Dinners for children: 10 ideas that are as healthy as they are exquisite

A healthy body is a guest room for the soul; a sick body is a prison

Francis Bacon

Are you looking for healthy yet delicious dinners for children , easy to prepare and rich in vitamins, minerals and the main macronutrients they need to have iron health? You have arrived at a good port: at Cucamenta we have a lot of ideas for you.

A trick for making dinner: the Harvard plate

A trick to prepare healthy dinners is to use the healthy plate , also known as the Harvard Plate and recommended by the Spanish Pediatric Association. This model explains the proportion or adequate distribution of the main food groups, something that the traditional nutritional pyramid does not reflect. These are its main keys:

• Half of the plate should be made up of fruits and vegetables , the more colors the better - excluding potatoes and tubers. Opt for fresh, seasonal vegetables, which are cheaper, have better flavor and are harvested at their optimal ripening point.
• A quarter of the plate is for cereals, the main source of carbohydrates. Opt for whole wheat variants or whole grains so that they are complex carbohydrates, which are digested more slowly. In this group are pasta, rice, bread or potatoes.
• The other quarter of the plate is for proteins, of which there are very diverse sources . Those of animal origin include eggs, poultry, meat, fish, seafood or dairy products such as cheese. Those of plant origin include legumes, nuts, seeds, seitan, tofu or algae. Red meat and sausages should be avoided.

Season your meals with healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil, one of the jewels of our Mediterranean diet, and use fresh and dried herbs to fill children's dinners with flavor. The Harvard Plate also recommends consuming two daily servings of dairy and limits juice to one small serving per day, encouraging you to accompany your meals with water.

The consumption of sweets, chips, cakes or industrial pastries should be occasional and reserved for special occasions, such as movie nights or birthday celebrations.

10 healthy dinner ideas for children

Dive into YouTube, Instagram, TikTok or specialized blogs to find the best dinners for children. These are some proposals, including fresh and light dinners for the summer.

• Salmon wrap with egg and avocado: for this simple recipe from Cookpad it consists of cooking an egg -poached or hard-boiled-, peeling it and adding it to the filling of a corn tortilla, consisting of half an avocado, smoked salmon -or marinated- chives, cucumber and a mustard, honey and dill sauce. A delight loaded with omega-3, protein and vitamins.
• Incredible naan bread: Gipsy Chef teaches you how to prepare this delicious pan-fried Indian bread with a dough of flour, yogurt, oil, yeast and lime juice. The filling is a cocktail of flavors that children will love, with butter, fresh cheese or cilantro, although you can “tune” it to your liking.
• Breaded mushrooms with salad : instead of frozen nuggets, try making these original vegetarian nuggets with breaded oyster mushrooms, just as Fabián León teaches you. You can accompany them with a varied salad with fresh tomatoes, olives and nuts.
• Lentil schnitzels : an ideal way for children to eat legumes is to prepare chickpea schnitzels or lentil schnitzels like the ones you will find on the Peace Love Vegan website . Accompany them with baked potatoes, piquillo peppers or a good lettuce.
• Chicken and vegetable skewers : you can cook them in the oven, on the grill or in the air fryer and include onion, Italian pepper, cherry tomatoes or mushrooms. To accompany it, put your favorite homemade sauce, such as sweet and sour or chimichurri.
• Cold tuna cake with sliced ​​bread : Anna Easy Recipes teaches you how to prepare this dish - which serves as a starter or main dish - in just ten minutes. A simple and delicious way to use canned tuna along with other healthy ingredients such as eggs or olives.
• Tofu in peanut sauce : this recipe from the Where Do I Get the Proteins blog is one of the many and infinite ways to eat tofu - scrambled, spicy, in a Mediterranean style, tofish with tartar sauce - that children will love, giving them a fun way to eat this source of protein, calcium and iron. You can accompany it with grilled broccoli.
• Homemade hummus and grilled egg toast : there are as many variants of healthy toasts and sandwiches as you want. Prepare a chickpea hummus - or lupin and carrot hummus, or beans with yogurt - and add a good splash of oil, chives and a grilled egg on top.
• Vegan meatballs : the Gloria Vegana blog explains how to make tasty and nutritious vegetable meat meatballs in sauce, which you can serve accompanied by boiled rice.
• Vegetable spaghetti with tempeh : instead of pasta, you can grate or spiralize zucchini, eggplant and carrot and toast them with soy sauce and your favorite spices, accompanying them with tempeh. If you want a non-vegetarian version, you can make them with diced turkey or shrimp.

There are many more healthy, economical and delicious dinner ideas for children. Can you tell us yours?