For a parent, the most wonderful feeling is to witness the child growing up in front of your eyes. At the same time, it is also very tricky and difficult to keep up with their changing behaviours, tastes and opinions. For the younger lot, it’s especially difficult to keep innovating with food so the children don’t get bored of it and are also eating healthy. I remember how my Mom constantly use to add a newer element into the art of tiffin preparation for our school break, so that we eat well at all times. Kids in that age group are usually so picky with food that parents must get creative and reinvent old recipes or create a new one, to keep them interested.
When it comes to making lunch for your kids, forget the old paratha and sabji combination. Here is a list of quick and easy recipes to sort out your children’s lunch that are not only different and attractive, but also super nutritious and healthy. This summer, various online stores are also giving away fantastic grocery offers, so you don’t have to worry about the budget either.
These recipes will leave your children devouring over food and wanting for more. Let’s have a look:-
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Chicken Pesto Picnic Sandwiches
These simple sandwiches make the perfect lunch for your little ones and can also be used as superb picnic meals too. All you need is sandwich bread, parmesan cheese, chicken and pesto, freshly ground pepper and sundried tomatoes. Add pesto and chicken in a bowl and toss them together. Take one bread slice and arrange it on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide chicken and pesto between ciabatta rolls and add grated Parmesan cheese, arugula, sun dried tomatoes, and freshly ground black pepper. Then lastly, place the other bread slice. There, you have it, your healthy pesto chicken sandwiches. Serve them with lime coolers or simply surprise your little ones with this yumminess in their lunch boxes.
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Cauliflower Pizza Bites
The thing about kids is they love unusual stuff. If you just change the presentation of the simplest dish that they otherwise run away from, you will find them instantly drooling over the same dish after changing its appearance. Cauliflower Pizza Bites is also something like this. You need cauliflower, eggs, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and the regular herbs and salts like basil, pepper, salt and garlic. The first step is to grate cauliflower into fine crumbs using the small side of a box grater, and then keep it aside. Add eggs, 1/3 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons basil, and garlic powder to a large bowl and mix the grated cauliflower into this. Season it with salt and pepper. Once done, make tiny moist patties and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes until they turn golden. Using an oil brush, top the patty with a thin layer of marinara, some of the remaining mozzarella cheese, and mini pepperoni and bake until cheese melts and pepperoni crisps. This can take roughly about 5-7 minutes. You can garnish with basil in the end. Your dish is complete and ready to make your kids really happy.
3. Yummy Hummus and Spinach Wrap
This is one of the easiest recipes which is not only delicious but also filled with nutrition and health. You can have some fun with your kid’s lunch by rolling into a spinach wrap — this colourful wrap will make your child jump with joy and leave them asking for more. And the best part is, it’s super healthy too. For this wrap, you require a large spinach tortilla, jarred roasted red pepper, sliced, about 3 canned artichoke hearts, halved, 2 cups mixed salad greens and roughly about ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese. Now let’s get it started.
Simply grill the tortilla on a pan or skillet over medium heat just for approximately a minute till you see the grill marks on the outer skin of the tortilla. Then we will let the tortilla cool a little. On the tortilla, you have to spread about a quarter of the hummus down the middle third of the tortilla. Then, put some cooked onions and roasted red peppers all over the hummus and the artichoke heart halves. Take the salad greens (previously tossed in a little bit of balsamic vinaigrette) and spread them on the wrap. For the last touches, use the crumbled feta over the greens. Now wrap up the tortilla, slice the wrap into cute shapes to entice your little ones.
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Butterfly Sandwiches
This quick and easy recipe is so amazing, because it hardly takes any time to prepare and the children will also get super excited with the wonderful look of it. The ingredients used here are very easy to find, and if you want to shop online for them, there are some amazing grocery offers on various stores like Big Basket and Amazon. The ingredients required for this are some peeled and grated hard-cooked eggs, finely grated carrot, chopped celery, ¾ cup mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, bread and some butter. To begin with, take a bowl and mix eggs, celery and carrot. Add the mayonnaise with the mustard and stir the mixture. Also add salt and pepper as you like. Then take the sandwich bread and lightly butter one die of the bread, and assemble the sandwich. Now, to make the butterfly shape for the sandwiches, cut them into quarters on the diagonal. You just have to press smallest point of 2 triangular slices together to make it look like a butterfly shape. In the centre of the ‘wings’, you can lay a mini carrot stick to form the “body”. Your butterfly sandwiches are prepared! You can also add olives and basil on the sandwiches to add colour to your butterflies.
These recipes are super easy to make and will please your kids at lunch too. Feeding kids can be a hassle but the key is to add a fun element to their boring lunch meals, and this will not only make them swoon with joy but also keep them healthy and happy. With the ingredients available so easily online, you don’t have to worry about anything. Just cook away with love and make your family beam with pride about your cooking skills.
Other recipes which you might find interesting:
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