Recipes To Encourage Children To Lead A Healthy Lifestyle
Leading an active lifestyle is second nature to children - they are naturally playful, active and exuberant. Parents can (and should) encourage this activity by joining in, or introducing exercise in their daily activities.
However, it can be difficult to encourage children to eat healthy food. Children are drawn to junk food such as chips, fast food items, and candy. They are also averse to vegetables, particularly leafy vegetable and bitter ones.
One piece of advice is to serve them healthy substitutes for their favorite food items. Here are some recipes to ease in your children to eating vegetable and having a healthy lifestyle:
Fries using butternut squash
Instead of store-bought frozen fries, make your own fries using a butternut squash. One trick to making your kids want to taste something is to let them help in preparing them. Cut the butternut squash in manageable pieces and let your little-one peel the skin using a peeler.
Cut the squash into strips as thick as regular fries. Place them evenly on a tray and sprinkle with some salt and olive oil. Bake in the oven until crispy. Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese or make a garlic dip for it. Of course, a small amount of tomato ketchup will work great as well.
Burger using cheesy broccoli
Broccoli aids in digestion and improves general health. However, because of its leafy green property, some children actively avoid eating it. However, one way of encouraging them to eat it is by making it into a burger patty. Steam some broccoli tops until soft. Place them inside a food processor. Mix with eggs, salt, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
Once blended together, scoop a spoonful and roll into balls. Lightly fry in a skillet to make the burger patty. You can serve this as is with some garlic dip or serve with small pieces of bun. Make cheesy garlic dip by mixing finely ground garlic with softened cream cheese and some salt and pepper.
Finger foods using baby carrots
Christmas season is coming near and it’s time to prepare for Christmas dinner. Prepare some finger food using baby carrots. Peel some baby carrots and line them on a tray. Have some cheese warm up to room temperature so it becomes soft and pliable. Slice some thin strips of cheese and place on top of the baby carrots. Season the baby carrots with some salt and olive oil. Bake the carrots in an oven for a few minutes. Remove from the oven once the cheese has melted resembling cheese in cocktail hotdogs. Once cool, serve with ketchup or mayo dip. Even without dip, the baby carrots will taste great because of the cheese.
Crunchy pumpkin spice seeds in exchange for chips
Potato chips are very unhealthy. Let them have a taste of crispy pumpkin seeds while watching TV or lounging around the house instead of giving them chips. To make them, boil some pumpkin seeds in water with a little salt. Drain the excess water and place on a baking tray lined with cookie sheet. Sprinkle with some pumpkin pie spice powder or some cinnamon and allspice. Roast the seeds in an oven for about 300 minutes. Once crispy, take them out of the oven and serve once cooled.
You can get more recipes from www.kraftrecipes.com.
