As a mother of three youngsters, giving my children the best shot at health is always foremost in my mind. What can we do to foster good health and strengthen our immune systems during times of heightened exposure to illness? Eatright.org urges us to make the most of our time at home by preparing and sharing meals together. And the foods we choose to prepare can really boost our health and immunity! So we’ve been packing in the fruits, vegetables and legumes and having fun in the process.
Taking part in food preparation helps open children’s minds to trying new foods and being curious about how the food affects our bodies. We use this time to talk about what makes us stronger, which foods we want to eat the most of, and which ingredients we use sparingly or infrequently, both for financial and health reasons. This also primes them for self-sufficiency in adulthood!
I’d like to share some of my favorite recipes that I’ve seen around the web to have fun making healthy meals and snacks with (or without) the children.
Totally Cute Ways to Serve Fruit to Kids by OneCrazyHouse.com offers a variety of creative ways to liven up fruit and make an impression on your family at snack time. LikeMotherLikeDaughter shares these simple and sweet fruit kebabs that you can make with any fruit you have on hand. And who wouldn’t want to snack on these adorable buggie snacks?
Here is a video on how to make a papaya flower and banana decorations.
Rainbow Pizza by Forkly gives instructions on how to make an irresistibly beautiful veggie pizza and much more. And CafeMom recommends adding finely chopped spinach to your pasta sauce for some imperceptible hearty goodness.
Bell peppers are a potent source of vitamin C, so we love to work them in when we can. SuperHealthyKids has some great tips for making bell peppers fun; make sure to check out the Hummus Octopus.
And while we’re at it, we can encourage kids to take more responsibility in the kitchen! FoodNetwork has tips for cooking with kids as well as a slideshow of fun recipes that kids can make themselves! And KidsCookRealFood gives suggestions for teaching kids to clean up after themselves in the kitchen as part of their training toward becoming fully functioning adults.
With all of the difficulties many of us are facing due to the uncertainties of Covid-19, we search for ways to make the most of our current situation and come out stronger and more resilient than before. The additional time that we are spending together has given us an opportunity to involve the children to a greater degree in many o f our household tasks. In what ways has your family been strengthened by these trying times? Consider sharing your silver linings with our readers!
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Text: © Kids In Transition to School 2020
Image: © Diavolica | Dreamstime.com
