Kids Ain't Cheap

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Healthy and Easy Home Eating

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These 3 recipes are fast and easy o make

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For the most part, my kids are are fairly easy to feed. I’m lucky to say that I don’t have major horror stories about feeding disasters. But, like most kids, they have their favorites. Here are some healthy, easy, favorite meals that you can make at home.

Breakfast Wake-Me-Up:

My kids love muffins and cupcakes. I think they associate the shape of this treat with yummy goodness because they gobble it all up regardless of whether they are sweet or savory.

Oatmeal-Berry Muffin

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cups oats (the quick-cooking kind is better)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed tightly)
  • 1/4 cup cooking oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup berries (blueberries are nice but choose your own, if you have special preferences)

Directions:

  1. Line a muffin pan with 12 cups, or grease them if you don’t have paper cups.
  2. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. After mixing, make a well in the center.
  3. Combine the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the berries in a separate bowl and then add this liquid mixture to the flour-oat mixture all in one go. Mix until just moistened. You should have a lumpy batter, NOT a smooth pancake-like batter.
  4. Gently fold in the berries.
  5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups until they are 3/4 full.
  6. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 16-18 minutes for large muffins and 10-12 minutes for smaller ones, or check until done. You should be able to insert a toothpick and have it come out clean. Don’t over-bake or your muffins will become rocks.

Lunch Energy-Booster:

To save you the McDonald’s trip (expense and unhealthiness), make your own cheeseburger that your kids will surely love.

Cheeseburger Champion

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
  • 1 pound lean, ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite steak seasoning
  • burger buns
  • cheese slices
  • lettuce, tomato, pickles

Directions:

  1. Put your oats in any clean, tough, sandwich bag and crush them to a powdery consistency.
  2. Mix your beef, crushed oats, and steak seasoning thoroughly. Be careful not to squash the meat though.
  3. Divide into 4 even patties.
  4. Take an indoor grill and coat with non-stick spray or lightly brush with some oil. Cook patties until the meat is no longer pink in the middle and the juices show no color. Turn them over occasionally.
  5. Line each bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and cheese. You can choose whatever your kids like here. You can also opt for low fat cheese slices as well.
  6. Place your grilled patties on the veggies and bun. Use regular ketchup as dressing if you want but I’d skip on the mayo as this has unwanted and unnecessary calories, and viola!

Dinner Cool-Down:

I like dinners to be light and healthy but still oh-so-yummy. Again, I am lucky that my kids like fish. This is their favorite dish.

Cereal-Crusted Tilapia Fillets

  • Some cleaned Tilapia fillets
  • Ordinary breakfast cereal (not the frosted kind), crushed lightly but not powdery
  • 1-2 eggs, beaten
  • all-purpose flour
  • salt and pepper
  • veggies (your choice)

Directions

  1. Assemble your work station to make it easy to put together the fillets. Have a plate with your flour seasoned with salt and pepper, a bowl with your beaten eggs, another plate with your crushed cereal.
  2. Take your fillet and coat them in the order of your stations. So, coat evenly with flour first, dip evenly into the eggs, then coat evenly with cereal.
  3. Wrap a baking trap with foil then spray a baking rack with non-stick spray and place on top of the tray.
  4. Arrange each piece on the rack.
  5. Bake Tilapia fillets until the crust is golden brown.
  6. Combine this with some ketchup or home-made honey mustard dressing and some veggies or rice. I alternate between a brocolli-and-snow pea (boiled then lightly fried in olive oil) dish and brown rice.

Home-made Honey Mustard Dressing:

Take low fat mayo, some prepared mustard, and about a teaspoon of honey and mix together. Adjust according to taste.

All these recipes guarantee that:

  • You will have dishes that are preservative-free, reduced fat, and delicious
  • You can make these in 30-45 minutes tops
  • The kids can even help out, making it a fun bonding moment with a health and cooking lesson as well. Just be sure not to let them handle the raw meat and seafood just yet.

Eating at home can be healthy, fun and easy. These three simple dishes are just a few among a multitude of recipes you can do to make eating at home a treat for the family.

What are your favorite simple and healthy recipes?

