You’ve worked all day and are fatigued. Your task is not done, though, because the tiny tummies in your household beg to be fed. Still, you have choices, right? You can’t imagine standing in front of the stove for an hour to prepare supper on some days, and you don’t have to. We’re not saying it should be your go-to option, but a healthy frozen kids’ meal can save your sanity in a pinch.
We all know how difficult it is to serve children a nutritious lunch, especially when time is of the essence. These nutritious frozen foods for kids will allow you to prepare a lunch while still making it to soccer, dancing, extracurricular activities, or take your well-deserved rest.
Is store bought Frozen meals bad for your kids?
These are the reasons why frozen meals that we commonly find in our local grocery stores may cause harm.
Sodium content- To boost the flavor profile and preserve the food, many frozen meals for kids use a generous amount of salt. This is risky for several reasons. To begin with, children’s diets already include much too much salt.
Artificial flavoring- When you glance at the ingredients list for most frozen meals for kids, you’ll see a slew of unfamiliar names that aren’t food. Most frozen meals are loaded with chemicals, from artificial flavorings to processed fats, to make the items more appetizing. This means that children are exposed to flavors that do not exist naturally, training their taste receptors to prefer highly processed meals. Food corporations know what they’re doing when it comes to generating these flavors; once their bodies and brains grasp what’s available, they’ll keep asking for more.
Safe and healthy frozen meals
After a tiring day you don’t need to stand in front of your stove to prepare a meal, instead you can prepare dinner from a frozen meal. Here are healthy and kid-friendly frozen meals.
A dinosaur-shaped white sweet potato replaces pasta in this kid-size heat-and-eat bowl of “mac and cheese,” adding fiber and potassium. (Alternatively, try EatingWell’s own Vermont Cheddar Mac & Cheese, which has a creamy cheese sauce but also includes a full cup of broccoli and whole-grain pasta.)
These mixed meatballs are flavored with celery, onions, and carrots. They also include whole-grain breadcrumbs for a well-rounded mouthful.
These mini hand pies are ideal for small eaters. Chickpeas and vegetables, as well as chicken and cheese, are packed into a flaky gluten-free crust.
These vegetarian nuggets are made with carrots, green beans, spinach, zucchini, and kale instead of chicken. They’re also free of dairy and gluten.
These tater-tot-like dippable nuggets comes in in dinosaur, star, and bear shapes blend potatoes with other veggies for four different flavors: kale, spinach, broccoli, and sweet potato.