Kids Meal Ideas Blog

Barbecue Beans Side Dish

2012-02-02T00:45:00.000-08:00

This recipe is a great and flavorful way to get your kids to eat Beans! You can use whatever type of beans in the recipe. We used a can of pork and beans and a can of white beans.

A great side dish!

Barbecue Beans Recipe

Training Children's Taste Buds

2012-01-26T06:02:00.000-08:00

It is common today to hear parents say "My son is a picky eater" or "getting my kids to eat vegetables is so difficult." What most people don't realize is part of getting your kids to eat healthy is training their taste buds. Training their taste buds involves more than giving them exactly what they want every night for dinner. It is trying new foods, often times repeatedly along with their favorite foods. If all someone eats is sugary or processed foods that is what their taste buds will know and always crave.

It takes kids 5-6 times of seeing and tasting something new before kids will decide they like it. You can start making healthy choices by replacing foods with wholesome foods. Wholesome foods are all natural foods that your great grandparents ate. For example not twinkies and chips but applesauce, whole wheat bread and the types of food grown in a garden and on fruit trees.

Try introducing one new vegetable or fruit a day or once a week at least to your family. Allow kids to try a bite or two. We have a rule at our house that you are 3 so you need to take 3 bites. Usually when they are 8-9, they don't have to be told to take a certain amount of bites, they'll just do it. This doesn't have to be torturous but something fun. Have them rate the food on a rating scale or other way like thumbs up, thumbs down.

Even if your kids don't seem to be enjoying trying and tasting new foods. Don't give up. You can also include pureed vegetables in your cooking so they are getting the nutrition they need. However, also include vegetables on the side so they can get use to "seeing" their vegetables.

Little by little they will be training their taste buds to enjoy good healthy food. Try different recipes and combinations and get your kids in the kitchen helping. Kids can wash and scrub vegetables, peel and toss a salad together. Older kids that can use a knife properly can cut and prepare vegetables. Get kids involved, knowledgeable about good foods and enjoying meal time.

Steak kabobs

2012-01-25T00:29:00.000-08:00

Using this steak marinade. I made an easy kabob dinner that was super delicious and made great leftovers for lunch the next day!

Marinade meat for several hours.

If using carrots and potatoes, boil for several minutes but not until completely done. You want them to still be a little firm but not totally cooked.

Allow potatoes and carrots to cool, then drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper or other spices of your choice.

Then gather the kids to help put the kabobs together. I cooked mine in the oven at 400 degrees on a foiled lined cookie sheet until meat was cooked through. They would also be great grilled.

Freezer Meals - What Are They and Why Use Them?

2012-01-22T06:06:00.000-08:00

What exactly are freezer meals, and how they can help you as a parent with too little time on your hands? Not to be confused with the frozen packaged meals you would buy from a supermarket, these are simple meals you've prepared in advance and then frozen for another time. Our modern lifestyles mean that we often don't have the time or energy to cook when it's mealtime, so it helps to prepare a few extra meals when you have the chance and save them for later by freezing them.

Benefits of Using Frozen Meals
There are plenty of upsides to making meals and freezing them for later on. Let's take a look at a few of these.
For one thing, frozen meals can be a huge time saver. Some parents even get away with making a week's or even a month's worth of meals in a single day and freezing them. Can you imagine getting all the week's cooking out of the way on Saturday and then relaxing every evening for the rest of the week?

If you're an experienced budget shopper, you may have already hit on one of the other big benefits of preparing frozen meals: it can help you save money. We all know food is cheaper when you buy in bulk. Making frozen meals means you can buy more food at a time when you visit the supermarket, helping you save money - and further helping you save time by cutting down supermarket visits.

Another major benefit of frozen meals is the choice available to you on any given night. Imagine having a month's worth of frozen meals stored up - it would be like having your own personal buffet. Most parents tend to stick to a meal plan as they believe this is the easiest way to keep the kid happy and make dinner as stress-free as possible. But the simple fact is you don't want to eat macaroni every Tuesday night - no one does. When you have a whole lot of meals cooked in advance, you can change things up and don't have to be constricted by a meal plan.

What Can You Freeze?
You'd be surprised at the variety of foods you can freeze. Obvious choices include chicken breasts and burger meat. You can buy plastic burger patty containers to divide up the meat and then freeze them all together. When it comes to meal time, all you have to do is slide them out of the containers and into a pan or George Foreman grill.

