Keeping Your Kids Happy And Healthy This Holiday Season

As the holiday season approaches, many of us think about our own need to stay healthy and active. We picture the parties, the cookies, the egg nog... and we give out a short sigh. There goes the diet.

But, we aren't the only ones with sweet treats piled high before us, tempting us to dig in and enjoy. Our kids are bombarded with goodies all season. Throughout Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas, the volume of food we place on our tables is astounding.

We are celebrating, and food is certainly a big part of the festivities. While we adults can make some rational choices about our dietary intake, our kids don't have quite the same resolve. It's up to us to make healthy choices easier for them. Let's take a look at a few ideas for holiday fun without all the sweet temptations.

Play Outside

A kid playing hard has little time to think about anything else. If you get your kids away from the table, away from the kitchen, and away from the house, they will do what kids do - forget and focus on the here and now.

No matter where you live and what the climate is like, there are things to do outside during these holidays. Depending on the age of your kids, you may have to do some if not all of the work preparing, but it will be well worth it.

If you have leaves, rake them up and give the kids free reign to jump and play and scatter the leaves. Get out the sidewalk chalk and decorate for the season. If you have snow, build a fort or a snowman, or have a snowball fight. Your kids will forget that plate of cookies if they get to pelt Pop square on the back with a snowball, I guarantee it.

Take a walk through the neighborhood to see the decorations. Sing songs. Window shop. Sit on a park bench and watch the people. Take turns making up stories about who they are and where they're going. Feed the ducks. Take those little feet away from the sweets at home.

Play Inside

It can be difficult to keep your little ones' attention away from sweets when you're inside. The trick is to plan games that require some thought and even some action. The game Twister comes to mind for indoor action, but there are many games for all ages that are great for keeping kids busy.

Choose thoughtful games such as charades, drawing games, or word games. Games that make your kids think and give them some good belly-laughs are perfect for keeping their minds off the sweets. Treasure hunts are especially engaging and can be played by all ages, with a little help. Be sure to have the treasure a non-food related treat and something everyone will enjoy.

You can easily play I Spy games indoors, or hide-and-seek, or other easy games with a variety of ages. Card games are versatile, too. There are so many options, it's hard to choose sometimes. You could also ask your kids to create their own game.

Don't forget crafts. Get out the bin of odds and ends and let their imagination run wild. Or plan a specific craft to make a product to give as a gift to a relative or friend of the family. Of course, video games are fun and certainly an option for some families. But, remember, they must be engaging for the whole family and keep little fingers and minds busy.

Now, after a day of fun activities both outdoors and indoors, when it comes time to enjoy a sweet treat, your kids will enjoy it even more. Happy Holidays!

Healthy Chinese Cuisine FOr Your Kids

Introduce Your Kids To Healthy Chinese Cuisine Right At Home

Forget that mushy carry-out stuff you've been getting. That is not the Chinese cuisine you or your kids want, or need. Chinese food is, or can be, healthy, and it doesn't have to be complicated. Yes, you can make it at home, simply, and your kids will love it and ask for more.

Let's take a look at a few ideas for cooking healthy delicious kid-friendly Chinese dishes right in your own kitchen, without a lot of fuss.

Apple Carrot Happy Soup

Your kids will be more than happy to eat a bowl of soup with apples in it. Use a vegetable stock or chicken stock, add slices of carrots and apples, some fresh green parsley, little strips of chicken, and top with bean sprouts or chopped chestnuts or other crunchy topping your kids will like. For extra nutrients, remember; don't peel the apples before you add them to the soup.

Rainbow Wrapper Bowls

Take spring roll wrappers and tuck individual pieces in the cups of a lightly oiled muffin tin. Bake them in a moderate oven for just a minute or two until the spring roll wrappers get lightly browned and crispy. Remove and let cool. Now you can fill the little 'bowls' with any mixture of ingredients you like.

