More Bang for Your Nutritional Buck

Worried that you're feeding your kid only the meals she likes (hel-lo noodles!) and depriving her of essential nutrients? Don't be. "Kid-friendly"and "healthy" are not mutually-exclusive. With a few tweaks, common kid foods like pizza, french fries and pasta can get a nutritional boost, says Annabel Karmel, author of more than 20 kid-friendly cookbooks, most recently The Healthy Baby Meal Planner: 200 Quick, Easy and Healthy Recipes for Your Baby and Toddler. Here are her tricks for making their mealtime mainstays more nutritious.

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What kid doesn’t love this saucy, cheesy stand-by? The bad news: “They’re not getting very much nutrition—and pizza usually has a lot of salt,” says Karmel. “So I like to make them myself, especially the sauce. Sauté up carrots, sweet pepper and onions, and hide them in the tomato sauce by blending everything.” Homemade pizza doesn’t have to be fancy, says Karmel. Top a whole-wheat English muffin or pita bread with sauce, lots of veggies and some cheese, broil it and you’ve got a super-simple, super-satisfying—and decidedly more nutritious—take on the old standby in less time than delivery.

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If your kids are into plain buttered pasta, “they’ll get some energy from it,” says Karmel, “but not much else.” She suggests going whole wheat if you can—"it will give you more fiber, and maybe protein." Also, add some fun to the mix with a bit of cheese and kid-friendly veggies, like peas, carrots, or even a bit of onion and broccoli. “Try adding whatever veggies your child will already eat,” says Karmel, “and sauté a little onion and garlic. Garlic’s got great properties—it protects you from illnesses. And cheese adds calcium.”

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The warning on this one? “Packaged foods can be very high in salt,” says Karmel. “We kind of train our kids to like salty foods. And salt is so bad for kids.” So make mac and cheese at home, using whole wheat pasta if you can. “I like to make it with three different cheeses: Cheddar, Parmesan and Gruy_è_re, and then I add broccoli florets.” A tip to really amp up the nutrition: Puree a bit of butternut squash into the cheese sauce. “It’s got that creamy texture and the color, so you don’t see it at all; it’s just slightly more orangey.” The key here, says Karmel, is color. “The more colorful the vegetable, the better it is for you.”

“Popcorn is quite good for you, actually,” says Karmel.“It’s whole grain and healthy. It’s low in fat and has fiber. So let your kid indulge, as long as you’re not adding a lot of sugar or salt.” Pop it at home, she says, rather than going for the bagged stuff. But if you must microwave, aim for the low-fat, low-sodium or all-natural varieties.

The best bet for chicken nuggets? Make sure they look like real chicken. “Some of these processed ones have very little chicken in them, and instead have lots of water, skin and all sorts of other horrible things,”says Karmel. Look instead for fingers made from whole muscle chicken breast. Consumer brands can be quite high in fat, so Karmel recommends a quick fix at home. “Marinate chicken breast in buttermilk for fantastic flavor, then coat in flour, seasoned egg, crushed Rice Krispies and Parmesan cheese. Bake or lightly sauté. Your kids will love it.”

These get a bad rap, but potatoes in and of themselves aren’t actually horrible for you—they provide vitamin C and other necessary nutrients. Bake thick-cut fries in the oven so they don’t absorb as much fat. Or, better yet, Karmel suggests substitute sweet potato wedges. “Sweet potatoes are very rich in beta carotene, and kids love them. They’re delicious.” Whatever you’re using, leave the skin on. “Most of the nutrition is just under the skin.”

Skip the waffles and pancakes—“there’s no nutrition at all”—in favor of a low-sugar breakfast cereal, preferably with fruit and milk. “They’re fortified with a lot of things kids need,” says Karmel, including iron, vitamins, and milk for added calcium. “Breakfast is such an important meal for a child, and you want to get them started right.”

Puffy cheese snacks or bite-sized crackers don't really provide any nutrition at all. For snacking, “You’re much better off doing cheese on whole wheat toast with tomatoes under the broiler,” says Karmel. “I promise it will be delicious.” If you’re on the road, says Karmel, try bagging fruit slices or veggie sticks, or a chunk of cheese and whole grain bread. “Those little mini cheeses are great. They’re portable, tasty and a really good source of calcium.” Extra tip: Offer up cheese after a meal, because it helps neutralize acid on teeth between brushings.

“Hamburgers can be quite good for little kids,” says Karmel,“because most children are iron-deficient. And iron is so important.” But again, she says, look for the real thing, sans fillers like bread crumbs.“Making it at home, you can control the amount of fat by choosing a lean beef or turkey,” she adds, “and hiding lots of sautéed veggies like onions and peppers, or grated apple, in the meat.” And don’t be stressed if your children prefer their burgers without a bun. The bread is just a filler. “Let them eat the meat—that’s where the real nutrition lies.”

Fruit is an ideal way to add easy nutrients to snack time, but opt for fresh rather than the packaged varieties. Bananas are portable and potassium-packed. Apples offer a sweet crunch and plenty of vitamin C. “Pair fruit with cheese and you’re adding some calcium,” says Karmel, “plus it’s a nice sweet and salty balance.” She says dried fruits, like apricots and raisins, are good, and applesauce works, too.“But skip the added sugar. It’s sweet enough as it is. Or you can easily steam and puree your own.” When pouring juice, go for 100 percent pure fruit juice, rather than “juice drinks.”

Peanut butter is a great nutrient-booster for kids—it’s a good source of iron and protein. “It’s got nutrients in it,” says Karmel. “All-natural is good, but I go for the one that I like the taste of, to be honest.” She says to go for a fruit preserve with no added sugar.

Don’t think your toddler likes fish? Try fishcakes as an easy introduction. “I use salmon, because the oily fish is full of essential amino acids and protein,” says Karmel. “Mix it with potato, a bit of chili sauce and onion and broil or sauté lightly.” The individual, handheld cakes are fun for little hands. Or do your own fish sticks with an easy corn flake crust. Another option? Grilling or broiling fish and veggies on a skewer. “Little kids love food on a stick!”

Don’t deprive. “They’ll want it all the more,” says Karmel. Instead, replace store-bought brands with homemade oatmeal cookies or a healthy sweet or savory muffin. “Let your child help you make them,” suggests Karmel.“It’s so much more fun that way, and they’re all the more likely to eat it.”

“Yogurt used to be healthy food,” says Karmel, “and then they started adding things like chocolate sprinkles.” She says stick to a basic, plain (or maybe vanilla) full-fat yogurt for your little one, and add fruit yourself.