You can also freeze fruit that is going bad in order to preserve it for making smoothies. This is a great way to avoid wasting food, especially if you're on a tight budget.

Of course, all the standard easy family meals like macaroni or meatballs can also be frozen for later eating. Your best option is to refer to a reliable source of information on frozen meals and preparing meals for your family in general. Visit http://www.kids-meal-ideas.com for more information on how freezer meals can make life easier for you and your family.

Chili Mac Supper

2012-01-18T00:15:00.000-08:00

This was an easy recipe for a night I needed a quick dinner. It tasted great and I added a small bit of chili powder and used canned tomatoes with chilies for extra flavor and kick.

Recipe for Chili Mac Supper

Kids Cook Monday: Scrambled Eggs

2012-01-16T01:09:00.000-08:00

When your kids are just learning how to cook on the stovetop one of the best recipes to have them start with is scrambled eggs.

It is an easy and quick snack, breakfast or lunch.

My daughter made us all eggs and she was super proud of herself too.

The Kids Cook Monday

Easy Meal Ideas For Side Dishes

2012-01-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

Sometimes coming up with the main dish for meals is the easy part but what to have with it can be the hard question. I usually serve vegetables as my side dish and I'm always trying to come up with new ideas. Here are a few of our favorites.

Potatoes. Try twice baked potatoes adding milk, shredded cheese and ranch dressing. For kids using small potatoes makes these more fun. Another potato dish is to saute hash brown potatoes, either chopped yourself or using frozen hash browns, with onion and season with seasoning salt.

Green peppers. Stuffed peppers with rice either with green peppers or using red, yellow, orange or green for fun.

Zucchini. Chop zucchini in strips and place on a sheet of tin foil. Sprinkle with butter. Then salt and pepper. You can add other cut vegetables as well. Wrap up and bake in the oven 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stuffed Zucchini is another great option.

Carrots. Serve carrots cut in strips with a dip, shredded in a carrot salad or glaze carrots with a little sugar and butter.

Cauliflower. Steam and serve with a cheese sauce or bake tossed with garlic butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Broccoli. Stir broccoli florets with a Tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 500 degree oven 10-12 minutes stirring once. Create a broccoli salad with bacon pieces and sunflower seeds or serve raw with a dip.

Serving a side of corn, green beans or tossed salad is always great also. These are easy meal ideas for side dishes that hopefully will fight the mealtime boredom.

Easy Quesadillas

2012-01-12T00:26:00.000-08:00

Find more Easy Quesadilla recipes

Add A Little Whole Wheat To Your Diet

2012-01-05T05:42:00.000-08:00

Adding an extra serving or two of whole grains can increase your health in many ways.
They are high in fiber and complex carbohydrates your body needs. Whole grains may include wheat, barley, buckwheat, oats, rye and rice.

With a wheat grinder or heavy duty blender like a Vita Mix you can grind whole wheat into flour, rye into rye flour or barley into barley flour. Wheat flour and specialty whole grain flours can be bought at most supermarkets. They are best stored in the freezer as they will not last as long at room temperature as white flour does.

Add wheat flour, rye flour or barley flour in any combination to

homemade breads

pizza dough

quick breads

waffles

pancakes

muffins

Start slowly replacing wheat flour with white flour using about ½ or less wheat flour instead of white flour at first. Then increase the amount as your family gets use to the change.

Try this Cinnamon Raisin Bread to start you out.
1 Tablespoon yeast
¼ Cup sugar
½ Cup warm water
½ Cup cottage cheese
1 Tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 Cup wheat flour
1 Cup white flour
¾ Cup raisins

In small bowl mix warm water and sugar together. Add yeast and set aside 2-3 minute. Meanwhile, in mixing bowl add cottage cheese, butter, cinnamon, salt and egg. Blend together. Add in yeast mixture and then flour. Mix until well combined and stir in raisins. Pour into a greased loaf pan and let rise 15 minutes. Preheat oven at 375 degrees and bake 30 minutes.

Adding a little whole grains to your daily diet can help you be healthier and have more energy. The key is to start slowly and gradually make a lifetime change.

5 Easy Meal Ideas With Rotisserie Chicken

2011-12-12T05:22:00.000-08:00

For anyone who is trying to Rotisserie chicken can be a great easy meal idea when planning what is for dinner as well as an item that can be picked up at your local grocery store quickly. Besides having a roast chicken with a side dish here are a few ideas of what you can do with shredded chicken.

