Healthy Kids Meals

Healthy Choices from the cupboard

Healthy kids meals

Giving your kids healthy meals is sometimes difficult to manage. Life gets in the way. We have all been there, for some reason we are late home and we haven’t had chance to do the supermarket shop. There are nights when it is totally acceptable to reach for the take away pizza menu. It gives you a well earned break and the dishwasher a rest.

So what to do when we are late home and have not been to the shops. What is in the store cupboard and the neglected fridge that could be hobbled together to make a healthy kids meal.

So healthy choices could you have in your pantry and the fridge?

Healthy Choices: Canned Food

Yes there are healthy choices you can make from the canned food section of the supermarket. Canned food is not all bad. In fact it can be a friend if you choose wisely. Read the labels, stay away from anything too high in sugar, salt and saturated fats.Healthy choices include Tuna in spring water, rather than brine or oil. Tuna is high in protein and essential fatty acids.

Sardines in tomato sauce are also good for much the same reasons. Go on try them mashed on wholemeal toast. You will be surprised.

Baked beans are also a good bet. They are a good source of fibre and kids love them.

Canned tomatoes, I cant go a week without using these. Good as an ingredient for pasta sauces, curries, and much more. You imagination is the only regulation.

Canned beans and peas like kidney beans, butter beans and chick peas are all good sources of fibre and can act as fillers to bulk out a sauce or a curry.

Healthy Choices: Frozen Foods

Healthy choices can also come from your freezer on late nights home. I firmly believe that fresh fruits and vegetables have to be our first choice and a fresh policy makes for good eating habbits. Some research suggests that veggies can loose some of their vital minerals and minerals in the freezing process. Other research disputes this, saying that these days vegetables are actually frozen within 2 – 3 hours of harvesting and so lose nothing of their goodness. Also consider that fruit and vegetables that have been stored for several days lose a considerable amount of their nutrients, and there are actually more present in frozen ones. So for me, I am happy to keep a stock in the freezer for these late nights home. Using frozen Veggies on occasion does not make me a bad mother. It makes me a practical one who can still healthy kids meals when the pressure is on.

Healthy Choices: Dried food

Healthy choices are easy when we talk about dried foods. This is where you will get the bulk of your meal from on late nights home. Remember this is where their energy is coming from. Stock things like bread (in the freezer) and pasta, preferably wholemeal. Don’t forget the soup pasta too, Rossoni is a good one to keep. Dried beans and pulses are also good to have although they are probably not for use on late nights. They may take a soak and perhaps 30 minutes boiling. Couscous is also a great pantry filler. It is the ultimate in fast food. Rice is a must. I usually have all the varieties, Basmati, Jasmine, Long Grain and Arborrio. A great one the kids also love are Taco shells. How easy are these to fill with a quick bolognaise or tomato and mixed bean sauce. Non of these foods go off so there is no excuse not to have them in the pantry. Don’t forget too, a stock of both plain and self raising flour is always good to have in. Again with these in the pantry you have a great chance of providing healthy kids meals anytime.

Healthy Choices: Dairy Products

Healthy choices for the neglected fridge are a little harder as it is where we usually stock the perishable items, the items that have a relatively short shelf life. Cheese is a good choice, it is very forgiving and most kids will eat it. Eggs too are a very quick and versatile meal. Milk too is a nutritious drink but if your low on stocks it is usually one of the things you run out of first. Get around this by keeping a pint of long life milk in the pantry. It will always make you a sauce or a hot drink, it can be a life saver and contribute to making healthy Kids meals.

Healthy Choices: Sauces, oils, herbs and spices.

Keep a fair stock of sauces to add flavour. Tomato sauce is something all kids love. Soy sauce and Oyster sauce are great ingredients for all sorts of healthy kids meals. Keep stock cubes, these add great flavour, but watch the salt content – buy the reduced salt varieties. Keep a variety of dried herbs, these can transform the plainest dish into something really special. If your really keen, create a kitchen garden on your windowsill. Fresh herbs are wonderful for adding flavours and do not take much looking after. Get Parsley, Basil, Rosemary and chives to start with. The skies the limit though, just follow your own families palette. Keep a stock of Olive oil, Canola, Vegetable oil and vinegars like Balsamic and white and red wine vinegars.

With all this you have a great start to healthy kids meals.