Meal planning is a fun way to organize the foods you eat. You can do it online, in the middle of the night, or even while your children are napping! Many parents find it helpful to create a list of meals they know their child will like and will not want to do every day, but this tool can also be used more broadly.

Many kids enjoy creating their meals and putting them into containers and then being guided by the kitchen. You can display information about what your child eats, how they eat it, and why they might prefer one style of food over another.

This tool can be used for both kid-friendly recipes and grocery lists. For instance, you can use iTunes U to generate free educational materials for children.

Include a fruit or vegetable at every meal

Almost every kid needs at least one or two kinds of vegetables and the kids who love vegetables so much should also include as many as their bodies can handle. For my children, they loved helping me prepare their meals and they would usually finish what I was eating.

Including a small amount of fruit per meal is a great way to include more vitamins and minerals in your child’s diet. Most kids cannot yet eat a whole apple or orange so I would generally recommend focusing on berries or a small amount of sweet fruit.

By including some kind of vegetable or two at each meal, your child will be able to appreciate the colors, tastes, and functions of the vegetable. They will also learn that some are bad (not allowing anything with sugar in it) and some are good (not giving up veggies!).

Limit salty snacks

Even young children should be urged to limit the amount of salty snacks they eat. This includes snack foods, small meals, and large meals.

Young children often eat more than they should, and it can lead to overnutrition. Over nutrition can put a strain on their young bodies, and may even harm them later in life.

Their bodies cannot determine if a food is salty, so they may eat too much of it. This can lead to problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes, two serious medical conditions.

They may also have trouble paying attention and making decisions when eating is offered to them. By having limited snacks and times to snack, you can help your child stay on track with their diet and health.

Given the importance of a healthy diet to prevent health problems, parents should always make sure to set boundaries with their children.

Offer alternative salty snacks

If your kids are hungry, why not offer them a few choices of snacks? If you know they love the salty snacks you typically stock in the house, then you are already ahead.

Many children and adults love having a few pieces of candy or four grapes. You can always sell out of the kids’ snacks and the adults’s because they are so delicious!

If your kids don’t like some of the foods you store, there are many places that sell food that aren’t too sweet or savory that may be ideal for children. Some examples include low-sodium foods and child-friendly packaging materials such as little bags of chips or a small box of cookies.

By having some alternative foods available, your children will feel prepared for what they eat and it will save you from having to buy extra things if they don’t enjoy what is offered.

Make it fun! Use colorful plates and utensils

Even if your kid isn’t hungry, colorful dishes and accents make for fun foods fun to look at and explore. By providing a fun environment, kids are more likely to enjoy your meal plan and try out some of the foods you are putting out.

Using brightly colored plates and utensils is a way of reminding yourself and your children about food colorways and why they are special.

Using different types of foods together is another way to emphasize theImportance of eating enough fruits and veggies, while also making food fun to look at.

If your child seems bored or wants more excitement in their meal plan, try mixing in some games or exercises like jumping jacks or learn this one before breakfast to start the day off on a good note.

Use kid-friendly recipes

If you are planning a meal plan for your child, or are baking cookies or cake for the party, use the kids-friendly ingredients.

These include no-sugar content foods, like fruit and vegetables, so your child can get his or her fair share of calories.

I know it can be hard to give up some of the more processed foods our kids love, but keeping things kid friendly is important in preventing childhood health issues.

For example, if your child is not fond of spinach police badges, then he or she can just cut out the spinach and replace it with something else. Your kid still gets the same amount of calories and enjoyment out of the recipe!

Use common words to tell your children what foods are and are not kid friendly. For example, telling my daughter that we are making chocolate chip cookies because it is hot outside is telling her to take care of herself by eating something sweet.

Don’t forget dessert!

Even though paracetamol and water may be good for kids, there’s no need to give kids candy or sweets. These can lead to obesity and sugar addiction later on.

Sugar is a common craving for kids, due to the high levels in plain old chocolate products. Ban chocolate all together for kids as soon as possible!

The same goes for candy. Many times they are not sweet enough on their own and they end up having to eat more than they should have Ossature di Gallo (lemon zest), /caudex/ (cedar wood) or /couper/ (coffee-chocolate-chip).

Share your passion for healthy eating with your kids

Kids love learning new things, and if you make them a part of your diet, they’ll stick with you for a while.

Keep them fed and happy with these great kid-friendly recipes

People of all ages love baked goods, so it’s a pretty simple way to give your child a healthy treat. Many of the recipes shown here are easy to make and require only one or two ingredients.

Some of the recipes are even easy to change up to make them kid-friendly. This is important, as kids can always use more help in eating habits.

So, go ahead and give your child a healthy treat. They will smile ear-to-ear as they taste the quality of the food and how well it was made. They will likely ask for these meals again and again!

Many of these meals are budget friendly too. Most of them cost under $5 per meal, which is a very reasonable price range for big splurges like Christmas dinner or Halloween party fare.