Ten healthy kids' meals you can whip up in no time

Healthy eating promotes the consumption of nutritional meals and maintains your child’s immune system.  Toddlers can be tough to handle when it comes to healthy meals. Whether they are picky eaters or cry over the food on the plate, getting your kids to enjoy their meal is a serious challenge. Many parents give their children packed juices or muffins to make them eat hidden fruits and vegetables. But you don’t have to struggle all the time. Perfect meal-planning strategies can make this easy. With that, you can ensure your child gets adequate nutrition through healthy meals. Make food fun, catchy, pleasing to the eyes, and delicious to the taste buds. If you’re looking to plan a variety of healthy meals, you have come to the right place. Below are some straightforward meal ideas to please your toddlers.

10 Healthy Meals for Kids

When it comes to food, make sure your child eats healthy. A child is expected to stay active and energetic for the entire day. Try these healthy meal recipes for your kids at home.

1. Mushroom spaghetti Mushroom spaghetti

Steps:

• Fill a pot with water  
• Add salt and spaghetti and let it boil
• Drain and rinse it under cold running water 
• Purée 4 ripped tomatoes
• Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan and add chopped garlic to it 
• Add mushrooms and let it cook. Once cooked, transfer it to a plate
• Add tomato purée to the same pan and salt it 
• Cook until it becomes thick
• Add cooked mushrooms, pepper, and chilli flakes to it 
• Add oregano and let it cook for 2 mins
• Add the cooked spaghetti and mix it 
• Serve it hot

2. Green smoothie

Steps:

• Add 2 cups of tightly-packed kale or spinach leaves, 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks, 1 cup frozen mango chunks, 1 frozen banana, and 1/2 an avocado to a blender 
• Add 3/4 cup of plain or vanilla-flavoured Greek yoghurt or sub-dairy-free yoghurt if desired
• Add 1/2 cup mango or pineapple juice and 1 cup unsweetened almond milk  and blend until smooth. 
• Serve it in a glass

3. Waffles

Steps:

• Whisk the eggs and add the flour, milk, and oil. Add sugar and stir it
• Pour the batter onto a hot waffle iron
• Cook until golden brown. Do the same with the remaining batter. Serve the waffles topped with honey syrup or peanut butter and fruits, to make them healthy and delicious

4. Toast and spinach omelette

Steps:

• Clean and chop the spinach
• Rinse it in a large pot of water
• Add the spinach, coriander leaves, chopped green chillies, and ginger to a bowl
• Add salt and turmeric powder and mix it well
• Break 2 to 3 eggs and beat them
• Heat a pan and add 1 tablespoon of oil
• Pour in the egg mixture and spread it
• Cook it well. You can also add grated cheese on the top
• Serve it with toast

5. Poha

Steps:

• Place a pan on the stovetop, add some oil, and let it heat on a medium flame
• Then add peanuts to it and sauté them well 
• Once the peanuts are roasted, take them out and set them aside on a plate
• Add cumin and mustard seeds to the oil
• Then, add the curry leaves, sliced green chillies, and diced onions and sauté them well
• Then add the diced potatoes and chopped onions and cover the pan
• Add turmeric, salt, sugar, and strained poha. Keep mixing them
• Cover the pan for a few minutes
• Finally, turn off the heat. Sprinkle some lime juice and the roasted peanuts you set aside
• Serve the poha

6. Chicken salad

Steps:

• Lightly toast a half cup of almonds in a pan. Let them cool completely to room temperature
• Dice the chicken breasts into small pieces. Then quarter the grapes, dice the celery, parsley, and tarragon, and slice the green onion
• Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix everything well until combined
• Season with salt and pepper and it's ready!

7. Tomato soup

Steps:

• First, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot on low heat 
• Next, add 2 bay leaves and fry them until lightly browned
• Add ½ teaspoon of finely chopped garlic and onions to the pan and stir.
• Add the fresh chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt for taste
• Mix well. Cover and simmer on low heat until the tomatoes soften
• Stir it and keep an eye on the consistency 
• After the tomatoes have softened, remove them from the heat and let them cool. Please take out the bay leaves and discard them
• Once the tomato mixture has cooled, add it to a blender jar
• Blend to purée the tomato soup  
• Pour the tomato purée back into the pan and add 1 cup of water. Stir it
• Next, add 1 teaspoon of white sugar
• Season with black pepper and stir
• Turn off the heat and stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream

8. Veg Fried Rice

Steps:

• Soak 1 cup of basmati rice in water for 30 mins. Then drain and set rice aside
• Add 4 cups of water, ½ spoon salt, and 2 drops of toasted sesame oil in a large pot. Set it over a high flame on the stovetop
• Let the water reach a full boil
• Add the soaked and drained basmati rice
• Cover the cooked rice and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. You can also let it cool down completely to room temperature. 
• While the rice is cooling, finely chop the veggies
• Now it's time to stir-fry the vegetables. Start by heating 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pan. Add 1 whole star anise and fry it until the oil becomes fragrant
• Then add 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic and ½ teaspoon of finely chopped ginger 
• Add the finely chopped spring onions and sauté them
• Then add the finely chopped French beans 
• Now add the remaining chopped veggies, including mushrooms and celery
• Toss and stir it continuously
• Once the veggies have cooked, add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir well
• Add ½ a teaspoon of black pepper and as much salt as required
• Mix and fry the vegetables with rice for a couple of minutes
• Cook it well and serve 

9. Palak Paneer

Steps:

• Rinse the palak leaves
• Boil 3 cups of water in a pan. Add ¼ teaspoon salt to it
• Then add the palak leaves to the hot water 
• Add the spinach in a grinder jar with 1 inch chopped ginger, 2 garlic cloves, and 1 to 2 chili peppers 
• Make a smooth spinach purée by blending the ingredients 
• Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan
• Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 bay leaf
• Add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions and sauté it
• Then add 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic, add ⅓ cup of diced tomatoes, and sauté it
• Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, and a pinch of asafoetida.Mix it well
• Add the spinach purée to the pan and mix it well
• Add about ½ cup of water or as required. Mix and stir again
• Simmer the gravy for 6 to 7 minutes or more until the palak puree is cooked. Season with salt as required. The gravy will have thickened by now
• Add ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and add paneer cubes to it
• Mix gently and switch off the heat
• Serve it with roti

10. Grilled Fish

Steps:

• Heat the grill pan over medium-high heat
• Spread 1 teaspoon of butter on one side of the fillets 
• Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder and pepper 
• Place into grill pan, butter-side down. Spread 1 teaspoon of butter with canola oil. Sprinkle some more garlic powder and pepper over the fish. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn it. Place a lemon into grill pan, cut side down. Continue cooking the fish for 5-7 minutes
• Add oil onto fillets and let it melt. Sprinkle with chives. Serve with grilled lemon.

These are some healthy meal ideas you can prepare in no time. Promote healthy eating practices and meals from the early stages of life to make it a habit of everyday lifestyle. It will ensure that your children grow healthy and disease-free. 

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the above Blog are the independent views of the blogger / author based on his/her experience on child growth and development. It is not intended to represent Abbott’s viewpoint on the matter or to promote Abbott’s products. Nothing in this content should be construed as Abbott giving medical advice or making a recommendation, endorsement of any kind, nor does it seek to replace medical opinion or independent professional/ clinical judgement.