Healthy Tips for Feeding Your Family

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slow cooker recipes Today, we are all looking for ways to get our families to eat well. Given that obesity is at an all time high in the U.S. and with Type 2 diabetes on the rise, it is more important than ever to teach our children how to eat healthy. Being obese can put people at risk for other health issues such as; cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and much more. If you feel overwhelmed but know that you need to make a change, just keep reading. I will offer some simple changes to get you and your family on the fast track to eating right.

Meal Planning

I can not stress enough, how important it is to plan your meals in advance. If you sit down and construct a weekly menu and stick to it, you will be far less likely to make poor eating decisions. Shopping weekly is best because it ensures that you have a lot of fresh fruits and veggies on hand. Meal planning helps you save money as well. If you add up those panicked trips to the supermarket when you have no idea what you will serve for dinner, or the times you just gave up and decided to eat out, you’ll be amazed at how much money you are spending. A few more quick shopping tips: buy what’s in season, shop the farmer’s market when you can, and don’t load up on junk. One more suggestion I have is to become “best friends” with your slow cooker. It’s like having someone else cook dinner for you and unlike packaged and processed meals, you know exactly what’s in it. A great site for slow cooker recipes is http://slowandsimple.com/

Just Say “No” To White Stuff

A super simple and really healthy change you can make is to stop buying anything white — buy whole grain instead. I’m talking whole grain bread, flour, pasta, buns, etc. Maybe your kids would freak out if they saw their PB&J on deliciously nutty whole grain bread. We don’t want to send the little angels into shock for goodness sake, so just try to find the simplest looking whole grain bread you can. Nothing fancy, just be sure it’s not white. They might scoff at first but they’ll get used to it. The earlier you start, the easier it will be to make these changes.

Nothing But The Flax

Let me give it to you straight; flaxseed is incredibly healthy for you! If you aren’t eating it, you certainly should be. Flaxseed is rich is lignans which have been recognized to have anti-cancer properties. Flaxseed is packed with Omega 3 fatty acids, which help your brain, your skin and your hair. It assists your body in burning fat, keeps you healthy and is a great source of fiber. I buy milled flaxseed and store it in the fridge. However, I’m told buying flaxseed whole, then grinding right before you serve it, is best but I just don’t have that kind of time. It can be sprinkled in or on just about anything. Are you making muffins? Sprinkle some flax in the mix. Having some ice cream? Sprinkle flax on top. Making Chili? Add some flax in it. Your family probably won’t even notice this healthy addition.

One Fruit, One Veggie Rule

In our home, this has been a rule of mine since our boys could eat solid foods. I have always included at least one fruit and one veggie at lunch and dinner. For breakfast there is almost always a fruit and at least one of their snacks is a fruit or vegatable. My boys are really great about eating their fruits and veggies but sometimes one or both, will turn their nose up at something and that’s ok. I offered and that’s what’s important. You can always enforce the “no thank you bite” which means they need to at least try it. Even if your child says they don’t like something, keep offering it. It can take 15-20 times of offering a food before a child will decide they like it. With toddlers it’s even crazier, one day it’s their favorite thing and the next day it is the worst thing ever. Don’t give up, don’t lose hope, they won’t like everything but you’ll find a lot of things you may not have thought they would eat. It also works well if you offer at least one item that you know they will eat. One more tip is to avoid canned fruits and vegetables; always purchase fresh or frozen, there is less sodium, sugar and they retain most if not all of the magnificent vitamins and minerals that our bodies need.

Ask Your Kids For Help

You can teach your kids about eating healthy by including them in the meal planning. Let each child pick a day when they get to plan the dinner menu. Don’t forget to ask them to pick out the fruits and veggies too. It’s great to include them in on the shopping trip. If you can, you’ll find that it’s easier and makes the trip more special, if you can take just one child each week. Be sure to read lables and explain what makes certain items healthy and others not. In the produce aisle, show them all of the beautiful and colorful fresh fruits and vegetables there. Let them pick out something fun like an artichoke, star fruit or mango to try.

Last but not least, make it fun and keep it simple!

Do you have any additional healthy eating tips to share?