Add to a salad. If you are short on time buy bagged lettuce and vegetables already cut up. For a cheaper alternative buy lettuce, vegetables of choice, sliced ham, sliced cheese and your rotisserie chicken. Assemble your salad at home and serve with garlic bread if desired. Another option is a Caesar salad topped with shredded chicken.
Add shredded chicken to tortillas. Top with shredded cheese and salsa or sour cream. Roll up and either broil in the oven for a crunchy tortilla or place in the microwave until the cheese is melted.
Create a quick quiche chicken pie. You can always make a chicken pot pie with vegetables with your chicken. But if you want something different add shredded chicken to 1 1/2 cups milk, 3 eggs, and 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Blend together and pour into a pie crust. Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees or until lightly browned and knife inserted in middle comes out clean. To add a vegetable to the meal add 1/2 package frozen chopped broccoli thawed and drained to your egg mixture then pour into pie crust.
Put together a soup. Using canned or homemade chicken broth add frozen vegetables, shredded chicken and pasta noodles or ravioli noodles for a standard chicken soup. Other soup ideas are adding chicken to a white bean chili, spice chicken soup up with tomatoes and corn, or add rice or dumplings instead of noodles.
Chicken salad. For a quick meal idea stir shredded chicken with mayonnaise and pickle relish and serve on a croissant or hard roll. Or go for a different chicken salad mixed with almonds,cooked noodles and chopped eggs with or without mayonnaise. There are many variations of chicken salads you can find.

No doubt Rotisserie chicken can help make dinner into an easy meal with just a little imagination. Chicken can be used in so many variations of meals it is no wonder it is so popular throughout the world.

Learn how to roast a chicken.

Easy Dinner Recipes for Family: The Healthy Kid’s Meal

2011-12-07T00:02:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, it’s tough to get your kids to eat a balanced diet. However, if you get them involved in the kitchen and put yummy, wholesome meals on their plate, they will surely eat everything up with a smile on their face. Here are some easy dinner recipes for family that will have your kids going back for seconds.

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Every kid loves chicken nuggets. Instead of deep-fried nuggets, try chicken breast tenders, dipped in egg, then coated in seasoned almond and whole-wheat flour crust. Just oven fry to a golden brown and serve with low sodium ketchup and a side of broccoli, seasoned with salt and just a touch of olive oil.

Mac n’ Cheese

Mac n’ cheese is an American staple that both kids and parents can enjoy. Introduce some fiber into this meal by making your mac n’ cheese with black beans. You can use 1% low fat milk for the macaroni and garnish with salsa and corn, instead of drowning the plate with fatty cheese.

Rethinking Breakfast

You can make everyday meals healthier, just by rethinking to incorporate more fruits and veggies into dishes that your kids already love. For example, why not opt for a granola oats pancake with sliced strawberries, rather than a buttermilk pancake with strawberry compote? You can also serve oatmeal with flaxseed, blueberries, and pecans for some added nutrition.

As long as you keep health in mind as you prepare your meals, your little ones will become accustomed to eating healthy and, for the most part, continue to grow into young adults who make healthy decisions. One day, they will even prepare a side of broccoli on their own! Just instill them with good habits and your kids will surely grow up healthy and happy.

Kids Cook Monday: Juicing Lemons

2011-12-05T00:26:00.000-08:00

We are fortunate enough to have a lemon tree in our yard that grows the biggest lemons I've ever seen! The kids and I picked what lemons we could reach and juiced them. We had well over 10 cups of juice that I have frozen for future use.

Using a juicer is a perfect kids cooking activity. Having real lemon juice available and handy in the fridge and freezer for future cooking projects.
One of our favorite lemon recipes is lemon poppy seed muffins but here are some more lemon recipes to try including this Lemon Bread Recipe.

Lemon Bread

Blend:

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

6 Tablespoons butter

Add:

Grated rind of one lemon

Add:

½ Cup milk

1 ½ Cup flour

1 tsp. Baking powder

¼ tsp. Salt

Bake for one hour at 350 degrees. When you remove bread from oven, pour on glaze made of juice from one lemon and 1/3 cup of sugar.

Lemon Facts and Recipes
Lemon Chicken in the Crockpot
Lemon Brussels Sprouts
Lemon Teriyaki Chicken

Sandwich ideas

2011-11-09T03:38:00.000-08:00

It comes the time of year when the kids have been eating packed lunches for several months and you need new sandwich and lunch ideas!

