Planning A Nutritious Meal For Kids

Some may remember when classroom bulletin boards displayed the food pyramid. The pyramid – there was only one. One size fit all. Everyone needed to follow the same nutritional guidelines. Everyone was supposed to merely look at the pyramid and find out how many servings were needed each day.

Many would agree that it is s a good thing that obsolete food pyramid is now history! It may have taken a while, but the idea that not all people require the same food intake finally caught on. Nor are children expected to follow the same nutritional guidelines as the adults.

If you're hoping we'll show you the "kid's guidelines" there simply isn't a set guideline. The amount of food from each food group that each person needs to eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle is dependent on their age, sex and physical activity level. One size doesn’t fit all. You can go to mypyramid.gov to type in some variables to get an idea of how much from each food category to consume each day.

Remember balance is the key. Make sure your children are eating fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats and beans and grains each day. Then top it off with water, fresh air and exercise. To get started, below you will find a couple of nutritious meals for kids.

This turkey avocado sandwich wrap uses kid-friendly ingredients for a healthy lunch or snack.

INGREDIENTS:
• Whole wheat tortillas
• 1 avocado mashed
• Sliced deli turkey
• Shredded carrots
• Shredded lettuce
• Shredded Monterey jack cheese

PREPARATION:
Assemble wraps in the following order: Spread mashed avocado on tortilla Sprinkle shredded carrots and lettuce on avocado; Lay on slices of deli turkey; Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Additionally, you won't get any wrinkled noses if you tell the kids you're making chicken nuggets for dinner. This kid favorite is just as good in the low-fat, oven-baked version. For easy clean-up and maximum crispiness, lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet; and, then place a wire rack on top of the foil.

INGREDIENTS:
• skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in 1-2 inch squares
• non-fat or low-fat buttermilk
• flour for dredging
• finely crushed corn flakes for dredging
• salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 375. Prepare three large bowls for dredging chicken - 1 with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, 1 with buttermilk, and 1 with crushed corn flakes. Prepare baking pan by laying a sheet of foil over a cookie sheet; and then place a wire rack on top of the foil. Season chicken with salt and cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Shake off excess flour and coat with buttermilk. Next, generously coat chicken with corn flakes, and place on rack of your baking pan. Bake nuggets for 15 minutes. These keep well for the next day's lunch box so make plenty!

The next time you reach into the pantry or freeze to grab something quick to make for dinner, take a good hard look at the ingredients. The goal is not to serve food that is "not too bad" but rather food that is nutritious. Remember that not all of your children may require the same servings of food.