 Chop some cucumber, red bell pepper, tomato, and onion very fine, throw in some edamame, then toss with a drizzle of sweet chili sauce and a little soy sauce, fill the bowls and enjoy. Or, you can put different ingredients out and have everyone make their own 'bowl' of goodness.

Wild Wontons

If your kids are fried food fans, go ahead and give them what they want, only healthier. Buy wonton wraps, then create a filling that focuses on nutrition. Finely chop lots of vegetables, any combination you like, including fresh herbs and greens like kale and spinach. You can add finely chopped nuts, too, along with cooked meat or tofu. Then add an egg to the mixture and stir until well blended.

Fill the wontons and wrap them up tightly, then quick fry them in a high heat oil in your wok, remove them to a cooling rack and serve. They are crispy and delicious, and your kids won't even know they're eating a healthier version of their carry-out favorite.

Piled High Stir Fry Noodles

This is another recipe that uses nutritious foods to counteract the frying process. First, you'll want to cook some good quality thin egg noodles according to the package directions, drain and set aside. Now, finely chop lots and lots of vegetables. In true Chinese cuisine style, cut a variety of vegetables into similar sized thin strips to create a harmonious appearance.

Heat a small amount of high-heat oil in your wok and quickly stir-fry the noodles, then remove and set aside. Add just a tiny bit more oil and add in the vegetables, stirring just until tender. Now add the noodles back in and stir everything together briefly, then serve. The quick frying means only a small amount of oil is used, or absorbed, and the vegetables maintain their nutrients, color, and texture. Kids get their noodles and you get the satisfaction knowing they get their veggies, too.

You don't have to serve your kids piles of salty, mushy carry-out goop trying to pass for Chinese food. Instead, create these simple dishes at home and your kids will dig right in without a moment's thought about missing the carry-out!

Creating Healthy Harvest Soups Kids Will Love

Digging into a big pot of hearty vegetable soup might seem like the perfect meal to end a busy day, but not necessarily of you're a kid. It seems a kid's taste in soup is often limited to chicken noodle soup out of a can. When it comes to serving healthier soups, kids don't always appreciate your delicious creations.

Feeding kids a healthier bowl of soup can be tricky since most nutritious soups have a fair amount of vegetables in them. And kids tend to turn their noses up at vegetables, so it's pretty hard to get them to even try a bowl of soup that contains more than broth and noodles. Let's take a look at a few tricks to create a nutritious soup loaded with nutrients that even the fussiest kids will try.

Ranch Style Soup

As most parents know, dipping vegetables in creamy Ranch style dressing usually results in the kids ingesting at least some nutrition. Why not use this trick to serve a whole bowl of soup filled with vegetables? Cook up a batch of broccoli, for instance, then throw it in the blender and puree it until smooth. Now, sprinkle in a little bit of dry Ranch style dip seasoning and some milk, and puree again. Crush some whole wheat crackers into the bowl for a bit of crunch.

Your kid may think they are eating a whole bowl of Ranch style dressing, but you know better. This trick works with any vegetable you can puree. However, if you prefer a chunky soup, just simmer chopped vegetables in broth until tender, then add Ranch style seasoning, milk, and stir. It's the flavor of the seasoning that will grab, and keep, a kid's attention.

Sweet Surprise Soup

Take a dessert or sweet side dish and turn it into soup. Pumpkin is a good example of a vegetable that most kids equate with dessert. Use plain canned pumpkin and flavor with spices and a pinch of sugar to taste. Or, you can dice a cooking (sugar) pumpkin and simmer until tender, then puree until smooth. Add a swirl of heavy cream to the top of the bowl for a pretty soup presentation, and sprinkle with cinnamon or allspice.

You can also use sweet potatoes in the same way, mimicking a sweet potato casserole. Add a generous sprinkling of crushed pecans to complete this nutritious soup that also happens to be just sweet enough to please a picky eater.

