Quick, Easy and Healthy Meal Ideas for Fussy Kids

One of my friends asked me if I could write a blog post on meal ideas for kids who are fussy eaters and I was more than happy to oblige! As moms, I think we’ve all been there. We work so hard to put together meals with different combinations of foods that are healthy, nutritious and also meet our fussy kids’ needs around texture, taste and color…only to have them complain and reject the meals time and time again. It definitely can be frustrating and challenging, but here are some tips and meal ideas that have worked relatively well for my three and six year old boys, who are fussy eaters in their own right. That said, please take into consideration any food allergies or sensitivities to nuts, gluten, lactose, etc. that your own kids may have and be sure to check with your pediatrician first if you think there are any tips and ideas listed here that may not be suitable for your kids.

Tips:

1. Don’t be afraid to opt for raw, organic fruits and vegetables where appropriate because:

– In some cases, they can provide more nutrients than being cooked – disclaimer: it definitely varies by fruit and vegetable, but in the case of kids, anything is better than nothing, right?

– They’re easy to add to any meal (i.e. I usually add a wide variety of raw fruits to breakfast meals, fruits and/or vegetables to lunch meals and vegetables to dinner meals for my kids)

– The crunchy, raw texture is often more well received by kids than the mushy, cooked texture 

2. Make healthy versions of foods kids typically like (most standard grocery stores or healthy grocery stores like Whole Foods have good, organic brands to choose from such as Applegate Farms, Annie’s Homegrown, Organic Valley, Horizon, Earthbound Farm, Stoneyfield Farms, etc.):

– Organic chicken nuggets

– Organic turkey hot dogs or chicken sausages with whole grain buns

– Grilled cheese made with whole grain bread and low fat, organic cheese

– Organic turkey burgers with whole grain buns

– Organic sweet potato fries that are baked

– Organic macaroni and cheese

– Whole grain pasta made with lean, organic ground turkey meat and organic or homemade tomato sauce

– Cheese pizza made with whole wheat flour for the crust, low fat, organic cheese and organic or homemade tomato sauce

– Quesadillas made with whole grain tortillas and low fat, organic cheese

– Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (note: this is only for kids without nut allergies) made with natural (no sugar added) peanut butter and organic, natural (no sugar added) jelly or jam on whole grain bread

– Whole wheat pancakes or whole grain waffles made with dark chocolate chips or organic fruit

– Whole grain, low sugar cereals and steel cut oatmeal loaded with organic fruit so they taste sweet

– Omelets made with organic eggs (my boys prefer omelets over any other type of egg for some reason), whole grain toast, organic fruit and organic turkey bacon 

3. In cases when you’re traveling, on the go during the weekends or weekdays after school or your kids simply didn’t eat enough of their meal and are still hungry, make sure to have some essentials with you including easy, healthy and portable snack options such as:

– Organic carrot sticks

– Organic snap peas

– Edamame

– Organic string cheese

– Organic bananas

– Organic apples

– Organic grapes

– Organic nectarines

– Organic oranges

– Granola bars (we like Cliff Kid Z Bars since they are organic, have less sugar and are packed with vitamins and minerals)

– Whole grain crackers

– Trail mix including dried fruit and nuts (for kids without nut allergies)

– Organic greek yogurt

– Organic hard boiled eggs (I always make a batch and keep them in the refrigerator to grab and go)

Meal Ideas:

Here are two healthy meal ideas to consider trying that have been successful with my kids.

1. Healthy version of Asian fried rice made with:

– Brown rice

– Organic, scrambled eggs

– Organic broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

– Low sodium soy sauce