Try some of these fun and unique sandwich recipes.
More sandwich recipes!

Helping your kids get interested in cooking

2011-11-09T00:40:00.000-08:00

Head Chefs Whisk

Are you looking for ideas of what to buy your kids this holiday season? There are a lot of fun and useful products out now a days that will get kids engaged in cooking and helping out in the kitchen.

Something simple like their own kitchen utensils may get them interested in helping in the kitchen or a kids cooking kit that has all of the ingredients and utensils needed for a project will spark their interest in learning how to cook.

Try searching Amazon for kids cookbooks or kids cooking kits or kids cooking products.

See more kids cooking supplies.

Condiments Makeover

2011-11-03T01:54:00.000-07:00

We all have our favorite condiments. We keep buying the same ones because, well, they're our favorites. Of course, many of us skip reading the ingredients or nutrition label. Why? Because we don't want to see what's in there.

Do we have to give up eating tartar sauce, ketchup, or mayonnaise in order to eat healthy? Perhaps not. Let's take a look at some of the well-loved condiments found in most kitchens, and a few alternatives so you can enjoy your favorite condiments without quite so much guilt:

Ketchup

This is one of those convenience foods that everyone knows is unhealthy, but everybody loves. We dip our fries, cover our hamburgers, and drown our meatloaf in ketchup. Can we choose something else? Yes. Most ketchup is made with a base of tomato paste. Thin a can of tomato paste with a little water and apple cider vinegar, mix in some sprinkles of dry mustard, cumin, cinnamon, and salt until you get the consistency and taste you like. Keep this in the refrigerator for the next time you get the urge for ketchup. Of course, you can add as much salt and sugar as you like; the object is that YOU get to decide how much. You are also eliminating the preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.

Mayonnaise

Here's another all time favorite convenience food. If we mix it into our macaroni salads and slather it on our sandwiches, we know what we're eating; and it's not healthy for us. Yes, you can buy low fat varieties, but you're still left with sugars and preservatives. How can you easily grab a substitute? With a few simple ingredients including yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, and egg, you can create a mayonnaise that is tasty and healthier. Keep it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator and enjoy it without sabotaging your healthy diet.

Yellow Mustard

What's a healthier alternative for yellow mustard? This is actually a trick question since yellow mustard right out of the jar or squeeze bottle is just about as healthy as you can get in a condiment. Fat free, gluten free, virtually no sugar or salt, this is one condiment you can eat in good conscience. As a matter of fact, consider switching sandwich spreads from mayonnaise to yellow mustard.

Cocktail Sauce

When the second ingredient in a packaged food is high fructose corn syrup, you know you're off to a bad start. This condiment is supposed to be tangy, spicy, and a tiny bit sweet. You can mix together a simple sauce with ingredients you probably already have, minus the corn syrup. Just whisk together a blend of tomato paste, horseradish, and garlic. Sweeten it with a drop of molasses, and add tangy flavor with lemon juice and white vinegar. You can skip ingesting almost a quarter's worth of a day's allowance of salt, along with skipping the preservatives. Keep a bottle of this in your refrigerator and you'll never miss the additives one bit.

Tartar Sauce

This condiment is all about a nice tangy flavor. But, do you need all those calories and fat to get good taste? Even if you limit your serving to two tablespoons, depending on the brand of tartar sauce, you are ingesting around 130 calories just from fat. So, you want tangy flavor without all the fat? Try yogurt. Leave yogurt draining overnight through cheesecloth in a container in the refrigerator. To make tartar sauce, mix some relish or pickles, chopped fine, and flavorings like dried mustard, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper into the thickened yogurt. Adjust the flavorings to your liking and enjoy with your favorite grilled fish.

Taco Sauce

This is a relative newcomer in the condiment regulars, but it's becoming more and more popular, what with people making more tacos, wraps, and huevos rancheros at home. Jarred taco sauce tends to be high in sodium, but relatively low in calories. This is a condiment that you can probably make a bit healthier, but it may not be worth the effort. However, once you get a good recipe together for taco sauce, you can tweak it a tiny bit to make great salsas as well. A simple taco sauce would include ingredients like tomato paste, vinegar, onion, green chilies, paprika, garlic, and lemon juice. Add a little sweetness if you like with a drizzle of honey.