Vegetable Noodle Soup

If chicken noodle soup out of a can is the only soup your child will even consider eating, why not give in – sort of.  To make the leap to a more nutritious option, begin by making broth at home with lots of fresh garden vegetables. Simmer a variety of vegetables to get the most nutrients you can right in the broth itself.

Use carrots, celery, onion, parsnips, kale, turnips, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, zucchini, yellow squash, beans, corn, sweet potatoes, and anything else you can pull or dig out of the garden. Simmer these vegetables until they are completely soft, then strain and set the solids aside to puree later for another soup.

Use the super-vegetable broth to make a more nutritious noodle soup. Add even more nutrition by choosing whole wheat, spinach, or sun-dried tomato noodles. Your child gets the beloved noodle soup, and you get the satisfaction of knowing it's loaded with nutrition.

Look at your kids' eating habits right now. No matter what they like to eat, you can usually find a way to re-create those eating habits into new healthier habits. It takes a bit of imagination and, let's admit it, a bit of trickery, but it's all worth it. Soon you'll be feeding your kids healthy soups they will actually eat, and enjoy!

Making Healthy Soups With Your Kids

Teach Your Kids Kitchen Skills By Making Harvest Soups Together

We know that kids who cook meals eat healthier. There is something about getting involved in the kitchen that seems to get kids interested in what they are actually eating. And, when kids are aware of what they are eating, they want to learn more, and more, and more.

Involving your kids in the kitchen can start at any age and learning level. Let's take a look at a few ways kids can dig in and enjoy the cooking process by making simple soups.

Washing Produce

Even toddlers can help clean vegetables and fruit. Get out a bucket or tub and set it on a towel on the floor, then put a couple inches of fresh water in it. Trim the produce as needed then put them in the bucket. Give your toddler a clean brush, sponge, or cloth and watch the action! This is good fun for your youngster and gets the carrots clean in the process.

Toddlers are at the age where they should be able to pick the produce out of the bucket and put them into another. Anything that needs to be washed can go into the bucket with the clean water. Don't be surprised if a few carrots get nibbled on in the process, but that's half the fun and a big part of learning.

Measuring Ingredients

At the next level, you can start having your child measure ingredients. Start with the simplest measurements, such as one cup of berries. You can dice the vegetables for the soup and throw them into a bowl, then ask your child to use a measuring cup to fill the pot and tell you how many cups they put in. It's all about learning some basics and staying involved in the cooking process. Accuracy isn't as important as involvement at this point, so relax and enjoy.

Chopping Produce

At what age a child can handle a knife depends on the child. Many older children can handle a small knife properly, but it takes practice and patience. In order to learn this skill, parents often buy a knife 'glove' to help protect their child from accidental cuts. This is a good idea, but the parent still has to teach the skill, then observe closely. You don't want the glove to give your child a false sense of security, or cockiness.

Spend a good amount of time with your older child teaching him or her how to properly use a knife. You want your older child to have a healthy respect for the knife, but not be scared of it, either. Chopping vegetables for a harvest soup will give your child plenty of opportunity to learn this valuable skill.

Stirring the Pot

Once the soup is on the stove, your older child can certainly help stir and watch the pot. This level will help your child learn about what boiling and simmering looks like and how they differ. You can even help your older child understand how vegetables cook at different rates by adding the denser produce first, then adding more delicate vegetables to the pot, and so on. As your child stirs the pot after each addition, he or she will see how timing a recipe is as important as what ingredients are in the soup.

Serving

Young children can help serve by putting the crackers or bread on the table, while older children can handle the utensils and actually ladling the soup into the bowls. Again, the age will dictate which tasks go to which child, but no matter what age, each child can have a duty to perform.

Clean Up

Putting the leftovers away and clearing the table are tasks that older children can help with. However, even the youngest child can help by getting out the plastic food containers. Store them all in one easy to reach drawer or box and let your toddler dig in and hand you what you need. Take whatever they give you and, if you need more, ask your older child to help. This way, everyone gets involved and you have a free hand to finish what needs to be done.

