5 Healthy Foods Your Kid Will Actually Eat
Wild Salmon Cakes
Makes approximately 12 3-inch cakes
1 16 oz can wild salmon*
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cornmeal, divided
Freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon chili pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
Wild Salmon Cakes
2. Spread the remaining 1/4-cup cornmeal onto a plate. Form into 2-tablespoon sized balls, then flatten into discs. Press each cake into cornmeal on both sides and place on lined baking sheet.
3. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with relish, ketchup, or mayonnaise.
Cornmeal Muffins with Yellow Squash and Raisins
Makes 12 muffins or 24 mini muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/3-1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1 cup grated yellow squash, squeezed well of liquid and packed
1/2 cup raisins
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Coat a muffin tin (or two mini-muffin tins) with oil or nonstick spray. Mix the flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate small bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, cooled butter, yogurt, and squash.
2. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, then gently stir in the raisins. Fill muffin cups evenly, to about the rim of each. Bake for 22-26 minutes for full-size muffins or 18-20 minutes for mini muffins, or until lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out dry. Let sit in tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a baking rack. Serve slightly warm.
Whole Grain Mini-Meatballs with Kale
Makes about 18
1/4 cup quinoa flakes or rolled oats
4-6 large kale leaves, torn from stems
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/2-pound Italian sausage
1/2-pound lean ground beef 1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs*
1/4 cup Parmesan
1 egg
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place the quinoa flakes (or oats), kale, onion, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to shred. Pour into a medium bowl.
2. Add the meat, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and egg to the quinoa-kale mixture and use (clean) hands to combine thoroughly. Form into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet.
3. Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until just starting to brown. Drain on paper towels if necessary. Warm in your favorite marinara sauce and serve with polenta, whole grain pasta, or alongside whole-wheat toast.
*Use cornmeal instead of breadcrumbs to make these meatballs gluten free.
Cheesy Oat Crackers with Rosemary
Makes about 24-30 crackers (depending on the size of your cookie cutter)
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1. Add the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, and rosemary to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to grind and blend. Add the milk, cheese and butter and pulse a few times. Add the egg and pulse just until dough comes together. Pour dough into a zip top plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 F. remove dough from bag, form into a disc, and place the between two large sheets of parchment paper. Roll out until 1/8-inch thick. Cut with 1- or 1 1/2-inch cookie cutters dusted with flour. Place on lined baking sheet. Reroll and cut remaining dough until completed.
3. Bake 18-20 minutes or until crackers are golden. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies
Makes about two dozen cookies
3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1. Mix mashed banana with egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and place 1-tablespoon portions of dough 2 inches apart. Press until 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 20-22 minutes, then let cool on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
My toddler would eat toast, fruit leather, or “O’s-and-raisins!” for every meal if she was in charge. And while I’d never describe her as picky, she’s definitely opinionated when it comes to what shows up on her plate — and winds up in her mouth. She’s in the habit of eating what we eat because I’ve learned to play to my audience and the foods that I know she loves are in regular rotation. In my house, that means plenty of pasta, homemade pizza, meatballs, scrambled eggs, and baked goods. But to keep things interesting and nutritious, I often change up what’s in each of these dishes, say by adding a little kale and oats to meatballs, or serving up salmon cakes with a crunchy coating. Because really, when something looks like a meatball or can be dipped in ketchup, she’ll eat it right up.
I’ve tested these budget-friendly recipes on my whole family and we all love them, and now I'm sharing them with Yahoo Parenting. The Cornmeal Muffins with Yellow Squash and Raisins are moist and flavorful, without a lot of added sugar. The Cheesy Oat Crackers with Rosemary are cheesy, yes, but they also include whole grains and flavorful herbs to make them interesting. I recently served up the Whole Grain Mini-Meatballs with Kale to my family and no one suspected that they had greens hidden inside. And since we all need a little dessert now and then, the Dark Chocolate Banana Cookies rely on fruit and chocolate for flavor, but they also have whole grains, good fats, and some protein to keep them a balanced source of energy. Change up these recipes to suit your family or make them as they are here — and if it takes your toddler a few tastes to get used to a new dish, as least you can be assured that the rest of your family will gobble them up!
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