Reaching for condiments is such a habit for most of us, we never think twice. We all have our favorites, and that's where the problem usually starts. With a few simple recipes made from ingredients you have handy, you can create condiments just as tasty as the prepackaged kinds, only healthier, and maybe even better.

More homemade Sauce Recipes
Homemade mix recipes
Tips on living frugally

Lunch Wrap Recipes

2011-10-28T03:28:00.000-07:00

Need new ideas for packing lunch? Try some of these lunch wraps recipes. Yummy ideas that will change up the usual sandwich.

How To Eat Gluten-Free Gourmet Meals From Morning To Night

2011-10-26T01:56:00.000-07:00

Gluten free is thought to be one of the most difficult types of diets to shop for and to cook for. However, a gluten-free diet often yields itself quite well to a gourmet menu. Let's look at some of the choices for a full day of meals that are both gluten free and have a certain gourmet appeal:

Breakfast

This is the time of day that is meant for a gluten free diet. Many foods are naturally gluten free, and when they are not, you'll often find direct substitutes to make the ingredients work for you. The first food we think of for breakfast is eggs. Eggs are a naturally gluten-free food. Other essentials you may consider for a gourmet frittata include ingredients like onions, cheese, chicken sausage, pancetta, and asparagus. Fill up an omelet with veggies and meats and not only do you have a healthy breakfast that is extremely filling, but you can enjoy this gourmet feast while remaining gluten free.

Sweet and Salty Snacks

Treats and snacks, especially sweet ones, can be tricky for the gluten-free diet. If you're limiting your snacking to fruits and nuts, take heart. There is no reason you should have to keep the same old boring snacks on hand when there are so many ways to go gourmet. Using gluten-free baking ingredients, you can make a chocolate dipped almond biscotti or even amaretti cookies. The same goes for salty snacks. Don't just grab a gluten-free bag of corn chips. Give your salty snack a gourmet style and taste. Mix up wonderfully flavorful dips and spreads using Greek yogurt, natural peanut butter, and fresh avocado, lime, and a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, and spices. Gluten-free snacking means fresh, whole ingredients which lends itself very well to a gourmet treat.

Salads

Probably the easiest to adapt to a gluten-free diet are salads. All vegetables are considered gluten free, so making a fresh salad that is out of this world is extremely easy to do. But, you don't want to linger in salad boredom day after day using the same old tired vegetables. To bump up the gourmet factor, try some of the following ingredients in your next salad:

• mango
• almonds
• jicama slaw
• feta cheese
• shallots
• lentils
• lime
• remoulade sauce
• fennel
• cumin

These are just a few items to think about the next time you go salad shopping. There are literally thousands of variations you can create with gluten-free salad ingredients; you just need to stop thinking about what you've always used, and start thinking 'gourmet.'

Entrees

Just think fresh, fresh, fresh, and you'll be on your way to developing a menu of meals that are not only gluten free, but gourmet, as well. Wholesome ingredients like fresh fish, lamb, beef, seafood, and chicken will get you started. Fresh vegetables and fruits used in unusual ways will give your entrees a decidedly gourmet flare. Many Asian inspired dishes lend very well to a gluten free main course. A spicy Thai-style lettuce wrap followed by lime and ginger smothered Hawaiian chicken can make for a great gourmet dinner or lunch. Take a gourmet vacation around the world with gluten-free dishes based on many cultural cooking styles. This is a wide-open arena for cooking gluten-free and gourmet at the same time. Just look at the great foods you can eat on a gluten-free diet and use them in new ways. That's what gourmet cooking is all about.

Desserts

Passing on the usual cakes, cookies, and pies isn't difficult on a gluten-free diet when you have so many other gourmet options available. How much more gourmet can you get than a decadent dessert like chocolate covered fruit? Try a variety of fruit dipped in a chocolate shell coating. Or for something more exotic, try making a balsamic reduction and drizzle over a medley of berries. You could also make a sweet frozen yogurt with pomegranates or other fun fruit. If you are striving for an over-the-top gluten-free gourmet dessert, make a dulce de leche crème brulee using condensed milk, vanilla, sugar, eggs and a pinch of salt. It's simple and oh so gourmet!

Eating gluten-free doesn't mean giving up your gourmet tastes. In many ways, the foods that are gluten-free are the ingredients most desirable in gourmet cooking. Think about the freshest, most colorful and flavorful food items in your grocery store and you'll find a wealth of gluten-free ingredients among them. Now just mix them up and use your imagination to create your gourmet gluten-free day.

