Getting on the healthier eating path involves a few things:
- Eat at home more
- cooking the same meal at home, as you would order at the restaurant, decreases the amount of salt, sugar, unhealthy fats, and bad calories.
- Get help in the kitchen
- Let kids help one night a week when you are least stressed
- A Canadian study in 2014 showed that Kids who help in the kitchen eat 10-20% more veggies and fruits then those who do not.
- Those involved in the cooking process, try more foods.
- Preparing foods at home with parents, provides a positive interaction between parents, children, and food.
- Do not assume that kids who see veggies mixed in their dinner will refuse the meal. On the contrary, they are more likely to accept foods when they have been part of the preparation process.
Let’s get to the Recipe of the Day
Inspired by Super Healthy Kids
PESTO TURKEY VEGGIE MEATBALLS
Ingredients:
- 1-lb organic ground turkey
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 cup zucchini
- 3 Tbsp Pesto
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Have kids chop veggies. The pampered chef chopper comes in very handy for kids not to be trusted with the knife.
- Mix veggies, meat, pesto gently with a large fork. Do not over mix.
- Prepare a cookie sheet Have kids use a cookie scooper to scoop out meat and place meatballs on the cookie sheet. No one cares that they are not perfectly round.
- Bake in oven for 20 min, or until they are no longer pink in the middle.
- Yields about 20 meatballs-ish.
We served them with Tolerant Organic Red Lentil Mini Fettuccine (no gluten, no soy, no preservatives), Earth Fare Organic Marinara Sauce, and Salad with homemade Ranch Dressing.
In Good Health, Ana-Maria Temple, MD
