1st, 2008 by chrishawn

Summertime Equals Fruit Pizza Time!

Fruits can add variety to child’s meals. Finding fun food for kids can be as simple as taking them to the grocer with you. Choosing fruits that are tasty and chock full of nutrients can be an exciting adventure.

Getting little ones to consume fruit can be easy when we make it fun and entertaining. Since fruit should be a staple in every family’s menu, let the little ones choose what fruits they require to make a festive and interesting fruit pizza project.

You may be surprised by the fruits they choose at the farmer’s market.
Let the kids choose which fruits and vegetables they want for their at
home project.

Select exciting or colorful fruits at the grocery store or farmers’ market,
then turn the kids loose creating creative faces on this yummy fruit pizza.
Odds are, they’ll snack as they create–and love what they taste.

Choose fruits in a wide range of palettes and sizes. Let the kids design the
pizza with festive faces or construct other shapes on this colorful and festive pizza.

Ingredients.

Ready to bake piecrust

Filling
1/2 cup fat free or low fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon 1% milk

Toppings
Select strawberries for the nose, kiwi fruit or seedless grapes for the eyes,
a banana for the mouth. The choices for making shapes are only restricted by their
imaginations. The kids can choose pineapples, mandarin oranges, or any fruit they prefer.

Instructions:
1. Let the piecrust come to room temperature per the package instructions,
then unfold it onto a large cookie sheet or pizza pan.

2. Roll up edges of the crust, crimping them ever so slightly so that they’ll stay
rolled up. Poke the crust gently with a fork in about 20 places (allowing air to escape).

3. Bake the crust in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 9 minutes or
until it’s slightly browned.

Remove from the crust from the oven

4. Whisk together cream cheese ,sugar, and vanilla extract, lemon juice adding
just enough milk to make the mix able to spread onto the crust.

*Allow the crust to cool.
*Spread the cream-cheese mixture with a rubber spatula,
*Spread to the edge of the crust

Now its time for the kids to showcase their skills.

*Allow the kids to arrange the fruit onto the cream cheese mixture.
Don’t worry if it is not perfect. It is perfectly healthy and fun.
Children may like to add sprinkles. Let their imaginations run wild.

*Refrigerate the pizza for at least 1 hour
*Slice with a sharp knife and serve

The kids will be impatient and want to consume the pizza immediately.
The pizza cream cheese is almost already set. So when you’re done cleaning up, allow the kids to assist you here. They will be eager to taste their creation.

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Kid Approved Meals
Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!