Find more gluten free eating ideas

Fried Potaoes

2011-10-22T02:06:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love fried potatoes, right!?! Well this version is much healthier roasting in the oven and tastes great. You can add whatever vegetables with the potatoes you have on hand. For this picture we added potatoes, onions and zucchini and I seasoned them with a garlic seasoning, seasoning salt and pepper.

Fried Potatoes in the Oven

Discover Healthy Convenience Foods For Special Dietary Needs

2011-10-19T01:56:00.000-07:00

With new discoveries made in medicine and technology, we are becoming more aware of how food is impacting our everyday lives. Many times, convenience foods do not fit into these dietary needs. Carbohydrates, gluten, and sugars have become unwanted elements in so many diets. There are still a few staples when it comes to healthy convenience food for special dietary needs. Here we'll take a look at foods covering the low carb, gluten free, and diabetic areas of need:

Low Carb

• Nuts and Seeds – Jammed full of protein and antioxidants, nuts and seeds are a great convenience food for the low carb diet. It is important to get the raw nuts and seeds as opposed to the ones that are roasted, salted, candied, or any other form of preparation. These prepared varieties generally have high levels of sugars and sodium.

• Jerky – There are a variety of meats used to make jerky, each with its own unique flavor and nutritional content. You can find naturally cured turkey jerky, beef jerky, and venison jerky now through many distributors. Jerky is low carb and low fat, even the beef jerky. That is because all the fat is trimmed off before smoking to keep the product from becoming rancid. Of course, turkey and venison are naturally low in fat. Avoid the over-seasoned and flavored varieties; you don't need them. The plain jerky is mighty flavorful all by itself.

• Cheese – A great snack to carry around, cheese is not only filling, but also a great source of calcium and protein. And, you can hardly get tired of it. With so many variations of cheeses, you can have a different cheese every day for weeks or months and not repeat once. You say you like your cheese with crackers? There are also a variety of low carb crackers on the market. If you're worried about calories, choose cheeses made with skim milk.

Gluten Free

• Larabars – An all natural, nutrient dense bar, made with figs and numerous other organic ingredients, Larabars have made a home in the gluten free diet of convenience foods. With flavors like Cashew Cookie, Apple Pie Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Carrot Cake, you have a wide array of choices with Larabars.

• Plantain Chips – While many chips use gluten to hold them together, plantain chips offer a delicious sweet and salty crunch that is almost irresistible. A brother to bananas, plantains hold their consistency and flavor better than most other dried fruits.

Diabetic

• Beans – Beans are a staple in most diabetic diets. Of course, while salt and additives can be controlled better when you soak and cook your own beans, canned beans are a great substitute. Look for cans packed in water or natural juices, and avoid beans packed in preservative-dense liquid. You'll find many canned beans have already eliminated the preservatives, but many still include a good deal of salt. Just rinse them well before eating.

• Fresh Vegetables – While fresh fruits are often a caution to diabetics, most fresh vegetables are good to go. Vegetables that are high in water content are a perfect food choice for diabetics. Vegetables high in starch can pose a problem, but those are usually easily identifiable; these include vegetables such as corn and potatoes. Stick with carrots, peppers, celery, spinach, and many other leafy greens to avoid any possible issues. For convenience sake, buy already cut up vegetables or cut them up as soon as you get them home and store in zip-lock bags so they're ready when you are.

If you have special dietary needs, there is no reason you should have to be tied down to stirring a pot all day. There are plenty of convenience foods out there for you, just make sure you pay attention to the labels and check with your physician before beginning a new diet.

Broccoli Casserole

2011-10-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

Casseroles can be as easy or complex as you make them. Just adding a white sauce or cheese sauce to your casserole is a lot healthier than using canned cream soups. You can make extra white sauce or cheese sauce and freeze it for future casseroles or to stir into main or side dishes if that will help you. I've done this with extra sauce a number of times and have loved pulling it out and using it for a casserole or noodles.

Here are some of our favorite broccoli casserole recipes

Transform Everyday Fast Meals Into Healthy Meals

2011-10-15T01:54:00.000-07:00

The average American eats six convenience foods daily. If it is fast, edible and requires little-to-no preparation or clean-up, people will go out of their way to get to it, just to save a little time. If you are a family on the go, you understand the importance of convenience food. The faster, the better.

