Healthy Meals for Kids

Good things come in small packages and mealtime is no exception. These healthy meals are perfect for popping into little mouths or picking up with tiny fingers. Your kids will delight in these bite-sized meals and snacks. Each meal is low in calories, provides a variety of healthy ingredients, and is so tasty even the big kids (a.k.a. Mom or Dad) will like them.

With each recipe, find suggestions for the parents to help make prep easier, to involve the children in the kitchen, or to add a unique, adult-friendly spin to the recipe. Best of all, you can feel good serving these healthy recipes to your children.

Diner Meat Loaf 'Muffins'

What child wouldn’t love a giant meatball? Molding meatloaf into muffin tins yields a perfectly portioned main attraction.  Each muffin has less than 150 calories and is loaded with finely chopped carrots and onions to provide extra antioxidants and fiber (but we guarantee you're kids won't even know they're there). The dish uses extra lean ground beef to keep the calories and fat low while providing high quality protein.

Parents, this recipe can be made ahead, wrapped individually, and frozen. Pull them out when you need a healthy and filling dinner in a hurry.

Honey-Ginger Chicken Bites

Ditch the greasy fried chicken fingers in favor of these sweet glazed chicken bites. They're the perfect size for popping into little mouths or serving on skewers (just make sure to use blunt-ended skewers for the little ones). Pair with rice and green beans for a hearty, kid-friendly meal. This dish is prepared with boneless, skinless chicken thighs but feel free to use chicken breasts if you have them on hand.

Parents, break out the toothpicks and serve these nibbles next time the gang gathers to watch a football game or play cards.

Veggie Piglets in Blankets with Dipping Sauce

Packed with soy protein from the veggie sausage, these little piglets are a reduced-fat version of the classic crescent-dough wrapped pigs-in-a-blanket. Whether for breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon snack, you only need two ingredients to make the piglets and 2 more ingredients for the dipping sauce. If you prefer traditional sausage, choose low-fat pork or turkey links to keep the calories and saturated fat to a minimum. Try barbeque sauce, ketchup, or low-fat Ranch dressing as an alternative to the homemade honey mustard.

Parents, give your kids confidence in the kitchen by inviting them to help prepare this simple dish. If your children are young, let them cut the dough with safety scissors then wrap the dough around the sausage links.