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Mothers of School-Age Children
Healthy Eating
Dinner
Dinnertime can be hectic in most households. Kids often have activities in the evening and it is important that they eat well so they can last the rest of the day. If your child has been eating well throughout the rest of the day, she probably still has lots of energy left for the evening. Don’t let this fool you. They still need to eat a meal in the evening. If you are busy try and have foods that can be prepared quickly yet provide a nourishing meal. Check out www.dietitians.ca, the Dietitians of Canada website, for some great ideas.
- bags of frozen stir fry vegetables are extremely useful for a last minute meal; if you have some left over chicken, beef or turkey from the previous day you can through it in the stir fry, add some rice and you have a complete meal
- encourage your kids to opt for fresh or tinned fruit (in its own juice) for dessert, yogurt is also a good alternative
- serve low fat milk or water as their dinner time beverage
If you have a vegetarian child in your household, it does not necessarily mean that you have to prepare a separate meal for that one member of the family. Certainly she can enjoy all the vegetables and grains that are prepared for the rest of the family. There are many vegetarian cookbooks available and you may find yourself trying out new vegetarian recipes and including them as part of your family’s regular menu. You will be pleasantly surprised at how easy and delicious many of them are. If you are serving meat at mealtime there are many vegetarian options that can be prepared simultaneously without too much effort, so your child does not feel isolated. There are even vegetarian burgers and hotdogs available now so your child can enjoy all the fun of summer barbeques.
If you keep your cupboards, fridge and freezer stocked with quick, basic, easy to prepare foods, you and your family will be able to prepare wholesome, delicious meals everyday.