The thought of “convenience food” usually paints mental images like the ones seen in advertisements today. Cars pulling in and out of drive-through lanes, stopping in for a quick taquito at the local gas station, or even the dreaded “quick snack” vending machines at work. The fact is, there is a healthier way to eat while still keeping the same convenient mindset. Let's examine some of the healthiest convenience foods to enjoy at each meal so you can stay healthy on the go:

Breakfast

Many studies show breakfast to be the most important meal of the day. By skipping breakfast, your metabolism never gets up to speed and you feel like you are ten seconds behind for the rest of the day. But, breakfast is one of the most-skipped meals due to the inevitable rush to get out the door. Who's got time to make eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, hashbrowns, and all those goodies? Instead, breakfast for many often consists of a processed block of dough and powdered sugar, simply because it's more convenient. The biggest meal of the day doesn't have to come in a greasy paper bag.
Easy Breakfast Meals and Recipes

Why not start the morning off right with a breakfast burrito? Three minutes in the microwave, ding, and you are dining in style with a good amount of fiber and protein and not all of the empty calories. Or, plan ahead and make pancakes or waffles and freeze them. There are hundreds of recipes from whole grain to low-carb to gluten free. Warm them up in a toaster or skillet, add peanut butter and banana slices, and you have a well rounded breakfast of champions in just minutes.

Fruit and cereal bars are also great healthy, convenient breakfast foods. Grab a banana, an apple, and a cereal bar, and head out. The fruit is packaged by mother nature and ready to travel. And don't forget a cup of milk or juice. Throw that fruit and milk in a blender and you've got a great, healthy breakfast in a mug. If sitting down to a full course breakfast doesn't fit with your morning's schedule, that's alright; you've got a healthy meal on the run with these few simple foods.

Lunch

In the healthy convenience food arena, lunch is typically boring. A salad. Why not spice up your lunchtime with some instant couscous with tuna and whole wheat crackers? You get a healthy meal with protein, omega-3s, and fiber. Or, how about a bean, cheese and rice burrito? Quick to heat up and packed full of fiber and protein, it is the perfect lunch for the active adult. The fiber will keep you full and the protein will give you the energy to make it through the day.

For the bigger lunch, spring for a salad with vinaigrette dressing, holding the cheese and croutons. Your local grocery store will most likely have packaged salads in a great selection to satisfy any lunch craving. Put a couple slices of grilled chicken on top and you have a filling meal that will carry you the rest of the day.

Light lunch your trademark? Try yogurt with frozen fruit; a rich source of calcium, protein, and antioxidants. You can even mix this lunch up before you leave home, throw it in your refrigerator at work, and the fruit will thaw in the yogurt and be all ready for you to enjoy at lunchtime.
Check out some Kids Lunch Ideas

Snack

It is amazing how far a handful of trail mix will go. Not only is it convenient to grab and go, but it is full of healthy foods such as nuts and dried fruits. If your snack needs a little more 'umph,' you can try some carrots with hummus, tabbouleh salad or even a couple stuffed grape leaves.

The idea behind your afternoon snack is to give you a little boost through the midday blahs. Choosing a snack that picks you up instead of weighing you down is the smart thing to do. You can make your own trail mix, veggie and dip, or fruit plate so you control the ingredients, and the nutrients they provide. These smart snacks will help you zip through the rest of the day.
Kids Healthy Snacks and Recipes

Dinner

The last meal of the day should be comforting, nutritious, and filling. While it is usually not a great idea to go to bed on a full stomach, a hearty dinner is a great way to end the day. Using a can of clear broth or stock to make soup or stew is a great choice for healthy and convenient meals. A simple soup made with mixed frozen vegetables and brown rice in a pot of broth, is just as convenient as opening a can of prepared soup.

You can crank up the nutrition while keeping the convenience by adding a can of black beans to the soup. Corn gives soup or stew a great crunch while mushrooms or garbanzo beans round out the meal and add extra nutrition. In other words, you don't have to stand over the stove for hours simmering soup for it to be delicious and nutritious; a few cans can make a meal.

There are many canned options that are now offered in low sodium, reduced fat, and no sugar varieties. The healthier choices now available have taken away the unhealthy aspect of opening up a can of something for dinner, and don't we just love that convenience!

Convenience food does not have to mean drive-through or gas station. Finding healthy convenience foods for families on the go is not a difficult task. Grabbing a simple banana is convenient; putting two cans together can be healthy if you buy the right cans. Finding the healthiest convenience foods is simple if you look around your home and read the labels before you buy.