Making a big pot of harvest soup together is the perfect way to learn lots of kitchen skills. From washing and chopping the vegetables, to measuring ingredients and stirring the pot, there are any number of tasks that you can assign to your children. You're not asking your kids to prepare the soup so you can bow out; you are asking your kids to join you in the kitchen and learn skills that will last a lifetime. But, most importantly, you are asking your kids to have fun with you as you cook together. Now, that's what makes everything worthwhile!

Southern Cooking Tips For Kids

Blending Southern Cooking And Kids In The Kitchen

If huge pots of boiling soup, piles of steaming hot crawfish, big sharp knives, and red hot peppers are enough to scare you from having your kids in the kitchen, you are not alone. It can be dangerous to have kids under your feet while you're hoisting pots and pans and knives around the place.

 However, getting your kids involved with the cooking process is important. It not only helps kids have an appreciation for what they are eating, but it passes down your cooking traditions, too.

Let's take a look at a few safer ways to get your kids in the kitchen so they can start to learn some of your favorite southern recipes.

Cut It Up

This may be the first thing that scares parents off from teaching their kids about cooking. However, there is an age where kids can start to learn knife skills safely. You will need to figure that out as each child has different levels of ability.

Now, keep in mind that sharp knives are safer than dull knives, and the knife should fit the child's hand. A huge knife that you love won't work for a small hand.

Have your child work with smaller fruits and vegetables that cut without a lot of effort and are easy to hold onto. Celery is a good start. Pre-slice items into strips, such as a green bell pepper, before having your child continue dicing.

You may want to invest in some knife gloves for your child. These are specifically made to fit a small hand and will help guard against accidental wounds. For a timid knife handler, these may help build confidence.

Cutting up “The Holy Trinity” is an excellent first learning experience when teaching kids about southern cooking. The ingredients - onion, green pepper, and celery - are easy to handle, especially if you do a bit of prep work before they start dicing.

Mix It Up

Most young children can stir a pot, given that the pot is not too hot (skip the roux) and they have a stool to stand on that is safe and secure. Of course, even a roux, once it has cooled slightly, can be handed off to an older child to add ingredients into.

Young kids will enjoy mixing the ingredients together for other southern classics like cheese straws, for instance. They can use their hands to mix the ingredients into a dough, then have fun pushing that dough into a plastic food bag and out again through a hole to form the strips.

Stirring up a batch of pimento cheese spread is another great idea for kids to enjoy. This is especially fun because they can take the recipe from start to finish, even at a relatively young age. It's just mix and serve, no cooking involved.

You don't have to get out the big, powerful mix-master to make everything in a southern kitchen. Even your little ones' hands and a few spoons will work.

Cool It Down

Big pots and piles of steaming hot food can be an invitation to a disaster in a kitchen with kids. To get your children to help you in the kitchen without risking the heat, think of some of your favorite southern style dishes and how they could be served cold.

Peel and eat crawfish and shrimp is great fun and, luckily, they are both just as good cold as they are hot out of the kettle. Prepare these foods ahead of time and let them cool, then have your kids dig in. This is a good way to teach your kids how to peel shellfish without burning their itty bitty fingers.

You can serve all the great flavors of gumbo, etouffee, or jambalaya in a cold salad. Once the ingredients are cooked, cool them down and mix them with cold prepared rice, pasta, or greens.

And, speaking of greens, a pot of collards, mustard greens, beet greens, or a blend of any of these is actually better served at room temperature. Get the kids involved in washing the greens, tearing them into little pieces, then adding them to the pot. They will be amazed at the amount of greens that go into the pot versus the amount that comes out! This is definitely a fun thing for kids to watch.

