Helping Kids Appreciate A Nutritious Meal

Most may remember when classroom bulletin boards displayed the food pyramid. The pyramid – there was only one. One size fit all. Everyone needed to follow the same nutritional guidelines. Everyone was supposed to merely glance at the pyramid and find out how many servings were needed each day.

Many would agree that it is a great thing that obsolete food pyramid has almost all but been forgotten! It may have taken a while, but the idea that not all people want the same food intake finally caught on. Nor are children expected to follow the same nutritional guidelines as the adults.

If you're hoping we'll show you the "kid's guidelines" there unfortunately isn't a set guideline. The quantity of food from each food group that each person should eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle is dependent on their age, sex and physical activity level. size doesn’t fit all. You can go to http://mypyramid.gov/ to type in some search criteria to get an idea of how much from each food category to consume every day.

Remember balance is the name of the game. Make sure your little ones are eating fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats and beans and grains every day. Then round it off with water, fresh air and exercise. To help you get started, below you will find a couple of healthy meals for kids.

This turkey avocado sandwich wrap uses kid-friendly ingredients for a healthful lunch or snack.

INGREDIENTS:

• Whole wheat tortillas

• 1 avocado mashed

• Sliced deli turkey

• Shredded carrots

• Shredded lettuce

• Shredded Monterey jack cheese

PREPARATION:

Assemble wraps in the following order: Spread mashed avocado on tortilla; Sprinkle shredded carrots and lettuce on avocado; Lay on slices of deli turkey; Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Additionally, you won't get any looks of disappointment if you tell the kids you're making chicken nuggets for supper. This kid favorite is yummy in the low-fat, oven-baked For simple clean-up and extra crispiness, lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet; and, then place a wire rack over the foil.

INGREDIENTS:

• skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in 1-2 inch pieces

• non-fat or low-fat buttermilk

• flour for dredging

• finely crushed corn flakes for dredging

• salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 375. Provide three large bowls for dredging chicken - 1 with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, 1 with buttermilk, and 1 with crushed corn flakes. Prepare baking pan by laying a sheet of on top of a cookie sheet; and then place a wire rack over the foil. Season chicken with salt and cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Shake off excess flour and coat with buttermilk. Next, generously coat chicken with corn flakes, and place on rack of your baking pan. Bake nuggets for 15 minutes. These keep well for the next day's lunch box so make plenty!

 Helping Kids Appreciate A Nutritious Meal

Most may remember when classroom bulletin boards displayed the food pyramid. The pyramid – there was only one. One size fit all. Everyone needed to follow the same nutritional guidelines. Everyone was supposed to merely glance at the pyramid and find out how many servings were needed each day.

Many would agree that it is a great thing that obsolete food pyramid has almost all but been forgotten! It may have taken a while, but the idea that not all people want the same food intake finally caught on. Nor are children expected to follow the same nutritional guidelines as the adults.

If you're hoping we'll show you the "kid's guidelines" there unfortunately isn't a set guideline. The quantity of food from each food group that each person should eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle is dependent on their age, sex and physical activity level. size doesn’t fit all. You can go to http://mypyramid.gov/ to type in some search criteria to get an idea of how much from each food category to consume every day.

Remember balance is the name of the game. Make sure your little ones are eating fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats and beans and grains every day. Then round it off with water, fresh air and exercise. To help you get started, below you will find a couple of healthy meals for kids.

This turkey avocado sandwich wrap uses kid-friendly ingredients for a healthful lunch or snack.

INGREDIENTS:

• Whole wheat tortillas

• 1 avocado mashed

• Sliced deli turkey

• Shredded carrots

• Shredded lettuce

• Shredded Monterey jack cheese

PREPARATION:

Assemble wraps in the following order: Spread mashed avocado on tortilla; Sprinkle shredded carrots and lettuce on avocado; Lay on slices of deli turkey; Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Additionally, you won't get any looks of disappointment if you tell the kids you're making chicken nuggets for supper. This kid favorite is yummy in the low-fat, oven-baked For simple clean-up and extra crispiness, lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet; and, then place a wire rack over the foil.

INGREDIENTS:

• skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in 1-2 inch pieces

• non-fat or low-fat buttermilk

• flour for dredging

• finely crushed corn flakes for dredging

• salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 375. Provide three large bowls for dredging chicken - 1 with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, 1 with buttermilk, and 1 with crushed corn flakes. Prepare baking pan by laying a sheet of on top of a cookie sheet; and then place a wire rack over the foil. Season chicken with salt and cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Shake off excess flour and coat with buttermilk. Next, generously coat chicken with corn flakes, and place on rack of your baking pan. Bake nuggets for 15 minutes. These keep well for the next day's lunch box so make plenty!