Healthy Meals for Kids: Fussy Eaters-Friendly Dinner Recipes II

When you have to decide what to prepare healthy meals for kids for dinner, it will be much the same as lunch, but you have to keep this one simpler and lighter. As starting point, keep these following tips in mind:

  • Involve your kids – Children will probably eat what they have planned and prepared. By involving your kids into your dinner plan, it will likewise build up their self-reliance and life-coping skills.
  • Stay simple and light – A healthy, well-balanced dinner should not have to be complex. Kids are inclined to care for simple, basic top choices.
  • Bid variants– Add in nutrient-rich foods from all five food groups on the table, but let your kids pick what and how much to eat.
  • Bring in new foods gradually – It can take up to 15 times for a kid to accept another food, thus combining new items with old choices will satisfy your kids.
  • Center of family – Focus on your quality times with family, turn off TV and mobile phones, set the table, serve foods and beverages, and have a nice chat.

Try these tips combined with these dinner recipes for balanced and healthy meals for kids!

Tuna-Stuffed Zucchini

Packed with vitamins and minerals, this dish is very tasty and best way to get your kids to eat more fish. Get more fish and veggies into your healthy meal for kids with these tuna-stuffed zucchini boats.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sugar

Zucchini boats:

4 medium zucchini, half in lengthwise

1 canned tuna in veggies oil, rinsed and drained

4 onion, finely sliced

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 tsp dried basil

2 tsp olive oil

½ cup less-fat cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

  1. Making tomato sauce, heat up oil on low heat in a small saucepan and add in garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant. Add remaining ingredients and bring to simmer for 10 mins.
  2. Heat up oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a large shallow casserole or lassagne dish with oil or line with baking paper.
  3. Shovel flesh out of zucchini using a spoon. Set aside the flesh for the stir-fry.
  4. Boil a large saucepan of water, add in zucchini halves for 1.5 mins before discharging from water, and dried up.
  5. Combine together half of chopped zucchini flesh, with tuna, spring onion, tomato and dried basil and stuff into zucchini. Drizzle over olive oil and then spoon over tomato sauce.
  6. Top with cheese and bake for 20-30 mins. Serve with a large serving of green salad.

Cheery Meatball Soup

As low fat and healthy meal for kids, this soup will warm up your whole family in cold weather, even when your kids are not feeling well. This meatball soup is perfect for everyone in the family, loaded with veggies, herbs, and lean meatballs. Enjoy yourself to swap lean beef mince for pork, as desired.

cheery-meatball-soup

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 large carrot, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

2 cup vegetable stock

2 cup water

2 bay leaves

2 tsp sage

1 tsp basil

2 tsp sugar

Meatballs:

500g lean pork mince

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

  1. Heat up oil in a large saucepan and stir in onion, garlic, celery, and carrot with sprinkle of salt.
  2. Let it cook on low heat until veggies softened.
  3. Add remaining soup ingredients and simmer for 15-20 mins.
  4. Meanwhile, you can make meatballs by mixing lean pork mince, onion, and garlic.
  5. Add in breadcrumbs and egg, season with salt and pepper.
  6. Mix all ingredients and make meatballs using a tablespoonful of each mixture.
  7. Place meatballs into simmering soup and turn up the heat to medium simmer for another 20 mins.
  8. Serve in a bowl with sprinkle of fresh parsley and pasta or noodles.

Superb Chicken Noodle Soup

If you have short of times to prepare dinner for your family, this healthy meal for kids is one of best options you have to try. Chicken noodle soup will be perfect to serve warm.

chicken-noodle-soup

Ingredients

500gr skinless chicken breast

100 grams noodles (any variants)

4 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

20 gr fresh ginger

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 liter water

1 can cream corn

2 tbsp natural soy sauce

2 corn cobs

70gr celery

1 bunch bok choy, sliced

Directions

  1. Preheat oven on medium heat. Bake for 20 mins or until cooked through. Discharge baking tray and check the chicken is cooked thorugh. Put chicken to bowl and shred.
  2. Heat up oil in a saucepan stir in ginger, garlic, onion, and celery for 3 mins.
  3. Stir in water, natural soy sauce, and veggies stock.
  4. Stir in noodles, corn kernels, and cream corn. Add in sliced bok choy to cook for 5 mins more. Cook until the noodles cooked through. Scoop the soup to a serving bowl. Top with shredded chicken and serve it.