There are many southern food classics that can be cooked with the help of kids in the kitchen. You may not want them handling some of the hottest jobs, or some of the most complicated cutting or stirring, but there are definitely recipes that kids can enjoy digging into. Just think of the pride your little ones will have when they announce that they made that delicious chilled shrimp etouffee salad!

Give Kids What They Love With These Crazy Chicken Casseroles

Crazy Chicken Casseroles Ideas

Kids and chicken casseroles don't naturally go together. How often have you heard from your kids; "Oh good! Another chicken casserole for dinner!" Probably never. You are bound to get a much better reception if you serve up chicken nuggets, right?

But, if you're faced with another batch of those nuggets you're going to go a bit crazy. Besides, you want to introduce a few more flavors and nutrition into your child's diet. Something's got to change.

It's not as difficult as you might think (or that your kids might want you to think) to find ways to serve chicken without resorting to nuggets every time. The main thing to keep in mind is the ingredients your kids like in other foods, and how to incorporate them with chicken in one dish. Let's see if we can come up with a few simple suggestions.

Fruity Finesse

It won't matter much if you use fresh, canned, frozen, or juiced.  When you incorporate fruit into a casserole, you have sparked your kids' interest. If your kids aren't big fans of vegetables, remember; fruit also is loaded with vitamins and minerals. If you've been battling trying to get vegetables into your child's diet, you might want to rethink your strategy. Add a lot of taste and nutrition by using fruit and berries in your next chicken casserole.

Pizza Pretenders

What kid turns their nose up at a pizza? The next time you want to make chicken casserole that your kids will actually eat and enjoy, try using the same ingredients you would on a pizza. Whatever they like - pepperoni, sausage, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese - are all perfect to create a casserole that will actually appeals to kids who claim they will only eat pizza.

Dip Duplicates

Think of what your kids like to dip their chicken nuggets or wings into. Also consider what sort of dip they like with potato chips and tortilla chips. Duplicate those same flavors in a chicken casserole. Create sauces that mimic some of your kids' favorite dips and you'll get them interested enough in your chicken casserole to dig right in. Some favorite dips you might want to duplicate include Ranch style dip, bean dip, pico de gallo, salsa, queso blanco, and French onion dip.

Do your kids lose interest in dinner at the mere mention of the words 'chicken casserole?' It's understandable, especially when the recipes don't entice them to take a closer look. Rather than try to feed your kids yet another 'cream of chicken and broccoli' dish, try something they actually could, and would, sink their teeth into and enjoy!

Kid Friendly Rice Dishes You Can Serve Today

Three Easy Rice Recipes Your Kids Will Love

Creating meals that kids will eat without complaint can be a struggle, especially when trying to include healthy foods. For that reason, parents often try to sneak ingredients into their recipes.

Disguising nutritious foods inside of foods you know your kids will eat is one way to get your kids to at least ingest some vitamins and minerals. But, wouldn't it be nice to actually introduce your kids to nutrition rather than trick them into eating it?

One 'Superfood' your kids probably already like is rice. This nutrient-rich food has no doubt been on your family's table, and your child's highchair tray, since he or she could pick up a kernel or two and aim for their mouth.

But, I suspect that as your kids got older, they lost interest in that fluffy white pile of rice on their plate. Taste buds change and mature and now they want something a bit more appealing, and can you blame them? When was the last time you ate a pile of plain white or brown rice?  It doesn't exactly tempt the palate.
Luckily, for you and your kids, there are plenty of easy, fun, and tasty ways to re-introduce your family to the wonders of rice. And, you won't even have to hide the rice inside another food to get your kids to eat it! Here are a few fun and easy rice ideas to try on your family.

Chicken Pineapple Kabobs Over Rice
 

You'll need chicken meat cut into small cubes, pineapple chunks, either fresh or canned in natural juices, a can of natural pineapple juice if you wish, and other vegetables your child may like, such as grape tomatoes. You'll also need cooked brown or enriched white rice and skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes. The 'recipe' is simple. Cook the rice according to package directions, but substitute at least some of the water with pineapple juice.

