Healthier meals that kids will eat

[Octobermommy]

My dh will be doing the juice fast for a couple of weeks and I will be doing a meal delivery system for me to lose weight. I'm still nursing so I can't do the juicing. I did good a nutrisystem several years ago.

I need ideas on what to cook for the kiddos. My 6 yr old loves chicken nuggets with honey mustard and mac and cheese. Seriously, she would live on these things if I let her. We have issues at every meal about her veggie intake. She doesn't like broccoli, spinach, corn, any lettuce, tomatoes, green beans etc. She likes several types of berries.

My 3 yr old is a meat eater, he is not big on veggies either. He loves strawberries but doesn't like different things.

My toddler will eat (at least try) a variety of foods, so I'm not worried about him.

Any ideas on what to cook that is not chicken nuggets and pasta that they will actually eat?

[daisymommy]

I'm thinking of kid-food here:
-whole wheat bread with real cheddar cheese (grilled cheese sandwiches)
-baked fish sticks/planks (with whole grain breading and wild caught fish.)
-Eggs and toast, with fruit
-Mini-muffins (made with a fruit or veggie), yogurt and fruit.
-Will they eat soup?

[boolady]

Daisymommy posted some great ideas. I'd also add:

whole wheat pasta with sauce w/veggies-- shredded carrot, diced squash and zucchini, spinach, etc.

homemade baked chicken tenders-- dredged in some low fat buttermilk and dipped in breadcrumbs, parmesan and some seasonings, then baked

veggie and cheese quesadillas made w/whole wheat tortillas

turkey burgers

tacos, mild chili, or sloppy joes made with ground turkey breast or lean ground beef

cold dinner "buffet"-- hard boiled eggs, real cheese (cheddar or whatever kind they like), sliced veggies to dip, fresh fruit

ETA: Sorry...missed that you said not pasta.

[zoestargrove]

what about chicken skewers? marinate boneless chicken in pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. put it on a stick and grill it.

also, I put together an antipasto style tray of fruits and vegetables for snacks and this is so popular its often a quick summertime type of lunch.

Make it pretty :)
rows of
cherry tomatoes
cucumber slices or sticks
carrot sticks,
celery with peanut butter,
chunks or slices of cheese,
wheat crackers or bread,
fresh popcorn
sliced apples, peaches, plums,
strawberries,
pineapple
romaine sticks

apples, bananas with a little peanut butter and dipped in granola

they also like it when I half a cucumber lengthwise hollow out the seeds, and fill with tunafish salad.

raviolis with pesto?

[amldaley]

Dd loves raw veggies of all kinds as long as she can DIP. So I make healthy dips for her like hummus, other dips made with beans like black beans or kidney beans, homemade honey mustard, tomato sauce (like a Marinara) etc. If she did dairy, I would be all about yogurt based dips.

Switch to whole grain, wheat or multigrain pastas.

DD LOVES baked fish fillets...I buy multigrain tilapia from Costco.

Rice in the rice cooker, a fish fillet and raw veggies with dip - one our fave meals around here!

The thing is, you just have to keep offering them the healthy stuff even if they don't eat it the first few times. They will eventually when it becomes a normal part of meal offerings.

As for you nursing and going on meal delivery...can I ask why? Are you trying to lose weight? Why not just eat healthy along with the kids? If you have weight to lose, you don't actually need to consume extra calories when nursing. The two biggest things you need are sleep and hydration.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-calories-fluids.html
Just curious - I realize you didn't ask :)

[PAfirsttimemom]

DS1 also loves chicken nuggets, and I have found a healthier and still easy alternative to be frozen grilled chicken strips (I like the Harvestland brand from BJs, but there are other readily available brands like Purdue Short Cuts). Warm a few strips in a bit of olive oil in a saute pan for a few minutes, or even place a few on a plate and pop it in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add BBQ sauce or ketchup on the plate for dipping. My kids love them.

They also love beans--like black beans--and mild chilis (white and red), as a previous poster suggested. I even add chopped carrots and corn to my chilis, which sneaks additional veggies into their diet.

[sste]

Does she like peas? If so she will probably like edamame. One of my favorite meals for the DC are turkey meatballs and edamame.

[Octobermommy]

Does she like peas? If so she will probably like edamame. One of my favorite meals for the DC are turkey meatballs and edamame.

She does like peas but not edamame. I will try again though.

[Octobermommy]

Thanks everybody for the great suggestions. I will definitely try a lot of them. I'm hoping to increase their healthy food intake.

I am trying to lose weight, not crazy amounts or anything. My baby is almost 2 tapering his consumption lately. Honestly, I don't do well with counting calories. I don't do well with moderation. I need it mapped out and delivered.

[maestramommy]

Tonight we're having:

roasted drumsticks. Dora is pretty anti-poultry, but after many months of "you have to eat one bite" she will eat drumsticks if I cut the meat off the bone.

sliced summer squash, either roasted or pan fried.

Leftover crusty bread from yesterday's dinner. Not super healthy, but they like it, and it fulfills the starch :loveeyes:

Sometimes we have steak, which Laurel doesn't like much (too chewy?), salted and rinsed cuke slices. We also do chili, which Arwyn may or may not eat much of, depending on how hungry she is. The chili has peppers in it, and sometimes I serve it over rice, or with bread and butter. last week I served roasted red potatoes we got from our CSA with steak, and the cukes, and they ate that up.

I wish my kids would eat chicken nuggets! Actually Laurel and Arwyn will sometimes, but Dora won't. sigh.

[eh613c]

Have you tried mixing in pureed roasted butternut squash in the mac n cheese?

I also hide veggies in red pasta sauce. I put zucchini, carrots and celery and puree it.

[hellokitty]

Have you tried mixing in pureed roasted butternut squash in the mac n cheese?

I also hide veggies in red pasta sauce. I put zucchini, carrots and celery and puree it.

I was going to suggest the same thing. I'd be doing sneaky chef type of things while slowly trying to also introduce non-sneaky healthier foods.

[Octobermommy]

I was going to suggest the same thing. I'd be doing sneaky chef type of things while slowly trying to also introduce non-sneaky healthier foods.

I did the butternut squash in mac and cheese and dd refused to eat it. I can't win.

[MSWR0319]

What about sweet potatoes in Mac n cheese? DS will eat that. If he gets a big hunk (I just mash, not puree) I just tell him it's a big hunk of cheese. He buys it, not sure why, but he does! He also likes baked sweet potato fries.