Beef Roast Dinner Recipe

A yummy tomato sauce superbly covers this fantastic combination of beef roast, potatoes, and carrots. This healthy meal for kids only takes minutes to throw together.

beef-roast-dinner-recipe

Ingredients

1 boneless beef roast, cut into pieces

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

4 medium carrots, cut into chunks

2 cans tomato juice

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca flour

Directions

  1. Heat up a non-skillet pan. Lightly grease it with cooking oil.
  2. Stir in all ingredients. Cover and cook on high until meat is tender.
  3. Serve with mixed serving of green salad. Enjoy!

Marinated Tofu Steaks with Sesame Veggies

This healthy meal for kids is a tasty, veggie dinner, exactly right for busy mums and hungry families. If you cannot find broccolini, just swap with other green veggies like beans, zucchini, and bok choy.

marinated-tofu-steaks-with-sesame-veggies

Ingredients:

375g firm tofu, thickly sliced

¼ cup soy sauce

3 tbs lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp sesame oil

200 g broccolini, sliced

100 g snow peas

100 g broccoli

1/4 cup water

1 tbs honey

Directions

  1. Combine soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and 1 tsp sesame oil and pour over tofu. Cover and marinate for at least 30 mins. Let it marinade.
  2. Heat up a non-stick pan to medium-high and add in tofu slices. Cook for 3 mins per side until cooked through.
  3. For the moment, heat up a wok over high. Add in remaining sesame oil, broccolini and 1 or 2 tbsp water. Cook for 1 minute before adding snow peas and broccoli, with remaining water, reserved marinade and remaining water. Cover and continue to cook for 2 mins before serving with tofu slices.

Tuna Stuffed Bell Pepper

These healthy meals for kids are easy to make and you end up with a tasty dinner that even the kids will love!

tuna-stuffed-bell-pepper

Ingredients

4 medium yellow or red bell pepper

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 canned tuna, drained

3 large onions, finely sliced

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp light mayonnaise

1 cup low-fat cheese

Directions

  1. Heat up oven to 180°C. Cover an oven tray with baking paper and put it aside.
  2. Cut the top quarter of each bell pepper and scoop out the seeds.
  3. Mash up chickpeas using fork.
  4. Combine tuna, chickpeas, onions, celery, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and half of grated cheese together.
  5. Divide mixture evenly to each bell pepper.
  6. Top bell peppers with remaining grated cheese, and bake until soft but still holding its shape.
  7. Serve with mixed serving of salad.

Tomato & Garlic Chicken

This simple and healthy meal for kids, Tomato and Garlic Chicken is ideal for dinner any night of the week. It is healthy, low fat and tasty.

tomato-and-garlic-chicken

Ingredients:

1 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

½ tsp sugar

2-3 tbsp water

2 garlic clove, chopped

300g green beans, trimmed

4 small chicken breasts, sliced lengthways for 2 steaks

1 tsp olive oil

Oil spray

Directions

  1. Heat up a small saucepan over medium-low, stir in oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, oregano, sugar, and water.
  2. Cover and bring to a simmer before turning down the heat and cook until tomatoes begin to wilt a little. Season with salt and pepper. Release from heat.
  3. Meanwhile, steam green beans until tender.
  4. Heat up a non-stick frying pan to a medium-high heat, grease lightly with oil and stir in chicken steaks.
  5. Cook chicken for 3 mins, turn over, and cook for 2 mins more.
  6. Discharge chicken from the heat and put on a board for a couple of minutes.
  7. Serve chicken on beans and top with tomato sauce.

Looking more healthy meals for kids? Super Healthy Kids has loads of kids-friendly ideas for dinners.

Need other ideas? BBC Good Food has rich resource for healthy meals for kids.

Happy healthy cooking!