Preheat your broiler and lightly oil your broiler pan. Alternate the chicken, pineapple, and vegetables on skewers, then brush the kabobs lightly with good cooking oil. Broil just until chicken is cooked through, turning at least once during cooking time. Serve the kabobs over a plate of cooked rice. This looks so grown up and tastes super delicious with the sweet pineapple.

Layered Arroz Con Queso With Beans
 

This dish is made by laying smashed pinto beans (or refried beans) in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish, then topping with a layer of cooked brown or white rice, and then spreading a layer of low fat cottage cheese over, and finally sprinkling a layer of shredded low fat Cheddar cheese or a mixture of cheese on top.

Cover the baking dish and put in the oven just until mixture is hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and uncover the dish, then let stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving. This dish is a cross between mac and cheese and nachos. What's not to love?

Rice Crust Pizza Time

For this recipe you'll just be making a pizza crust out of rice, then topping it with whatever your kids like, within reason, of course. You'll need about 3 cups of cooked rice and 1 egg for a 10 inch pizza crust. Cook brown rice or white rice, or a combination. Allow the rice to cool to room temperature.

When rice is cooled, mix a whole egg into the rice, smashing it together with a fork to combine well. Add seasonings if you wish, like oregano and salt. Form the smashed rice into a ball on a work surface and cover it with plastic wrap, then use your hands to press the rice mixture into a flat circle, pizza crust style. Place the crust on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees until browned nicely, about 10 minutes, then remove and let it cool down.

While it cools, prepare whatever ingredients you want to top the pizza crust with. Add your toppings and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until all the toppings are nice and hot and any cheese you added has melted. Then remove, let cool slightly, and enjoy.

Most kids started out loving their little piles of rice on their highchair tray. It was fun to play with and even a few kernels found their way to the tummy. Finding super nutritious foods to get your kids to eat just got easier now that you have these simple ways to re-introduce rice into your family's diet. Give these dishes a try and then see if your kids can come up with a few ideas of their own!

Quick Tips For Cooking Wonderful Meals With Ease

Learning how to cook is something that everyone should learn to do, no matter what the size of your family. You will be able to make better nutritional decisions and save money. You may find handy cooking tips at the largest or the smallest scale as you read the rest of this article.

You want to make certain you have the prep work done ahead of time. This will simplify matters when you are cooking your meals. That way, when you're ready to cook, it takes some of the stress out of it, especially if you have a deadline to meet. Begin your meal preparations as soon as possible to avoid last minute stress.

If you are going to make a stir-fry dish, slice the meat on the bias, as thinly as possible. This can take up much time and is also somewhat tricky. Take the meat out of the freezer when it is slightly frozen and cut at a forty five degree angle, do it across the meat's grain.

Making a meal for someone important, such as a romantic partner or a boss, is not the time to experiment with new dishes. It is great to experiment when cooking but you should not try to do this when you are trying to make a good impression. This will ensure that your cooking experience is stress-free.

If you wish to have crispy French fries, then you should soak the potatoes in cool water for 30 minutes and then fry them. By leaving the potatoes to soak up cold water, the fibers are reinforced. This makes it so when you fry them, they'll withstand the heat better and won't break down completely.

This type of seasoning can be added to all types of foods other than meat. It can add flavor to all manner of foodstuffs, such as scrambled eggs. You can cultivate a reputation as a mysterious wizard of flavor just by using a judicious dash of such seasonings.

Regardless of what you cook, it is always better to use fresh ingredients as opposed to those that are dried or frozen. Use fresh ingredients whenever possible, as they make the food more flavorful, and they may cost less over the long run.

If you want the cooking process to be both faster and easier, prepare as much as you can ahead of time. Check recipes to find out what can be prepared ahead of time without risking spoilage. The day before the cooking happens, there can be a lot of prep work done. This can make it even easier to cook complicated dishes and make them more enjoyable.