Chicken Pie Casserole

2011-10-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

This was so good, it makes me want to make it again just looking at the picture. Thanks Kim for sharing your
Crescent Topped Chicken Pie Casserole

The Kids Cook Monday

2011-10-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

A super easy meal we have just started to incorporate at our house is spring rolls.
They are great for kids to make because they can pick and choose what they'd like included in their own meal. You can also chop your vegetables nice and small and it works great for kids to eat and stuff the spring roll with.

Proven Cancer Fighting Convenience Foods

2011-10-08T01:56:00.000-07:00

Fast, convenient food can actually help fight cancer. Just because you are on the go, doesn't mean you have to ignore your health. The trick is knowing which foods are cancer-fighters and incorporate them into your everyday life. Let's take a look at some of the healthiest convenience foods that help prevent cancer. Chances are, you will be surprised about at least a couple of them.

Beans

Almost every type of bean you can imagine has great cancer preventing enzymes. These enzymes are released when cooked and many of the canned beans you buy in the grocery store have the enzymes preserved. They are canned at the peak of their freshness and cooked to perfection to kill bacteria as well as begin the enzyme breakdown process.
Learn how to cook beans

Garlic

The natural health benefits of garlic range from anti-viral properties, to preventing diabetes and even reducing the risk of high blood pressure or cholesterol. Garlic may be too strong in its raw state for some people, but, never fear; garlic still holds much of its nutritional value when cooked.
Try our favorite Garlic Sauce Pasta

Lentils

For such a small legume, this guy packs a big punch in the health department. Once again, convenience in a can prevails. Give these fellas a rinse and they're ready to enjoy in a nice chilled salad or cooked in a simple soup. Packed with fiber and able to help reduce heart disease, lentils have strong cancer-fighting abilities.
Try this lentil soup

Brown and Wild Rice
Brown and wild rice have almost 80% more nutrition than enriched white rice. As a matter of fact, the instant brown with wild rice varieties still have more than 75% more nutrition than the instant white rice. If you are concerned about your risk for colon cancer, brown rice not only has enough fiber to minimize the amount of time cancer-causing substances remain in your colon, it also packs a bunch of selenium, which is shown to substantially reduce the risk of colon cancer. Keep the convenience factor by cooking up a batch and keeping small portions individually packaged in your freezer ready to eat when you are.
Learn how to cook whole grains

Oatmeal

According to the American Cancer Society, oatmeal is not a cure for cancer since a cure has yet to be discovered. However, oatmeal is one of the best foods to prevent cancer. With the large amounts of insoluble fiber contained in oatmeal, the body is able to fight against the toxicity of bile acids which helps to lower the risk of cancer. Oatmeal is quick to cook, but you can also enjoy it baked and tossed with nuts for an easy granola treat.
Oatmeal Recipes

Vegetables

Broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage have a powerhouse of cancer-fighting properties. Also, the dark leafy green vegetables such as romaine lettuce, collards, kale, spinach, and beet greens help keep numerous cancers at bay.

Many of the vegetables can be eaten raw or lightly steamed. You can find most of these veggies sold already cut up for you, which is a great convenience factor. Also, look for the frozen or canned varieties for even faster and easier preparation.
Cooking Vegetables Tips and Recipes
Print off a Kids Food Nutrition Chart

Tomatoes

Lycopene is the name of the game when it comes to tomatoes. Lycopene is a phytochemical, which plants use to color their fruits. If you see a fruit with a red coloring, like a tomato, you can be sure lycopene is the reason. Eating lycopene rich foods has a great impact on protecting against cancers of the stomach, colon, lung, throat, breast and prostate. Lycopene can also be found in grapefruit, watermelon, and strawberries. If slicing a tomato doesn't sound convenient to you, throw ripe tomatoes in your food processor and chop them up. Store them in the refrigerator and they'll be ready to throw on a salad or mix into your favorite rice dish. Or, simply buy cans of diced tomatoes for convenience sake.
Learn how to make tomato sauce

These simple foods can be turned into snacks or meals in minutes so you can give your body the cancer fighting weapons it needs without standing at the stove all day. The motto to remember is this - keep it simple when planning a healthy diet. Eat conveniently, and eat well, to stay healthy.

Chicken Casserole

2011-10-05T02:38:00.000-07:00

Chicken casserole with a cracker crumb topping. Perfect for fall! Check it out:

Chicken Noodle Casserole