Children’s idea of a tasty lunch is often different from their parents’ idea. It can sometimes be a challenge to conjure up a healthy lunch that supplies the child’s organism with everything it needs, and at the same time that the children eat it without distraction and with joy. Especially if you have a weak eater at home, a picky child, or one who would rather be hungry than should eat, e.g. vegetables.
The children’s menu should be colorful and varied . Let children get to know different tastes and make sure that all food groups are represented in your offspring’s diet – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts (from 2 years old) and seeds, legumes, dairy products (especially sour), eggs, fish and meat .
If possible, always choose local and seasonal ingredients rather than imported ones. Prefer high-quality vegetable fats and oils (olive, pumpkin, coconut) over animal fats. From cereals, include buckwheat, millet or barley in your diet. They are traditional, but somewhat forgotten cereals, very nutritious and can diversify (not only) children’s meals. Do not overdo it with salting(up to 1 year, salting is not recommended at all). For seasoning food, use fresh or dried herbs, garlic, or grated pecorino cheese .
Table of Contents
Tips for healthy lunches
1. Plates
Pancakes are a grateful lunch for children. They can eat them with their hands, which will definitely please them. Parents, on the other hand, will be pleased by the fact that they can smuggle in ingredients that children would otherwise not eat . The basis is always an egg, grated vegetables (cauliflower, carrot, pumpkin, zucchini, beetroot, broccoli, sauerkraut – or combinations thereof), a little flour or oatmeal. You can flavor them with marjoram, oregano or another herb, add grated cheese, garlic or flax seeds.
TIP – PUMPKIN FLAKES:
half a grated butternut squash,
100g grated hard cheese,
2 eggs,
1 clove of crushed garlic,
2 tablespoons of finely ground oatmeal,
1 teaspoon of oregano and a pinch of salt.
We mix everything together and form small patties, which we place on a baking sheet and bake at 200 °C for 15 minutes on each side.
2. Pasta
Most children love pasta. They can be a nutritious lunch if prepared correctly. The combination with vegetables is ideal .Heavy sauces, especially cream-based ones, should be avoided. Alternate classic wheat pasta with buckwheat, lentil, beet or spinach .
TIP – BEET PUMPS:
boiled and grated beetroot,
1 egg,
1 tbsp plain spelled flour and a pinch of salt.
We mix everything together and make gnocchi, which we throw into boiling water. Cook until the gnocchi float to the surface. Serve with cottage cheese or soft goat cheese, melted butter, or with boiled and mixed beets and grated pecorino cheese.
3. Sweet lunch
A sweet lunch is a child’s dream. It doesn’t have to be a calorie bomb or a nutritional disaster. If you treat your children to a sweet lunch from time to time in the form of pancakes with cottage cheese or ricotta and fruit, or cottage cheese-wheat balls filled with fruit, they will love you. Sweet potato gnocchi are also suitable, which you can easily prepare from boiled sweet potatoes, spelled flour and cinnamon.
TIP – WHEAT BALLS:
a cup of boiled wheat,
1 egg,
1 pack of ricotta,
1 tablespoon spelled semolina,
½ tsp vanilla.
We mix everything together and form balls, which we throw into boiling water. Cook until the balls float to the surface. Serve with stewed apple and pear, sprinkled with cinnamon and doused with melted butter.
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