They will act like a sponge and just soak up a lot of that water. Instead, you want to wet a clean cloth and use that to wipe the mushroom off.

Having the ability to cook is vital for your family and for yourself. Regardless of what type of food you like, cooking can enhance your life in so many ways. Drive through fast food may seem convenient, but for healthy and tasty food, you can't beat a hands-on approach to cooking!

Gluten Free Recipe Tips: Recipe Ideas For Kids

Easy Gluten Free Meal Ideas For Kids

When your child is diagnosed with celiac disease you are bound to have mixed feelings. It's a relief to know what it is that has been making him or her so sick. And you know celiac disease is easy to manage with the proper diet, even healing the damage already done. But in the same breath you may be panicking about what on earth you're going to cook.

Keeping gluten-free foods in the house for adults is one thing. Keeping gluten-free foods for kids is something altogether different. Not only do you have to make sure your child doesn't accidentally eat something with gluten in it, but you have to make sure the poor child isn't going to starve! We all know kids will stare into a fully stocked refrigerator and exclaim; "There's nothing to eat!" Imagine if most of the food in there was truly off limits.

That's why you need to plan ahead. Creating gluten-free meals and snacks is not that difficult if you prepare yourself. Start by learning the basics about the foods that are naturally gluten-free. Once you practice and perfect your label reading abilities, you can branch out into packaged foods with more confidence.
Let's start by looking at a few simple ideas for meals and snacks that are not fancy, but that will certainly be a welcome sight on your child's plate.

Breakfast

Here's where you can go crazy with fruit, yogurt, and nuts. Forget trying to figure out if your multi-grain cereal has gluten in it. Dish up a bowl of unflavored yogurt with fresh berries and a big scoop of chopped almonds. There are also lactose free dairy products to choose if your child is also lactose intolerant.

Scramble up some eggs and mix in cheese and veggies, then roll up into a corn tortilla for a breakfast burrito. Fried potatoes are another welcome change from a bowl of cereal. As a matter of fact, your child may not miss the cereal at all. Of course, Puffed Rice or Cream of Rice cereals can be enjoyed. Again, be sure to double check the label.

Lunch or Snack

Simplicity is the name of the game here. You want some grab-and-go foods handy, but they still have to be filling. Stock up on lots and lots of nuts for snacking and for mixing into salads. Rice cakes or rice crackers with cheese, peanut butter, or hummus is a welcome snack on the go. Celery sticks dipped in hummus is another filling snack or light lunch.

Have a bag of corn chips on hand for quick nachos with melted cheese and fresh salsa. Again, label reading is a must when buying anything in a jar, can, or box. Slice up apples and spread with peanut butter. Or, better yet, put whole apples in the oven, stuff them with raisins, and bake until soft. And don't forget popcorn. Avoid flavored popcorn;  instead choose regular plain popcorn and add your own gluten-free flavorings.

Dinner

When you cook dinner for your kids, you probably already make many gluten-free dishes. The trick here is to avoid as many packaged items as possible to make things easier on you. Use fresh citrus like lemon, lime, or even oranges to flavor chicken breasts. If you like a crunchy topping just chop up nuts and coat the chicken. Bake on a rack in the oven and you have a delicious meal that is gluten-free and simple to make. Serve with a quinoa or brown rice side dish mixed with fresh chopped veggies.

Use corn tortillas and put together easy pizzas in a flash by adding your favorite meats, cheese, and vegetables, then baking until the tortilla is crisp and cheese is melted. Bake potatoes and load them up with lots of cheese and veggies. Toss together some good albacore tuna with salad greens, chopped red bell peppers, celery, peas, and lots of crunchy nuts, then sprinkle with olive oil and red vinegar for a light meal on a hot summer night. Dinner is the time to serve plenty of lean meats, poultry, and seafood. Once you learn a few flavoring tricks, there is no reason your child should go hungry or under-nourished.

