Healthy Dinner Ideas

To ramp up the fiber and nutrients in your dinner meals consider the following add-ins:

Pureed cannellini beans, 1/2 cup pureed peas, a few tablespoons of Benefiber, shredded carrots, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup frozen, thawed, chopped spinach, pureed sweet potato or cauliflower can be added to marinara sauce. They'll never know it's there!

Shredded carrots, sweet potato puree, shredded zucchini can also be added in to meatloaf, hamburgers and meat balls. Cooked, pureed cauliflower can be whisked into cheese sauce for mac and cheese.

I've been told adding baby food prunes or pureed blueberries to ground beef also works well, although I've never tried it myself.

Try making vegetables more inviting - roast brocolli, cauliflower, asparagus, peppers, green beans, root vegetables like turnips, carrots and parsnips and brussels sprouts - instead of steaming. Simply arrange on a baking sheet, coat with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and roast at 400 for 30-40 minutes - turning once halfway through.

Better mashed potatoes: Drain 1 cup of cooked cauliflower florets; puree with a little milk or water until smooth and mash with equal parts potatoes. You can combine pureed cauliflower and celeriac or parsnips with potatoes as well.

Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld gives you even more ideas on how to sneak healthy ingredients into your child's foods.

Substitute ground chicken, turkey, lamb, veal and even buffalo for beef when making burgers. Add in chopped Baby Bella (cremini), white button mushrooms or chopped and sauteed shiitake mushrooms and shredded zucchini to keep burgers moist and add flavor. If you add some frozen, chopped spinach that's been thawed, it not only keeps the burgers or mealtloaf moist, but a component in the spinach helps synthesize protein, so you get even more benefit from your lean protein source!

If you are breading chicken fingers - try substituting crushed whole grain crackers (Original Triscuits)or shredded wheat cereal or ground up nuts to increase the protein and fiber content.

Take a Step:

I like to make each meal as nutrient-dense as possible and by sneaking in some hidden nutrients in the way of shredded vegetables is such an easy way to do it. Don't assume your kids won't like it. If you include them in the preparation, they will be more likely to take ownership of the meal and be much more willing to try new things.

Until next time, I wish you vibrant health. Ann