If your child is a choosy eater, you may spend a lot of time making the same or similar-type meals that you know will be a hit at mealtimes. This may leave you wondering how long chicken nuggets or grilled cheese sandwiches will suffice before having to intervene with some new, healthy options for your little one.
While it might seem like there aren’t many food options out there that are both healthy and kid-friendly, be assured that the choices are plentiful. We know how you feel, so we’re sharing 12 healthy meals that your choosy eater is sure to love.
High Fiber Chocolate Bites
With oats, prunes, and protein powder, these chocolate treats are full of healthy goodness. This is a quick, simple recipe that you can pull together in just a few minutes (but don’t forget to save 30 minutes for them to chill).
Veggie Packed Pizza Rolls
Kids often react to the texture of foods rather than the taste, so one way to incorporate as many veggies as possible is to blend it in! The sauce for these pizza rolls combines spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, and peppers—all cleverly disguised within so that the taste overrules the texture.
Unicorn Smoothie
Giving kids creative foods makes mealtimes both a food and an art activity. When food is exciting, even your choosy eater will be ready to try it. After all, who can resist a unicorn smoothie? This colorful smoothie blends nine fruits with low-fat dairy, packing in a variety of vitamins that are crucial to development.
Pancake Muffins
These pancake muffins are a fantastic way to add fruits to your child’s breakfast. You only need pancake mix, a variety of fruits, and a cupcake baking pan to create a fun breakfast activity. Kids can choose the fruits they want to make their own special pancake muffins.
Frozen Fruits and Cereal Yogurt Bites
We love bite-sized treats because they are so much fun for kids! They’re even more fun if your child can help you personalize them to their taste. These frozen yogurt bites are easy to put together and incorporate healthy foods like fruit, granola, and Greek yogurt.
Almond Crusted Chicken
Does your little one love chicken nuggets and strips? You can reinvent this meal to include whole wheat flour and almonds into the breading, adding a healthy twist to a mealtime staple.
Hidden Vegetable Baked Meatballs
Spruce up your next spaghetti and meatballs night with hidden veggies! These baked meatballs sneak carrots and kale into delicious turkey and pork meatballs that you can make and even freeze for later.
Homemade SpaghettiOs
A kids classic, SpaghettiOs can be much healthier at home. You’ll see in this recipe description where the blogger has compared the store-bought meal’s ingredients to the homemade version. You’ll be amazed at the difference! This recipe even adds carrots to the sauce without losing that SpaghettiOs taste kids love.
Frozen Banana Yogurt Pops
With only bananas and yogurt, you and your little one can make tasty banana pops! These are fun to decorate together for a delicious frozen treat.
Peanut Butter Banana Quesadillas
Peanut butter with banana is a go-to kids snack. But, what if you take it a step further with a creative twist? These peanut butter banana quesadillas can be easily customized to your child’s preference with chocolate chips, raisins, granola, and more!
Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
While fried cheese sticks are delicious, we all know they aren’t the healthiest choice. This baked version will have everyone in your family coming back for more. With few ingredients, baked mozzarella cheese sticks are a breeze to put together in a pinch.
Breakfast Sushi
You read that correctly! This kid-friendly breakfast “sushi” uses bananas, yogurt, cereal, and fruit to create a fun sushi roll that they can customize. When you have time to get creative, this is a fun breakfast staple to get even the choosiest of eaters excited about breakfast time.
If you’re searching for at-home activities for your preschooler, The Gardner School shares early childhood development tips and activities on our blog and our Pinterest profile. You can also follow our hashtag, #TGSatHome on Facebook and Instagram.