The cupboards do not have to be bare in a gluten-free kitchen. Nor do you have to spend loads of money on specialty foods. Look for naturally gluten-free foods, learn to read labels, and be creative. You'll get the hang of this in no time, and enjoy delicious foods right along with your child.

Creating One Pot Meals For Children

Kids And One Pot Meals - A Perfect Match

If you have ever tried to cook with kids, you know the prep work can get frustrating. Kids aren't known for their patience, especially when food is involved. Any patience your kids have will fly out the window if dinner isn't on the table fast!

As your child watches you get out cutting boards, knives, colanders, beaters, cookbooks, peelers, whisks, measuring cups and spoons, pots, pans, baking sheets, etc. etc. etc., their eyes will most likely glaze over. Of course, we want our kids to learn to cook, but there has got to be an easier way, for both you and your kids.
The one pot meal is a cooking method made for kids. Having too many procedures can intimidate kids and make them want to skip the process altogether. Cooking should be fun, not frustrating.

Having a few simple one pot meals that a child can help put together is the easiest way to encourage a child to spend time in the kitchen cooking. Here is a list a couple of the easiest meals that kids can put together in one pot with ingredients that are simple to use.

Gourmet Mac N Cheese Pot

Okay, it's really not gourmet, but your child doesn't need to know that. Start with a basic macaroni and cheese mix. Get out a pot and prepare the mac and cheese according to the package directions. This is definitely a recipe every kid likes to make, so you're on your way already to a kid-friendly recipe.

After the mac and cheese is done, mix a frozen or canned vegetable into the mac and cheese. Frozen sweet peas work well, as does frozen broccoli. Your child may even like to try mixing in salsa and pinto beans or black beans for a Mexican macaroni and cheese dish. Just be sure your child chooses the ingredients so the dish is his or her own creation. You can stop there and serve, or you can create a cheesier version by adding more shredded cheese, or a creamier creation by adding cream cheese. And you can always stir in some shredded chicken if you want to add more protein and texture.

Ramen PB Crunch Thai Pot

It doesn't get much easier than this. Ramen noodles are turned into a delightfully delicious, and nutritious, meal with the addition of peanut butter (for protein) and veggies. Start simply by making the ramen noodles in a big pot according to package directions. You can use the flavor packets or leave them out. I recommend, however, that if you do use them, use only one.

Once the ramen noodles are done, take a tablespoon or more of good peanut butter and stir it into the hot ramen noodles. Now, here's where your child can choose other ingredients to add. If you keep cans of chop suey vegetables handy, that may be a good one to choose. Bean sprouts and water chestnuts alone would also be nice. Frozen french cut green beans or broccoli or sweet peas are all good choices. The more you let your child choose, the more likely it is that the meal will be eaten, and enjoyed.

Fluffy Veggie Pot

Instead of serving your child a vegetable or salad, which may very likely be pushed around the plate and not eaten, have your child cook up a full meal deal with veggies buried in fluffy stuff. For this dish you can choose either rice or quinoa for the 'fluff' portion of the meal. Start by cooking a pot of rice or quinoa according to directions on the box.

While the rice or quinoa is cooking, have your child choose the veggies for the pot.  Any assortment works just as long as your child gets to choose. When the quinoa or rice is done cooking, fluff it up with a fork, then toss in the veggies. It's that simple. Add seasoning to taste. If your child likes Mexican food, they might want to sprinkle in some taco seasoning and perhaps add pinto beans, corn, and some chopped tomatoes. The idea is to let your child have fun fluffing up the ingredients in the pot and then sitting down to a scrumptious bowl of healthy goodness.

We know that when we get kids involved in preparing and cooking their own meals they eat better. Try these simple one pot meals with your kids and they could start branching out on their own, looking for even more ways to create delicious meals for themselves, or maybe the whole family!